Project Update:  GMRI Pier Replacement It's a job that has been on the fast track from the start.  And to keep things ON track, Cianbro team members at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute Pier Replacement Project in Portland, Maine have been using one innovation after another.  Assistant Project Superintendent Pat Sughrue and Project Engineer Brayden Sheive talk about some of the techniques that have brought the new pier nearly to completion in a remarkably short amount of time.

Oyster Setting Facility Dedication The goal is nothing less than preserving the famous oyster resources of the Chesapeake Bay.  And now the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science has a state-of-the-art facility on the banks of the Choptank River to help get the job done.  The sparkling new Cianbro-built oyster setting facility in Cambridge, Maryland will nurture larval oysters by the billions before the juvenile shellfish are taken by boat for seeding throughout the Chesapeake Bay region.  Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and academic leaders from the University System of Maryland were among the speakers who joined Cianbro Regional Vice President Mike Hart for a dedication ceremony on August 15, 2010.

The NPS Towpath Project Groundbreaking Ceremony It was none other than George Washington himself who expressed an early confidence in the idea of a canal system which could link the people and businesses of the Mid-Atlantic region. By the time the Civil War began, the Chesapeake and Ohio canal was operating between northwestern Maryland and Washington, D.C. The canal was an important transportation link well into the 20th century. Now, almost a century after its transportation duties came to an end, the canal's towpath is a popular recreational destination for hikers and bicyclists. All 185 miles of the towpath are open to the public, except for a washed out section near Williamsport, Maryland. The Big Slackwater section will be repaired by Cianbro Corporation between now and 2012, under the supervision of the National Park Service. On August 7, a groundbreaking ceremony commemorated the beginning of the project.

Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge Project - A Productive Spring and Summer The multitudes of motorists who travel through New Haven, Connecticut, near the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge are seeing progress on a massive scale these days. Cianbro/Middlesex crews are moving ahead with very visible phases of the project, including the erection of bridge steel over busy New Haven streets. Project Engineer Marshall Goodchild discusses the recent progress as team members meet significant milestones on-schedule.

Cianbro Cyclists Raise $17,000 for Charity It's an annual Maine event for Team Cianbro; a 180 mile ride from the mountains near Sunday River to the seashore in Belfast, all to benefit the American Lung Association of Maine. The recent three-day event attracted the efforts of 19 Cianbro cyclists, and a half dozen support staff. Team Captain Rick Leonard says this year's team had the highest number of Cianbro riders ever, and raised the most money in Cianbro's years of participating in the Trek. Overall, the event brought together a little under 2,000 cyclists from around the nation and state, who gathered $1.6 million in pledges. The funds will go toward research, education, advocacy and services for victims of lung diseases. The money also goes toward legislative initiatives for clean air and clean energy.  Already, 17 Cianbro cyclists have signed up for next year's Trek.

Restoring History: The Big Slackwater Project During the nation's infancy, Americans in the mid-Atlantic region took an idea put forth by George Washington and created the Chesapeake and Ohio canal… a 184 mile waterway running between Washington, D.C. and Cumberland, Maryland. The canal was an important transportation corridor for commerce in the 19th century.  Today, the canal is a destination for hikers and bike riders who use the waterway's tow path for recreation. Unfortunately, a mile and a half chunk of the tow path has become impassable due to erosion over the generations. But Cianbro is preparing to restore the path and intends to have the job done by December of 2011.

Cianbro's Best Practices: Hazard Hunt Cards Many innovations came out of the Motiva Project at Cianbro's Eastern Manufacturing Facility in Brewer, Maine including 3D work package techniques, high definition laser scanning applications, and a new safety idea called "Hazard Hunt Cards."  The simple idea might have improved the quality of Cianbro's safety program onsite by two to three times during the final 12 months of the project, according to Senior Project Manager Dave Leavitt, who offers a discussion of the Hazard Hunt Card.

Cianbro's Astronaut: An Interview with Board Member Rick Hauck 22 years ago, Astronaut Rick Hauck commanded his third and final mission aboard NASA's Space Shuttle fleet. Early in 2010, he launched into a new role, becoming the newest member of Cianbro's Board of Directors. During a recent interview, Capt. Hauck talked about the strengths that he brings to the company, and compared his new life at Cianbro with his aerospace career at NASA and as a Navy combat pilot.

Hollywood Casino Project: Under Budget and One Month Ahead of Schedule When Penn National Gaming's new Hollywood Casino opens in Perryville, Maryland this fall, it'll be the state's first gaming facility. And if observers had bet on Cianbro's Construction Management team leading a top-notch collection of subcontractors to an early completion, they'd be positioned to win big. The team's accomplishments include speedy progress, zero injuries, and a very happy client. Project Manager Jon Dicentes leads a discussion of the remarkable gains at the job site.

