http://www.kci.com/admin/rss Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:46:53 GMT http://www.kci.com/kci_presents_at_regional_asis_chapters John C. Fannin III, President of KCI Protection Technologies LLC, presented security vulnerability assessment training at the April meeting of ASIS Delaware. Mark G. Wygonik, Division Chief for Risk Analysis, will present an overview of the chemical facilities anti-terrorism standards at the June meeting of ASIS Baltimore. Fri, 23 May 2008 23:58:25 GMT http://www.kci.com/kci_presents_at_regional_asis_chapters http://www.kci.com/wireless/projects/nc_csh_project Early in 2007, KCI's North Carolina office was awarded a project to install 495 backup generators in the NC region for a major regional carrier. This has the potential to be a $6.5 million dollar contract. Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:39:06 GMT http://www.kci.com/wireless/projects/nc_csh_project http://www.kci.com/wireless/projects/turnkey_at_risk_contract Early in 2005, KCI’s Tampa office was awarded a Turnkey Contract valued at approximately $16,000,000 for engineering and construction services for more than 300 sites. This Turnkey Project involved the cooperative efforts between the Tampa Engineering, Tampa Survey, Tampa Construction Management, Raleigh Engineering, Raleigh Surveying, and Harrisburg Environmental groups and the entire in-house Wireless Construction Group. This full service team completed the project both on time and under budget. Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:36:57 GMT http://www.kci.com/wireless/projects/turnkey_at_risk_contract http://www.kci.com/wireless/projects/fl_csh_project Starting in November 2005, KCI Wireless Services was contracted to harden more than 600 wireless sites to be completed by June 2006, before the upcoming hurricane season. KCI Wireless designed and built new sites, and upgraded existing sites to current standards using in-house resources. Since the work began, KCI Wireless was handed another 200 sites to harden for the year 2006, bringing the total sites to 800. Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:34:22 GMT http://www.kci.com/wireless/projects/fl_csh_project http://www.kci.com/technologies/projects/md_70_rowe Client: Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA) Location: Annapolis, MD Services: Structural design, highway design, traffic engineering, landscape architecture, water resources, cultural resources, public utilities, public involvement Under direction of the Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA), KCI Technologies is leading the design team on a $32 million project to improve travel along MD 70, Rowe Boulevard, leading into historic Annapolis, MD. The primary gateway to the State’s capital carries nearly 70,000 vehicles per day over two bridges built nearly 50 years ago and requiring major upgrades. Weems Creek Bridge—SHA is replacing the 67-foot-wide Weems Creek Bridge with a new structure that will be nine feet wider and more compatible with the existing roadway median. As a result of input from the Community Advisory Committee (CAC), the design also includes new aesthetic treatments, complementing the vista approaching the Capital, and the addition of a sidewalk on the East side, wider shoulders to accommodate bicycles, and a wider median that matches the bridge approaches and offers the opportunity to add a fifth lane, if required, in the future. The plans also call for reducing the width of existing traffic lanes by one foot in order to encourage slower traffic speeds. During construction, all existing traffic lanes will be maintained during peak travel hours; during off-peak hours (9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.), lane closures may be necessary for certain construction activities, such as placing steel bridge girders. College Creek Bridge—The existing 70-foot-wide bridge over College Creek will be redecked and widened by five feet. As part of the rehabilitation, crews will replace the existing concrete bridge deck, steel girders, and concrete pier caps; widen the sidewalk from five to seven feet on both sides of the roadway; and add wider shoulders to accommodate bicycles. The existing traffic lane widths will be reduced by one foot as a way to slow down traffic speeds, and landscaping and aesthetic treatments will be added to enhance the landscape and scenery. During construction for the College Creek bridge, three lanes of traffic will be maintained at all times, using a reversible lane traffic pattern: two lanes in the peak direction, one in non-peak direction. The middle lane will be controlled using an overhead lane control system similar to what is used on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge along US 50. During off peak hours (9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.), additional lane closures may be necessary for certain construction activities, such as placing steel bridge girders. Environmental Impacts—Any large construction project poses some unavoidable impacts to the environment. To minimize these impacts, SHA has stationed a full-time environmental monitor on site to ensure that any issues will be immediately