Equipment is not only expensive but also sensitive. Everything must be done to protect it and keep it working perfectly.
With that ethos in mind, Roadway Electric, a subsidiary of Pulice – a FlatironDragados company – recently completed a new canopy at the equipment yard it shares with Pulice in Phoenix, providing the team with a protected storage area for materials and equipment that need to stay out of the elements.
The 40-by-40-foot canopy stands about 24 feet high and will support Roadway’s traffic signal and electrical work by helping keep materials in good working condition. A team of four completed the build over a few busy weeks.
For a crew that does not build canopies every day, the work required focus, patience and attention to detail. Foreman Carlos Gonzalez said the project was a new build and a new product for the team, which made it important to understand where every item belonged.
“It’s a lot of nuts and bolts that you just have to really be aware of where they go. One bolt alone can throw the whole thing off,” Carlos said.
Completed project
Protecting materials that keep work moving
Roadway will use the canopy to store electronics, traffic signal materials and other items that need indoor protection. Carlos said the space will hold materials such as traffic signal equipment, lights, cabinets, signal-related components and sonotubes (disposable, spirally wound tubes used as a temporary mold for pouring concrete).
The covered space will be vital because rain and exposure can damage materials that crews rely on in the field. By creating a dedicated storage area at the shared yard, Roadway can better protect equipment and keep it ready for future work.
Missing parts required field problem-solving
The most significant challenge came when the team discovered the canopy kit did not include everything needed to complete the build.
“We got all the packaging for the canopy, and it didn’t have everything we needed,” said Superintendent Santiago Garcia. “And so we had to improvise by going out and buying extra hardware for it to put it together, in order to keep everything on schedule.”
Santiago said waiting for the missing parts could have delayed the project for months. Instead, the team found similar hardware, checked the fit and kept working toward a safe finished product.
He also said the assembly manuals did not always fully match what the team had in front of them, which required the crew to think through the system and solve the issue together.
Built with pride
The completed canopy not only gives Roadway a practical new asset but also shows what a focused team can accomplish when plans shift, parts do not arrive as expected, and the work still needs to move forward safely.
At the end of the day, Carlos said he is proud of what his team did: “They did an amazing job.”