CSDA Members Work Together on the Zink Dam Revitalization

The Arkansas River flows east and southeast, originating in the Arkansas River Valley in Colorado, and flowing through Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, voters approved a nearly $50 million budget to renovate the Zink Dam and Zink Lake to utilize the Arkansas River. The city hopes this multi-phase construction process will boost outdoor recreation in the area and increase access for watersports, including kayaking, rowing and angling. In addition, the pedestrian walkway would be replaced to join the two public areas on either side of the river.

In Spring 2019, record rainfall and flooding prompted concern over the rising level of the river. The project to transform this river is dual-purposed; raising the lake by 3’ will stabilize the river level and create a no-rise condition, and installation of the of dam and flume will garner recreational use, allowing citizens to enjoy this water feature in Tulsa. The gates to the dam are being replaced and raised, which will create a 1,000’ flume on the east side of the river with five signature features where kayakers can test their skills.

The Zink Dam transformation project, initiated in late 2019, is expected to be complete in 2023. CSDA member Ark Wrecking Co., the general contractor for this project, contracted CSDA member Fine Cut Drilling and Sawing to assist with Phase Two of the project. This phase involved reshaping three of the larger structures of the dam to create footings for the new structures, complete removal of the pedestrian bridge, cutting and removal of the apron and removal of a portion of the gate to create kayak access.
Due to the lengthiness of the project, Ark Wrecking gave Fine Cut just thirty days to complete their portion of the work on the dam. Fine Cut operators were tasked with nearly 3,000 square feet of wire sawing to create the 66’ long opening for the kayak entrance, and 500 lineal feet of wall sawing to cut the old structures into footings. Fine Cut opted to use four wire saws simultaneously to expedite the process. Ten wire saw access holes were drilled 16’ deep and 2” in diameter with a Husqvarna DM 650 core drill and DITEQ continental tubing core bit extensions to assist with the deep drilling. Three Husqvarna CS 10 wire saws and a Hilti 1510 wire saw, all equipped with Husqvarna C1000 wire, were used simultaneously to create the large kayak opening. The team then used a Husqvarna WS 482 to make the necessary apron cuts.

Despite the moody Tulsa spring weather, which was freezing cold or extremely hot, coupled with intermittent winds that almost slowed work down, Fine Cut operators persisted with their portion of the cutting. Once the apron and bridge were cut, Fine Cut began working on the kayak entrance hole in the gate of the dam. While the apron and bridge cuts were to be covered with additional concrete and new structures, the cuts for the kayak entrance would be the finished product, allowing virtually no room for error. This was an interesting task for the operators because the access holes needed to be drilled at an exact 45° angle for the wire saw. With an allowed 1” tolerance, Fine Cut operators made the final cuts within only .5” tolerance. These wire saw pulls happened to be the longest cuts on this job, coming it at 66’ x 10’ x 10’.

Despite the tight thirty-day window, Fine Cut finished in only fourteen working days. Clint Ralston, Operations Manager of Fine Cut said he believes Fine Cut was chosen for this project based on their strong reputation for excellence as well as their experience with jobs like this. Brent Morgan, Vice President and Project Manager at Ark Wrecking, went on to say about working with Fine Cut, “Fine cut was great to work with on this project. They started and finished their scope of work just as it was scheduled. They worked quickly and safely throughout the project. Accurate daily logs were kept and submitted, and the work was completed on schedule and within budget.”

These CSDA contractors once again prove that there is no substitute for knowledgeable operators when a job needs to be done safely and correctly. Ralston said about this project, “We are proud of our Tulsa crew for their efficiency and ability to keep the project costs within budget, as well as their precision in completing this job successfully.” The speed and accuracy of skilled operators will always be a time and cost saver while maintaining the highest of safety standards remains priceless.

Company profile
Fine Cut Drilling & Sawing is headquartered in Pleasant Hill, Missouri. Their core leaders have been working in concrete cutting for over 20 years. They have a fleet of 10 trucks and over 40 employees. Services offered include wire sawing, slab sawing, wall sawing, hand sawing, chain sawing, grinding and polishing services, GPR scanning and container rental for demolition purposes.
They have been a member of CSDA since 2016.

RESOURCES
General Contractor: Ark Wrecking Co.

CSDA Contractor: Fine Cut Drilling and Sawing
Contact for Story: Clint Ralston
Email: clint@finecutusa.com
Tel: 816-540-5787
Website: www.finecutusa.com
Methods Used: Core Drilling, Wall Sawing, Wire Sawing