AMERICAN CONCRETE PAVEMENT ASSOCIATION
9450 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.
Suite 150
Rosemont, IL 60018
847.966.2272 | www.acpa.org
ACPA Names Recipients of
Annual “Excellence in Concrete Pavements” Awards
Rosemont, Ill. (December 13, 2012) – The American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) has named
recipients of its 23rd Annual “Excellence in Concrete Pavements” awards, which recognize quality
concrete pavements constructed in the United States and Canada.
The awards program encourages high-quality workmanship in concrete pavement projects, and serves
as way to share information about challenging and highly successful projects.
Judges representing various stakeholder groups throughout the transportation-construction
community evaluate projects. The program recognizes contractors, engineers, and project owners
who completed outstanding projects. The program requires projects to be completed in the calendar
year prior to judging (2011). The recipients of the 2012 ACAPA Excellence Awards are:
Commercial Service & Military Airports — Gold
Project:
Cargo Apron Expansion-Phase IV, Indianapolis International Airport,
Indianapolis, Ind.
Contractor:
Berns Construction, LLC (Milestone Contractors, LP)
Owner:
Indianapolis International Airport, Indiana
Engineer:
Shrewsberry and Associates, LLC
When Berns Construction set out to expand this airport’s cargo apron used by a major international air
cargo operation, the schedule left little margin for error or delays.
The 180-day project began with the general contractor performing the primary site work, including
excavation, storm sewer, fuel lines, electrical service, subgrade stabilization and underdrains.
Page 1
Berns Construction was responsible for constructing the subbase then placing about 43,000 SY of
concrete pavement, all in about a six-week window.
The project marked the first time Berns Construction placed a cement-treated permeable base (CTPB),
but the process went flawlessly because the team researched and tested options prior to placing the
materials. The contractor used stringless paving technology, which involved the Berns team reviewing
previous experiences with stringless technology and incorporating technical updates to ensure
optimum performance.
Berns used a batch plant on site, using tri-axel trucks to deliver concrete to the grade. The concrete
mix was placed using a material transfer/placer (MTP) or a placer/spreader. A two-track Gomaco 2800
was controlled by stringless technology for lateral and grade elevation, allowing the contractor to
achieve the very low deviation in average elevation of only 0.02 ft., all without setting a single pin or
stringline.
The concrete was placed to exacting P-501 specifications, and consisted of 18 in.-thick panels. Joints
were spaced at 18.75 ft (square) and doweled in both longitudinal and transverse directions. Joints
were sawed, widened, chamfered, and sealed.
Safety was another important consideration during the project. The expansion area was separated via
safety barricades and fenced off from active operations on the existing apron, which meant there was
no potential conflict with air cargo movements. A local area access roadway was closed and marked
with a detour to remove local public vehicular traffic from the work area, as well. Access for
construction workers and equipment was maintained at a well-marked access point past the marked
detour, further removing potential conflict with air cargo operations.
Close communications with the owner and project team were critical and a Berns representative
attended weekly coordination meetings to monitor respective critical paths and maintain an optimum
schedule. In addition, Berns held a pre-paving meeting to notify all parties of detailed operational
plans and to provide a forum for exchanging concerns and ideas.
Berns utilized the “alternate lane” paving sequence for the 43,000 SY installation, which also included
32 heavily reinforced panels around stormwater inlets and other imbedded utilities per the plans.
Berns Construction maintains a philosophy that the Quality Control Plan (QCP) is fundamental to
quality paving results. For this project, the QCP allowed Berns the opportunity to examine the
Page 2
acceptance criteria and document their procedures for achieving desired results as well as their
detailed process to correct issues accordingly. As a result, this project resulted in zero grinds, zero rework, zero penalties, and very impressive quality control test results along the way.
Quality concrete pavement begins with a goal and a plan, the company says, noting the superior
results achieved on this project reflect the team’s diligence, discipline, and dedication to quality.
Commercial Service & Military Airports — Silver
Project:
Niagara Falls Reserve Airbase Taxiway A, A1, A3, Niagara Falls, NY
Contractor:
Surianello General Concrete Contractor Inc.
Owner:
U.S. Air Force
Engineer:
Urban Engineers of New York, P.C.
The Niagara Falls Reserve Airbase is home to the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command's 914th Airlift Wing,
as well as units of the Air National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve, and a Military Entrance Processing
Station that serves all five branches of the U.S. military.
When Surianello General Concrete Contractor Inc. began a complete reconstruction project on one of
the taxiways, it was immediately apparent the project would require close coordination among the
owner, contractor, and subcontractor so that the construction did not interfere with the important
missions of the base.
It was particularly important to accommodate fire and emergency response teams. As such, the
project required at least one lane to be open at all times. This required the preparatory work to be
completed in stages to ensure certain portions of the taxiway were open to base operations at all
times. The paving operation also needed to follow this staging pattern, and work needed to be
completed quickly, safely, and efficiently. The taxiway was a complete reconstruction involving
removal, excavation, new under drain, new subbase, and the installation of new heavily reinforced
concrete pavement, 12,000 CY in all.
Project delivery was affected by several delays attributable to permitting issues, weather, and an air
show being held at the base. Another factor affecting the schedule was the taxiway’s design, which
contained a substantial amount of reinforcing steel. Smooth dowels drilled and anchored into the
existing pavement, longitudinal tie bar basket assemblies, transverse dowel bar assemblies, and
Page 3
transverse hinge basket assemblies all affected the schedule ahead of the concrete placement and
finishing operations.
Surianello invested significant time to devise a plan to complete the project on schedule. The plan
had to address access, including the required non-agitating concrete delivery vehicles and other
construction equipment. There was only a short window of opportunity to unload the concrete
mixture, and with every movement, coordination with the base security forces was required to ensure
deliveries were not slowed by time-consuming inspections.
Complicating this was heavy traffic at the base entrance during paving operations, but special
provisions allowed the teams to meet the required discharge times.
Completing the project required constant communications. Surianello’s paving schedule was
communicated to base security and operation forces well in advance, and base personnel then sent
out notifications to all the divisions to ensure people were informed of the schedule and potential
impacts. When construction operations were in proximity to the active runway, constant
communications needed to be maintained with the air traffic controller in the tower. Traffic on the
taxiway was restricted to base personnel, as well as Surianello’s construction equipment, support
vehicles, and personnel. (On the grade, daily toolbox discussions also helped keep construction
personnel well informed of safety and security requirements.) All in all, the aim were to maintain a
safe and efficient work zone, while keeping one side of the taxiway open at all times. This allowed the
base’s emergency responders complete access to the taxiway and the runway for daily training
exercises, as well as in the event of actual emergencies.
Keeping one side open proved to be a difficult task, particularly because of the cure times required on
the grade. Surianello’s team demonstrated their responsiveness as the open lane changed locations
many times when cure strengths were achieved and traffic could be moved to allow other paving and
repair operations.
Looking back at the construction of the original taxiway, it was completed during the 1950’s (using
fixed-form paving), and the pavement since experienced joint failure. The specifications called for the
new pavement to match the existing pavement, but it was soon determined and reported to the base
engineers that matching the existing pavement would not produce the desired surface characteristics.
The project specifications required the use of a profilograph for smoothness measurement, but after
inspecting the existing conditions, the contractor informed the base engineers that it was not possible
Page 4
to match the existing pavement and still meet the smoothness requirements. After all the information
was presented, the base engineers waived the profilograph smoothness requirement in favor of
matching the existing pavement.
The contractor used averaging skis on the paver helped to remove the variations that were present in
the existing pavement, and to create a significantly smoother surface than the existing pavement that
was to be matched. Even though profilograph traces were not required, the Surianello team still
profiled the new pavement after installation was complete. The results indicated a significant increase
in the smoothness of the pavement, which met or exceeded the ¼ in. in 10 ft. straight edge
specifications.
The new concrete was placed using different pieces of transfer equipment. One phase used a
GOMACO RTP-500 rubber-tracked placer, while the other phase used a GOMACO PS-2600
placer/spreader.
The pavement was slipformed with a GOMACO GHP-2800 slipform paver with averaging skis located
on the four corners of the machine. An autofloat attachment was mounted on the back of the paver.
A motorized work bridge then completed the paving train, applying the burlap drag surface texture
and the cure.
Extra steps were taken to ensure that the only pavement that matched the existing pavement would
be near the edge, not in the wheel paths of the planes using the taxiway. Wheel paths were hand
finished after the paver passed over to further enhance smoothness.
In spite of delays, complexities, safety and security considerations, and the requirement to keep one
lane of the taxiway open, the project was completed under budget and within schedule. The end
result is a quality taxiway that will serve this vital military base for many years.
Concrete Pavement Restoration (CPR) — Gold
Project:
Interstate-664 Pavement Rehabilitation, Newport News, Va.
Contractor:
Denton Concrete Services Company
Owner/Engineer:
Virginia Department of Transportation
This large-scale concrete pavement restoration (CPR) project was challenging, not only because of the
scale of the project, but also because of the traffic management requirements.
Page 5
Interstate-664 is a major urban freeway connecting Newport News and Suffolk, Va., by way of the
Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel. In Newport News, it is a six-lane divided Interstate
highway with a median barrier wall. In 2010, the estimated average annual daily traffic was up to
74,000 vehicles with 6 percent trucks.
The CPR project called for 54,000 SY of full-depth concrete patching on continuously reinforced (CRCP)
and jointed plain concrete pavement (JCP); grinding about 110,000 SY of CRCP; and removing and
replacing approximately 800 lineal ft of misaligned/leaning barrier wall. The project also called for
installation of about 21,000 lineal ft of drain; adjusting existing/installing new guardrail; and milling
and replacing about 12,000 tons of existing asphalt.
