AGC Keystone Winner: MSD Dellridge

The Keeley Construction Civil Group is incredibly proud to have been named a 2021 AGC Keystone Award winner for their work with The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District in Dellwood, MO. A local community needed a storm channel repair on Dellridge Ct. and Keeley stepped up to resolve the issue with an unmatched dedication to safety and innovative solutions.

Dellwood, MO | Design-Build | $2.3M | May 2020

The Keeley Civil Group was tasked with completing a new landslide counter measure and sloped concrete channel repair. The landslide counter measure that was installed consisted of a tangent secant pile wall with 53 drilled pier foundations. This project also required the demolition of two residences and landslide remediation. The team provided a turnkey Design-Build solution through designated design and self-perform civil construction, allowing for a successful completion.

“The MSD Dellridge Ct landslide stabilization presented many difficult design, access and schedule challenges where the project owner turned to Keeley Construction for a turnkey, delegated design solution. The Keeley Heavy Civil Team coordinated design and demonstrated all of our self-perform capabilities to the owner from building demolition, utilities, earthwork, site access solutions, drilled pier construction, reinforced concrete, concrete paving, asphalt paving and hydro-seeding. The ability to self-perform all major components of the project simultaneously reduced schedule, upheld quality, reduced risk and highlighted pride, commitment and customer satisfaction sought by Keeley Construction.”

-Brad Biderman, Senior Project Manager

The most challenging aspect of this project beyond poor site access was getting buy-in from the community. The landslide that Keeley was called in to mitigate had happened 2.5 years earlier and the community was eager to have their backyards restored. However, Keeley successfully overcame this and was able to maintain the full trust of the residents throughout the two-year project. Secondly, the two original proposed designs proved not to be feasible, so Keeley had to propose a new engineered design. Direction was given to proceed with the new plan and with a strong commitment to communication and quality, the end result was met with 100% satisfaction.

Early on in the project, Keeley determined that establishing and maintaining construction access was critical to staying on schedule. Teams worked six days per week and the occasional Sunday during critical tasks such as secant pile wall construction and site access reconfiguration between project phases. Keeley coordinated with Kienstra Ready Mix to utilize a high-strength concrete mix that achieved 75% design strength in 24-48 hours. Through established relationships with the concrete pumping trade partner, Keeley was able to schedule early morning pours and utilize longer reach pumps in limited access areas to eliminate relocating the pump platform atop the steep slope. By communicating with the City of Dellwood and surrounding residents, Keeley Construction was able to reduce impact on citizens throughout the project.

When working in a confined residential neighborhood with numerous concerned and curious residents, communication is of the utmost importance. Keeley excelled in communication throughout the entire project, holding site meetings with the City of Dellwood to share the scope of work, update them on any changes in the design, and coordinated the removal and replacement of the entire street cul-de-sac, driveways, and residence yards. The residents of both properties that had to be demolished were in constant communication with the team, even having the Project Manager’s personal cell phone number should an issue arise. They were welcomed to regular site visits and updated on progress every step of the way. The team’s dedication to the homeowners and their comfort did not go unnoticed.

Keeley has a passion for safety and ZERO is the expectation. Our safety culture, KeeleySafe, is a way of life and on this project, our team worked hard to instill this culture within team members, subcontractors, and the owner. By hosting daily Stretch & Flex routines and Jobsite Hazard Analysis, Keeley was able to achieve ZERO recordables through the duration of this project. The team shared the Jobsite Hazard Analyses with the client every day, communicated regularly and efficiently, and took all precautions to eliminate risk, allowing every single team member to go home safely every day.

Keeley’s world-class Quality Program is structured to help team members and subcontractors identify the appropriate requirements to ensure compliance and avoid rework. Keeley strives to complete our work correctly the first time by using a four-step quality plan on every project. The first phase includes a design and document review used to confirm the coordination and constructability of the project. The second phase includes a field review of preliminary work to ensure compliance. The third phase includes ongoing reviews of work and completions inspections such as punch lists. The final phase reviews the rectification of any concerns that arise through the Quality process. Click here to learn more about our Quality Program.