What used to be known as the Colonial Country Club in Lynnfield, Mass., located just 12 miles outside Boston, is on its way to becoming a premier shopping and living destination with a streamlined nine-hole golf course. Due to the scale of the development, the massive amounts of demolition, site preparation and construction on the jobsite make it one of the largest ongoing projects in the Northeast.

Located adjacent to the highly traveled Interstate 95 and Route 128 in Lynnfield, the site is being co-developed by National Development and WS Development. Upon completion, the complex that will be known as MarketStreet Lynnfield will house 395,000 square feet of fine retail shops and restaurants, 80,000 square feet of office space, 180 luxury residential apartments-25 percent of them meeting affordable housing criteria-and a reconfigured, town-owned, nine-hole public golf course called the King Rail Reserve, which is slated to open in July 2014. As part of the project, the developers of the site have also agreed to set aside 7 acres of the property for a local nonprofit to build 48 homes for people over the age of 62.

LM Heavy Civil Construction of Westford, Mass., supplements their diverse equipment fleet with a rented LiuGong 925LC excavator for work on a large multi-use development in Lynnfield, Mass.

But before construction on the site could start, the project took years of planning, the acquisition of special zoning permits to allow a mixed-use development and a positive outcome in 1997 at the town’s largest town hall meeting in history, where 2,000 people showed up to learn about the plans for the site.

The project’s construction phase started in December 2011, nearly five years after Lynnfield approved the zoning change. The first order of business was demolishing a conference center and a few golf course buildings to set the stage for site preparation work. Site prep began in the spring of 2012 and was set to wrap up by the beginning of winter.

Perfect Balance

LM Heavy Civil Construction of Westford, Mass., is responsible for the site preparation, receiving the contract from general contractor Cranshaw Construction. With more than 100 acres of land to clear, more than 500,000 yards of material to dig and reposition, and 200,000 tons of materials to be crushed and sized, there is a need for a wide range of heavy equipment and various brands.

Because the site is balanced, meaning that all materials needed for the project are processed from usable materials already on the site, the equipment mix consists of everything from earthmoving equipment to demolition equipment, including breakers and rock drills, to sizing equipment such as portable crushers and screeners, to paving equipment and water trucks. This mix required LM Heavy’s diverse equipment fleet, containing more than 100 machines, to be supplemented with rentals from other area contractors, as well as from local equipment dealerships such as Equipment East of Dracut, Mass.

“When LM Heavy Civil Construction approached us to help supplement their equipment fleet for this extensive project with a few long-term rentals, we were more than ready to help,” says Jim Mullen, sales manager for Equipment East. “A number of pieces of LiuGong equipment in our rental fleet were well-suited for the project, including a LiuGong 925LC 58,500-pound excavator, a LiuGong 922D 50,500-pound excavator and a LiuGong 612HIII 26,500-pound vibratory roller.”

“Prior to working with Equipment East, Jim was always on the operating and buying end of heavy equipment, so he knew exactly what we needed and what would be important to us in terms of quality and price,” says Carl Bucknell, general superintendent for LM Heavy Civil Construction. “We needed rugged, durable equipment that could be worked hard and produce. The LiuGong equipment, as well as some of the Keestrack crushing and screening plants Jim recommended, were the perfect supplement to our company-owned fleet.”

A LiuGong 612HIII roller compacts the bases for buildings, parking areas and roads at the development.

Demanding Project

Site preparation on the project consisted of not only earthmoving work, but also the screening of topsoil; the drilling and blasting of rock ledge and its subsequent crushing and screening for use as bedding for sewer, water and electrical utility lines; base preparation and compaction for the buildings and roadways; and the development of drainage systems and detention ponds to capture jobsite run-off or to bring the site up to grade.

Once LM Heavy removed soil from the ground, if it wasn’t immediately used, it was stockpiled by a LiuGong 925LC excavator for future use. The excavator is also responsible for managing and moving various materials other than soil.

“The 925 is a very efficient machine,” Bucknell says. “Its quick cycle times, coupled with a 190 horsepower, fuel-efficient engine and high-visibility cab, allows the operator to stay on top of the demanding workload.”

During the site work, the project was filled with activity as other excavators dug trenches in preparation for the installation of utilities, dozers worked to move materials into place, wheel loaders transported materials and crushers sized rock for a variety of uses across the site. Meanwhile, the LiuGong 612HIII roller was busy compacting the bases for buildings, parking areas and roads.

“The LiuGong 612HIII 84-inch drum roller has proven itself a true workhorse,” Bucknell says. “The roller’s traction along with its standard dual-drive system allows it to effortlessly climb steep grades and slopes. The operator can control both axles from its standard cab. To say we’ve been impressed by this roller is an understatement. It has by far exceeded our expectations.”

With the site preparation, many jobs were created for local construction workers who do everything from surveying and grading to density testing. With such a tight timeframe for the project, having reliable equipment and people on hand is important.

“When you look at the site, you see many different brands of equipment,” Mullen says. “Equipment East is onsite weekly to check all the LiuGong and Keestrack equipment we’ve rented to LM Heavy Civil to ensure it continues to run at peak efficiency. Preventive maintenance is the best thing you can do to keep equipment operational and eliminate downtime. We have several mobile service units that constantly check in with customers to make sure they are happy with their rentals and that the equipment is well-maintained. We perform onsite oil changes and hydraulics checks, as well as replace any necessary wear parts based on the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance intervals.”

So far, this approach has paid off. “We are extremely happy with the all the equipment, and just as important, the service we’ve received from Equipment East,” Bucknell says. “Without reliable people and equipment, this job would be a real bear.”