Menu

Menu

  • © 2025 McCarthy Improvement Company
  • Office Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-4:30pm
FacebookTwitterLinkedInYouTube

Improving Heavy Construction

Projects

Centennial Bridge Repair: Davenport Seawall

Posted on

The Davenport Seawall project was brought about by water runoff issues under the Centennial Bridge, causing erosion at the mortarless stone river wall originally built in the 1930’s, and the adjacent concrete areas. MCI’s bridge repair included removing approximately 20 LF of stone wall, pouring a new base concrete footing, and rebuilding the stone wall.

Approximately 15 LF of concrete river wall that had eroded and broken away were also repaired. To prevent any future water runoff issues, we installed two drains and a pipeline running to the river. Concrete on the river walk was also installed, and custom repairs to the original railing system were made.  And that’s not all! MCI’s masonry crew also did additional replacement work to around 60 LF of the top of the stone wall for a final product that will keep the community safe by Davenport’s riverfront for years to come.

 

 

 

 

Sears Seating Ramp

Posted on

Our team removed and replaced a concrete ramp as part of the infrastructure improvements for a new shipping and receiving door.

The concrete pavement surrounding the existing ramp was crumbling, cracking, and posed a potential fall hazard while working on the ramp and was becoming unsafe for forklift traffic.

We removed the existing pavement and replaced it with roughly 17 SY of 8” concrete. We formed and poured a retaining wall (max height 8’), 1’x5’x40’ footing, and backfilled with 6” of roadstone.  The installation of 40’ of primed guardrail ensured the safety of the workers and the traffic.

Warren County

Posted on

US Route 67 in Warren County needed a road refresh. The Illinois DOT contracted our experienced team to handle the job. 

This project included the resurfacing and rehabilitation of 4.5 miles of existing pavement on US Route 67 in Warren County. Our team carried out adjustments to the vertical curve, widening the shoulders, replacing the guardrails, and extending the culverts. Furthermore, the “Y” intersection at the north end of the project and the horizontal curve on US Route 67 were reconstructed, and Illinois Route 135 now forms a “T” at the new US Route 67 curve. In addition, turn lanes were constructed on both US Route 67 and Illinois Route 135. 

This project also entailed the full depth reconstruction of three intersections of US-67 and other county roads. To complete the reconstruction of these intersections while maintaining the flow of US-67 traffic, this work was completed in stages with the use of temporary traffic control signals.   

There were 110,703.20 CY of Earth Excavation, 54,000 SY of HMA Surface Removal, and over 13,000 SY of Aggregate Shoulder installed on this project. Additionally, the Illinois DOT had McCarthy Improvement install over 8,000 tons of Rip Rap on this project (which is just under 5,000 tons more than the original contract plan called for. Another item that had the quantity drastically increased was the Heavy-Duty Erosion Control Blanket.  Over 32,000 SY were installed by the end of the project, when the original plans only called for 6,005 SY.   

 

During the project, the Illinois DOT included additional work that increased the total contract amount by about one million dollars.  The traveling public will benefit from this updated design and its implementation. 

 

 

Contact Us

Iowa American Water

Posted on

To accommodate their growth, Iowa American Water relocated their headquarters to the northwest side of Davenport. The project was spearheaded by our sister company, Bush Construction, who subcontracted our McCarthy Improvement team to execute the dirt work, underground utilities, and concrete paving. This turned out to be a financial success for MCI, courtesy of the change orders added by the estimating team and the newly acquired laser screed equipment.

During the project, McCarthy Improvement placed approximately 5,500 linear feet of pipe, including RCP, DIP, Underdrain, Storm, and Sanitary. Additionally, our team paved 29,047 square yards of streets, parking lot, and sidewalks, using an estimated 6,000 cubic yards of concrete.

For over 125 years, McCarthy Improvement has been shaping our community from the ground up. You can check out our other commercial projects here!

Assumption High School Parking Lot

Posted on

After a state-of-the-art sports complex, Jack and Pat Bush Stadium, was built for St. Ambrose University and Assumption High School, it was time for the attached parking lot to reflect this newness and expansion. McCarthy Improvement laid 9,000 sq ft of new sidewalk and 29,000 sq ft of new concrete road and parking lot surface. A new detention pond including varying types of pipe work will help water drainage.

Did you know? The stadium received its name in honor of former McCarthy-Bush CEO, Jack Bush and his wife, Patricia Bush. For much of their history, the Bush family has been proud supporters and contributors to both Assumption and Saint Ambrose.

Sterling Highway 40

Posted on

As the second of its kind in Sterling, the highway intersection of Science Ridge Road and Illinois Route 40 was transformed into a roundabout by the McCarthy Improvement team.

This intersection was involved in 20 accidents from 2015 to 2020. In 2021, the IDOT installed rumble strips and converted the intersection to a four-way stop. It was later determined that a roundabout was the best option for the road since its design slows down traffic and reduces the impact of crashes. According to the Illinois DOT, roundabouts can reduce fatal crashes by 90%, and reduce injury crashes by 76%.

Project Details:

  • Length: 1 mile (lane miles)
  • 5,000 CY of concrete
  • 15,000 TN of rock

A real push for a roundabout came after tragedy struck a Sterling family. Read about how this father was determined to make the intersection safer. Click here to read.  

