TCWL South Rim construction

Construction crews stack trees that were cleared from South Rim construction sites for the Transcanyon Waterline project. Crews delimbed the usable trees and hauled them to Tribal communities to use as firewood.

NPS Photo/ L. Daniels

Stronghold Engineering Inc. (SEI) was awarded the Transcanyon Waterline project construction contract on March 14, 2023. SEI staff have been busy working on administrative and logistical tasks, coordinating activities with NPS staff, and building the necessary support facilities on the South Rim that they'll need to execute the construction for the water delivery system infrastructure and waterline.

The majority of the Transcanyon Waterline construction activities on the South Rim are located at three construction sites referred to as the helibase, south gate staging, and the water treatment plant/water tank areas. The sites are in operational administrative sections of the park with the water treatment plant and water tank construction site in the closest proximity to a visitor use area – Trailer Village.

The first step at each of these sites was to identify and clear trees and complete the work around the bird migration season. All of the usable wood removed from the sites was donated to local Tribal communities for firewood.

Construction Sites

The Transcanyon Waterline construction sites and Staging Road are off-limits to the public. Please observe signage and flaggers working in these areas for your safety.

Two side-by-side circular trenched areas are prepped with wood and rebar for concrete pouring. The areas are the footing bases for two new 1-million-gallon water tanks being built next to existing water tanks at the Grand Canyon South Rim as part of the Transcanyon Waterline project.

NPS photo/L. Daniels

Water Treatment Plant and Water Tank Area

SEI is building two 1-million-gallon water tanks to store raw water adjacent to two existing water tanks on the South Rim. The construction crews began by clearing and grading the site before moving on to excavating and creating the forms to pour concrete footings for the foundation of the tanks.

On the opposite side of the existing water tanks, the construction crews are preparing the water treatment plant site with excavating and grading work, relocating overhead electrical lines underground with the electrical utility provider, and trenching for additional utility lines to install to the new water treatment plant.

Construction crews finish up grading work to prepare building the foundation for the new water treatment plant at the South Rim adjacent to two existing water tanks.

NPS Photo/ L. Daniels

With the new design, water will pump up from Havasupai Gardens to the new raw water tanks. Gravity fed lines will transfer water from the slightly higher elevated raw water tanks to the water treatment plant for treatment and transfer on to the existing water tanks for storage. The addition of the raw water tanks is a design element to make the overall system more resilient to potential future failures by enabling park staff to continue to treat water with increased storage capacity.

Between the water treatment plant and existing water tanks is a pathway section from Trailer Village connecting to the Greenway Trail that will need to be closed during periods of the construction. Visitors will need to follow the detour signs to alternative pathways during the closures. The construction crews are building a new path routed around the water treatment plant site for future use.

Construction workers finish laying out reinforcement bar, or rebar, in preparation to pour a concrete pad. The concrete pad will be the base for a shipping and receiving area to support the Transcanyon Waterline project.

NPS Photo/ L. Daniels

South Gate Staging Area

The South Gate Staging Area is adjacent to a NPS storage area, which is located near the Center Road and South Entrance Station Road/State Route 64 intersection. Temporary road signs are being installed to direct project and construction related vehicles to the location.

The SEI construction crews have filled in and graded the clearing to transform the area into their main shipping and receiving area. They've poured the concrete pad and will construct some more facilities to support the hundreds of thousands of pounds of equipment and materials needed for the Transcanyon Waterline project. SEI will also use this location to prepare sling loads of equipment and materials and transport them to the park's helibase to be flown in for the inner canyon construction.

Construction crews are in the process of installing covered decks between contractor support trailers. Crews will live and work from these trailers over the three-year contract period while they work on the Transcanyon Waterline project.

NPS Photo/ L. Daniels

Helibase

Constructing a helibase building and rehabilitating the helicopter landing pads are part of the support facilities work SEI will complete to accommodate the heavy sling loads and activity they'll need to transport materials into the inner canyon in addition to every day NPS helicopter operations.

SEI staff are also installing temporary trailers, known as the contractor support facility, to provide the necessary working and living accommodations their crews will need throughout the three-year contract since housing and office space in the park is limited and in high demand. The contractor support facility is located near the park's helibase and other operations buildings.

A construction sign is placed alongside the Greenway Trail before the Staging Road intersection to inform pedestrians and cyclists of the upcoming construction zone and crossing.

NPS Photo/ L. Daniels

A new road is being built from South Entrance Road/State Route 64 to the contractor support facility and helibase area to reduce the impact of construction vehicles to visitors and residents on the main road leading into the South Rim. Reduced speed limits will be implemented and roads signs will be installed in the vicinity of the road entrance along South Entrance Road/State Route 64.

The road is designated as Staging Road and intersects with the Greenway Trail between Tusayan, Arizona, and the Grand Canyon Village. The Greenway Trail remains open throughout construction and there are signs to inform pedestrians and cyclists on the trail.