Ground Breaks as Phase 1 of the CMP Marksmanship Park Construction in Talladega Begins

By Ashley Brugnone, CMP Writer/Editor

This photo was taken from what will be the 600 yard firing line on the 600 yard rifle range.  The sandy or light colored dirt mound at the tree line will be the target line, 600 yards out from the firing line.

TALLADEGA, AL – The earth is moving on the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park development in Talladega County, AL, as Phase 1 is underway.

Six total D-8, 80,000 lbs. bulldozers, seven 40-ton dump trucks, four 20-ton excavators and three 40-ton pans have been recruited to move the 600,000 cubic yards of dirt from the hills of Alabama. Plans were approved in March 2012 by the CMP Board of Directors for the 500-acre marksmanship facility.

Workers will need to move 600,000 cubic yards of dirt from the hills of Alabama to make way for CMP’s 500-acre Marksmanship Park in Talladega.

Brad Cole Construction, Inc. out of Carrollton, GA, is contracted to oversee the project. To make way for dirt removal, approximately 50 percent of the entire project’s brush has been removed and burned.

Besides having to move mountains to construct the ranges, Mother Nature also put a damper on the project as gauges measured that 7 inches of rain water fell during the month of December, with 3 inches having already fallen in January 2014. The rain has caused the top soil being moved to be nothing more than mud, creating major headaches for the general contractor, who planned to use the soil to fill berms, buildings, parking lots and roads.  

CMP’s Jim Townsend stands inside the bucket of one of the many pieces of construction machinery to demonstrate the massive scale of the equipment being used to complete Phase 1 of the project.

  Staying on task, the contractor has presented alternative ideas to help with the mud problem, including extra drainage to dry the wet areas and filling the small ponds mapped out in the Marksmanship Park’s plans.

Besides the mountains of dirt, crews must also remove the wood and brush from the grounds.

Despite the elements, crews are still managing to remove brush and earth. Additionally, even with the unanticipated rain, the general contractor says the project is still on schedule for the building pad grading to be completed by February 9, which is an essential piece of construction before Phase 2 can begin.

Once the dirt and brush is removed, work can begin on Phase 2 of the project, which includes building construction and paving.

The project will be conducted in two phases: Phase 1, consisting of brush removal, heavy earth work, road pad and berm construction, and Phase 2, consisting of dirt work, building construction and road and parking lot paving. Construction is anticipated to be complete in January 2015. The range is expected to be open to the public in April 2015, pending extensive range testing operations.  

A total of six bulldozers, seven dump trucks, four excavators and three 40-ton pans will be used to complete Phase 1 of the project.

The new CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park facility will feature a 600-yard rifle range as well as multiple-bay pistol and shotgun ranges, equipped with state-of-the-art electronic targets. The range will be open for daily use and will include firearm safety and marksmanship classes, not to mention many CMP-hosted regional and national marksmanship competitions.

Rain created problems for construction crews during the month of December, as 7 inches of rain water collected on the ground. At least 3 inches has fallen already during January.

For more information on the CMP and to view a layout of the new Talladega Marksmanship Park, download our brochure here: Talladega Marksmanship Park Brochure.