Excavation for the retaining wall and parking lot in progress.

The goal: to free up street parking in a nearby neighborhood. The challenge: build a 6,000 sq. ft. retaining wall; replace two acres of asphalt parking; create a new, more efficient concrete pedestrian entrance and a motorcycle pad in Minneapolis — before winter sets in.

Goodmanson Construction of Roseville, Minn., was awarded the contract and began the work in August 2020. By December, the crew had weathered two major October snow storms and many rainy days. As the construction season came to an end, so did the major work on the parking area.

"We were awarded this project because we can perform the entire scope of the project in house, without the need of having to hire multiple subcontractors for every phase of the project. Another reason that we were awarded this project was because we were able to execute the project in the shortest amount of time, which was important for the client," said Rick Goodmanson, CEO of Goodmanson Construction.

Goodmanson did receive some help along the way from Allstate Milling and Reclamation, Sir-Lines-A-Lot Striping and Dakota Unlimited. Larson Engineering handled civil engineering duties.

Due to the variety of work the project called for, approximately 30 employees were divided into teams and worked as their expertise was needed. Many phases of the project were completed on nights and weekends to minimize disruption to the client's normal business operations.

Approximately 500 cu. yds. of spoils were removed, with 2,000 cu. yds. delivered to infill the area. A total of 200 cu. yds. of concrete were poured; 2,000 tons of asphalt were used to complete the lot; and 1,200 tons of retaining blocks were used to complete the wall.

Goodmanson used a variety of equipment on the job, including Cat 316 and 312 dump trucks; a Wirtgen SP15 slipform curb machine; a Carlson asphalt paver; asphalt rollers; a Cat CS44 roller; Cat dozers with Topcon machine control; Cat track loaders; mini-excavators; and Topcon machine control.

Goodmanson Construction rents or purchases its machines from RDO Equipment, Ruffridge-Johnson and Ziegler CAT.

"Basically, all of the equipment that we used for this job was standard construction equipment for our company. We put a lot of money and effort into bringing the best technology for our trade into the company, and this makes our projects safer, more efficient and turns into better results," said Goodmanson. "We use GPS and drones for surveying and planning, as well as computer software and iPads in the field to make sure our teams always have the most up to date plans in the palm of their hands."

Good planning, teamwork and a little help from Mother Nature enabled Goodmanson Construction crews to complete the project on time and on budget.

"The main portion of the project was finished before the winter hit, so our client can now park on their brand-new parking lot and pedestrians can safely walk to work without tripping in potholes and uneven surfaces," Goodmanson. "Not to mention that our team gets to see their hard work quite often because the project is only a few minutes away from the main headquarters of Goodmanson Construction." CEG

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