Our team from Komada, LLC, a Tepa company, is proud to be part of the award-winning Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant project in Pueblo, Colorado. Engineering News-Record (ENR) Mountain States named the chemical destruction plant project its 2021 Best Project in the Government/Public Building category.
Komada served as the General Contractor and partnered with the U.S. Department of the Army/Bechtel National Inc. (owner), Bechtel National Inc./Bechtel Pueblo Team Dynasafe (lead design firm) and Industrial Constructors/Managers Inc. (subcontractor) to win the award.
The Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Plant project required construction of three static detonation chambers (SDCs) and all of the supporting and housing structures necessary to destroy the mustard agent used in chemical weapons still in U.S. stockpiles. SDCs take advantage of thermal heat to detonate or deflagrate chemicals, and they have extensive controls to keep hazardous chemicals from leaking out. Because quality construction was of the essence, there was extensive documentation on how to install every piece – down to setting each bolt. Each step had its own safety plan developed well in advance and reviewed on-site to ensure full understanding.
The entire project team worked under an accelerated schedule because of time constraints related to the December 31, 2023, deadline to destroy about 97,000 existing mortar rounds. At times, crews worked around the clock, and daily meetings were required with all teams in order to meet quality standards and tight deadlines. At the peak of construction, more than 150 craft workers and managers were working simultaneously in the project’s small footprint.
Komada’s team oversaw the construction of buildings, foundations, roads and associated infrastructure that included communication lines, electrical distribution, electronic security system, sanitary sewer, water lines and tanks, protective coatings, fully welded heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, process piping, equipment connections and startup. In order to meet the timeframe through the Colorado weather, the project team built temporary structures to house the concrete slabs and coating work.
Komada’s managers worked directly with the design team and engineers in the field daily to finalize design plans in real-time in order to successfully complete the project.
