Construction crews from the 4k Global-ACC joint-venture JV LLC are working on two projects at the Army's Fort Gordon southwest of Augusta, one of the largest American military installations.
The JV secured the contract for the $30,495,646 repair of the Willard Training Area (WTA), which is 56 percent complete, and the $23,103,757.43 Brant Hall renovation - Phase 1 project, which is 94 percent complete.
Fort Gordon (formerly Fort Eisenhower) is home of the United States Army Signal Corps, United States Army Cyber Command and the Cyber Center of Excellence (CCoE), as well as the National Security Agency/Central Security Service Georgia Cryptologic Center (NSA Georgia or NSAG). More than 16,000 military service members and 13,500 civilian personnel are assigned to it.
USACE photo
The projects are being managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Savannah District.
"The Willard Training Area (WTA) is an outdoor training area with multiple buildings and is utilized by the Cyber Center of Excellence for tactical training," said Stephen Montjoy, the USACE area engineer for Fort Gordon. "It is an outdoor training area that can simulate field conditions for the signal school and electronic warfare soldiers. Brandt Hall is a large facility with classrooms and equipment that will likely help signal soldiers train through real-world conditions."
The Willard Training Area project is a design-bid-build and general construction project, which should be delivered in early January 2027.
The work includes infrastructure development, the repair of existing training facilities, demolition of structures no longer needed and the improvement of the parking lots and drop-off areas, as well as the establishment of logistic support areas for soldiers bivouacking on site. Additionally, it includes the construction of a tactical operations center with new overhead shelters, antenna pads and generator pads.
Phase 1 of the Brant Hall Renovation should be completed by November. Crews are renovating a classroom wing of Brant Hall, which has three wings and a central interior training space.
The renovation includes upgrading interior finishes, power provisions and network capabilities (36,255 sq. ft.); adding one elevator and shear wall support to exterior walls for lateral stability improvement; replacing the roof with a new ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) roof system, including new insulation and roof-mounted training equipment; replacing mechanical equipment in the central mechanical room; servicing the renovated wing with full replacement in Phase 2; installing new chilled water and high-temperature water mains from street loops to the main mechanical room for mechanical renovation; and upgrading and expanding the outside training area with modern field equipment connections and new drainage features.
"Major phased interior renovations present unique challenges when fitting new/upgraded equipment into existing spaces while keeping operability of unrenovated spaces," said Montjoy. "Classrooms and field communication laboratories [are being] upgraded to 21st-century capabilities. No longer used and outdated infrastructure [are being] removed to make way for new equipment and connectivity improvements."
Both projects were designed by HDR, which is being managed by the USACE.
USACE photo
"There were some construction challenges with the existing conditions of the buildings at the WTA," said Montjoy. "Most of the buildings were beyond their anticipated lifespan."
Solid progress is being made at the WTA, which covers approximately 60 acres.
Georgia Power is installing a new underground power loop across the training area, replacing the overhead system.
"This [underground power loop] will provide a more resilient and secure power feed that is resistant to storms and is more sustainable," said Montjoy. "The primary power infrastructure improvements were completed in May."
This installation required a fair amount of earthwork, using excavators, dozers and loaders.
New sanitary sewers and water mains are being installed by Augusta Utilities Department.
"Nothing was out-of-the-ordinary -- it was standard construction," said Montjoy. "There was a lot of coordination between Georgia Power and the Augusta Utilities Department. They [Augusta Utilities] put in concrete-encased duct banks and new piping, and Georgia Power put in the electrical duct banks."
Surface drainage was installed via ditches, along with swales. Much of the new infrastructure was installed near the upgraded roads.
In addition, two concrete pipes were replaced under the access roads.
The existing gravel road is being repaired, expanded and rebuilt in certain places. It follows the perimeter of the training area, which is approximately 7,800 ft. long. The road is wide enough for two small personal vehicles and for one larger vehicle, such as a Hummer.
That work had crews using vibrator roller compactors, including small remote-controlled compactors.