resolved. An environmental CAC, comprised of local volunteers, worked with SHA and KCI during the design phase to address and minimize impacts and to find ways to improve existing conditions. Enhancements to the project include: The inclusion of five storm water management bio-retention facilities that will treat runoff from the bridge decks, an approach that exceeds state requirements A four-year, water quality monitoring program for adjacent creeks: one year prior to construction, two years during construction, and one year post construction. If monitoring should indicate that construction activities are adversely affecting the creeks, SHA will be able to take immediate steps to rectify any adverse construction procedures. In addition, SHA can measure the effectiveness of the bio-retention facilities being constructed as part of this project. Funding for a watershed study of Weems Creek Grading and landscaping upgrades to an existing storm water management pond within the US 50 Interchange A response procedure for the contractor to implement in the event of a toxic chemical spill An aggressive replanting program Relocating existing trees within the median of Rowe Boulevard to locations near the World War II Memorial Overlook Mon, 12 Mar 2007 16:57:32 GMT http://www.kci.com/technologies/projects/md_70_rowe http://www.kci.com/technologies/projects/i75 Client: Florida Department of Transportation Location: North Port, Florida Services: Transportation engineering, construction management and inspection, structural design and inspection Minutes before daybreak on February 2, 2004, a tanker truck carrying 7,400 gallons of gas and diesel fuel through a foggy section of I-75 near North Port, Florida, struck a guard rail, flipped, and exploded, killing the driver. Heat and flames enveloped the Big Slough Canal Bridge, devastating the 540-foot structure and blackening 100 yards of highway. Within hours of the tragedy, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District One, opened the highway to northbound traffic, detoured southbound traffic west to US 41, and closed the southbound lanes for emergency repairs. As the firm providing oversight construction engineering and inspection (CEI) services for FDOT on the I-75 widening project, KCI Technologies responded quickly. By 8:00 p.m., KCI’s project administrator e-mailed the first of what would be daily progress reports to FDOT leaders and the emergency repair team, noting that APAC Southeast, Inc., had begun clearing and grubbing for a temporary detour through the north- and southbound median. Throughout the night, Zep Construction prepared the damaged structural members for demolition. During the next two days, Southern Waste Services began excavating contaminated soils from the site and Zep Construction removed the bridge decking and beams, while cutting and slicing the piles. APAC delivered the first of 500 truckloads of fill material—nearly 5,700 cubic yards—to build the temporary crossover through the median. The team also added 3,867 square yards of a geofabric liner to stabilize the area. Traffic Control Products, meanwhile, installed signage for the new maintenance of traffic (MOT) plans and began restriping and placing barrier walls for the detours, based on MOT drawings by the design engineer, EC Driver & Associates. With motorists flooding onto the 20-mile US 41 detour and traffic delays through local business districts approaching five hours, FDOT was intent on getting travelers back on the Interstate. Nearly one-third of the entire bridge needed to be demolished and rebuilt, including three piles, 15 beams supporting the deck, three bridge deck panels, and new barrier walls. Simultaneously, crews scrambled to finish the crossover detour, reducing northbound traffic from two lanes to one to accommodate the new traffic pattern. With the help of an early morning rain that cooled the fresh asphalt, a southbound lane opened to motorists at 7:50 a.m. on February 6th. The emergency repair team worked around the clock during the weekend of February 7-8, setting beams and placing steel and concreteforms for the bridge deck. In monitoring the CEI services performed by the design-build contractor, KCI inspectors served as FDOT’s eyes and ears, keeping excellent records that provided minute by minute accounts of who was on site, what was happening, and the quantities of materials used. Nobody left the site till the job was done, and everyone—FDOT, contractors, designers, inspectors—pulled together, with daily, 9:00 a.m. meetings keeping everyone abreast of task assignments. On Monday, February 9th shortly before 11:00 a.m., crews began placing concrete for the bridge deck, finishing at 2:45 p.m. The next day, workers set barrier walls, placed and tied reinforcing steel for the bridge rail, spread embankment material in excavated areas, and added striping for the southbound traffic realignment. FDOT reopened one lane of southbound I-75 on Wednesday, February 11th, at 8:50 p.m. and a second lane on Thursday at 5:00 a.m. Hours later at 12:10 p.m., crews completed the final MOT patterns for reopening the northbound lane, which had been accommodating southbound traffic. After setting 15 bridge beams, laying 1,530 tons of asphalt, and moving almost 15,500 linear feet of barrier wall, the bridge was operational. Workers had expended 6,350 hours in a record 11 days to restore the structure. In comparison, it took 18 days to reopen nearby Salt Creek Bridge when it was similarly damaged in 1996. On February 13th, FDOT District One Secretary Ricky A. Langley, PE, e-mailed KCI Project Administrator Kiko Villarreal, thanking KCI for its efforts. “I wanted to let you know what a great job you did in preparing the updates...