| The beginning of Olathe, Kansas, was a case study in baptism under fire.
Incorporated in 1857, Olathe (pronounced o-LAY-tha) was born into what was known in those times as "Bleeding Kansas." To the east of Kansas was pro-slavery Missouri; to the north was free-soil Nebraska. Whether slavery would extend into Kansas prompted bitter fighting there in which hundreds were killed years before the Civil War even began. Olathe, only 20 miles from Kansas City, was surrounded by frequent hostilities prevalent along the Missouri-Kansas border. Abolitionist John Brown of Harper’s Ferry fame was active in the Olathe area. After the Civil War began, Confederate guerilla William Quantrill led a band of raiders across the Missouri border and destroyed much of the young town, killing six men in the process. Its turbulent beginning, however, belies the quaint, peaceful community that Olathe has been during much of its history. Named after the Shawnee word for "beautiful," the early settlement was covered with verbena and other colorful wild flowers. After the Civil War it became an important stop on the Santa Fe Trail with as many as 600 westward-bound wagons passing through daily. As a city, Olathe remained largely unchanged through the years. As late as 1940, for example, its population was less than 4,000. That began to change in the 1950s with the opening of Interstate 35, which connected the town with Kansas City. With Kansas City’s suburban development mushrooming, Olathe’s population has quadrupled to 85,000 since the ’50s, making it the fifth-largest city in Kansas. Given Olathe’s attractiveness and location, more growth is certain. Projections are that its population will almost double in the next 10 years. To meet increased demand for water services, the city has embarked on a $25-million expansion of its water system. The project includes the installation of more than 13 miles of AMERICAN 30-inch Fastite ® and Flex-Ring ® pipe as well as 509 tons of 8- to 42-inch AMERICAN Fastite ®, Flex-Ring ®, and flanged pipe and fittings. The anticipated construction cost to install the transmission mains is approximately $8.5 million. Overall construction began in March 1997 and is scheduled for completion in June of this year. The project is separated into five contracts. A look at each:
The versatile performance capabilities of AMERICAN piping presented themselves front and center for this project’s variety of conditions - creek crossings, wooded areas, rocky terrain, and tight conditions at the treatment plant site. The crossing of Cedar Creek was one of several portions of the project that proved especially difficult. The crossing area at Cedar Creek contains sandy soils, and heavier-than-normal rainfall made water tables higher than average during construction - causing concern for the stability of the creek and trench banks. "The Cedar Creek crossing posed the biggest challenge for us," said David Beemer of Beemer Construction. "This crossing was skipped in the fall because of anticipated lower water levels in the winter. But during winter, the water levels weren’t much lower and it didn’t appear they would be anytime soon. So we proceeded, using multiple pumps, shoring, and sheeting to make the crossing successful. "Since ductile iron pipe is a third the weight of pccp, it offered advantages in accessing the remote alignments on the project," Beemer said. "AMERICAN’s Flex-Ring ® restrained joint pipe eliminates time spent with bolts and wedges found with joints from other manufacturers. Flex-Ring ® restrained joint fittings have also saved valuable time during installations." Also on Contract 3, Beemer was required to remove rock to a depth of approximately 8 feet within just a few feet of existing fiber optic telephone lines. This caused an obvious problem of excavated rocks disturbing the fiber optics line. Beemer worked closely with the phone company to successfully accomplish the work. AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe’s field adaptability was a major factor in its selection for work on the water treatment plant expansion, said David Oligschlaeger, P.E., project manager for the design engineering firm of Burns & McDonnell in Kansas City. "One of the reasons we specified ductile iron pipe for the yard was because we anticipated adjustments in alignment and grade would be necessary in the field because of congested underground utilities," Oligschlaeger said. "This turned out to be the case. The ability to cut ductile iron pipe in the field to proper lengths and deflect joints allowed the necessary adjustments to be made." Said Joe Camren, project manager for A.D. Jacobson: "The greatest challenge in the plant setting is to meet the differing elevations of wall castings when the structures are very close together. Plant settings also present many coordination problems - electrical conduit, chemical feed piping, sanitary and storm sewers, and other piping systems. AMERICAN’s Fastite ®, Flex-Ring ®, and flanged pipe and fittings provided the flexibility needed to meet and conquer these seemingly impossible conditions. "The buried pipe in the plant had to be installed and backfilled prior to the actual testing of the systems," Camren said. "There were no leaks on any of the underground piping thanks to the excellent design of the AMERICAN jointing system." In the past, A.D. Jacobson