 

Contact Us

I-74 Landscaping and Bike Path

Posted on

The Interstate 74 Bridge Landscaping projects were two separate but interconnected projects. Iowa and Illinois each took on one part of the cooperative project, working together with our McCarthy Improvement team to beautify the landscape around the gorgeous new I-74 bridge. The project began after all major work had been completed on the new I-74 Viaduct and ramps.  With the old bridge demolished and the new one built, the goal was to make use of the land under the bridge that was unable to grow normal vegetation.

The Iowa Department of Transportation and Illinois Department of Transportation each designed portions of a 4,700-square-yard bike path. It snakes under the bridge through the piers on either side of the river. This links the bike path along the Mississippi River on both the Iowa and Illinois sides to the new bike path on the I-74 bridge. Erosion curbs and 10,000 tons of various colors of decorative rock, limestone flagstone, and boulders were added. Also installed was a decorative access control fence, 1,550 shrubs, 400 trees, and permanent drains throughout this area, making this a beautiful spot for cyclists to ride through.

All this, paired with 4 bio-cells, has taken an area that had drainage issues and no growth and transformed it into an extension of the local bike path network.

 

 

 

I-74 Interstate Reconstruction

Posted on

Big bridge projects don’t come around very often in the Midwest, despite having the Mississippi running through it.  They change the landscape distinctively.  It has been that way with our I-74 Reconstruction project, and we were excited to add this to milestones in McCarthy’s long community history.

This Interstate Reconstruction project extends from the banks of the Mississippi River north to the Middle Road interchange. This project, of the I-74 River Bridge Corridor, necessitated a lot of coordination. Included were five different prime contractors, two Departments of Transportation, and two local city governments. There were many traffic control changes in the overall project, and the traveling public did a good job navigating the shifts.

.

The pavement section of the interstate expanded to six through lanes with auxiliary lanes and a center median barrier. Altogether, this project required over 73,000 SY of new pavement and aggregate subbase. It also required another 225,000 CY of dirt to be moved in tight spaces. Around the project, there were two new noise walls, a precast MSE wall, and a temporary soil retaining wall at the centerline of the interstate.

In addition to work that is standard to us, this project had several features that are one of a kind.  The DOT installed 9 “Identity Elements” through the project which were 30’-40’ tall precast and steel structures. These identity elements include painted steel panels, acrylic sheets, lighting, and reflective panels. Our McCarthy Improvement work was consistently ahead of schedule and we completed all critical closure and call completion date requirements on time. This project was a one-of-a-kind experience and a truly important project for our area.  We are proud to be able to leave a lasting impact on our community and home. This project was a runner-up for the Iowa DOT Interstate Project of the year in 2023.

.

Check out more photos here! https://i74riverbridge.com/newsroom/gallery.aspx

Linwood Mining & Minerals Smokestack Replacement

Posted on

An aging smokestack at Linwood Mining & Minerals was partially blocking the stack’s gas outlet. The rotary kilns could not run without an open outlet, so Linwood commissioned McCarthy Improvement’s help to demo the stack, perform a site inspection then investigate the soil surrounding the stack’s stump so that the sub-base and concrete base could be properly designed.

After engineering created new blueprints, McCarthy Improvement:

  • removed and disposed of unsuitable soil and replaced it with aggregate fill to strengthen the ground for the foundation.
  • placed crane pads to accommodate the erection of the smokestack.
  • installed and leveled a custom anchor bolt assembly ring.
  • installed over 25,000 lbs. of reinforcing steel and placed 260 CY of concrete in a continuous pour to complete the foundation.
  • Stripped the forms and backfilled the foundation after the stack was replaced to reduce the time the kiln needed to be shut down.

Installation of the smokestack took just two days and was a highly coordinated effort by Linwood, McCarthy Improvement and Oertel Metal Works who fabricated the smokestack.

Augusta Regional Airport Apron Rehabilitation

Posted on

The Augusta Regional Airport apron rehabilitation project removed and replaced deteriorating asphalt on both the North and South ends of the airport with Portland cement concrete pavement. The project was broken into five phases to utilize smaller closures to limit obstruction for airport traffic. The original contract was allotted 11 months to construct the project, 60 days were added prior to the start due to an owner survey control issue, however, the final phase was opened for airport use nearly two months ahead of the expected opening date. A change order was granted by the airport, which included a new connector between Runway 17-35 and Taxiway A. Only 90 days were supplemented to the contract for the construction of connector A3. The use of the connector will cut wasted time and fuel for extended taxiing by commercial aircraft carriers & general aviation.

Over 3,000 SY of 6” PCC, 14,100 SY of 8” PCC, 7,600 SY of 10” PCC overlay, 39,000 SY of 11” PCC, 11,500 SY of 14” PCC, & 5,200 SY of 18” PCC paving along with grading, drainage, pipe and asphalt demolition, markings, sealing, and lighting were finished in this tight project timeframe. Overall, more than 27,500 CY of PCC were batched for this project.

Project Facts 

  • A $1.9 million change order was issued with the savings from the original contract
  • All work was completed 45 days early, under budget, and with no outstanding punch list

Have an inquiry?
Contact us.

Privacy Policy Sitemap Accessibility Statement

Site designed by Twin State Technical Services.