HGL provided munitions response services for the Digital Aerial Gunnery Integration Range (DAGIR) being constructed at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The scope of work required the removal of Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC) and Material Potentially Presenting an Explosive Hazard (MPPEH) from 144 acres on an active military training range undergoing reconstruction. HGL accelerated the schedule for completing the large-scale Removal Action by 20 percent, limiting the effects of the DAGIR project on the installation. At the height of COVID, HGL deployed over 150 staff to the site, expending over 70,000 field hours with zero lost workday accidents and disposing of over 1,100 MEC items. During the removal and construction support stages, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers range design team identified an additional area that required clearance. HGL coordinated with USACE to complete the additional clearance with minimal impact on the construction contractor’s schedule.
Robotically controlled equipment was used for vegetation removal and for use in a heavily cratered target impact area, remotely scraping 2 to 6 inches of soil within approximately 22 acres. The scraping approach provided a more comprehensive clearance and permitted quality control and quality assurance personnel to inspect a smooth versus cratered ground surface. HGL’s approach reduced the number of anomalies and allowed intrusive teams to complete Removal Action activities three times faster than if the area had not been robotically scraped.
| Project Highlights | |
|---|---|
| ✔ | Completed a large-scale Removal Action 20 days ahead of schedule, within just 84 days of receiving Notice to Proceed. |
| ✔ | Expedited the project Work Plan to limit the impact on the installation, starting fieldwork activities within 28 days of the project award date. |
| ✔ | Recovered and disposed of 1,136 Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC) items and over 500,000 pounds of Material Documented as Safe (MDAS). |
| ✔ | Expended over 73,000 labor hours with zero lost workday accidents. |
| ✔ | Conducted robotic MEC and vegetation removal within high-use impact areas. |
| ✔ | Received final CPARS ratings of “Exceptional” for Quality, Schedule, and Management and “Very Good” for Regulatory Compliance. |