Much of the original concrete pavement was constructed in about 1983 using 8 in.-thick continuously
reinforced concrete pavement for the mainline, and 9 in.-thick jointed concrete pavement for the
acceleration/ deceleration lanes and ramps. In 2007, after 24 years of service with only minimal
maintenance requirements, the concrete pavement was in need of rehabilitation.
The contractor was required to maintain traffic during the CPR project. Lane closures were only
allowed between 7:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. Completing the project required close coordination
between the Denton crews and the concrete plant to ensure the proper amount of concrete was
delivered, and that the concrete had sufficient time to cure properly. This was a difficult balance to
reach, but was achieved by precisely proportioning concrete delivered to the grade, and by using
accelerating admixtures that allowed opening to traffic on patched areas in 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 hours.
Safety was a key consideration, so in addition to workers wearing Class II reflective vests and hard
hats, the work zone was delineated from the live traffic utilized reflective plastic drums and traffic
cones. Workers were protected by the use of impact attenuators, as well as by a spotter that would
sound an alarm to alert workers of possible danger.
One other unique aspect of this project is that the contractor simply submits a mix design for approval
at the start of the job, and once the mix design is approved, the contractor is not required to test
materials during production and placement, and instead, must provide a one year warranty for any
materials and workmanship issues. This stemmed from a joint ACPA/Virginia DOT Task Force initiative
to review and rewrite the Concrete Patching Special Provisions, which have been modified slightly
Page 6
since 2002, but remain in effect. After thousands of patches, the warranty replacement rate is below 1
percent.
The Virginia DOT developed and implemented an extensive communications plan to distribute
information to the motoring public. The plan included lane closure reports posted on the agency’s
website and emailed to local media; listings in the Virginia 511 system; an interactive, voice-activated
traffic information system accessible by phone and the Virginia’s 511 website; and announcements on
the state’s Highway Advisory Radio.
To alert motorists traveling in this area to the upcoming traffic shifts, advance warning notifications
were posted on portable, changeable message signs. Information about the project was also included
in the VDOT Dashboard, a web-based performance reporting system with a search feature for
information on projects and programs.
During the project, the contractor realized its operations were affecting the employees of the naval
shipyard when they were getting off work at 11:00 p.m. The Denton team evaluated the situation and
came up with a system of detours that allowed the workers access to Interstate-664, without
compromising productivity. Creativity, innovation, and hard work allowed Denton Concrete Services
to complete this large-scale project on time.
Concrete Pavement Restoration (CPR) — Gold
Project:
Runway 8/26 Pavement Rehabilitation and ADG V Improvements,
Denver International Airport
Contractor:
Interstate Highway Construction, Inc.
Owner:
Denver International Airport
Engineer:
CH2M Hill, Inc.
What happens when a large-scale pavement rehabilitation project is combined with an exacting
schedule, followed by unforeseen delays; reduction in scheduled work days; a change in work scope,
and concerns about holiday air travel? Although this may sound like a formula for disaster, these
issues were no match for the dedicated team responsible for this project.
This $21.5 million project at Denver International Airport (DIA) involved the rehabilitation of 59,827 SY
of airfield concrete pavement for Runway 8/26 and adjacent taxiways. The replacement panel
thicknesses varied between 17 in. and 21 in. at thickened edges. In all, 51,309 SY of panels replaced
Page 7
were low production (three or few panels), 8,518 SY high production (four or more panels), and 17,750
SY of reinforced concrete for odd-shaped panels and block-outs. The project also included 28,501 SY
of cement treated subase; more than 465 in-pavement lights; 350,000 sq. ft of striping; 60 acres of
seed and mulch; 2,670 feet of drainage pipe; and 49,110 tons of bituminous pavements.
The project bid schedule included 15 sections, with the final award based upon the first five.
Dependent upon funding, the owner could then award any combination of the 15 sections.
One of the first challenges to the schedule occurred shortly after the project was bid in April 2011.
When DIA officials announced the selection of seven sections, the contractor began working the
subcontractors and suppliers to fine-tune the project schedule.
The original schedule was 165 calendar days, including a 30-day administrative period. Federal
Aviation Administration funding was delayed, and so it appeared the expected start date would be
pushed into autumn. DIA officials expressed concerns the runway closure would interfere with holiday
traffic, so the administrative period was shortened to 20 days.
Another challenge emerged when the owner added one more schedule to the contract, effectively
doubled the scope of electrical work and added 75,000 CY of embankment. Staring down the
shortened duration of the project due to air traffic needs and facing the requirement to finish the
project in 45 days guaranteed by a $50,000 per day liquidated damage specification, the contractor
knew that a monumental feat lay ahead.
The team recognized panel removals would be a key factor, so to speed the deep sawing, three
separate sawing subcontractors were used. Also to speed the up-front removals, extra large off-road
trucks were used to haul away broken concrete and any subgrade requiring replacement.
To prevent damage caused by the extraordinary weight of these loaded trucks, special haul roads were
constructed. At various areas where the weight was a particular concern, roller-compacted concrete
was used to ensure a stable roadway for the trucks. These special haul routes also eliminated the need
to cross live taxiways, which further avoided delays or other problems.
Safety was also a key consideration, so IHC assigned a full-time safety representative to the project.
Spotters, flaggers, gate guards, and foreign object debris (FOD) watchers were positioned throughout
the routes. Toolbox safety meetings were held weekly, with item-specific safety meetings held prior to
Page 8
beginning all new items of work. All drivers and spotters underwent safety training to ensure they
understood the special requirements of airfield movement.
Lighted barricades marked all taxiway closures and other critical areas. Runway closure lighted X's
were placed at both ends, with three (60 ft long x 10 ft wide) yellow crosses at the center and both
ends of the runway. Low profile lighted barricades were placed to close all taxiways leading to the
work area. All access routes were monitored constantly to and from the work area to eliminate any
potential incursions into live taxiways.
To eliminate the down-time associated with changing paver widths, three separate slipform pavers
were used. The panel replacements were then scheduled for the most efficient paver use, depending
on the required paving widths.
The quality control plan was a six-step process that began with pre-work coordination, and then,
progressed through formalized initial inspections, follow-up inspections, completion inspections, prefinal acceptance, and final acceptance inspections. A full-time program administrator with more than
15 years of airport and highway experience was assigned, along with a support staff of technicians and
inspectors. Concrete was sampled and cured jointly with quality assurance personnel to ensure
consistency in the reported results.
The overall project consisted of removing concrete panels in small groups throughout the entire
runway complex, making coordination of the work crucial to the project’s completion.
To speed concrete removal, three sawing companies were used for deep sawing. Off-road articulated
trucks hauled rubble from the work site. Throughout removal operations, large areas of subgrade
material required remediation prior to replacing the concrete pavement.
From the outset and throughout the project, weekly meetings were held with DIA Management, DIA
Operations, and FAA representatives through the project duration. All potential conflicts were
addressed and resolved.
Closed on August 25, the runway was re-opened on time by October 12, thanks to the hard work,
ingenuity, and tenacity of the dedicated team.
Page 9
Concrete Pavement Restoration (CPR) — Silver
Project:
Interstate-15 (from Interstate-84 to 10th North, and 10th North to SR-30), Box
Elder County, Utah
Contractor:
Multiple Concrete Enterprises, Inc.
Owner/Engineer:
Utah Department of Transportation
This two-phase Concrete Pavement Restoration (CPR) project was particularly challenging because of
the project scope, heavy traffic in the area, and because of restrictions on how work on the second
phase was to proceed.
Interstate-15, from the Interstate-84 Interchange to SR-30 in Utah, was paved in 1988 with 10 in.
concrete over lean base. After more than two decades of service, a pavement preservation contract
was let in the spring of 2011 for full-depth panel replacements; spall repairs; dowel bar retrofit; profile
grinding; joint sealing; slab jacking; signs; electrical; fencing; and miscellaneous repairs within the right
of way.
The total engineer's estimate of the project was more than $7.7 million, but the low bid came in at
$6.2 million, about 80 percent of the original. The main items of concrete rehabilitation included
2,870 SY of panels; 186 SY of partial-depth spall repair; 314 CY of slab jacking; 83,643 dowel bar
retrofits; and 308,150 SY of grinding.
Minimizing inconvenience and ramp closures was important, as was keeping workers and the traveling
public safe. The effort required exceptional partnering between Multiple Concrete Enterprises, Inc.
and Utah DOT personnel.
This project was actually comprised of two tied projects, both of which had strict deadlines. The
second project could not be started until there was substantial completion on the first project, even
though contract time on both projects was started at the same time. This required a concentrated
effort to keep all the subcontractors on time and within very exacting schedules.
This included coordinating traffic control to keep the traveling public and workers safe at all times;
carefully scheduling ramp closures to minimize impact on the traveling public; and awareness of the
high concentration of trucking on this section of Interstate 15.
Page 10
The Utah Chapter-ACPA and IGGA/ACPA CPR Division provided pre-construction training on dowel bar
retrofit and profile grinding for Utah DOT personnel and inspectors. Utah DOT and Multiple Concrete
Enterprises personnel worked together to ensure the highest quality of workmanship and finished
product.
Daily and weekly safety meetings were held, and the contractor conducted jobsite specific and general
safety training for all employee’s and sub-contractor personnel. The project safety director updated
their project specific safety hazard analysis as any potential safety or health issues arose. All OSHA
required personal protective equipment and training was implemented. Daily vehicle and equipment
inspection reports were filled out and repairs made. Enforcement of contractor’s safety and health
policies were strictly enforced resulting in no lost time accidents.
