In 2015, Cell Blocks Inc.’s largest capacity foundation was installed in Lomma Crane & Rigging’s busy truck yard in Kearny, NJ. The lead telecom company required a cell tower close to the Pulaski Skyway corridor (also known as US Rt. 1/9) near the NJ Turnpike connector. The bridge is shown in the background in the picture below. AT&T was the lead carrier and to accommodate it and a future additional carrier, AT&T required a foundation that would support a 150’ monopine and a 28’ shelter with no digging and the least disturbance to the existing business. (The pole’s large height was necessary to raise antennas above the bridge.) The precast post-tensioned foundation satisfied the design criteria and was installed in one day.
The cell site is in a low lying area peninsula surrounded by the winding Passaic River. The foundation is near the large trucking company’s property line and the parking lot frequently floods during heavy rains. Engineering firm Maser Consulting determined the elevation for the foundation’s top surface and prepared the A/E drawings. To achieve the necessary elevation for the top of the precast foundation, a structural wood retaining wall provides for compacted granular material depth of approximately one foot. The wall also protects the long term integrity of the compacted material supporting the Cell Blocks foundation.
Due to the low elevation of parking lot, the granular foundation for the blocks was elevated 18”.
Once the compacted material was precisely leveled and the alignment strings were set, the setting of the precast 15,000-pound blocks proceeded. The contractor, Multi Tech Electric Corp., planned the installation logistic and equipment resource requirements in consultation with Cell Blocks. Lomma Crane & Rigging provided the hydraulic crane for the project.
The 15,000-pound engineered Cell Blocks were erected directly from delivery truck to the prepared bedding.
The blocks arrived on tractor-trailer rigs with three blocks per trailer. Each block was lifted directly from the trailer and placed on the prepared bedding. With the consultative assistance of the Cell Blocks representative, the blocks were properly identified and placed per the structural foundation design drawing. The pole block containing the anchor rods is located at the center of the 25-block layout. The anchor rods, hex nuts and templates were provided by Sabre Towers and Poles Inc to the precast concrete manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania.
The anchor rods were cast into the pole block with special steel rebar details, 6000 psi concrete and were independently inspected. With the block erection sequence complete by 1 PM, the post tension Grade 150 galvanized steel bars were inserted.
Heavy steel plates and hex nuts were mounted on each end of the steel rods.
All blocks are set and post-tensioned in one day. Foundation is structurally ready for the monopole and shelter
The hydraulic tensioning of the rods proceeded in a step by step progression as supervised by the contractor Multi Tech Corp and the Cell Blocks consultative representative at the site. By 5 PM the post tensioning was complete and the foundation was structurally full strength and ready for the placement of the Sabre Pole and the Cellxion 28’ shelter.
Above is a view of the completed the 16 rod mounting of the monopole, the 28’ long shelter and the stairs. No cast in place concrete was needed for this cell tower installation.
Complete installation of foundation, stairs, monopole and shelter with the Pulaski Skyway bridge in background.
Using post-tensioned, precast concrete CELL BLOCKS for this wireless facility allowed installation to be extremely predictable, provided minimal disturbance to the crane and rigging business, and provided no disturbance to existing ground. It is also removable in the future.
The CELL BLOCKS® foundation system is a non-penetrating solution and has been used for over 300 communications sites. CELL BLOCKS foundation systems use our PATENTED post tensioned precast concrete block technology. Patents are held in the US and foreign countries. Cell Blocks Inc. is a vendor for most of the major telecom providers and the US Military.
For install video, see rapid install by clicking on this link: http://youtu.be/4FHRZCpUA-A
PCIA booth #716 on May 24-25, 2016 at the 2016 PCIA Conference in Dallas.
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