"There was an existing road gravel road which was in a state of disrepair," said Montjoy. "There was a lot of rutting and washouts, making it hard to traverse. We cleaned that up. We leveled the base of the road and are putting in new stone for the entire road."
For the road work and underground infrastructure installation, crews encountered mostly sandy soils and some red clay, which were easy to compact.
The contract calls for the construction of nine shelters on concrete pads; two are 30-ft. by 30-ft., and seven are 36-ft. by 42-ft. The pads can used to simulate field conditions, so soldiers can place tents, if needed.
For 22 other structures, crews have torn out old infrastructure that has rotted-out elements and rusted studs inside the walls.
USACE photo
"Before you go install the new gypsum drywall, you have to put in new electrical infrastructure with receptacle boxes, wiring and all that," said Montjoy. "You also put in the air-conditioning and HVAC ducts above the ceilings. We're about 75 percent complete for the building and nearing completion, possibly within the next few months. Then the drywall can be installed. "
Crews used manlifts and a skid steer for the interior operations and pipe-bending tools and lifts to get above the ceilings.
Montjoy said that the Brant Hall renovation is proceeding on schedule.
"It looks like we are going to finish on time," he said. "We have some engineering challenges that have delayed the construction, and we had to issue some extensions for the engineering changes," he said. "However, that's normal. Any time you do a renovation to a building, you expect there will be some changes and conditions that could not be foreseen."
Another part of the construction includes the trusses supporting the wing at Brandt Hall, which were in poor condition.
"We ended up putting in a large dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) on top of the roof," said Montjoy. "We built a structure to support it, which ties into the existing roof, and we had to reinforce the trusses underneath the heavy new unit. We ended up doing some adjustments to the trusses to stiffen them, providing more load-bearing capacity. Originally, we did anticipate increasing the strength of the trusses but not as much as we ended up doing."
A large hydraulic boom crane lifted the new air-conditioning unit, as well as materials for the truss operations.
The new EPDM roofing system was installed at the same time as the DOAS.
Additionally, the installation of the new two-floor elevators proceeded smoothly. The elevators were supplied by TK Elevator.
The Brandt Hall work includes a fair amount of earthwork and the installation of underground infrastructure -- chilled water and high-temperature water mains from street loops to the main mechanical room and upgrading and expanding the outside training area (OTA) by installing modern field equipment connections and new drainage features.
"We did a lot of excavation, including trenches, to expose the existing piping and rerouting it with the new two-pipe system," said Montjoy. "We also did a lot of pipe work in the interior of the facility. The pipe work went from the street all the way into the building, replacing all of the existing supply piping."
Excavators dug between eight to 10 ft., with most of the connections being approximately 30 ft. long. Adjacent to the trenches, excavators tore up sections on either side for about 4 ft.
"We had to replace a lot of the existing utilities," said Montjoy. "We cut the water and then installed the new infrastructure up to the tie-in points over the July 4th [2024] holiday weekend. This required a fairly big coordination effort and, due to all the heavy equipment being used, safety meetings were critical."
W. J. Griffin Electric of Massachusetts performed the electrical power work. Blueridge Tech of North Carolina was brought in as a mechanical subcontractor. Other subcontractors include Thomson Roofing, Knight Construction & Associates, Metit Commercial Flooring and Dorsett Controls.
The Brandt Hall work had crews using JCB 510-56 and 509-42 telescopic handlers; a Cat excavator; a Takeuchi TB216 skid steer and a mini-excavator; a Komatsu PC200LC excavator; Genie articulated boom lifts; Skyjack SJ11 electric scissor lifts; a Terex hydraulic boom crane; and other Genie and Skyjack equipment.
For the Willard Training Area, crews used Cat skid steers – two 239 and one 299; a Cat 336 excavator; a Cat D3 dozer; a Cat 926 wheel loader; a Cat 730004A off-road truck; a Cat 140H motor grader; a Cat C564B vibratory roller; a JLG AE1932 scissor lift; a MEC 19-ft. scissor lift; and a JCB 507-42 forklift.
A JCB 507-42 telescoping handler assisted with the assembly of the metal buildings. CEG
