BALLARD LOCKS
The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) was having trouble with their existing pass-through horizontal lifeline system, as it was causing shuttles to snag on the intermediate connections.Ballard Locks (USACE)
ENGINEERING
The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) was having trouble with their existing pass-through horizontal lifeline system, as it was causing shuttles to snag on the intermediate connections. This interfered with employee movement across the locks, where workers were exposed to a fall hazard of 30 feet. As a result, USACE put out a bid for a Uniline system and Gravitec was awarded the job.
CHALLENGES
Due to tight working areas and facility requirements, several tons of steel for the project had to be carried in by hand. Sections of the system needed to be removable to accommodate workers moving material within the system’s path and accessing grates located below the system.
SOLUTIONS
The system was designed to optimize size and weight for a balance of installation ease and system robustness. Gravitec engineered removable portions of the system, while leaving the remaining sections of the system operable.
END RESULT
Gravitec delivered a turnkey UniRail system that was enhanced to fit the specific needs of the USACE and the demands of the work environment. Also, Gravitec provided the manufacturer valuable information about the user-friendliness of their equipment which resulted in modification of the trolleys and improved the overall functionality of the system.