Hamon Contractors Inc. conducts bridge work, underground piping and structural steel erection, as well as curb, gutter and sidewalk work.

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Heavy highway contractor Hamon Contractors says self-performing aspects of its projects allows it to ensure they are on track. “It helps us have greater control over the project,” General Manager Tom Evered says. “We are able to measure our own performance and can ensure that it is efficient.”

The 18-year-old Denver-based firm specializes in the highway market and self-performs bridge work, underground piping and structural steel erection, as well as curb, gutter and sidewalk work. It mainly performs projects in New Mexico and Colorado, including projects for the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Recently, Evered says, the highway departments have been putting more responsibilities on the shoulders of the prime contractors. “Details that would have been included are now left up to the contractor,” he says. “There are a lot of construction details we expect to be included, and now we have to fill in the blanks.”

To meet that challenge, “We are constantly involved in upgrading the skills of the work force through training and advanced education,” he says. “We’re doing this so we can help keep the work force abreast of the challenges.”

Highland Bridge project
The company has received an award from the American Institute of Steel Construction for the design and project management of the Highlands Bridge project, a 375-foot-long, cable-supported pedestrian bridge over I-25 in Denver. Completed in December 2007, it connects the Highlands neighborhood to Central Platte Valley and downtown Denver.

The structure is composed of three steel ribs and an asymmetric cable system that supports a suspended bridge deck. “It is a completely unique structure,” Evered says. “The arches span 75 feet above the roadway.”

Hamon prefabricated sections of the bridge about 300 yards away from the site because of its unique structure. “We built them upside down, then we had to roll and maneuver the arch to the position we needed it to be,” he says.

Also, in December 2007, Hamon Contractors completed a five-span highway bridge over Cherry Creek flood plain in Parker, Colo. The project was unique because the 615-foot-long structure was built over an environmentally sensitive area, home to endangered species. “We had to alter our erosion-control methods and conduct a lot of pre-planning for the work,” he says. “For example, we significantly limited the amount of area that we disturbed and the manner in which we conducted operations in the disturbed areas so as to decrease the impact of construction on the wildlife and environment.

“It was a very typical project,” he says. “We also did a good deal of utility work with the sewer and water lines. We also worked on the curb [and] sidewalks.”

Current Projects
The company is working on a $20 million roadway project in Arvada, Colo. The scope of the project involves constructing a grade separation between the Wadsworth Bypass, Grandview Avenue and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, and lowering Wadsworth Avenue 30 feet underneath Grandview and the railroad. To do that, Hamon Contractors had to build a temporary station for the railroad and shut down Wadsworth in both directions, an area that serves about 110,000 vehicles daily.

The project is expected to be completed in October and will help relieve traffic congestion in that area, Evered says.

Hamon is also in the process of constructing a highway bridge and two pedestrian bridges near Washington Avenue over State Highway 58 in Golden, Colo., as well as a 600-foot highway bridge expansion in Hess Road over Cherry Creek in Parker, similar to the project it completed in December.

The company strives to utilize local subcontractors on all its projects. “We generally have a good relationship with them,” Evered says. “We typically work with the subs who have the best reputation in the given disciplines. We are dependent on the quality of work our subs integrate into the project.”

Adapting to Market Changes
Hamon also specializes in residential and commercial site development, including land planning, entitlement, project management and construction, and plans on doing more projects in New Mexico. It is currently constructing a residential subdivision with 800 patio homes and commercial space, along with a Nicklaus golf course at Ute Lake, N.M.  

The company will self-perform significant portions of the work, which provides costs savings to owners and increases Hamon’s efficiencies. Developing specialties in both the public and private markets enables Hamon to adapt to a constantly changing market. “We are always focused on finding innovative ways to work with clients,” Evered says. “We also want to maintain our focus and be very competitive in the market.”

It also plans to continuously redefine its mission and focus on the best way to function in the ever-changing economic environment.

“Adapting to change is something we have to plan for,” he says. “We just want to continue to deliver high-quality construction and development services to all our clients, [from] heavy highway [to] commercial sites.”