The traveling public was kept informed of closures and construction schedules with a website, a public
information sign with 24 hour phone number and contact information; flyers and personal contact
with area businesses and trucking companies. Newspaper inserts also were used to notify local
residents of work taking place and projected time of completion.
The smooth pavement (measuring 2 in. per mile on a 0.2 blanking band), and other improvements to
this interstate section will serve the traveling public for many more years. Equally important, the
project was completed on time and under budget.
County Roads — Gold
Project:
Montgomery County, Iowa H-54 from Iowa 48 east to M-63, Coburg, Iowa
Contractor:
Cedar Valley Corp., LLC
Owner/Engineer:
Montgomery County, Iowa
Start with a 50-day paving window, add a severe wind and hail storm; throw in some issues that
restrict access for construction vehicles; toss in some additional work not included in the original
plans; and mix thoroughly with a requirement to recycle existing roadway materials and to implement
a new “safety edge” technology. This might seem like a perfect way to derail a project, but for this
team, the job had all the makings of an award-winning project.
This project on Montgomery County, Iowa H-54, involved the reconstruction of 7 miles of 6 in.
concrete pavement originally placed in the mid 1960’s and later overlayed with 3 in. of hot-mix asphalt
Page 11
overlay. Cedar valley Corp.’s (CVC) subcontractor chose to use an in-place crushing method where the
pavement removal and crushing, grading, and material placement was accomplished in basically one
operation.
After subgrade correction, 6 in. of recycled material was placed on the roadway platform.
Unfortunately, the very loose, open-graded and sometimes unstable base material wreaked havoc
with CVC’s concrete hauling units. The contractor alerted the Montgomery County engineer, and
together, they proactively devised a plan that allowed better access to the project. The plan involved
using existing county roads to access the project, thereby avoiding hauling on the subbase as much as
possible. With the help of county and CVC motor graders, and with additional rock provided by the
county, the access roads became even more usable. CVC also performed additional blade work to keep
the open-graded base in shape ahead of the paving train’s arrival.
Another obstacle arose since the road’s narrow shoulders would not allow construction access. To
remedy the situation, CVC used a dual-lane autograde equipped with an “Iowa Special” to deliver
concrete to their paver. Because the project contained three narrow bridges that the paving train
could not pass through, the contractor had to stop approximately 100 ft short of each structure and
move the paving equipment to the opposite side.
The cure/texture machine was pulled across, and then, the Guntert & Zimmerman paver was moved
by placing it in transit mode. However, crossing the bridge with the dual lane autograde required a
large crane and a tedious teardown and reassembly process of the equipment. By carefully planning
the pouring sequence, and with close communication with the crane rental company, CVC never lost a
paving day during the equipment movement across three bridges.
Montgomery County specified a safety edge on this project. This new design concept is intended to
mitigate edge rutting issues. From the top of the 7 in. pavement, the safety edge sloped down to 1 in.thick over a 1 ft distance. This required setting up the paver 2 ft wider, and then, inserting a sloped,
false pan that established the required shape. Despite 45 vertical curves, some as severe as 7.18% and
three narrow bridges that forced CVC to stop paving 100 ft short of each structure, CVC earned
46.62% of the maximum smoothness incentive. In addition, the contractor earned $51,580, the entire
3% bonus offered, for meeting the paving thickness design standards.
Page 12
Despite the challenging work moving equipment, long hauls of concrete batches, and the quick pace of
the paving operations, CVC completed the project with zero accidents or injuries while working over
12,550 man-hours.
Montgomery County Engineer Brad Skinner, P.E., commented, “Challenges successfully addressed
during the construction included a severe wind and hail storm, recycling of the original 50 year old
pavement into a usable road base, working within a narrow construction area, and implementation of
a new technology called “safety edge” designed to improve the recovery ability of vehicles that stray
from the pavement onto the shoulder.”
This project was assigned 50 working days, a timeframe that became even more challenging when
additional work was added to the contract after the discovery of about 10,000 CY of grading had been
unintentionally omitted from the plans.
The existing pavement section was also thicker than indicated on the plans and took longer to remove
and recycle than anticipated. Additionally, the recycled modified subbase did not match the profile
grade, so additional hauling and other unanticipated adjustments were required.
The in-place recycling, as well as the subsequent paving, was also threatened because of an extremely
wet weather period. The recycled base became very unstable because of the open-graded design and
wet conditions.
Residents living on the Montgomery County H-54 project and even on the side roads had no
alternative but to use H-54 while it was under construction. Therefore, before construction began, a
public meeting was held in Red Oak, Iowa to further explain the construction process
and discuss access issues. Each resident living on the project was individually contacted and invited to
this important meeting. The local radio station also broadcasted the time and the location of the
meeting days before the event.
At the meeting the County Engineer, CVC personnel, and subcontractor representatives gave
presentations that explained the entire construction process, including CVC’s intention to use maturity
testing to determine opening pavement strength. It was stressed to all property owners that if a
section of the road was closed, access was strictly prohibited.
Page 13
CVC’s project manager spent countless hours meeting individually with each one of the property
owners on this project. Some of the owners agreed to forego short term access based on CVC’s use of
the maturity testing. Therefore, every night, after the paving operation had ceased, access was
reestablished to all affected property owners where acceptable opening strength had been reached.
The stringline was removed and the existing driveways were opened to local access. Prior to paving,
CVC stockpiled driveway material at each property to expedite the opening time. In these cases private
access was typically reestablished in less than 30 hours. As the job progressed, each resident also
received an update from CVC’s project manager to provide the paving schedule pinpointed to the area
adjacent to their property, as well as a timetable when they could expect to regain access to their
property.
Montgomery County Engineer Brad Skinner, P.E., recalled, “It was especially gratifying to receive a card
of thanks from the area residents. Signed by the 17 rural residents directly served by the highway, this
unusual recognition by the members of the public directly served is a great source of pride for our
staff, and an inspiration to continue providing personalized and top quality projects for our
constituents.”
In addition to the award by ACPA, this project also won the Iowa Concrete Paving Association’s “Best”
County Road PCC Paving project among 10 nominated in 2011.
County Roads — Silver
Project:
Hess Road Extension, Douglas County, Colo.
Contractor:
Interstate Highway Construction, Inc.
Owner/Engineer:
Douglas County Community Planning and Sustainable Development
Department
One of the fastest growing areas in the country, Douglas County continues to be challenged by the
need to ease traffic congestion and increase mobility. The completion of Hess Road provides a
welcome east-west arterial roadway connecting Parker Road and Interstate-25, but completing the
project was challenging because of the terrain and weather.
The project bid in March of 2010, with an asphalt/concrete alternate. R.E. Monks Construction was
awarded the prime contract and subcontracted Interstate Highway Construction to perform the
concrete paving. Paving began in June, 2011 and placed 91,000 SY of 9 in. concrete on the mainline.
Page 14
Contract revisions and miscellaneous paving accounted for an additional 7,000 SY, with 3,240 lineal ft
of curb and gutter and 990 sq. ft of median cover completing the concrete paving scope.
Constructed on the south side of the reservoir, Hess Road was designed to follow the natural
topography. As a result, the more rugged terrain, with its numerous curves and super elevations,
provided challenges to the paving crew. The unusually cool spring and early summer followed with 17
straight days of rain in July.
Although the asphalt alternate was bid at a lower price, the prime contractor and the paving
contractor met with Douglas County officials and presented a 30-year life-cycle analysis. After
reviewing the maintenance of both pavement types, the county agreed that concrete would be the
best choice for this project.
The paving reinforcement design called for rebar baskets, since at the time Douglas County did not
accept automatic dowel bar insertion (DBI). The paving contractor submitted a value engineering
proposal showing a DBI-proved past success and providing a cost savings to the project. After
placement of a test section and verification of results, the county approved the value engineering
proposal. The contractor then worked with the county to establish their current specifications for rigid
tolerances for controlling the skew and tilt of the bars. The paving contractor used an MIT-SCAN-2 for
non-destructive testing of dowel bar placement. As part of the process to prove the value of DBIs to
the County, continuous verification testing with the scanner was performed during all production
paving operations. The County has since purchased their own scanner.
R. E. Monks prepared the base to (+/-) 1/ 0 ft, and then, IHC did the final grading. The 36 ft-wide
roadway was paved with a Guntert & Zimmerman S850 paver set to pave 30 ft wide for the two 12 ft
travel lanes and one 6 ft shoulder. A Gomaco Commander III finished the other 6 ft shoulder. Concrete
was mixed in a Con-E-Co onsite batch plant and hauled in tandem-axle dump trucks to the paver. Extra
stringline pins were used to ensure continuity for the extra roadway curvature. Due to the winding
roadway alignment and frequent elevation changes, smoothness was a challenge. By operating the
paver at a steady, slow speed averaging 5 ft/min., the county's requirements for ride quality were
greatly exceeded.
The paving contractor was responsible for all quality control testing, with Douglas County handling
quality assurance testing on a one in 10 basis. The project-specific Quality Control Plan set the project
specifications as minimum standards. The acute attention to detail received 100% of strength
Page 15
incentives and grinding was required only on the first day’s pour. Weekly safety meetings were
mandatory for all members of the paving crew.
Divided Highways (Rural) — Gold
Project:
U.S. Route 54, Kingman County and Pratt County, Kans.
Contractor:
Koss Construction Co.
