Blackberry Ridge

Project OverviewDescripción del proyecto

The Blackberry Ridge Subdivision project in Fayetteville, Arkansas was designed to facilitate neighborly interactions within the community while maintaining the natural beauty of the native land. Emery Sapp & Sons (ESS) was selected as the General Contractor after submitting the low bid, and worked closely with Tenfeld Planters, LLC and Crafton Tull to complete Phase 1 of this three phase development. Phase 1 construction consisted of building the infrastructure for 24 lots on approximately 33 acres while setting the stage for phases two and three to be built in the future. Additionally, Phase 1 included the construction of 1,500-ft of Weir Road, the county road serving the development. The project also included the installation of more than 3,500 linear feet of storm pipe and water line combined and the excavation of 32,000 cubic yards of dirt.
The homes at Blackberry Ridge sit on top of a ridge, but the entrance road from Weir Road to the homes required a 40 foot elevation change with no obvious route to make this climb. In addition, line of sight requirements at the connection to Weir Road forced the entrance road to excavate approximately 10,000 cubic yards of earthwork. With this magnitude of rock excavation, ESS offered blasting as an alternative to typical breaker equipment, providing an avenue to keep the project moving and limiting the financial impact to the project.
ESS utilized several methods for minimizing their impact on-site. The crews eliminated off-site disposal, which reduced hauling costs and also decreased the project’s carbon footprint. When significant levels of excess material were available, ESS worked with the Owner to identify a method for creating an earthen bridge across two existing ravines to become a natural walking path for residents. Each of these earthen bridges is approximately 20 feet above original grade.

“To me, the most impressive thing on this project was how the ESS crews embraced the vision of Blackberry Ridge,” Developer and Project Owner Keith Tencleve said. “Not only did ESS take time to meet me on site and review any large trees required to be removed, but they also volunteered to coordinate with the forestry service to have them review the trees to give us their opinion. It’s that level of service and pride that has me looking forward to partnering with ESS on future projects.”

The Blackberry Ridge Subdivision project was completed in just eight months. This project was recognized by ABC Arkansas with a 2022 Eagle Award in Infrastructure. With Emery Sapp & Sons’ dedication to delivering high-quality projects, we were able to deliver a functional, maintainable, and efficient roadway and foundation for the Blackberry Ridge Subdivision development.