NMCB 5 Seabees upgrade FLEACT Yokosuka bus stops

Photo By Joseph Schmitt | Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5 Detachment Yokosuka work together to spread and fill a bus stop with concrete, May 29. The sailors are upgrading all bus stops around Fleet Activities, Yokosuka from the old all-concrete structures to new, more modern, mostly-enclosed modern bus stops.  

YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JAPAN

06.20.2013

Story by Joseph Schmitt 

Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka

YOKOSUKA, Japan - Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5 Detachment Yokosuka Seabees are upgrading the bus stops around Fleet Activities, Yokosuka main base and plan to have all of them finish in early July.

“Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific came out and surveyed the area and made the designs for the stops,” said Ens. Joe Madge, officer in charge NMCB 5 Detachment Yokosuka. “We take those designs and build the structure.”

The new bus stops are made of corrosion resistant aluminum, steel and plastic. They replace the concrete bus stops that have stood on base for a number of years.

“They [the old bus stops] were showing their age and it was costing more and more to maintain them. They have to be serviced every year and painted,” said Madge. “The new ones take much less to maintain and provide more seating.”

The upgrades are more enclosed and provide better protection from the weather. The new stops are more than 75 percent enclosed with two doors and a few inches of clearance from the ground allowing for circulation.

“They were designed and build to be used here in Japan,” said Madge. “The designers made them earthquake resistant and they are able to stand up to the wind out here.”

The stops are built in stages. First, the site is dug out. The Seabees dig down to create space for the foundation of the building and to give the building level ground to stand on. Then, supports go up and steel reinforcing bars or “rebar” are bent and suspended a few inches from the ground. The bars will be covered with concrete to give it strength and flexibility. The next step is to pour the concrete into the form.

“It gets real busy when the concrete starts to come down the chute,” said Builder 2nd Class Alexander Olszowy, bus stop replacement crew leader. “We’ve only got so much time before it starts to setup and there is a lot of things that we need to get done. We pull it with our rakes, vibrate it to make sure there are no air pockets, level it off and fill in low spots.”

The concrete takes only a few days before people can safely walk on it. That’s when a separate contractor installs the plastic panels the make up the wall and a trash can is placed next to the finished structure.

“I know that people are going to be more comfortable in the new bus stops,” said Olszowy. “It always feels good to see people enjoying something we built.”

• Date Taken: 06.20.2013
• Date Posted: 07.10.2013 04:07
• Story ID: 109950
• Location: YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP