220,000 yards of fill 2

[smead155]

Does anyone know how long it would take a grading contractor to move and compact 220,000 cy's of fill. All the fill is coming from the same site and will not have to be moved more than 1,000ft (this would be the longest haul.)

 

[Focht3]

It will depend a great deal on the equipment used, the weather, the condition of the borrow material, etc. Do you have any specifics, or are you just looking for "ballpark" figures?



Please see FAQ731-376 for great suggestions on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[stewbaby]

Been there and done that, and like Focht3 says...it all depends. It took us 5 months and 2.0 million dollars by the time we included french drains, settlement plates, and site stabalization (grass and riprap). We planned for it to take 3 months and 1.5 million.

 

[BigH]

A lot also depends on the thickness of loose lifts specified and the level of compaction required - also how thick will the fill be - are you building a little bunny ski hill?????

 

[bltseattle]

I worked on the design for reclaiming a gravel pit to use as a stormwater infiltration facility. Total earthwork was about 300,000 cy, with about 50,000 cy exported from the site and the rest reused on the site. This was needed to lay back near vertical slopes and construct benches in the slope. Toe of the slopes were filled using 12 inch lifts and the tops were cut. Site was 20 acres and the haul routes as I recall were between 500 and 1000 ft. The project required the contractor to sort some of the materials before placing and compacting.

That said, it took about 4.5 months. Try to set it up so the contractor can use really big trucks!

 

[cvg]

first - determine the equipment to be used - scrapers, loaders, whatever (big trucks is not the fastest, scraper haul would be much faster)
second - determine the cycle time to excavate, haul, place, compact and return for another
third - estimate how many pieces of equipment could be mobilized - call your local contractors to see what they say
fourth - determine hours per day/per week/per month etc you can work.


Assuming 10 scrapers, moving about 50 yards per hour per scraper - you will move about 4,000 yards per working day. With no down time you could do it in about 11 or 12 weeks

 

[Focht3]

Of course, you have to properly compact and test the fill. Is your lay down area big enough to accommodate 4,000 yd³ of fill per day? I'm guessing the lay down area per day will need to be at least 18,000 yd², with a three day allowance for density testing, weather problems, etc. That's about 54,000 yd² - 486,000 ft². A pretty big site - roughly 700 feet per side for a square area.

Of course, if the site is bigger your production could be much more than 4,000 yd³ per day -



Please see FAQ731-376 for great suggestions on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[KRSServices]

I think that perhaps you are approaching the problem from the wrong perpective. In short, there are no hard and fast numbers, or even any real "rules of thumb" to assist you.

Firstly, and I am assuming that this is a given, is that you have a complete understanding of the project. In other words, you have done the geotechnical and design and understand what needs to be done.

Secondly, now you have to think as a potential "contractor". You will have to assess how the project is to be tendered (locally, regionaly, nationally) and from that point try to estimate the availability (and size) of earthmoving equipment.

Thridly, now will be the task to reasonably estimate how the job is to be done. By this, you will have to develop a methodology and think about how the most competative bidder would do the job. I have awarded low bids to contractors whom have work 24 hour shifts to complete earthwork components of highway construction. 200,000 yd3 may or may not be a monumental task, but it will depend on local conditions and equipment. If there is a completion date, then it will make things a bit easier, but if you are trying to determine a reasonable completion date, then I suggest using my method.

It also would be advantageous to sit down and speak with a few contractors on their ideas or approach. You may get some valuable insight for your purposes.

KRS Services

http://www.krs-services.com

 

[cvg]

Within reason, you can tell the contractor how long he has to do the job. And with enough money, it can be done. For instance, I am working on a project where approximately 4,000,000 yards would be excavated and placed on site. It is anticipated that the project could be completed in aobut 2 years. However, this is in the desert southwest, only about 20 rain days per year, working 52 weeks per year and with minimal compaction requirements. This would probably require two large contractors to mobilize and work together to do it and the cost is approaching $20 million (US).

Both KRS and Focht hit on aspects of the process that need to be considered. Depending on many factors, it could take from 3 months to 3 years. more information is needed to provide a reasonable estimate of the time.