After 45 years of being in business, Heneghan had never utilized the Chicago river before. They were anxious to try it, but never had a reliable partner who was familiar with how the river operated or had the source of barges they would need. When Heneghan partnered with Middle River, they came up with a completely new solution, unique to this specific task. Middle River would bring barges in, Heneghan would load them with concrete and it would be taken by river to Lemont to be crushed and recycled. In order to protect the river from any debris falling in, Middle River and Heneghan utilized the barges by putting them directly alongside the building and tying them to the seawall. There, they would be used as a barricade, catching any material before it hit the water. At night, Middle River would take the full barge, and when Heneghan showed up in the morning, an empty barge would be there, ready to be filled.
By using these barges, Heneghan saved the job-site hassle that comes with hundreds of trucks. Pedestrians remained unbothered, as the workload stayed on the river side. Each barge holds 1500 tons, which is 75 semi-loads of concrete. One barge holds 75 truckloads of concrete. Twelve barges were used, meaning 900 loads of concrete were moved. This would have meant 1,800 trips in and out of the city were removed. As each truck is equivalent to three or four cars, the barges eliminated 3,600 cars removed from downtown traffic. The congestion this would have created throughout the south end of the Loop would have made a big impact on the area.
The barges were a great way to get a lot of material out of the city without interrupting traffic flow or adding pollution. Concrete is easily recyclable, so Heneghan was able to partner with Middle River to transport it, crush it up and reuse it. By crushing it, they would not be taking up landfill space or having to dig in the quarry to take more natural resources.
This project has allowed Heneghan to look at future projects along the river in a whole new way. By thinking outside the box and using a partner to add expertise to their job, Heneghan was able to finish this project an entire week early. Heneghan has been doing business in Chicago for a long time. They have a great reputation of succeeding in a safe, efficient manner and have been a major part in the progress happening in Chicago. They take pride in what they do, so if they are on a project, they give 100% of their attention and their best people.
