Stone River, Hardin Hill & Hodge Rd.

Turnkey Site Development-Knightdale, NC

Existing Cheswick subdivision, Stone River development and Hardin Hill extension

Gaines and Company is on track to complete a massive, multi-phase project consisting of three major contracts in Knightdale, North Carolina: four phases of a new residential development producing almost 400 new homes, a road widening project and road extension anticipating a future development.

Stone River, a large residential and corporate rental development, will produce 188 new homes in phases one and two with substantial completion in January 2022, and another 215 new homes in phases three and four with a projected completion date at the end of 2022. This new development is situated in a hotbed of new activity in the Knightdale area, nestled in the middle of a high-growth area that is bustling with more activity every day. Hodge Road, a road-widening project recently completed by Gaines and Company, is situated in close proximity to I-540 and I-440, making it Knightdale’s largest residential corridor. Knightdale, with its close proximity to popular cities like Raleigh, Wake Forest, Garner and Cary, has retained its charming qualities during this bustle of activity. This, coupled with nearby retail projects expected to revive the area, places Stone River in the center of a highly desirable and convenient location.

Clearing and sediment control preparations with digging of sediment ponds

This project has presented a substantial challenge that Gaines and Company has deftly overcome and used to an advantage: the vast amount of rock lying beneath the surface. While incredibly difficult to plan for and execute, Gaines and Company was able to repurpose the rock that would normally be taken off site for a more sustainable option. After the rock was blasted and excavated, we recycled the rock by crushing it to be used as structural retaining wall backfill as well as in structural fill onsite.

Being a large and anticipated development, Stone River’s phases have been expertly fast-tracked and largely cohesive. For example, roads were installed in phase one while utilities were being placed in phase two and clearing in phases three and four. This allowed crews to work quickly and consistently, keeping lag times between phases shorter and allowing the development to move toward completion much faster. Phases one and two will be slated for corporate rentals, while phases three and four will be sold as single family and townhome units.

The still before the storm: An unusually quiet day onsite, gearing up to start blasting rock.

In conjunction with the Stone River development, Gaines and Co. was contracted to extend an existing road to account for access and traffic to and from the subdivision. Hardin Hill begins at Hodge Road and now ends in the Stone River development, dissecting the future Silverstone subdivision and existing Cheswick development.

This is where the challenge of underlying rock became the biggest obstacle to our team and schedule. Rather than drilling and blasting the bedrock as expected, we found several massive boulders of blue granite that required extensive excavating and tedious hammering to reduce the boulders to rocks small enough to move without damaging equipment.

Another obstacle was the lay of the land which dictated our maneuvering as we could not access both ends of the project to excavate inward.

Despite these substantial challenges, the project has recently been substantially completed. The final stone base and curbing will be finished as soon as weather permits, neatly tying up a rigorous and complex project.

Hodge Rd. and Hardin Hill presented their own challenges which we eagerly overcame.

A final feature of this project included the widening of Hodge Road, which was necessary to account for the traffic volume influx that will result from these new developments. Gaines and Company was contracted to widen approximately 800’ of Hodge Road in total. The project was recently completed as scheduled excluding the thermoplastic pavement markings which will be installed when temperatures allow.

Amidst each project, Gaines and Company has solidified their commitment to quality, efficiency and safety at every turn. While completing turnkey site development, grading and utilities, Gaines and Company has also held sub-contractors accountable at the same high standards when clearing, paving and blasting.