Innovative problem-solving in engineering, design and surveying projects requires far more than an aptitude for gathering data. To achieve results that conserve money, effort and time, it must recognize, interpret and adapt to each project’s distinctive variables.

Helix Engineering supports efficient project completion by applying the right resources at the right phases within the scope and timeline. Our process is led by internal procedures and planning that we enhance with what we learn from every project experience. This broadens the creativity and intelligence that will reinforce your solution.

Achieving Your Project Results

The Helix Engineering team approaches your project as an original challenge that we will solve while also drawing further knowledge from it.

We capture and transfer vital knowledge that benefits your project through the following pivotal components.

• Post-project review. After completing an assignment, we fully review it to identify both successes and areas for improvement.
• Documentation of new insight. Entered in a structured format, this information details what did and did not work well and includes recommendations for future projects.
• Knowledge archive. Team members have access to a central repository where they can easily refer to project documentation, best practices and lessons learned.
• Information-sharing sessions. These team meetings address new intelligence gained from each completed project. They often include presentations, discussions and open forums for ideas, insights and experiences.
• Mentorship and coaching. We always encourage senior team members to guide and mentor junior members according to our always-expanding knowledge and experience.
• Continuous-improvement plan. Reviewed and updated often, this dynamic objective incorporates knowledge gained along with actionable steps for implementing identified improvements.

Ensuring Quality of Proposal

Client satisfaction and successful project completion begin with a strong proposal that aims to prevent change orders. Helix Engineering develops precise and thorough proposals by integrating the following factors.

• Comprehensive analysis. Examine the scope and requirements for the project objective, including identifying potential scope creep and defining the needed components and deliverables.
• Collaboration with stakeholders. Unite the client, project team members and subject- matter experts to gather valuable diversity of insights and input for the proposal.
• Detailed risk assessment. Conduct a comprehensive risk evaluation to identify potential challenges and uncertainties that could lead to change orders; emphasize these characteristics in the proposal to minimize their impact on the project.
• Clear and accurate documentation. Establish expectations and proactive avoidance of change orders by ensuring the proposal specifies all project details, deliverables, timelines and resource requirements.
• Quality assurance. Have the proposal robustly vetted by peer reviews and feedback sessions.
• Client collaboration. Involve the client in the proposal-development phase to properly determine objectives and expectations as well as identify relevant concerns and factors.
• Change-management plan. Communicate client-focused team preparedness and diminish the impact of change orders by outlining the process for how an adjustment in scope or timelines will be addressed.
• Legal and compliance alignment. Verify the proposal satisfies legal and compliance requirements to ensure they do not cause project delays and change orders.

Helix Solutions & Service in Action

The following project capsules offer additional insight into our client-support efforts and capabilities.

CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY (CNR) December 2023 to January 2024
SETTLEMENT MONITORING $12,000,000

Client Objective

ComEd contractors installed a 36”-diameter casing pipe for new electrical underground facilities through directional bore below the CNR near Central Avenue in Matteson, Illinois. Supporting ComEd as a subconsultant, Helix provided 24/7 onsite settlement monitoring of the railroad before, during and after construction.

Scope

• Manage staff scheduling.
• Perform the settlement monitoring using both direct and automated survey equipment.
• Establish settlement-monitoring prisms throughout the immediate area of the directional bore at locations stipulated between ComEd and the railroad.
• Conduct survey observations at half-hour intervals throughout the project’s duration.
• Take measurements a week before the casing installation to establish an accurate baseline. Continue them throughout construction and for one week after construction.
• Record and store all data using an automated application and deliver the results to the project stakeholders.

Notable Characteristics

• Scheduled and coordinated staff 24 hours daily for the length of the project.
• Provided orientation for railroad contractors.
• Coordinated with railroad flaggers onsite while working at night during winter.
• Oversaw shift-change meetings and communicated with personnel to ensure adherence to safety measures.

WALMART YUKON (COMED WO#18775170) August 2023 to November 2024
TOPOGRAPHIC AND LEVEL B SUE LOCATING $800,000

Client Objective

Support ComEd’s installation of a conduit to a new service for Walmart Project Yukon, a new 1.2 million-square-foot cold-storage distribution center in Belvidere, Illinois. The 8,450 feet of conduit would extend from BUS 20/Jim Gang Memorial Bypass/North State Street south along North Appleton Road to the customer property.

Scope

• Provide easement, property and topographic survey services in addition to Level B Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) study services to support the ComEd team in designing and constructing its proposed below-ground conduit. The topographic survey extended 1.87 miles along Appleton Road and included all underground utilities to Level B SUE standards.
• Procure all design-stage Joint Utility Locating Information for Excavators (JULIE) maps to assist our team of drafters and utility locators in producing the most accurate representative deliverable of existing conditions.

Notable Characteristics

• Satisfied an aggressive project schedule to advance the design of the new conduit.
• Supplied records research that proved to be critical in reproducing boundary lines; many parcels encountered were not monumented well onsite.
• Coordinated with railroad flaggers onsite.
• Applied drone technology to provide high-quality imagery to the designer.

NICOR GAS April 2023 to June 2024
BS588 CICERO MAIN REPLACEMENT $8,000,000

Client Objective

Replace a Nicor gas main in Cicero, Illinois. The project location was along Cicero Ave (IL-50) between West Cermak Road to the north and 35th Street to the south, along 31st Street and along 35th Street. The study area also comprised CNR, Belt and Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railways at-grade and differential rail crossings.

Scope

• Deliver easement, property and topographic survey services in addition to Level B SUE study services to aid Nicor in designing and constructing its steel main replacement.
• Coordinated geotechnical services to determine the soil characteristics in four railroad-crossing locations.
• Manage all permitting for work performed along the IDOT and municipal routes and for right-of-entry to the railroad property.

Notable Characteristics

• Scheduled and coordinated the work being performed on IDOT and railroad property.
• Provided orientation for railroad contractors.
• Coordinated with railroad flaggers onsite.
• Communicated with staff to ensure all safety measures were understood and followed.

Engineering Support for Project Success & Precision: Contact Helix Today

Helix solutions for engineering, design and surveying put adaptable knowledge, learning and technology behind you to reinforce greater efficiency of time, expense and labor. Contact us at (815) 714-9776 to further discuss how our resources and experience can accommodate your project objective.