Todd goes airborne at Alder Creek, Big Sur

Todd Ferryman traverses a high line at Alder Creek.  Todd is an unflappable superintendent for AIS, working on the Alder Creek slide repair for Caltrans.  AIS stabilized the slide earlier this year, and now we're installing wire mesh drapery to help keep loose rocks off Highway 1.  Todd is traversing the top anchor rope for one of the mesh panels. To give you an idea of scale, Todd is about 9 feet tall. (Actually, he's only 6'9", but that sure seems like 9 feet when you stand next to him).  Thanks to John Duffy for the photo.

Lumahai Soil Nail Wall

 AIS is working for Earthworks Pacific of Lihue to build two soil nail walls on the Kuhio Highway above Lumahai Beach, west of Hanalei, Kauai.  Here our Spyder excavator is drilling soil nail holes below the road.

Lumahai Beach is where Mitzi Gaynor "washed that man right out of her hair" in South Pacific.

 Our crew spends time working on the road, not so much time on the beach.  We have to keep one lane of the Kuhio Highway (State Route 560) open for traffic, which makes for a narrow work zone.

Our man Kevin Wiesman can load more equipment and materials on a Morooka than anyone!  The Morooka tracked dump vehicles are almost as handy and versatile as our Spyder excavators.

AIS helps fix part of New York City's Water Supply

AIS is working for Barnard-DA Collins JV on an upgrade of the 85 year-old Gilboa Dam in the Catskills.  We are doing demolition of the dam crest and downstream face, plus a few other chores.  Barnard-Collins will rebuild the dam so it's safe for another 100 years or so.

Alder Creek Slide Repair, Highway 1 south of Big Sur

AIS is fixing a large landslide south of Big Sur.  Caltrans called us in late April to help them fix the slide and get the road open again. This photo (courtesy of Caltrans) shows the slide, the highway and the ocean.  If you look carefully, you can see two of our spyder excavators and two bulldozers near the top of the slide.  You can also see a few brave souls on the toe of the slide next to the water.  Wonder how the equipment got up on that slope?  We flew 'em there with a helicopter.  This heli-repair concept should be more commonly used than it is - you can avoid the need to cut in an access road, also saving the effort needed to restore the access road at the end of the job.