9600 Veterans Dr. SW
Tacoma, WA 98493
The Veterans Hospital at the American Lake Medical Campus in Lakewood Washington is a 100 year old medical facility for housing and providing medical care for our nations Veterans. This complex makes up over 400 acres of historic buildings, hospitals, specialty medical facilities, monuments, historic streets, and fragile infrastructure that has been continually expanded on as the needs became larger.
One of the critical pieces of expansion was the need for a new fiberoptic trunk line or “backbone” into the medical campus, which would then have a multitude of secondary distribution conduits providing fiberoptic throughout the necessary buildings on the campus, winding on and off roads, in and out of historically sensitive areas, and throughout years of unknown infrastructure placement for natural gas, steam ducts, communication ducts, fire systems, domestic water, power and irrigation.
Tunista Construction was tasked with trenching and assisting with placement of nearly 19,000 lineal feet of fiberoptic conduit with innerduct to accommodate the new fiber optic expansion for the campus throughout this sensitive area all while being able to constantly maintain the medical campus’s operational ability to serve our veterans with their needs.
There were endless challenges associated with differing site conditions, unknown and unmarked utilities, historical monuments, or physical conditions with historical significance that could not be altered, thus the need for constant communication with the client and the US Army Corps of Engineers was paramount in a running real time level of communication and design alteration to be able to adapt to findings and provide the best long term product for the campus and its occupants.
This project spotlights Tunista Constructions ability to collaborate with our clients to work through daily challenges and seek a mutually beneficial outcome, while being steadfast in our approach for safety and quality while working around historically sensitive and respected areas and being mindful of an operational medical facility that we’re occupying during the course of construction with many safety varia
Project Info
Prime Contractor:
RHI, LLC
Client:
US Dept. of Veterans Affairs VA Medical Center
9600 Veterans Dr. SW
Tacoma, WA 98493
Engineer/Designer:
Hood River Engineers
1584 McNeil, Ste. 200
Dupont, WA 98327
Contract Type:
Lump Sum Bid
Start Date (NTP):
6/22/2020
Completion Date:
Tunista Scope 11/1/2020
Original Contract Amount:
$5,233,600.00
Current Contract Amount:
$5,273,313.24