(which) were brief but full of information, just as they should be. A few were actually forwarded to Governor Bush.” Langley added, “I also want to thank everyone else for their dedication and efforts during this crisis. What an incredible accomplishment!” The following week, KCI met with representatives from FDOT District Seven to share lessons learned from the project. Then on April 14th, Secretary Langley presented KCI with a certificate of appreciation at the District One Quarterly Contractor’s Meeting. The certificate recognized the inspectors’ “extraordinary efforts and dedication to the expeditious repair of the I-75 Big Slough Bridge. Their outstanding commitment and prompt action contributed to the phenomenal 11 day success of this project.” Mon, 12 Mar 2007 16:57:32 GMT http://www.kci.com/technologies/projects/i75 http://www.kci.com/technologies/projects/annapolis_dredging Client: City of Annapolis Location: Annapolis, Maryland Services: Environmental, Marine and Geotechnical Engineering Annapolis, Md., one of the busiest recreational boating centers in the nation, is widely considered the sailing capital of the United States. As such, it was once again chosen, along with Baltimore, as one of 10 stops in the 2005-06 Volvo Ocean Race (formerly the Whitbread), an eight-month sailing competition that circles the globe every four years and promised an estimated $50 million in tourism revenue for Maryland this spring. There was just one problem — The 2005-2006 race featured a new class of 70-foot sailing yacht designed for depths that, at the time, exceeded Annapolis Harbor's. This issue sparked city officials — who have long considered increasing the harbor depth — to act. In the spring of 2003, the city of Annapolis tasked KCI's Environmental Engineering Division with providing preliminary concepts for the dredging and an associated environmental restoration project to be undertaken at nearby Greenbury Point. With the information from these concept designs, the city was able to secure Congressional funding for the environmental restoration project through the Water Resources Development Act, which provides capital resources for restoration projects in aquatic ecosystems. By summer 2005 the final design plans to dredge the harbor, relocate the dredged material and secure the required permits were nearing completion. The design process involved overall project coordination, a geotechnical and environmental investigation, site inspections at Greenbury Point, hydrographic surveys of the harbor, consultation with the yacht designers to obtain boat specifications, and the creation of a partnership of organizations. In all, the dredging design called for the removal of more than 14,000 cubic yards of material from the harbor, increasing the channel depth to 17 feet. In addition, KCI had in place the scope of work for the Greenbury Point restoration portion of the project for use by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Design plans and permitting were completed in October. Dredging began in December and ended in January, well in advance of the Volvo fleet's anticipated spring 2006 arrival. "Our overall knowledge of the city's goals and our project expertise allowed us to take on this project," said KCI Project Manager Christopher L. Overcash, PE. "It was clear early on that this would entail more than just design and permitting for harbor dredging. Key to completing the project was the knowledge base and experience we were able to draw upon, as well as our relationships with the other organizations involved." Among those other organizations was the USACE, Maryland Port Administration (MPA), U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Maryland Environmental Service, and Anne Arundel County. According to Thomas G. Sprehe, PE, Senior Vice President in charge of KCI's Environmental Group, one of KCI's main objectives was to show all the potential participants how they could benefit from the project. "This win-win strategy was instrumental in securing buy-in from all the partners, which can make or break a project of this magnitude," he said. As for the race, the two-week Maryland stopover provided sailors with a welcome reprieve from perhaps the toughest leg of the journey — Rio de Janeiro to Baltimore, a 5,000-nautical-mile stretch through the Doldrums, the Bermuda Triangle and the Gulf Stream. The boats docked at Baltimore's Inner Harbor before sailing to Annapolis. After the Annapolis rest stop, they sprinted (by their standards) 400 nautical miles to New York City. Mon, 12 Mar 2007 16:57:30 GMT http://www.kci.com/technologies/projects/annapolis_dredging