$3.7 million St. Louis Central Substation
As general contractor on the three-and-a-half acre Ameren St. Louis Central Substation project, McGrath performed civil site work including excavation/backfill, foundations, concrete retaining walls, fencing and security. McGrath installed 338 concrete pier foundations for the substation, some of them 8 feet in diameter and 60 feet deep. General contractor services totaled $3.7 million.

“The construction of the new Ameren Missouri Central Substation is vital to maintaining the integrity and modernization of the downtown St. Louis electric system infrastructure,” said Ameren Missouri Project Manager Joe DeGreeff. “We were able to complete this project safely, on time and under budget. Integral to the success of the project was our partnership with our contractors, including McGrath & Associates, the key civil/site contractor.”

The tight and congested work site required careful staging of three work crews, materials, and equipment, which included cranes, concrete pumps and three drilling rigs. McGrath managed a strict, sequenced schedule and coordinated the work of multiple trades on this substation project.

$4.5 Million Transmission Tower Replacement Project
McGrath completed a second Ameren project in less than three months – building foundations for 42 steel monopole structures to replace lattice-type transmission line towers, which were located over a distance of 30 miles in St. Charles, Warren and Montgomery counties. McGrath began work on the project in September 2012 and completed in late November.

Many of the transmission towers were situated far from roads, and often in farmers’ crop fields. To access the tower sites, McGrath built temporary roads and installed temporary bridges over creek spans of 50 feet or more. They drilled 7-foot to 11-foot diameter holes that were 30 to 40 feet deep, in many instances drilling up to 10 feet into solid rock. McGrath then set #18 rebar cages and anchor bolt cages, and poured concrete to anchor the monopole structures, which will be installed by an electrical contractor.

McGrath & Associates, celebrating its 30th year, is a 100 percent employee-owned general contractor and construction management firm with diverse experience in commercial, health care, industrial, institutional and pharmaceutical construction projects. McGrath is a member of the Associated General Contractors, the St. Louis Construction OSHA Partnership and has been named “General Contractor of the Year” by the American Subcontractors Association Midwest Council four times out of 15 nominations. For more information, call Ken Knobbe at (314) 772-7600 or visit www.mcgrathconstruction.com.

Captions
– Darren Kitchell and Bret De Rousse of McGrath at Ameren Central Substation.
– Pier foundation for Ameren steel monopole.
– Temporary road for Ameren transmission tower replacement.

Media Contact
Mary Schanuel
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