Construction Projects Galleries

Pacifica seawall revetment repair : A few years ago, a series of Pacific storms destroyed a section of rip-rap protecting the seawall north of the Pacifica Pier. With money provided by FEMA, the City of Pacifica hired a contractor to procure and place some new boulders along there, and they hired CSG to manage and inspect the project. The work had to be done at night, because that's when the tides were low enough to get the excavator down onto what little margin of beach was exposed. One night when our regular inspector was off, I filled-in for him, and I took these photos of the operation. Night-work is always a bit surreal, and I think these shots convey the unusual character of the job.

Pacifica seawall revetment repair

A few years ago, a series of Pacific storms destroyed a section of rip ...

Updated: Aug 27, 2008 2:36pm PST

Cypress Walk : On Skyline Blvd., in Pacifica (across the road from South San Francisco) is an old elementary school site that we've been preparing for the construction of 95 single family homes (mostly detatched houses). It presented some interesting engineering challenges: a retaining wall using soil-nails, another high wall and several low ones using Keystone Block construction, a sanitary sewer line that was just short of 20 feet deep at its deepest, and climatic conditions that can be... interesting. It's certainly not a typical SF Peninsula infill project. Images #106 through #119 were taken by a colleague, Lynette Rotairo, who substituted for me while I went on vacation (the guys out there STILL ask when she might come back!).

Cypress Walk

After the Storm : After several days of off-and-on rain, typical Northern California Coast winter weather, the site has become pretty sloppy. No grading can take place, obviously (the machines can't even get traction). Relatively little hand-work can be done, either, because it's difficult just walking, let alone carrying materials or using tools in a stable position. But most clients won't consider it a justifiable rain-day delay when the sun's shining, so the contractors have to get their workers out there to do their best. I used to hate working in the rainy season when I used to swing a hammer for a living.

After the Storm

Night Pour - Tunnel Ave Bridge, Brisbane : Because the center span crosses over an active railroad, some of the work had to be done during the middle of the night when rail traffic could be restricted. As with any sizable concrete pour, a continuous supply of mud had to be placed continuously, which can be challenging enough, but adding the element of darkness adds a whole new level of complication. I've enjoyed working night pours, but I couldn't get the overall picture when I was working on one. I'd have liked to have taken my time on these shots, but the cold of a December night, and the hazard of shooting from the narrow, curving two-lane bridge that was being replaced, kept me moving.

Night Pour - Tunnel Ave Bridge, Brisbane

Tunnel Ave Bridge - hanging girders over tracks : A new roadway bridge is being built over an active railroad that carries frequent passenger trains - especially during commuter hours - as well as some freight. The actual span over the tracks, therefore, had to be prefabricated and lifted into place in sections during tightly controlled windows in the train schedules. On this night, starting shortly after midnight, the girders went up. The operation had been carefully planned and went very smoothly except for the last one. Like the first girder, it had temporary brackets mounted on heavy wood spacer blocks along one side, to support a work scaffold it was set. On this one, however, the added weight tilted it to one side, and it sagged sideways to an alarming extent. Once the brackets and spacers were removed the last one was raised - around 5 AM. I had to take an online safety course and pass an exam on it before I was allowed near the tracks.

Tunnel Ave Bridge - hanging girders over tracks

CSG Company Picnic 7/28/07 : On a beautiful summer day, in the hills east of San Francisco Bay, CSG held our first (first ANNUAL, I hope) company picnic. The organization 'The Picnic People' has a concession, operating in several regional government owned parks, to operate a full-service event-hosting enterprise. They have a variety of facilities at this park (Little Hills Regional Park), including buildings for serving food and beverages and a number of recreational amenities (even a large swimming pool), and an on-site staff of helpful workers, and for an up front fee (paid for us in advance by CSG) they host a terrific party. Good food and desserts, cold beer, wine and soft-drinks, and a surprisingly wide range of facilities and organized activities (all free to we participants) make for a great afternoon. It sure was nice to hang out on a casual level with people we normally just see in our professional context and to meet others we may have had phone or email contact with but never gotten to meet, and to introduce our families (including kids and babies - lots of babies!). I think everyone would agree that it was a resounding success, and I'm already looking forward to doing it again. Oh, by the way, if you'd like a high-resolution copy of one of these, for printing, just let me know & I can email it to you.

CSG Company Picnic 7/28/07

On a beautiful summer day, in the hills east of San Francisco Bay, CSG ...

Updated: Jul 31, 2007 6:10am PST

CSG Company Picnic 2009 : September 26, 2009; Boothbay Park, Foster City, CA - The annual Company Picnic is an opportunity for us to get to know each other as more than just co-workers. We meet each other's families, we see children growing from year to year, and we share other aspects of our personalities beyond the limits of our professional relationships. For those whose assignments don't bring them into regular direct contact with the rest of the CSG community it's an opportunity to meet the people that we may only speak with on the phone or just know as names on reports or on the roster. It's a lot more pleasant working together when we know each other as people rather than just as professional colleagues. As these images show, this was a casual, enjoyable afternoon, with good food and camaraderie. It's just too bad we can't do this more often!

CSG Company Picnic 2009

September 26, 2009; Boothbay Park, Foster City, CA - The annual Compan ...

Updated: Sep 27, 2009 8:35am PST