Owner:
Kansas Department of Transportation
Engineer:
Wilson & Company and HNTB
The reconstruction and re-alignment on this highway was a challenging project that required a major
commitment from Kansas Department of Transportation, Koss Construction Company, and the
subcontractors involved in the project.
The 4.3 mile reconstruction project on two lanes in Pratt County tied into 5.75 miles of four lanes in
the re-alignment/construction in Kingman County. Kingman County which had a scheduled
completion date of June 2012 was 95% completed in 2010. This allowed for traffic to be switched and
the section of smooth pavement on US-54 to be opened nearly a year sooner than expected. (A
previous contract in Kingman County required most of the grading and all bridges be completed before
the paving starting date.)
Both projects combined for 459,849 SY of concrete pavement. The project specifications requirements
were different for each project. The Pratt County section was a 30 ft mainline pavement with variable
shoulders. Plans called for 6 in. of cement treat subgrade, 4 in. of cement treated base, and 9.5 in. of
concrete pavement. Crossing the county line, Kingman called for the same, but with granular base
shoulders paved to a uniform thickness. To accomplish all these paving tasks, Koss put a Johnson Ross
central mix plant to use.
The highly productive plant provided consistent concrete to the contractor’s Guntert & Zimmerman
S850 paver. This paver was sized to 30 feet in Pratt County, then to 24 feet in Kingman County. To
allow for constant paving, a large fleet of trucks was required to help provide a productive and smooth
paver effort. Quality control (QC) for the concrete pavement was provided by the contractor, which
used highly qualified personnel to administer the QC plan approved by the owner. These technicians
paid careful attention to concrete consistency, consolidation, and thickness.
Page 16
As a result of the careful QC and other attention to detail in paving, these projects earned much of the
potential smoothness bonus—in all, $428,652 of the potential $808,906. Partnering and careful
management were essential to the success of the project. Partnering principles were employed early in
the project and a relationship based on trust and mutual respect was quickly established. The
Partnering team included The Kansas Department of Transportation as the owner, and designers
Wilson & Company and HNTB Well attended, regularly scheduled partnering meetings between all
team members were held on the project throughout the construction period. These meetings were
essential in quickly resolving problems and keeping everyone informed of the current tasks being
performed, as well as addressing upcoming critical tasks and issues. A high level of hands on
management involvement was also critical to success.
The Kingman County project did not have the typical amount of time for stockpile preparation, which
made measurement and maintenance of the stockpiled materials for Pratt County even more
important. This also prevented overruns that could have impacted the receipt of materials for
Kingman County.
The “Hardroaders” at Koss Construction, along with the owner and subcontractors, all rose to the
challenge and produced a high quality, smooth pavement that is expected to provide the traveling
public many years of excellent service.
Divided Highways (Rural) — Silver
Project:
U.S. Route 64 & Interstate-40, Webbers Falls, Okla.
Contractor:
Duit Construction Co., Inc.
Owner:
Oklahoma DOT
Engineer:
Grossman & Keith Engineering Co.
Travelers heading to or from Arkansas, especially if their destination is Webbers Falls and Gore for
some fishing, there’s a good chance they will drive on a section of Interstate-40 that features a
beautiful, recently completed section of concrete paving.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Duit Construction teamed up once again to tackle
this sizable project in Webbers Falls, Oklahoma. The 6.5 mile project stretched through a portion of
Muskogee County from Warner, Oklahoma to the Arkansas River, intersecting with two highly traveled
roadways as well as The Muskogee Turnpike.
Page 17
The project plans involved the complete removal of the existing interstate, grading and replacement of
the roadway with 400,000 SY of concrete pavement. Duit Construction worked on the profile,
minimizing cuts to the existing grade while keeping a smooth ride throughout the project. A trimmer
with GPS navigation was used to build the subgrade.
The typical section involved 8 in. of stabilized subgrade, which was also fine graded with the GPS
trimmer to ensure proper grades. A 6 oz. separator fabric was placed on top of the subgrade and
covered by 8 in. of aggregate base. A 4 in. cement treated base was placed with a GPS asphalt
laydown machine, which helped provide the proper grade, ultimately keeping the concrete yield
where it needed to be. A 15 oz. separator fabric covered the cement treated base, followed by
11 in. of dowel jointed concrete pavement. The project also included replacement of one bridge and
the removal and replacement of 65,000 lineal ft of fence.
There were many challenging aspects to this project, including the recycling and reuse of the old
roadway. The old concrete was broken, crushed, and then, reused as an aggregate base for the new
pavement. This was an environmentally friendly and cost effective process.
The plans also required the contractor to maintain access to the traveling public on 12 different ramps
throughout multiple phases of the project. Planning, coordination and execution of each detour
allowed the project to flow steadily and reach a timely finish date without lost days.
Duit Construction went above and beyond with quality control and quality assurance of this project.
Exceeding the testing required by the Oklahoma DOT ensured the materials used to rebuild the
Interstate exceeded the specifications. Doing so eliminated costly delays and assured the superior
quality of the finished product.
Divided Highways (Urban) — Gold
Project:
I-40 Crosstown Expressway, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Contractor:
TTK Construction Company, Inc.
Owner:
Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Engineer:
Poe & Associates, Inc.
It has been said necessity is the mother of all invention, and no more does that ring true than in
reinvention of downtown Oklahoma City’s infrastructure.
Page 18
Interstate 40, as it passes through downtown Oklahoma City, also commonly referred to as the
Oklahoma City Crosstown, is an elevated 4 mile stretch of Interstate that dissects downtown
Oklahoma City from Agnew Avenue to Byers Avenue.
Constructed in 1965, this stretch of Interstate has served the traveling public for over 40 years, but fell
into a state of disrepair after exceeding its design life. Originally designed to accommodate 76,000
vehicles per day (VPD), the old Crosstown Expressway was, at its peak, filtering some 120,000 VPD.
The on- and off-ramps were precariously short by today’s design standards. Narrow shoulders did not
provide refuge for stranded motorists. Large portions of the bridge deck routinely failed and required
lengthy shutdowns for repair.
Weighing all these factors, officials determined the Crosstown Expressway would be torn down and
relocated approximately five blocks south. The new Interstate 40 Crosstown—the single largest
construction project ever undertaken by ODOT—was divided into multiple projects. Of the multiple
projects that make up the new expressway, the three final tie-in sections of the Crosstown project
constructed by TTK in a joint venture with Duit Construction, have been recognized by ACPA for
Excellence in Pavements award program in 2011. The tie-in sections represented the culmination of a
project whose duration was seven years at a cost of $650 million in construction. Officials were
understandably eager to see the tie-ins completed quickly, and so, the Oklahoma DOT allotted 630
days for the project.
These new sections of roadway include 10 lanes of new paving approximately four miles long, with a
cross section consisting of 12 in. of concrete pavement on 4 in. of open-graded base on 8 in. of
compacted aggregate base on 8 in. of cement stabilized subgrade.
Included in the paving scope was a unique blend of 58,017 SY dowel jointed paving; 108,636 SY of plain
jointed paving; and 274,486 SY of continuously reinforced concrete paving. The contract also included
divider strip; slope wall; curb and gutter; a glare screen; underground drainage; barrier walls, including
a variable-height median barrier wall; project/traffic lighting; sod replacement; and an anti-graffiti
coating. The project also included a pedestrian walkway named the “Skydance Bridge,” which
spanned the entire width of the Interstate section, and included a 150-ft tall steel sculpture of a scissor
tailed flycatcher that straddles the bridge over the entire eastbound mainline.
Page 19
Although the project schedule called for 630 days, ODOT incentivized the project with a series of earlycompletion bonuses, effectually shortening the overall schedule and traffic switch onto the new
roadway to 407 days.
In spite of the very tight schedule, the new I-40 Crosstown officially opened to the public on January 5,
2012, some 223 days ahead of schedule. It stands now as an attractive, durable testament of what
happens when inventiveness, hard work, and extra effort combine to meet the needs of the agency
and the traveling public.
Divided Highways (Urban) —Silver
Project:
Interstate-65 Reconstruction Project from Interstate-459 to U.S. Route 31,
Hoover, Ala.
Contractor:
McCarthy Improvement Company
Owner/Engineer:
Alabama Department of Transportation
In March of 2011, the Alabama DOT gave McCarthy Improvement the go ahead on the 2.3 mile I-65
Reconstruction Project in Birmingham, Ala. Anticipation was high, because this was no ordinary
project.
For only the second time in the past 25 years, the Alabama DOT would reconstruct an Interstate
highway section using concrete pavement. The work included complete removal and replacement of
the deteriorated roadway that had been associated with several traffic fatalities in recent years, and
so, there was much at stake with this project.
Bringing concrete pavement back to Alabama was a bold move by the DOT, and McCarthy, using its
time proven methods of management and partnering, wasted no time in starting work to ensure
success.
From the start, it was known that the reconstruction project was going to be extremely time sensitive
and schedule driven. McCarthy knew every aspect of the project had to be perfect to maintain
momentum for the future of the concrete paving industry in Alabama.
The project was let with a very linear plan for completion with plan documents requiring individual
phases to be completed in order before the successive one could begin. This aspect of the phasing
made the project very difficult to staff, as work could not be performed concurrently. Eight phases of
Page 20
work needed to be completed in nine months or stiff penalties for late project completion of
$15,000/day would be enforced. Preliminary planning was limited, but after several iterations a
rigorous schedule for this highly phased project was developed. Of those 8 phases, four of them
contained Interstate mainline and ramp closures for full replacement.
