Radar Test Range
Project
L.R. Costanzo Co., Inc. was called upon to renovate an existing warehouse facility to house its radar test range equipment and install a 330’ high radar test tower and 77’ diameter radome.
Challenges
- Installing foundations, roadways, structures and utilities in an area deemed “high hazard” due to the potential of “unexploded ordinances” being present in this former artillery test range.
- Abating hazardous materials inside the warehouse.
- Maintaining steam heat throughout the renovated area and interconnecting buildings during the heating season.
- Dealing with an excessively high water table where the foundations for the tower were being installed.
Solutions
- Hired a metal detection/mine sweeping company to carefully screen layer upon layer of earth throughout the project’s excavations. All work and material handling was done strictly within clearly-defined clearance limits.
- Employed an environmental hazards removal contractor, utilized third party testing, erected proper isolation barriers and re-sequenced construction activities (post-abatement) throughout project.
- Created a by-pass line for the heating system after temporarily shutting down the building and isolatin. Work was performed on weekends and off-hours.
- Conducted additional excavations, diverted ground water, made modifications to foundation design, structural fill and drainage.
Construction Details
- Installed a five ton, rolling, bridge crane.
- Formed, placed and finished over 47,000 square feet of concrete in the pad surrounding the radome.
- Installed mortar based epoxy flooring system on the warehouse floor.
- Sent a team to a radome site in Virginia as part of the pre construction survey.
