Update On Cliffhanger Tree Project

[chris_girard]

Update on the Rock stabilization project up in Franconia Notch, N.H. off of I-93.

The contractor has done the entire tree clearing and rock scaling work and will begin testing the rock bolts to see if they will need to be replaced.

I’ve attached a few photos of the rock scalers who did some initial hand scaling a few years ago.

I may get the opportunity to be the one who will be doing the monitoring of the work for the NH DOT, which means that I will get to scale and repel the cliffs.

Pic 1 Looking up into Franconia Notch off of I-93.

 

[chris_girard]

Pic 2 Top roping down to the face

 

[chris_girard]

Pic 3 Rock scalers on the face

 

[chris_girard]

Pic 4 Rock scalers at work on the face

 

[chris_girard]

Pic 5 Drilling a rock bolt anchor

 

[chris_girard]

Pic 6 Drill rig and scaler

 

[Tom Dunlap]

That has got to be slow work!

Climbing is slow, drilling is slow...time must creep by if you measure it in drilled holes.

 

[chris_girard]

Tom, luckily the rock bolt work was already done years ago, and now only a few (hopefully) will need to be replaced.

Still, there are over 200 bolts that will need testing. We are scheduled to have the project completed by Oct. 2009.

 

[Gerald_Beranek]

That's really cool, Chris. Thanks for sharing.

 

[chris_girard]

Thanks Jer. There'll be more pictures to come next week.

 

[chris_girard]

Well, we had the final project inspection today on this job. Out of the 228 rock bolts that were originally installed in 1972, 30% failed testing and had to be replaced over the last two months! Also one of the 60' long tendons also needed to be replaced.

The tree work was the easiest thing for the rock scalers to perform. I didn't get a chance to watch them cut, but I was told that all work was done with only their single line as a tie in. These guys do not follow ANSI regs and no one from the NH DOT had a clue as to what the proper safety for a climber is. Don't know what OSHA has to say about this either.

I did talk to the climbing foreman today, who is from Oregon, and explained our cutting procedure while working at height. This guy was very interested in arborist's climbing techniques, especially the use of SRT (which is all that these guys use). We had a long talk about the crossover between our two industries and how we can learn so much from other disciplines. This guy actually went to high school with two of the guys from the AXMEN show, and he says that they are idiots. His family is in logging in Oregon and he says that that show has really given them a bad image. It's too bad, because logging is so much more than that stupid show.

These rock scalers have a very specialized and unique job. They do work all over North America.

 

[Gerald_Beranek]

Thanks for the update, Chris. That's a cool job. Funny how different minds sets can be about ways of doing things in a relative trade.

 

[chris_girard]

That was a very intersting job for sure Jer. Due to my job discription with the NH DOT, they wouldn't let me tie in and do the inspection work. Instead they hired a special geological consultant who charged the State $73,000!

I'm working on getting the Directors to allow me to train a fellow worker (who is a lecensed geoloist) to climb and then we can inspect these special projects in house.

 

[Gerald_Beranek]

$73,000. I'd like to see how that is broke down in actual time and material.

I know for a fact that just showing up on a job and not really doing a thing is a charge. All that geologist has to do is show up and look around for couple of minutes and get back in his car and go to the next site. It's one of the biggest scams going. The sad part is, the States let it go on because it justifies their outrageous budgets.

 

[chris_girard]

You hit the nail on the head Jer.

The consultant will give us a really pretty report to look at, but not worth $73,000.

 

[chris_girard]

This is the rock scaler's company.

Now these guys were worth every penny.

http://www.pacificblasting.com/stabilization.html