W.B. Hopke Co. Awarded Wet Utilities at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Headquarters in DC

In November 2024, W.B. Hopke was awarded the wet utilities project for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Headquarters (CISA), a 630,000 square foot building located at St. Elizabeths West Campus and Martin Luther King Jr Avenue in Southeast DC. The project will consolidate the CISA workforce with the Department of Homeland Security workforce at one location. The award, initiated by GSA, is the largest single Inflation Reduction Act Investment to date.

The project is currently in the beginning stages and is overseen by general contractor Clark Construction. It consists of installing sanitary, storm and water lines and is estimated to take approximately 4 years to complete. Hopke is no stranger to large projects like this one. As a subcontractor to Clark Construction, Hopke has successfully completed many wet utility projects in Northern Virginia, Washington DC and Maryland.

Hopke estimator, Charlie McClellan, shared his insights and details about the work and was instrumental in securing the award for Hopke. Charlie said, “There are three main parts to this project. We are currently working on some storm work for a temporary parking area. Eventually we will begin the sanitary stage which will include the installation of 128′ of 12″ & 8″ Ductile Pipe, installed approximately 10 – 12 feet deep.” Charlie continued, “The storm work includes 24 – 48″ to 96″ Diameter Manholes. 60 – 30″ to 12″ Nyloplast Drain Basins, 3646′ of 36″ to 4″ HDPE Piping, 113′ of 16″ PVC and 950LF of KS100 trench drain. Finally, the water will include 2008′ of 12″ to 6″ Ductile Iron Pipe.”

There are several challenges to a project this size. First, getting through security to the site is always a challenge on government jobs, especially for this type of secure facility. Also, St. Elizabeths is a very old site. Over the years many other utilities have been installed underground and some are not always easy to find or marked, especially where the shut off valves are located. So Hopke must be careful to find the underground utilities and mark them well.

Hopke has selected an initial team for this project that includes Project Manager – Svetla Todorova, Superintendent – Tommy Kennedy and Foreman Chris Watson and his crew. Hopke will have more updates about this new project as it continues through each phase of construction.

W.B. Hopke is a fourth generation, family-run construction business focused on building high quality utility infrastructure and lifelong careers. Hopke is located in Alexandria, VA and works throughout DC, Maryland, and Virginia. With almost 70 years of experience, Hopke prides itself on repeat customers across all kinds of market segments – schools, churches, data centers, distribution facilities, multi-family, mixed use, residential subdivisions, senior living, self-storage, heavy highway, retail, commercial office, automotive, stream restoration, and parks.

Contact W.B. Hopke about a career in utility installation and site work at 703-971-0404 or info@wbhopke.com.

Reference

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Headquarters, Clark Construction,
https://www.clarkconstruction.com/our-work/projects/cybersecurity-and-infrastructure-security-agency-headquarters-0, Accessed, January 15, 2025.