In 2011, South Industries of Menan, Idaho was hired to stabilize a mountain wall.

In 2011, South Industries of Menan, Idaho was hired to stabilize a mountain wall.

Mountain wall stabilized quickly and efficiently with shotcrete

Freda Parker • Published • Shotcrete Articles

A different kind of project

South Industries of Menan, Idaho is primarily known for its superior work in constructing Monolithic Domes. But in 2011, South Industries (SI) was hired to do a different kind of project.

Signal Peak Energy, co-owned by FirstEnergy Corp. and Boich Companies, asked SI to stabilize a mountain wall.

“That wall,” said SI’s president, Randy South, “was falling down on the tunnel entrances of a Signal Peak Energy coal mine near Roundup, Montana. So we sprayed the entire wall.”

Shotcreting the side of a mountain

According to Randy, that wall was 500 feet long and, in places, 40 to 50 feet high. SI stabilized it with a nine bag mix of shotcrete sprayed in place. A four-man crew worked for eight days and a five-man crew worked for the remaining two days.

Randy said, "We did it all in a two-week window — fast and furious to get it done before freezing weather came in last fall.

“Shotcrete is an incredibly efficient way to place concrete,” he added. “The same job using a forming system would have taken weeks or months. We put over 550 cubic yards right where it was needed, in a very short time.”

That wall was falling down on the tunnel entrances to a coal mine.

That wall was falling down on the tunnel entrances to a coal mine.

The wall was 500 feet long and, in places, 40 to 50 feet high.

The wall was 500 feet long and, in places, 40 to 50 feet high.

The Signal Peak Energy coal mine is co-owned by FirstEnergy Corp. and Boich Companies.

The Signal Peak Energy coal mine is co-owned by FirstEnergy Corp. and Boich Companies.

Signal Peak Energy mine is located near Roundup, Montana.

Signal Peak Energy mine is located near Roundup, Montana.

Signal Peak Energy’s low-sulphur, Montana coal will be sent by rail to an Ohio utility company.

Signal Peak Energy’s low-sulphur, Montana coal will be sent by rail to an Ohio utility company.

The South Industries crew had only a two-week window in which to shotcrete the entire wall.

The South Industries crew had only a two-week window in which to shotcrete the entire wall.

They had to work fast and furious to get the project done before the winter freeze arrived.

They had to work fast and furious to get the project done before the winter freeze arrived.

A four-man crew worked for eight days.

A four-man crew worked for eight days.

Then a five-man crew worked for an additional two days.

Then a five-man crew worked for an additional two days.

Randy South said, “Shotcrete is an efficient way to place concrete. A forming system would have taken weeks or months. We put over 550 cubic yards of shotcrete where it was needed, in a very short time.”

Randy South said, “Shotcrete is an efficient way to place concrete. A forming system would have taken weeks or months. We put over 550 cubic yards of shotcrete where it was needed, in a very short time.”