Rebar is in place for concrete pours that will ultimately support steel I-beams and concrete deck.
(CEG photo)
Nicholas Mancini Jr. grew up around his family's construction business. In 2004, when they closed their doors, he picked from their best people and started NJR Construction LLC, specializing in small bridge building in the $1 million to $6 million range
Based in Torrington, Conn., with 20 to 30 employees, depending on the workload, the company does the majority of its work in Connecticut and western Massachusetts.
"We are generally a self-performing contractor," Mancini said. "We sub out very little work. We do our own excavating, concrete, carpentry, and utility work. By and large we try to handle all items of work ourselves. This way we can maintain control over our projects."
According to Mancini, typical projects are bridges with a span of 120-ft. or less that are cast-in-place or precast or culvert bridges.
Currently, the company is finishing up a $2.5 million bridge that is actually two bridges under one contract in Colebrook, Conn. One small bridge is being rehabbed and the other bridge is completely new construction.
In describing the project Mancini said, "This bridge is founded on ledge with cast-in-place spread footings and abutment walls, wing walls, all cast-in-place and a steel I-beam bridge with a cast-in-place bridge deck. The bridge is 110-feet long and 30-feet wide."
The project was started April 3, 2023, and is scheduled for completion in November 2023; NJR Construction is currently running ahead of schedule.
When Construction Equipment Guide visited the site, NJR was pouring the abutment #2 spread footings with approximately 80 yds. of concrete being put in place. As is the case in any bridge construction over moving water, the project has had its challenges with water level fluctuations.
"We got flooded out and had to pump all day to get the site back to the water level that it was at the day before," Mancini said. "This river is a relatively small body of water, but the water level fluctuates quite a bit. Fortunately, Able Tool & Equipment was able to respond to us very quickly and get additional pumps to us that could handle the additional influx of water that we were dealing with. Once we were able to get the site under control again, we rescheduled our pour and we are on schedule to complete the pour by the end of the day.
"During the course of this project, we have had two or three freak thunderstorms that have quickly dropped 2 or 3 inches of rain in a short period of time. Fortunately, our key rental partner, Able Tool & Equipment, has quickly dispatched plenty of pumping power to our site to get things back under control with 2 and 3-inch water pumps."
The major excavating equipment on the site is primarily Komatsu, which NJR has purchased from C.N. Wood. But, the majority of its smaller support equipment comes from Able Tool & Equipment, including small and large generators, water pumps, light towers, concrete equipment and demolition tools.
"Just about anything in that size category comes from Able Tool & Equipment," said Mancini. "If it is standard pieces that are commonly used on most of their projects they purchase, and specialty equipment is rented. If you walk around any of our sites you will see a lot of Able Tool & Equipment stickers on many of the machines. We really depend on them; they are a primary supplier and that is because their service is excellent. I am fortunate to deal directly with the owner, Derek Bauer. You can't find a better standup, honest person."
Employees Key to Success
"I have some fantastic employees that have been with me for a long time," Mancini said. "My project manager, Ryan Giguiere, has been with me for 13 years. He does an excellent job setting up and managing our projects, often managing multiple sites at one time. It's not unusual for us to have four to eight projects going simultaneously.
"I've got a fantastic concrete crew," he added. "My concrete foreman, William Sanchez, does an excellent job, as well. When you surround yourself with good people, the end result is good workmanship, and good people and good workmanship has given us a great reputation." CEG
Today's top stories