has made its own layout drawings, but for this project the company purchased the drawing service that AMERICAN offers. "We worked with Cindy Mashburn, who not only was very knowledgeable of the available AMERICAN products but worked efficiently and tirelessly to meet the demands of a quick schedule on a very complex project," Camren said. "Her suggestions and ideas saved A.D. Jacobson time and money." Both ductile iron and prestressed concrete cylinder pipe were allowed on Contract 1. Garney Companies, however, chose ductile iron pipe because of its total cost effectiveness. All other contracts allowed only ductile iron pipe in order to maintain consistency throughout the project. "The ability to make field adjustments with AMERICAN piping in the field was very helpful," said Mike Atkinson, project manager for Garney Companies. "Field-adjustable Flex-Rings were utilized to cut and restrain pipe at bends in the pipeline to meet proper alignment. Welded outlets provided ease of construction and were very cost effective for the owner." Said Dave Bries, utility maintenance superintendent for the City of Olathe: "One of the most interesting aspects of the water transmission project was the use of restrained joint pipe and fittings in lieu of thrust blocking. This was the first time for the City of Olathe to use this method of installation on an entire project. Since a great deal of the work on this project is in areas with anticipated development, the use of thrust blocks, which might be accidentally disturbed, was a critical concern. This was especially true with the thrust block sizes required for 30-inch piping. "By using AMERICAN’s Flex-Ring ® joints in fittings and the piping within a designed distance from the fittings, the future maintenance problems caused by the accidental disturbance of thrust blocks can be avoided," Bries said. "The rewards for using this method will be seen for a long time down the road." Oligschlaeger noted that three of the five contracts making up this project have tight construction schedules with substantial liquidated damages and incentive bonuses. "To my knowledge, AMERICAN has to date had the required material on site when needed by the contractors to keep the construction progressing," he said. Said Garney Companies’ Atkinson: "Pipe delivery was straight from Birmingham because of the fast start and early completion time. AMERICAN’s Customer Service Department and our crew scheduled and coordinated pipe deliveries to meet the tight schedule. Anytime there was a problem or a potential problem, AMERICAN was always there to help." Said A.D. Jacobson’s Camren: "We worked with AMERICAN’s Daphne Yelling, and several times we had to make last-minute requests because of unforeseen field changes. Daphne and her co-workers were able to meet these changing delivery schedules so that valuable time was not lost. "I was pleased with AMERICAN, from the initial estimate to the winning of the bid and ultimately to the support they provided while shipping more than 500 tons of product on our portion of this project," Camren said. "We will indeed be looking for AMERICAN products and service in the future."
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AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe lies in a cornfield, ready for installation. Contractors for the Olathe project praised AMERICAN’s on-time deliveries and customer service support.
This photo provides a glimpse of the myriad of underground utilities and buried obstacles found during construction. In such conditions, the versatility of AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe is perfectly suited for working around unexpected obstacles that are encountered.
The crossing of Cedar Creek proved to be a stiff challenge for contractor Beemer Construction Co., Inc. Here, two 30-inch, polyethylene-encased AMERICAN water transmission mains are shown during installation. The stream has been blocked by a coffer dam.
More than 13 miles of AMERICAN 30-inch Ductile Iron pipe was used on the Olathe project. The relatively light weight of AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe made it easier to access the more remote construction sites.
More than 509 tons of 8"- 42" Fastite®, Flex-Ring®, and flanged pipe and fittings were used for the water treatment plant expansion. The design incorporated the use of AMERICAN welded-on outlets, several of which are shown here.
The welded-on outlets saved the owner both time and money. |
| Owner: | City of Olathe, Kansas |
| Project: | 30-Inch Water Transmission Main (Contracts 1, 3, and 5)/Water Treatment Plant Expansion (Contract 4) |
| Engineer: | Burns and McDonnell Engineering Co., Inc., Kansas City, Missouri |
| Material/Contractors: | |
| Contractor1: | 15,800 feet of 30" Fastite ® and Flex-Ring ®, Garney Companies, Kansas City, Missouri |
| Contractor3: | 25,400 feet of 30" Fastite ® and Flex-Ring ®, Beemer Construction, Blue Springs, Missouri |
| Contractor4: | 509 tons of 8"- 42" Fastite ®, Flex-Ring ®, and flanged pipe and fittings, A.D. Jacobson Company Inc., Kansas City, Missouri |
| Contractor5: | 29,300 feet of 30" Fastite ® and Flex-Ring ®, Beemer Construction |
| Sales Engineers: | Blake Beavers, Marvin Nobles |
| Customer Service Representative: | Daphne Yelling |
| Drafter: | Cindy Mashburn |
© 1999 American Cast Iron Pipe Co.