Work on the initial two phases was begun and completed by late March. Morale was high on the
project, and the anticipated timeline for activities were already going better than planned. In early
April, McCarthy began phase three; which involved several Interstate closures. More than 15,000
drivers per day had to be diverted, and penalties for delayed openings were $4,000/hour.
One challenge came with a change in temporary barrier wall specifications. This required rapid
procurement and placement of 26,000 feet of new temporary barrier to protect the workforce and the
traveling public.
Another challenge was heavy rain, which hampered completion of the work and pushed the project
schedule to the brink. Half of the total “float” that was originally included in the schedule was now
gone. Even so, the crews began phase four, determined to make up time on this work, which involved
a ramp closure and construction. After completing the work four days ahead of schedule, the
contractor earned $20,000/day in incentives.
The excitement soon faded when the second half of phase four uncovered the culprit behind the
failing existing roadway. Unsuitable and unstable soils were found everywhere under the existing
roadway. All efforts to recondition and re-compact the soils failed, and the project schedule was
slipping away at a rapid pace.
After considering other ideas for 15 days, he DOT accepted McCarthy’s recommendation, a trial
section of cement modification of existing soils. The trial was a success, and so, McCarthy was given
the approval to continue with this process.
Even though the Alabama DOT gave approval to perform the corrective work, no time extension was
given. McCarthy crews would need to adjust for what had grown to 56 days of delays. Their
challenge was to do everything possible to complete both the planned and unforeseen work within the
270 day construction schedule.
Page 21
After reworking the schedule several times, it was clear the only way the project would finish on time
was to switch every major item of work remaining to both day and night shifts. The concrete paving
would not only have to be placed day and night, it would also have to be completed at two different
places, requiring four crews for the remainder of the project. Skepticism soon gave way to optimism,
and optimism turned to success. The McCarthy crews overcame the adversity and finished the project
… ahead of the deadline.
This project demonstrates the Alabama DOT’s foresight to begin reinstituting a two pavement system
for their roadways, and an incentive to continue this trend. It also reflects the ingenuity, hard-work,
and dedication to quality among the personnel who met challenges head on, even when it meant rearranging their lives during the nine-month construction period to complete the project. It also shows
what can be achieved when agencies and contractors work together in the true spirit of partnering.
Industrial Paving — Gold
Project:
Boeing Expansion, Site Development Program, North Charleston, S.C.
Contractor:
APAC-Tennessee, Inc., Ballenger Paving Division
Owner:
The Boeing Company
Engineer:
AVCON, Inc.
APAC-Tennessee’s Ballenger Paving Division’s work on the Boeing Expansion and Site Development
Program was part of South Carolina’s largest construction project completed in decade, as well as
largest single capital investment in the state’s history. A project of this scale required superior
coordination, attention to detail, and of course, a commitment to quality construction.
The contractor placed 8 in. of P-304 cement treated base, followed by 8-, 15-, and 20-inch sections of
P-501 concrete pavement. The complete concrete paving package also required both lay-out work and
as-builts; quality control by the contractor and quality assurance/acceptance by the owner; joint
sawing and sealing; and installation of trench drain. The project also required extensive coordination
of utility and paving work.
For the overall project, Boeing selected BE&K-Turner, a joint venture of the BE&K Building Group and
Turner Construction Co., to design and construct the project. The project, which broke ground in
November 2009, included the design and construction of a 481,168 SF, 464 ft.-high clear span final
assembly building (FAB), along with 21 support buildings on 240 acres.
Page 22
Ballenger was responsible for placing more than 338,000 SY of jointed plain concrete pavement and
continuously reinforced concrete pavement for the apron and taxiway, which support the
manufacturing, assembly, and transportation of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner airplanes.
The paving was originally was phased and expected to be completed in seven clearly-defined, large
phases. Because of schedule changes stemming from the construction of the massive FAB and support
buildings, the paving schedule was impacted significantly. This required Ballenger to pave in dozens of
phases, and in much smaller areas of work than originally planned.
With more than 90 contractors and as many as 3,000 men and women working on site at any given
time, Ballenger worked proactively to meet the needs for safety, scheduling, coordination, and, of
course, paving. The contractor was responsible for coordinating vehicle access in and around the
paving work zone throughout the project’s duration.
Further complicating matters, the close scheduling of APAC’s paving work alongside the work of other
projects on site, was especially demanding because of the numerous block-outs that were required to
accommodate on-going plan revisions, design modifications, and the hundreds of different utility
penetrations within and adjacent to the paving. These unanticipated changes needed to be addressed
quickly because of the fast-track scheduling and brisk pace of this massive design-build project.
Another significant challenge was the 24-hour coordination and scheduling for the owner-furnished,
on-site batch plant, which supplied concrete for the entire project. This became increasingly difficult as
the project progressed through seasonal changes. The temperature extremes necessitated late starts
on cold weather mornings, and night paving, as well as batching with chilled water, during the hot
South Carolina summers.
APAC also received letters of commendation from James Lee, Area Manager for Global Performance,
the owner's construction management firm, as well as Jim Kriss, P.E. Vice President of AVCON, Inc., the
pavement design engineer, who had oversight of the pavement construction.
Despite encountering the constantly changing project phasing and other challenges, APAC and its team
of subcontractors consistently met owner’s project schedules and milestone dates. APAC successfully
provided the owner a quality paving project on time, all the while maintaining a safe, accident free
workplace for crews and others working in and around the area.
Page 23
APAC successfully provided the owner a superior quality paving project, on time, while maintaining
safety as its top priority and providing a safe, accident free workplace for its people.
Industrial Paving — Silver
Project:
Interstate-35 Port of Entry Facility, Kay County, Okla.
Contractor:
Duit Construction Co., Inc.
Owner:
Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Engineer:
The Benham Company
As truck traffic has increased across the United States, many weigh stations are simply not designed or
staffed to keep pace with the demand of trucking companies, which must move goods to market
quickly and efficiently.
This is no longer the case at the Interstate 35 Port of Entry Facility in Kay County, about 17 miles south
of the Oklahoma-Kansas border. The familiar sight of trucks navigating past the small, 40 year old hutand only manned for 8 hours a day have come to an end.
The new Kay County Port of Entry Weigh Station was the first of nine high technology weigh stations
planned and completed by Duit Construction, Oklahoma DOT and the Oklahoma Corporation
Commission.
Traffic operation reports were used to determine the size and lengths of the parking lot and ramps for
future truck volumes. The new weigh station was designed to include weigh-in motion sensors,
variable message signs, static scales, and a large inspection bay station.
The computerized state-of-the-art commercial weigh station has a site footprint including the Port of
Entry operations center, the related enclosed inspection facility, utility and wastewater support facility
and other infrastructure necessary to support the highly specialized weights, measures and inspection
technologies.
The $7.9 million dollar inspection facility included Civil Site Design plans for the parking layout,
driveways and ramp ingress and egress. The 46,409 SY of 8.5 in. doweled jointed pavement was placed
on 8 in. lime-modified subgrade, along with 8 in. of Type A aggregate base.
Page 24
Significant changes were requested to the pavement joint layout and dowel bar placement on
this project. With open lines of communication and teamwork, the requests were granted. Not only
did this increase production during concrete paving, it also gave a savings back to the owner.
Innovation and experience like this will allow the remaining facilities to benefit also. This weigh
station is leading the way for future weigh stations across Oklahoma and Nationwide. Duit
Construction has established a corridor that will lead to safer trucking operations, protecting the
traveling public and assuring the future for this important infrastructure.
Municipal Streets & Intersections (<30,000 SY) — Gold
Project:
Main Street Renovation, Grand Junction, Colo.
Contractor:
Adcock Concrete
Owner/ Engineer:
City of Grand Junction, Colo.
When a vital downtown area fell into disrepair, the construction team joined forces with community
planners to revitalize the area, reclaiming its grandeur in Grand Junction, Colo.
In 1962, the city’s Main Street was redesigned, narrowed from four lanes to two, reconfigured in a
serpentine layout, and landscaped with a beautiful canopy of shade trees. The city soon gained
national attention, including recognition as an All American City.
Almost 50 years later, many elements of the original design were outdated or simply worn out.
Working closely with the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), the construction team began the
Downtown Uplift project, which called for replacement of the street, deteriorated sidewalks, water
lines, storm drains, and brick planters. Dying trees were replaced; water features were added; and
play areas, shade shelters, and drinking fountains were installed.
The design team chose concrete to replace the asphalt in the street, in part because of two significant
advantages: its longevity and its recognition as a cool pavement. Light-colored and cool, concrete
pavement allows reduced lighting, helps mitigate heat island effects, and helps reduce smog,
according to the American Concrete Pavement Association. (Green Highways, SR385P)
Main Street hosts the majority of the community’s festivals, including a weekly Farmer's Market held
during the summer, an Art & Jazz Festival, Oktoberfest, and many other events. In the high desert
climate of western Colorado, temperatures can easily top 100 degrees F in June or July, and a cooler
pavement was seen as a great advantage for the many visitors who attend these events.
Page 25
Base preparation included reconditioning the 10 in. subgrade with a 4 in. leveling course consisting of
a recycled asphalt and/or recycled concrete. All the curb and gutter and parking areas were poured
ahead of the concrete paving. The centerline was staked prior to the placement of the leveling base
course material, and stringline was set to ensure a minimum of 9 in. of concrete.
The west half of Main Street from was closed to all traffic from January to June 2010. The east end of
the project was constructed from January to June 2011. Although the street was closed completely to
vehicle traffic, it remained open to pedestrians. Many (but not all) businesses were able allow access
from the alleys and parking areas behind their shops, but the challenge was to keep businesses
accessible and open, which was particularly important during the severe economic downturn.
