(April 2000) 

ABOVE: An aerial view of the work while it was in progress. A total of 7 million cu. yds. had to be moved on the project. BELOW: An EX 1800 Hitachi hoe loads a 150-ton capacity dump truck, while an 85-ton and 35-ton truck stand by.
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The Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport now has an extra 2,000 feet of runway, available six months early thanks to the superlative efforts of Vecellio & Grogan employees, led by Project Manager Jim Smith.

The $15.5 million project involved moving approximately 7 million cubic yards of earth, with some drilling and blasting required due to the rocky terrain.

Begun in February 1996, the earthwork was finished in June 1998, six months ahead of schedule. The job was shut down from December through early March each year, when the "freeze and thaw" weather conditions made proper compaction impossible. To make up ground, two ten-hour shifts worked day and night for the remainder of the year, allowing completion of the earthwork early. By mid 1999, the runway extension was paved and open for service, bringing the total runway length to 11,000 feet.

While onsite finishing the cleanup and punchlist work, V&G landed a second project, a $3.8 million contract to grade approximately 80 acres for a future cargo area. The work was done from May 1998 through June 1999 and involved moving 1.2 million c.y.

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