Stena Forth Project is Well Underway Cianbro team members are making progress as they work around the clock to replace three thrusters in need of maintenance aboard the drilling vessel, Stena Forth.  "Weather is an important factor in this project," said Project Manager Brian Rancourt.  "We have a Cianbro crane set up on a flexi-float system right up next to the ship, so we need to be extra cautious about attempting to do too much if sea conditions start to run high." Rancourt reports that Cianbro team members are working long hours to get the job done.  He says it's a good crew, and the company has put a relief system in place to allow team members to rotate in and out of the job.  The weather was perfect earlier this week, as Cianbro Corporation President Andi Vigue paid a visit to the jobsite.  During the tour, he offered a few comments about the importance of the project, in terms of the company and the region.

Cianbro Strives for VPP Status Team members across the company have been hearing bits and pieces of an effort by top Cianbro leaders who wish to pursue widespread VPP certification through a collaboration with OSHA. The VPP (Voluntary Protection Programs) initiative provides independent confirmation of the effectiveness of Cianbro's safety ideas. The prestigious certification also gives Cianbro a leg up on the competition when bidding on new projects, since fewer injuries on the job mean lower costs for the client. But as VPP supporters Scott Tierney and Alan Burton point out, the main purpose for Cianbro's pursuit of the stringent safety certification is simply that it is a moral obligation to send team members home at night in the same healthy condition in which they arrive at work each morning.

Last Motiva Modules Depart Eastern Manufacturing Facility As with all construction jobs, the time has come to put the finishing touches on the Motiva Refinery Expansion Project, one of the most important chapters in the 61 year history of Cianbro. Today, Cianbro Constructors will deliver the last of 51 refinery modules that the company's Eastern Manufacturing Facility in Brewer was hired by Motiva to construct.

Cianbro Marine: Repowering the Mount Washington When the public thinks of Cianbro, massive heavy construction jobs come to mind. But the company also prides itself on diversity, and that's where Cianbro Marine fits in. Smaller, specialized projects in the maritime industry are what Cianbro Marine is all about. And a prime example is the high profile work that team members completed on a New Hampshire icon, the 122 year old tourist vessel The Mount Washington, on Lake Winnipesaukee, from January to April of this year.  Cianbro Marine helped to install new engines in the old ship in time for the busy summer season.

Supporting the Troops:  Cianbro Backs our Service Members on Deployment Since the earliest days of the company, when the Cianchette brothers returned home from the military to start a construction firm, Cianbro has treated its armed services members with respect and support. That tradition of reinforcing the military mission has won recognition for the company over the years from such organizations as The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. That group bestowed the title "Patriotic Employer" upon Cianbro in recent years for supporting employee participation in the armed forces. Now, as another Cianbro team member is deployed to the warzone in Afghanistan, the company is showing support once again.

Work Shifts to South Side of Pennington Avenue Bridge Cianbro's rehabilitation of the machinery and electrical systems of Baltimore's Pennington Avenue Bridge is moving forward steadily toward a July completion. The team is now working on the south span of the dual bridge, matching the work they did last year on the north span. Part of Cianbro's work is to upgrade the electrical equipment in the bascule bridge's control tower, where two of Baltimore's bridge operators offer their perspective on Cianbro's progress.

Cianbro Joins GMRI for Pier Groundbreaking It's been a long time arriving, but the stage is now set for the construction of a sturdy new pier adjacent to the headquarters of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland, Maine. A mutually beneficial agreement between Uncle Sam and the Institute means that the U.S. Coast Guard will transfer their valuable waterfront property to GMRI in exchange for the Institute's pledge to provide a new pier for the CG's cutters. The Institute will also have the right to develop new research space at the site. Cianbro won the bid to construct the pier, and company representatives were on hand at the sunny groundbreaking ceremony.

Oyster Pier Update Cianbro crews are only three months away from completing work on the oyster cultivation pier at the Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge, Maryland. It was a long, cold winter for team members working on the windy banks of the Choptank River.  But with perseverance and a can-do spirit, Cianbro's team is transforming the vision of a state-of-the-art research facility into pure reality. Senior Project Engineer Mike Aretz joins Regional VP Mike Hart in this assessment of progress at the Oyster Pier Project.

Cianbro Adds a Wind Crane to the Equipment Fleet Signaling the company's commitment to the wind industry, Cianbro has acquired a brand new Manitowoc 16000 WA crane. With this piece of equipment, Cianbro will be able to lift and install any wind turbine that is currently manufactured, to an elevation of 90 meters. The crane also gives Cianbro additional capabilities in heavy civil and heavy industrial settings. Cianbro Corporation President Andi Vigue discusses the crane's various strengths in an interview conducted shortly after he and a delegation of Cianbro leaders inspected the M16000 WA at the Manitowoc plant in Wisconsin.

On the Home Stretch: The Brightman Street Bridge Project Cianbro/Middlesex crews continue to make marked progress on the Brightman Street Bridge replacement project in Somerset and Fall River, Massachusetts. Team members have been forging ahead on the East and West Bascules, with the goal of opening the bridge to traffic by late fall of 2010. Project Manager Kaven Philbrook gives us a tour of the latest accomplishments at the bridge.