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Updated: July 8th, 2008 05:26 PM EDT

Equipment Overcomes Obstacles

Compact equipment and attachments prove instrumental on Phoenix’s light rail project.

A Caterpillar skid steer paired with a set of attachments, a trailer and a truck allowed the operator to efficiently travel around the jobsite and prepare the trench for the guide wires with minimal labor required.
A Caterpillar skid steer paired with a set of attachments, a trailer and a truck allowed the operator to efficiently travel around the jobsite and prepare the trench for the guide wires with minimal labor required.
This trench runs under the light rail tracks and contains the wiring between the stations.
This trench runs under the light rail tracks and contains the wiring between the stations.
The jobsite was very crowded and traffic had to be maintained while the work was being completed.
The jobsite was very crowded and traffic had to be maintained while the work was being completed.
The finished light rail project required that everything between the storefront on one side of the street to the storefront on the other side of the street be reconstructed.
The finished light rail project required that everything between the storefront on one side of the street to the storefront on the other side of the street be reconstructed.
A side tip bucket on the wheel loaders made it possible to place bedding in trenches while operating in very confined spaces.
A side tip bucket on the wheel loaders made it possible to place bedding in trenches while operating in very confined spaces.

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Curt Bennink
By Curt Bennink
Senior Field Editor

The light rail system in downtown Phoenix, AZ, includes a 20-mile starter line that will feature electric-powered light rail cars traveling at the posted speed limit for the road. The rail, overhead power lines and stations will all be carved out of the existing infrastructure.

This initial 20-mile line is broken up into five segments. Archer Western Contractors was awarded and completed Line Section 3.

Archer Western Contractors is a subsidiary of The Walsh Group, a firm currently ranked among the nation’s top 20 contractors. The company takes pride in the fact that, since it was established in 1983, it has never failed to complete a contract. The company has invested over $300 million in capital equipment and regularly employs over 1,000 engineers and skilled tradesmen.

Although it was no stranger to projects of this magnitude, this was the largest project ever handled by Archer Western’s Phoenix office, which had traditionally worked on waste water facilities.

“Our notice to proceed was May 16, 2005,” says Bob Fouty, project manager. “The original bid contract was a little south of $95 million. With change orders, I think we are now at $102 million. We set a goal at the outset of the project to have all of the track down by November of 2007, and all of the station foundations complete.” This goal was accomplished.

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