The contractor and the City had to find a viable way to handle the traffic at the one-way streets. The
best option developed was to allow the contractor to close one lane during this phase of the
construction. This meant motorized traffic only had to use a detour route for two weeks.
All the concrete pours were performed in the morning to take advantage of relatively cool
temperatures. The concrete pavement was placed in one continuous pour from crosswalk to
crosswalk using a truss screed. Each pour averaged approximately 110 CY. Intersections were poured
in one continuous pour to ensure uniformity and smoothness. The contractor manually screeded the
intersections because of the complexities of the intersecting cross-street grades and elevations.
Because Main Street is such a vital part of the community, every effort was made to keep pedestrian
access open to all 80 adjacent businesses throughout construction. A DDA representative attended
weekly construction meetings to help maintain communication, including the construction schedule
and potential business impacts, among business owners.
The DDA also coordinated a public awareness campaign to inform the community that all the
businesses remained open during construction. The campaign involved a three-prong approach to
communicate with Main Street merchants, the media, and the community at large. Block captains
were selected to help communicate with impacted businesses. Free tokens, good for an hour of free
parking in the downtown parking garage, and maps showing where to park during construction were
distributed to merchants to pass along to customers. Businesses also helped by contributing $50 gift
certificates for weekly drawing.
Page 26
Updates were posted on the DDA website, as well as Facebook and Twitter. Cooperative television
ads, print ads, and posters also featured downtown attractions and showed the finished concept of
Main Street. In the end, the pictures gave way to the picturesque – and revitalized—Main Street area.
Municipal Streets & Intersections (<30,000 SY) — Silver
Project:
Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority, Buffalo, N.Y.
Contractor:
Surianello General Concrete Contractor Inc.
Owner:
Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority
Engineer:
Nussbaumer & Clarke, Inc.
The Ferry Grider Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority (BMHA) projects were originally constructed in
the 1950's. This is the first inner city reconstruction project performed in the area since then.
The scope of this 5 million dollar project replacing more than 15,000 SY decorative concrete pavement
roadway, including concrete curbs and gutters. The decorative, exposed aggregate pavement on this
job is used as a maintenance access road that runs through the middle of the complex and around the
entire perimeter for property management personnel to maintain easy access into each courtyard.
Traffic flow and access were very critical for the residents in this complex, so Surianello used a mixture
of high early-strength concrete, which allowed quick reopening and reduction of traffic congestion.
Quality, safety, cost efficiency, and adherence to the project timetable also were important factors, as
were the aesthetic qualities of the decorative concrete. In fact, noting the importance of the
aesthetics, Surianello presented the pavement monthly to the Housing of Urban Development for
acceptance.
The original spec for placing exposed aggregate pavement was used for the reconstruction project. It
would have required pouring 5 in. of concrete, then seating 1 in. of aggregate, a method similar to
those used to build many sidewalks.
Instead, Surianello suggested eliminating the separate aggregate seating process by spraying a
retarder on the finished surface, and then, power washing it three hours later to achieve the same
etch in the exposed aggregate. Surianello reasoned this also would improve the structural integrity,
while also imparting a more uniform appearance.
Page 27
The operation doubled the contractor’s daily production, as the proposed process was less labor
intensive. BMHA accepted the method, which resulted in a substantial savings for the owner.
Having only one entrance in the courtyards made it difficult for delivering the concrete, so the
contractor used a power buggy for hard to reach areas. In spite of the restricted access, the
contractor was still able to achieve daily production goals.
Communications was a key to the success of the construction project. BMHA property management
personnel sent notifications to all residents, notifying them of the schedule, the work being done, and
all important safety precautions for the equipment used onsite.
Unfortunately, tragedy struck in August 2011, when four people fell victim to what was called the City
Grill shooting. After this happened, the suspect of this crime was found to be on BMHA property, and
so the construction site was shut down for two days as Buffalo Police secured the site. The suspect
was arrested, but from that point on, City of Buffalo police patrolled the site daily to provide a safe
working environment for all contractors when construction resumed.
Through teamwork and cooperation, Surianello was able to exceed all the goals of the project. The
owners and City of Buffalo expressed that they were pleased with the materials and workmanship.
Surianello crews also had a goal of turning the neighborhood into a vibrant community of opportunity
for these residents. As they worked on this revitalization project, it was evident that some of the most
important aspects were strength of character, collaboration, and competence, which the contractor
found to be both honorable and factor in the huge success of the project.
The finish pavement has exceptional strength and aesthetic appeal, and has the added benefit of low
maintenance costs. For the BMHA and the residents of Ferry Grider, the pavement also represents a
hope for the future of this area and care for its residents, which demonstrated by the attention to
detail and quality commitment of the contractor.
Page 28
Municipal Streets & Intersections (>30,000 SY) — Gold
Project:
Wisconsin Avenue, Appleton, Wisc.
Contractor:
Vinton Construction Company
Owner:
The City of Appleton, Wisc.
Engineer:
OMNNI Associates
Wisconsin Avenue is a primary east/west urban arterial that carries more than 17,000 vehicles per day
through a commercial area in Appleton. The corridor has 28 intersections and more than 140 driveway
openings. Unfortunately, it also had a crash rate that was 2.5 times higher than the statewide average.
A $5.7 million dollar construction project took aim at the accident rate, but also accomplished much
more for this roadway and the businesses and people it serves.
The project involved reconstructing a 2 mile urban segment of Wisconsin Avenue (State Trunk
Highway 96), from State Trunk Highway 47 to County Trunk Highway E. Reconstruction of this corridor
required an extraordinary level of planning and effort to deliver, while at the same time, minimizing
impact on the more than 125 businesses within the project limits.
Formal planning began in 2005. The Wisconsin DOT, City of Appleton, and OMNNI Associates met
monthly for more than two years with the Wisconsin Avenue Design Committee. Comprised of local
business owners in the project area, the committee provided the design team input on roadway
design, streetscaping, and construction staging.
The meetings resulted in overwhelming support for a project that would improve the look and the
functionality of the corridor. The design expanded the roadway to a consistent, four-lane cross section
with left turn lane additions and intersection geometric improvements throughout the corridor.
On-street parking was generally eliminated; however, indent parking was designed along a three-block
area. The project incorporated a mid-block pedestrian hybrid beacon (HAWK), which was one of the
first installations in the State of Wisconsin.
The project used three stages of construction that included allowing local traffic into the work zone to
access businesses. The traffic section of special provisions was 6 pages long, detailing 22 different
intersection staging requirements and special access requirements for 26 commercial properties.
Page 29
Construction began in late March of 2011. A total of 150 working days were allotted to Vinton
Construction to complete the project. Completing the multi-staged project in one construction season
required higher than normal production rates and extra efforts that included working weekends and
scheduling concurrent controlling operations, while meeting the requirement to maintain local
vehicular and pedestrian access to the businesses within the construction zone. To keep the project
on schedule, the contractors generally worked 12 hour days during the week and 10 hour days on
Saturdays.
To meet the project schedule, the contractor had to start work on the project in the last week of
March. An early March spring thaw greatly benefited construction start-up, but the project fell behind
schedule when a storm blanketed Appleton with 8 in. of heavy snow in mid-April. Vinton paved the
first section of mainline concrete pavement on May 4, just two days behind the original schedule.
The schedule was challenging, not only because of the weather and the 67,000 SY of concrete
pavement, but also because of other work items. The project included 74,200 SY of concrete
pavement removal; 39,300 CY of excavation; 33,000 tons of base aggregate 55,100 SY of 8.5-inch
doweled concrete pavement, and 11,650 SY of 8.5-inch doweled high early strength concrete
pavement over 6 in. aggregate base. There was over 185,000 sq. ft of concrete sidewalk and
driveways, of which 19 ,000 sq. ft were colored and stamped concrete. There was also a considerable
amount of electrical work on the project, including nearly 6 miles of conduit and 25 miles of cables and
wires that were needed for traffic signals, decorative lighting, and fiber optic interconnect.
The contractor developed a detailed project construction schedule and provided weekly schedule
updates that were posted to a project website. Every morning the project engineer posted a daily
reminder of work areas and traffic impacts. The website provided a constant flow of information,
including a Twitter feed to alert followers when new information was posted.
Vinton Construction is well known in Wisconsin for their excellent project coordination, and their
extraordinary efforts on the Wisconsin Avenue project was a key component of the project success.
The Wisconsin DOT, OMNNI Associates, the City of Appleton, and Vinton worked in a true partnership,
and every aspect from conception to completion was carefully thought out, well executed, and very
successful.
As a result, the City of Appleton has a revitalized corridor which will spur business redevelopment for
many years to come.
Page 30
Municipal Streets & Intersections (>30,000 SY) — Silver
Project:
Central Park Boulevard Interchange with Interstate-70, Denver, Colo.
Contractor:
Castle Rock Construction Company of Colorado
Owner:
City and County of Denver
Engineer:
Wilson and Company Engineers and Architects
This design-build project for the City and County of Denver was intended to provide better access to
the development of the repurposed Denver Stapleton Airport area. Stapleton now has 5,000 homes,
major retail areas, and business park areas, but until recently, had only limited access to Interstate 70.
The area was effectively divided into two distinct areas, and so the aim of the project was to connect
the two areas and provide a unique community feel.
The project had 88,966 SY of doweled concrete paving, ranging in thickness from 8.5 in. to 14 in., all
placed on 6 in. of class 6 road base and two feet of select R material.