http://www.kci.com/technologies/projects/woodrowwilson Client: Maryland State Highway Administration Location: Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC Services: Structural, highway, traffic, and geotechnical engineering; environmental mitigation; hydrologic and hydraulic analysis; underwater inspection; subsurface utility engineering; landscape architecture With more than 200,000 travelers crossing the Potomac River on I-95/I-495 each day, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge is a critical link in the East Coast interstate highway system. The 90-foot-wide drawbridge, built in 1961 to accommodate six lanes of traffic, has become a bottleneck for motorists driving around the nation’s capital. Recognizing the need to replace the aging structure, Congress authorized nearly $2 billion in federal funding, supported by contributions from Maryland and Virginia, to build a 12-lane replacement bridge, 234 feet wide and 1.15 miles long, with 70 feet of vertical clearance over the shipping channel. With eight lanes of traffic feeding onto the existing bridge, planners selected the 12-lane design to handle projected increases in traffic and accommodate two "reserve" lanes for high-occupancy or transit vehicles. The final design reflects more than 12 years of input from engineers, political leaders, citizens, and environmental groups, all concerned with building a structure to meet urgent transportation needs while minimizing impacts to the environment. The monumental task of reconstructing the bridge required modifying the approach interchanges on both shores and developing environmental mitigation plans. KCI Technologies, Inc., is serving as the lead consulting engineer providing highway and bridge designs for the I-95/I-495 & MD 210 Interchange on the Maryland side of the river and also as a subconsultant on the team designing improvements for the I-95/U.S. Route 1 Interchange in Virginia. While project engineers designed structural and highway plans that minimized impacts on the river and adjacent lands, KCI’s environmental scientists conducted mitigation studies and developed innovative approaches for restoring natural sites outside of the project area, in cooperation with State agencies and the project's general engineering consultant, Potomac Crossing Consultants (PCC). Interchange Designs—In October 1998, KCI began preliminary designs for the $100 million MD 210 Interchange Project, located two miles east of the bridge. The project involves replacing four bridges, constructing three new bridges and retaining walls, and widening existing roadway. Throughout the project, KCI has worked closely with representatives from the Federal Highway Administration; the Bridge and Highway Divisions of the Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA); the design team working on the I-95/I-495 & I-295 Interchange (JMT/WRA); and PCC. Environmental Solutions—KCI began its environmental mitigation studies for the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Replacement Project in February 2000, providing wetland mitigation and fish passage design services for several sites in Virginia and Maryland over the next few years. In Virginia, KCI provided tidal mitigation and streambank stabilization/riparian buffer enhancement design services for seven sites in the watershed. In Maryland, KCI provided wetland mitigation and/or streambank stabilization design services for four sites: Anacostia East, Bladensburg Marina, Tuxedo Road, and Cabin Branch. In addition, KCI designed an innovative approach for removing 24 fish blockages in five stream systems (Rock Creek, Northwest Branch, Sligo Creek, Indian Creek, and Little Paint Branch), including a new fish ladder around a historic dam in Rock Creek Park. KCI's approach to designing fish passages is unlike any other in the industry. In the past, a firm may have traversed an individual blockage from a stream without modeling the very specific requirements for fish or the potential impacts on the rest of the system. For this project, however, KCI created a scientific model that factored in field data on fish physiology and behavior, stream substrate, and water velocity and depth to help replicate unique, natural features. By using no-maintenance, attractive natural solutions in the restoration design, KCI was able to mitigate multiple fish blockages associated with man-made development and shift the stream system in a positive direction. Mon, 12 Mar 2007 16:57:32 GMT http://www.kci.com/technologies/projects/woodrowwilson http://www.kci.com/wireless/projects/fdot_statewide_microwave_project In cooperation with GOFF Communications, KCI Wireless Services, Inc., and KCI Technologies,Inc., provided design, design documentation, delivery, installation, and testing services for towers and shelters supporting communications throughout the State of Florida. KCI installed new communications towers, equipment shelters, emergency generators, microwave radios, fiber optic multiplexors, channel banks, antennas, transmission lines, and pressurization equipment, as well as adequate lightning protection and grounding systems for each site. Under the $3.9 million project, KCI Technologies delivered