Range Upgrade for Army Corps
MTM Enterprises recently completed a complex shooting range upgrade project for a government agency, demonstrating our expertise in executing technically challenging construction in secure environments. The project, overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers, required upgrading an existing shooting range with modern safety features while working within strict parameters and tight timelines.
Project Overview
The 4½-month project involved constructing upgraded shooting range berms for government training purposes. Our team was tasked with:
Working within an existing footprint with extremely steep slopes
Delivering and placing approximately 15,000 cubic yards of clean, sifted soil
Operating within a secure facility with daily checkpoints
Building berms designed to withstand continuous heavy machinegun fire
Meeting precise specifications to prevent ricochet issues
Engineering Challenges and Solutions
According to Kenley Kappes, MTM's project lead, the team faced several significant challenges:
Challenge 1: Soil Placement on Steep Slopes The primary challenge involved placing soil on a one-to-one slope while maintaining appropriate moisture content to ensure stability. Our team developed specialized techniques to ensure proper adhesion and compaction on these extreme grades.
Challenge 2: Operating in Confined Spaces The limited working area required precise coordination of equipment and materials. "We had to bring tri-axle dump trucks in and dump them in such a tight area that material had to be moved after each truck was dumped to allow for the next truck," explained Kappes.
Challenge 3: Material Processing All soil needed to be sifted to remove rocks larger than three-quarter inch to meet safety specifications and prevent ricochets. This required specialized equipment and meticulous quality control.
Innovative Approaches
The project required creative problem-solving. "Using a plate trench compactor on the end of an excavator to compact the steep slopes was new to us and new to most people," Kappes noted. This innovative approach allowed for proper compaction in areas that would have been extremely difficult to access with traditional methods.
Equipment and Resources
MTM deployed an impressive array of specialized equipment, including:
Multiple excavators (up to six simultaneously)
Fleet of tri-axle dump trucks
Long-reach excavators with plate compactors
Rollers and telehandlers
Hydro-seeders and specialized soil sifting equipment
Client Satisfaction
The Army Corps of Engineers and the end-user expressed high satisfaction with MTM's performance, particularly noting our coordination with government stakeholders and facility management teams.
"MTM delivered on a challenging project. They continually impressed us with their innovative solutions. The berms were exactly as we'd envisioned things in our drawings," stated the lead engineer for the project.
The successful completion of this project on a tight timeline further establishes MTM Enterprises as a trusted partner for complex construction projects requiring technical precision, security clearance, and collaborative problem-solving.