The project connected 40th avenue to the new Central Park Boulevard, which extended from 37th to
49th Avenues. The project included construction of four new bridges, three over Interstate-70 and
associated ramps and one over Sand Creek and the BNSF railway. The project also included eight
ramps that connected Central Park to Interstate-70 and Interstate-270. The project also included 5000
SY of sidewalk, bike path, median cover, handicap ramps, and an asphalt overlay. The project also
included landscaping, new traffic signals; and street lights. Given the scale and scope, the project
required a considerable amount of coordination and attention to detail.
Castle Rock Construction of Colorado (CRCC) designed an optimized concrete mix for this project. The
mix design was a flexural strength mix with four aggregates. The goal was to produce a consistent mix
which could maintain a Coarseness Factor (CF) of 60 and a Workability Factor (WF) of 35 in a modified
Shilstone graph. This was accomplished with the use of a four bin feeder and pug mill being added to
the concrete batch plant. The four bin feeder was used to provide the proper proportions of the four
aggregates to the pug mill which mixed the aggregate into a single aggregate which was then fed to
the batch plant. The combined gradations were done three times a day from the pug mill.
This allowed CRCC to adjust the batch water to maintain a very consistent concrete batch, which in
turn, yields smoother, more durable concrete pavements. The end result was a very consistent
Page 31
concrete being produced and very good rides on this project. This project fell under the old Profile
Index (PI) specification. The smoothness criteria were 0.1 in. blanking band with a .4" bump must
grind, with any PI below 18.1 paying incentive and over 28.1 requiring corrective work. The average
smoothness before corrective measures was PI 15.1, and after grinding to remove bumps, the average
PI was 10.6
CRCC overcame many problems to finish the project on time and within budget, and as a result,
residents, businesses, and travelers through this area now have a roadway that will provide both
access to area Interstate highways, as well as many years of service.
Municipal Streets & Intersections (>30,000 SY) — Silver
Project:
Donahoo Road Phase 1 - 115th to 131st, Wyandotte County, Mo.
Contractor:
J.M. Fahey Construction Company
Owner:
Unified Government Wyandotte County, Kansas City
Engineer:
Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company
This project represents both an improvement to an existing roadway, as well as a key link to future
expansion in the area.
The project involved reconstruction of 2 miles of the two-lane rural roadway , which eventually will be
improved to a four-lane divided parkway, as defined in a long range plan for the area. This corridor is
expected to handle increased traffic demands along a 5-mile segment between 99th Street and state
highway K-7, including a new interchange at Interstate-435.
For the segment between 115th and 131st streets, one lane pair of the divided parkway was
reconstructed on new alignment, with profile modifications to improve the vertical alignment. Other
improvements included curb and gutter work, as well as the construction of sidewalks and driveways,
When widening is done in the future to include the companion lane pair, the roadway will be striped
to provide two 12-ft lanes and a 4-ft bike lane in each direction.
The work required to accommodate the new design profile required extensive coordination to relocate
utilities, including a new 12-in. water line that was included in the construction contract.
Page 32
The project called for 44,000 SY of 8 in. doweled concrete pavement on 4 in. of aggregate base with 11
in. of fly ash-modified subgrade. The typical section consisted of two 14-foot lanes with 2 ft of curb
and gutter.
To minimize impact to area residents and businesses, and to accommodate the utility work, the
project was constructed in three distinct phases, which included signed detours to reroute through
traffic out of the construction zone. Local traffic was maintained to accommodate access to adjoining
properties, requiring approximately 3,400 cubic yards of temporary aggregate surfacing materials.
As a result of the efforts of the team, the area now has a roadway that will meet both the current and
future needs of this growing area.
Overlays (Airports) — Gold
Project:
Runway 17-35 Rehabilitation, Augusta Regional Airport, Ga.
Contractor:
APAC-Tennessee, Inc., Ballenger Paving Division
Owner:
Augusta Regional Airport
Engineer:
Campbell & Paris Engineers
First established as a flight training school for the United States military, Augusta Regional Airport
(ARA) has become a significant travel hub for the Central Savannah River Area and in service for over
60 years. The primary Runway 17/35 was constructed in the 1940’s and an overlay was placed in the
mid-1990’s. By the end of 2010, the runway had reached the end of its useful life.
This project required the older 75 ft-wide general aviation Runway 8/26 to be restriped and airfield
lighting moved out to 150 ft-wide to accommodate commercial aircraft for a period of 97 days, the
time it took to mill the existing asphalt on the main runway and place a 14 in. concrete overlay.
The project had an additional restriction that no work could be performed during the Masters Golf
Tournament. The project was completed without interrupting the commercial airline’s day-to-day
operations, all while supporting an average of 80 aircraft operations per day.
Originally the project was considered to be a bituminous rehabilitation, but it was determined that
asphalt was not a viable solution because of the significant tonnage required to meet FAA gradient
criteria, as well as the overlay thickness for a 20-plus year design life.
Page 33
The concrete paving involved 141,000 SY of 14 in. concrete on 6 in. of cement treated base. The
concrete pavement alternate design allowed for milling of the existing surface approximately 4 to 5 in.
to meet the new FAA gradient criteria. The remaining bituminous pavement was then used as base
course. This approach significantly reduced the required earthwork, allowed a shorter construction
schedule, and still met the 20-plus year design life requirement.
The project was sequenced into four phases. Phase 1 involved switching Runway 8-26 from 75 in. wide
back to 150 ft wide as it was in the early 2000's. This required milling and diamond grinding a 2.5 in.
drop off, restriping, and moving the electrical components back to the original alignment.
Phase 2 involved closing Runway 17/35 for 97 days to allow reconstruction. Also during this phase, an
asphalt overlay was placed at the intersection of the two runways, with this work being completed
between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. to minimize impact on airport operations.
Phase 3 involved converting Runway 8/26 back to 75 ft-wide from 150 ft-wide after Runway 17/35 was
reopened to traffic. The owner suspended work during phase 3 to find additional funding for change
orders.
Finally, Phase 4, involved grooving and permanent striping, another phase completed between 12 a.m.
to 5 a.m. All work was completed within the adjusted completion time and there were no liquidated
damages assessed on the project.
The high quality, very smooth pavement, combined with innovative design, and expert project
management were hallmarks of this project and allowed it to be completed within the rigorous
schedule. The project was completed under budget with only two change orders. One factor that
helped bring the project was under budget was Ballenger’s offer and the owner’s acceptance of a
$100,000 credit to haul the asphalt millings off site, and bring in virgin material for the cement treated
base.
As a result of the hard work, creativity, and tenacity of the team, the new Runway 17/35 will serve the
Central Savannah River Area well over the next 20+ years.
Page 34
Overlays (Airports) — Silver
Project:
Municipal Airport, Clinton, Iowa
Contractor:
Cedar Valley Corp., LLC
Owner:
City of Clinton, Iowa
Engineer:
Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc.
Airport jobs generally “fly” after the base work is completed, but Cedar Valley’s Corporation’s (CVC)
Clinton Municipal airport project was grounded several times by Mother Nature.
The project called for completion in 170 calendar days, and in an effort to get a head start in Iowa’s
short paving season, the decision was made to close the runway and commence work on April 4. The
extended forecast at the time seemed to offer a reasonable window for embankment work to begin,
but the rains began to fall and CVC lost 10 days in April. May was also rainy, costing the contractor
another half month because of wet conditions.
Springtime rains soon gave way to sweltering heat when CVC started paving in July. Additional
calendar days were lost as temperatures soared as high as 110 degrees F during the day and cooled
only into the mid 70’s at night. The concrete soon started approaching the maximum allowable 90
degree temperature limit.
Various solutions were tried in an attempt to bring the concrete temperature within specification.
First, CVC drained water tanks and filled them immediately with cold water. This method only gained a
short window of production before they again bumped up against the temperature specification. To
finally remedy the problem CVC rented a water chiller. In over 40 years of concrete paving in Iowa,
this was the first time CVC was forced to employ a chiller to meet concrete temperature requirements.
Adding to the misery of excessive heat, the airport was hit with 7 in. of rain in a two day period. This
rain event saturated the on-grade portion of the project, further delaying the paving operation.
Ultimately, the chiller allowed CVC to finish the concrete paving, but the entire episode delayed the
project 12 calendar days.
The largest portion of this project overlayed the existing asphalt on Runway 3/21. Common concrete
overlay practice is to let both square yard and cubic yard items since the yield is nearly impossible for a
Page 35
contractor to accurately control. On this job, the engineer only specified a square yard item, which
meant CVC had to assume the yield risk. This was another serious obstacle for CVC to overcome . CVC
mitigated this problem by carefully surveying a 1.5 in. variable depth bituminous layer that was
intended to be used for cross slope correction. Prior to placing the leveling course, a grid based on 50
ft centers was established on the edges of each paving lane, pavement centerline, and both edges of
the pavement. CVC’s survey subcontractor also took numerous additional readings because of
undulations and irregularities in the existing asphalt runway. Finally, after the new profile was
designed, CVC personnel set a stringline grid and closely monitored the asphalt placement which
controlled the ultimate concrete yield.
The paving was an ICPA award winner because of the numerous obstacles CVC crews resolved.
Crawford, Murphy & Tilly Project Manager Chris Groth stated, “Throughout the course of the project,
CVC was able to overcome adversity and setbacks due to high PCC and air temperatures to create a
finished product that met or exceeded the flexural strength, smoothness and thickness requirements
set forth by the Federal Aviation Administration’s specifications.”
This proactive approach allowed CVC to improve yield to acceptable levels and to complete the project
successfully. In the final analysis, the aggressive schedule, extreme weather conditions, and the tight
schedule were no match for the determined and skillful construction team.