surveying, engineering design, and inspection services, and KCI Wireless Services constructed the microwave antenna and radio installations. GOFF Communications served as the prime contractor in charge of managing the project. During the past several years, KCI and GOFF teamed on several major wireless buildouts, using effective communication and constant feedback to design and construct approximately 120 telecommunications facilities in one year. Tue, 13 Mar 2007 17:04:02 GMT http://www.kci.com/wireless/projects/fdot_statewide_microwave_project http://www.kci.com/convergent/projects/national_gallery_of_art KCI has performed numerous task orders for the National Gallery of Art under a Blanket Purchasing Agreement with Dimension Data Corporation. KCI has completed a demolition project, which required the testing, identification, and removal of abandoned high pair count copper cable within the building conduit and riser system. Great care had to be taken to avoid damage of existing active cables and circuits including active backbone fiber optic and security systems. KCI installed a new fiber optic backbone system in the East Building to support the 10GiGabit core upgrade. KCI has performed numerous cabling upgrade projects, replacing the existing non-rated and Cat3 cable with Cat5E and Cat6 through the Gallery Administrative areas. The work requires performing tasks within both active and secure areas. Projects have involved the installation of new tray, several sizes of EMT up to 4" and the establishment of totally new pathways through the historic building. Wed, 14 Mar 2007 00:51:45 GMT http://www.kci.com/convergent/projects/national_gallery_of_art http://www.kci.com/wireless/projects/us_cellular_cmda_overlay_project Working in conjunction with KCI design engineers, KCI Wireless Services, Inc., completed a herculean effort to install a code division multiple access (CDMA) overlay system on 126 tower sites in North and South Carolina in less than four months. CDMA is a digital transmission technology that allows a cellphone to decipher only conversations assigned a particular code. KCI completed the engineering and installation for 73 sites, provided logistical services for all 126 sites, and supported other contractors with technical services on another 50 sites. Although the low bidder on the complex, fast-track project, KCI earned high satisfaction ratings from the client and was invited to work in two new markets. Tue, 13 Mar 2007 17:14:43 GMT http://www.kci.com/wireless/projects/us_cellular_cmda_overlay_project http://www.kci.com/wireless/projects/att_wireless_3g_buildout KCI worked at a breakneck pace with Bechtel Corporation to help AT&T expand its telecommunications network in three Florida markets. The facility enhancements were part of AT&T’s third-generation or 3G overlay program, doubling system capacity and providing pathways for voice, data, and eventually video trans-mission. KCI employees from Tampa and Raleigh provided structural analysis and other engineering services for more than 450 sites, completing an average of 37 sites per week without rejection or delay in the permitting process. As a result of KCI’s performance on the $1.1 million project, Bechtel named KCI its unofficial “consultant of choice.” Tue, 13 Mar 2007 17:17:56 GMT http://www.kci.com/wireless/projects/att_wireless_3g_buildout http://www.kci.com/convergent/projects/office_of_naval_research --> KCI, under contract to Verizon Federal, was brought in to take over a project that was significantly behind schedule and over budget. KCI cabled 10 floors of a 14-story office building to be occupied by the Office of Naval Research. KCI completed the work ahead of schedule and on budget, including re-cabling the 4 floors that had been incorrectly done by the previous cabling contractor. KCI was asked to add the riser and secure cabling systems as an addition to the base contract. The cable plant consisted of Cat5E and Cat6 UTP in the horizontal distribution system, high pair count copper riser, secure and non-secure fiber optic riser systems. KCI built-out 18 IDF's and 2800 quad receptacles including under floor cable tray and ladder racking and 36 19" TIA/EIA communications racks with vertical wire management. All material was furnished by Verizon and managed by KCI. The project was completed a week prior to the scheduled completion date including the additional work requirements. Wed, 14 Mar 2007 00:38:19 GMT http://www.kci.com/convergent/projects/office_of_naval_research http://www.kci.com/convergent/projects/the_george_washington_university__gelman_library KCI under a direct contract with The George Washington University provided design, material, labor, and supervision to install thirty-two six-plex communications receptacles consisting of one Cat5E, two Cat6, one Series6, and two duplex Volition Fiber Optic outlets. The project included installing conveyances in an active college library setting, a new 24-strand fiber optic tie cable, termination, fusion splicing, termination and testing of UTP, coaxial, and fiber optic cable. Wed, 14 Mar 2007 00:36:37 GMT http://www.kci.com/convergent/projects/the_george_washington_university__gelman_library