Alcatraz Cellhouse Stabilization Project

Johnson Construction Management (JCM) was sub-contracted by HDR to manage the construction as a Construction Management Representative (CMR) for the National Park Service.

As the CMR Mr. Johnson tracked the budget, schedule, quality and safety in addition to representing the Governments best interest in the project. Mr. Johnson also was responsible for accommodating the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GOGA) interest in the project and the Alcatraz Conservancy’s interest.

The Projects purpose was to repair and protect the 100 year old structure from damage and decay from the harsh environment. The project also addressed strengthening the structure to protect the staff and public in the event of seismic activity.

Repairs included:

•  Concrete walls repaired (20 different types of concrete repairs) with new concrete and epoxy coated reinforcing steel- concrete repairs were designed to match the original architecture on the building

•  Anodes installed to resist corrosion

•  Stainless Steel ties and plates installed every five inches on support pilasters

•  New Elastomeric paint on exterior walls

•  Repair or rebuild security bars on windows - each set weighed 600lbs

•  Repair or replace damaged windows

•  Replace/Repair plaster walls and match historical paint in the Dining Hall and Kitchen

Alcatraz remained open to the public throughout the project which created many challenges for the project team including:

Noise Restrictions- All demolition was restricted to mornings until the public arrived on the first boat at 9:15 am. The crews started work at 5:00am each morning.

Visual Restrictions- all work must be hidden during bird breeding season September through March. The scaffold was shrink wrapped to conceal sound and movement.

Material Restrictions- There was no access for a batch plant or large mixers for concrete. All materials were transported by barge after hours. The concrete was transported on pallets- carried and mixed by hand from the staging area to the work site.

CMR Work

The CMR team worked closely with the contractor to achieve the desired results but kept an arms length professional demeanor. Mr. Johnson was frequently in contact with the design Engineer for any clarification or additional information requested by the Government or the Contractor.

Each repair was inspected 4 times-(sounding & pre-demo, demo, formed and final), measured, counted, tracked and documented. Values for the repairs varied on type and size.

Mr. Johnson developed Independent Government Estimates (IGE’s) for all changes and prepared talking points for the Government and negotiated with the contractor for the approved amount.

Mr. Johnson conducted weekly Progress Meetings (approx. 100) tracking all aspects of the project and addressing all issues for the multiple stakeholders.

The project was completed 44 days ahead of schedule and $400K under budget.