Dunnet Bay and its contribution to the Kingery Reconstruction Project

By: Ana Cabiedes-Uranga

For more than 50 years, the Robert Kingery Expressway has been offering motorists traveling through south Chicago and northwest Indiana an excellent route.

In March 2004, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced a four-year reconstruction project for the Robert Kingery Expressway. The plan will allow motorists to continue traveling along this road safely and comfortably while the construction is being completed. The purpose of this project is to refurbish parts of the expressway, improve traffic flow and decrease congestion. According to IDOT, Kingery Expressway has an average annual daily traffic flow of more than 160,000 motorists. This number is expected to grow to 192,000 vehicles per day by 2020.

In January 2006, Dunnet Bay Construction Co. won a $43 million contract bid from the Illinois Department of Transportation to help in the reconstruction of the Robert Kingery Expressway. Dunnet Bay is responsible for 2.5 miles of the renovation project. The assignment started in March 2006 and it is scheduled to be completed by the end of November of the same year. The plan includes: construction of four additional lanes (Bishop Ford Expressway), bridge replacement and interchange reconstruction on the eastbound lanes along I-94 and on the southbound lanes along Illinois Rte. 394.

Dunnet Bay Construction Co. was founded by Doug Stuart and Tod Faerber in 1989. The company initially worked on underground concrete structures and bridges; subsequently, in 1992, the company won its first job as a general contractor (Montgomery Drive Bridge - $130,000 in Deerfield, IIl.). At present they specialize in road and bridge projects in the Chicago area.

Throughout the last 17 years, Dunnet Bay has been accumulating a team of talented people who ensure the company to stay on top of their projects. In addition, they have a fleet of Liebherr construction equipment that offers them reliability and maximum performance for every application.

Twelve of Dunnet Bay's 25 machines currently working on the Kingery Expressway project are Liebherr. Liebherr crawler cranes are primarily used for sheeting, piling and demolition. Dunnet Bay also relies on Liebherr wheeled and crawler excavators and loaders for demolition, excavation and sewer work.

Doug Stuart, co-founder of Dunnet Bay, commented on the importance of reliable machines for their work "Our machines operate 10 to 12 hours a day six days a week. It is important to posses a reliable fleet of machines. Weather conditions in this part of the states play an important role in construction projects. You have to take advantage of that short season and plan to do your best for the rest of the year. Liebherr machines are dependable and adaptable to any task, since they have a wide variety of attachments."

According to the Kingery Expressway website the project will be completed by spring 2007.