Gross Reservoir
Colorado, USA
Raise and Roll in Colorado: Doka formwork solutions supports largest dam expansion in US history
Nestled in the heart of Colorado (USA), the Gross Reservoir plays a crucial role in managing water flow across the North American Continental Divide.
In a landmark project aimed at securing the region's future water supply, Denver Water is undertaking the largest dam raise in U.S. history, increasing the height of the 70-year-old structure by 40 meters. To meet the unique challenges of this massive undertaking, Doka has engineered a tailor-made formwork solution, pivotal in tripling the reservoir’s capacity.
About 725,000 cu. yds. (554.000 m3) of RCC and over 90,000 cu. yds. (69.000 m3) of conventional concrete will be required to complete the project. The project also includes 118 downstream concrete steps that rise from the bottom of the existing dam to the new dam crest.
Building type
RCC Dam
Challenge
- Customer required a tie form system that aligns with the dam face for aesthetics and to better support the wall forms from the pressure of freshly placed concrete
- Formwork solution needed to be quick and efficient to move, but with minimal ties for greater flexibility
- Dam face steps back with each lift and gets progressively wider, increasing the complexity of the pour
Solution
- Working closely with the project team, Doka’s Infrastructure Group designed a formwork system that incorporates horizontal adjustment to maintain tie spacing up the dam face
- The solution combines both custom and standard girder forms to create a system that is flexible and easy to move, keeping the pour moving 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Doka will also install DokaXact Load and Pressure sensors for real-time concrete monitoring
Flexible Formwork Solution for 24/7 Progress with Real-Time Monitoring
Doka’s innovative approach combines custom and standard girder forms, creating a flexible, easy-to-move system that supports 24/7 progress on the jobsite. The formwork solutions include Xclimb 60 for the training wall girder formwork, Framax S Xlife panels on the lower training walls and suspended platforms constructed from WS10 and H20 Beams T. The formwork is designed to be assembled in a way that allows one 1.2m lift per 24 hours. As the project progresses, Doka will also install DokaXact Load and Pressure sensors for real-time concrete monitoring.
Michael Kennedy | CEO Doka USA
Doka’s involvement in the Gross Reservoir expansion project underscores our commitment to engineering excellence and innovation in infrastructure. The challenges posed by the dam’s stepped design and the need for precise alignment with the existing structure required us to engineer a formwork solution that could adapt to varying pressures while maintaining efficiency and safety. By combining custom and standard girder forms, our team delivered a system that not only supports the massive volumes of roller compacted concrete but also helps ensure the structural integrity of the dam as it rises.
Project data
Year of completion
2027
Project duration
2024-2027
Country
USA
Contractor
Kiewit Infrastructure and Barnard Construction
City
Golden, Colorado
Building data
Construction method
RCC Dam
Height
143 m
Number of sections
118