Overlays (Streets and Roads) —Gold
Project:
State Highway 121, Wadsworth, Colo.
Contractor:
Castle Rock Construction Company of Colorado
Owner:
Colorado Department of Transportation Region 6
Engineer:
Colorado DOT Region 6
This section of asphalt pavement was experiencing significant distress, so the decision was made to
place a concrete overlay to rehabilitate the existing roadway.
The contractor placed 102,650 SY of 6 in. concrete paving and 8,258 SY of 6 inch high early-strength
concrete paving at intersections. With the goal of consistent quality and a smooth ride, the contractor
focused on a quality mixture design for the 6 ft by 6 ft panels, which features 6 ft joint spacings.
Page 36
The project was in an area comprised largely of residential properties and retail shopping. With
average daily traffic of 39,000, the contractor was challenged to maintain traffic without the use of
crossovers. One lane of traffic was maintained throughout the entire project duration.
The project had five intersections which had to be maintained and could only be closed on the
weekends to complete this work. The project management team came up with detours to allow access
to the retail businesses, as well as to facilitate finishing the intersections in two weekends.
The road is 38 feet wide with turn lanes attached, and so, the plan was to pave a 22 ft pass (12 ft lane;
10 ft. Shoulder), as well as a 16 ft pass (12 ft lane; 4 ft shoulder).
Castle Rock Construction designed an optimized concrete mix for this project. The mix design was a
flexural strength mixture with four aggregates, and goal of using this mixture was to maintain a
coarseness factor of 60 and a workability factor of 35 in a modified Shilstone graph. This was
accomplished with the use of a four bin feeder and pug mill being added to the concrete batch plant.
The four bin feeder was used to provide the proper proportions of the four aggregates to the pug mill
which mixed the aggregate into a single aggregate which was then fed to the batch plant.
The purpose of this proportioning and mixing was to aid in the production of a more consistent
concrete batch and a better platform for the concrete paver with the ultimate goal of producing a
smoother ride on the concrete paving. The mix was not according to CDOT’s current specification and
needed to be approved for this project. Combined gradations were done three times a day from the
pug mill to assure that the mix was in the specified range for workability and coarseness, as well as to
attain the amount of free water in the aggregates. This allowed CRCC to adjust the batch water to
maintain a very consistent concrete batch.
This project began and finished in July 2011, during which time temperatures were in the high 90's.
Heavy daytime traffic also added to the complexity of the project. In response to those conditions, the
project management staff talked CDOT in to paving from 3 a.m. to 2 p.m. This change significantly
improved the timely delivery of fresh concrete.
As for ride quality, the project was specified a Category 1, which specifies Half Ride Index readings (a
variation of the International Ride Index). Readings less than 40 get full incentive ; 41 to 72 get a
prorated incentive; 72 to 90 get a prorated disincentive; and over 90 receive a full disincentive and
must be corrected. The mainline paving averaged HRI 56 readings, and after grinding, were at 52.
Page 37
The construction team’s attention to detail, focus on a quality mixture, and responsiveness all
combined to produce high quality concrete overlay, which will serve the residents and businesses in
the area for many years.
Overlays (Highways) — Gold
Project:
ND Highway 200 Concrete Overlay, Hillsboro, ND
Contractor:
Dakota Underground, Inc.
Owner:
North Dakota Department of Transportation
Engineer:
Ulteig Engineers, Inc.
High levels of truck traffic generated by American Crystal Sugar and Rahr Malting industrial facilities
along North Dakota’s Highway 200 necessitated a rehabilitation solution that would withstand the
heavy loads.
A concrete pavement overlay was selected and proved to be even more practical considering the very
tight construction schedule.
The contractor achieved a ride smoothness noted to be the smoothest concrete pavement ever
constructed in the state and arguably one of the best nation: a 38.7 IRI before corrective action.
Some contractors chose to not bid this project due to the very difficult ride standards. Using
GOMACO Smoothness Indicator (GSI) sensors mounted to the paver, the contractor was able to tune
paver operations to achieve very smooth paving from the very first hour of paving.
Through this and other innovations, the contractor was able to meet the “local roughness” standard of
80 in. maximum per 25 ft lot, while the final corrective action grinds touched only nine different spots
in the 5.5 mile project.
The contractor was able to achieve 65% of extremely difficult ride incentives while meeting the 54 IRI
maximum in every 0.1 mile increment. The contractor was able to save more than $300,000 in
expected grinding costs because of the emphasis on smooth paving, as well as the tight controls.
Page 38
Public information efforts by the design engineer created the best possible construction staging plan
to reduce impact on road users. Work was completed in three individual staging units, which kept
traffic flowing to the industrial complexes. The staging plan was executed perfectly in spite of many
planned leave-outs, hot weather, and steady fall of 9 in. of rain.
Paving operations required trucks to back down to the paver from a mile away, which was particularly
challenging, especially when night operations were started. Through effective planning for
sustainability, almost the entire existing infrastructure was either recycled or reused in the final
project.
Innovations included using non-glare lighting systems for night paving, as well as “glow sticks” to mark
the location of the road edge as concrete trucks were backed down to the paver from long dark
distances. These innovations, combined with high-quality mixtures by the ready mixed concrete
supplier were significant factors in completing the project.
This completed project proved the viability of the concrete overlay as a primary pavement tool for
North Dakota DOT engineers. Thanks to the leadership and performance of Dakota Underground, Inc.,
the project achieve the highest goals for quality, scheduling, and ride smoothness. With an eye on the
future, the DOT has expressed support for using concrete overlays as a major rehabilitation tool for
other projects, too.
Overlays (Highways) — Gold
Project:
Interstate-35 North of Marietta, Okla.
Contractor:
Duit Construction Co., Inc.
Owner/Engineer:
Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Located halfway between Oklahoma City and Dallas, Love County, Okla., is the gateway to Lake
Murray, Lake Texoma, and the State of Texas.
The center piece of this project was the City of Marietta, which as the county seat, has a population of
2,590. The city is rich in historical buildings, one being the old federal courthouse which now serves as
city hall. The town is also home to many restaurants, which are now easily accessed, thanks to the
newly constructed on and off ramps included in this project.
Page 39
This well-traveled section of Intestate serves an important role to the region. In fact, the Oklahoma
University and University of Texas at Austin football game brings such large crowds to the Texas state
line that the Oklahoma DOT stipulated a $100,000 incentive for the contractor to finish work early to
avoid traffic congestion and consternation among fervent football fans.
Special attention, focus, and creative challenges were hallmarks of this project. The contractor
demolished and removed existing paving. The project also called for a total of 186,795 SY of concrete,
including 23 lane miles of 11 in. overlays and 6.3 miles of 8 in. of Class T temporary concrete paving to
facilitate all the detoured traffic flows. For this project, the DOT used the ACPA inlay concept.
Because of the condition of the wearing course, the DOT chose to mill out 4 to 6 in. of existing asphalt
and replace it with 11 in. of doweled jointed concrete. The project also involved updating and
modernizing all safety barrier protections on existing bridges.
The DOT uses an A+B specification called an "overcome all" specification, which requires the
contractor to anticipate all overruns, utility work, and weather days , with no increase in time for any
delays. This makes a job of this complexity very difficult to bid, let alone complete within the specified
time. The incentive/disincentive clause of this contract was written for a possible early completion of
$4,000 per day, with a maximum incentive bonus of 25 days, for a total bonus offering of $200,000. In
spite of the complexity of the specification, Duit Construction was able to collect the full bonus
available under that agreement.
The was a concern about the design, which required cold milling of all existing asphalt in such a way
that it would not affect the overall yield in the future placement of about 94,594 CY of concrete
paving. The contractor was able to achieve a yield of 1.04% in the concrete placement.
With a commitment to sustainable construction, Duit Construction produced all the type A and TBSC
aggregate materials for the project by crushing, recycling, and re-certifying all materials onsite.
Team work between Duit Construction and the Oklahoma DOT was the key to completing the project
without any delays or accidents throughout the entire construction process.
Page 40
Overlays (Highways) — Gold
Project:
I-70 Ellsworth County and Lincoln County, KS
Contractor:
Koss Construction Co.
Owner:
Kansas Department of Transportation
Engineer:
Kirkham Michael Consulting Engineers
The overlay of Interstate-70 in Ellsworth and Lincoln County near Ellsworth, Kansas, was a challenging
project that required a major commitment from Koss Construction Company, their subcontractors, and
the Kansas DOT.
The project called for milling and overlaying 7.3 miles of mainline, and rehabilitation of shoulders and
an interchange in Lincoln County, as well as 7.9 miles of mainline and shoulder paving, as well as two
interchanges, in Ellsworth County.
These jobs totaled 723,885 SY of concrete paving and 723,885 SY of milling … and a seven month
completion schedule. With a sharp eye on the demanding schedule, Koss Construction went to work
on the early start date to meet the schedule. The early start date was April 3, 2011, with all work to be
completed by November 4.
The immediate focus was on median crossovers, pipe work, guardrail, and various slope dirt work.
This work proved to be challenging, as several storms with large amounts of rain delayed these
activities. Milling crews started on June 13, and paving began on July 11.
The specification did not allow paving until the hot mix asphalt surface became 120 degrees F, or
below. The extremely hot summer forced Koss crews to pave at nights in the early stages.
Unfortunately, severe storms with lightning halted operations during most of the night paving,.
As temperatures began cooling, Koss switched to daytime paving. This change proved to be more
productive as daily paving footages increased. The paving operation’s production went from 2,500 to
3,500 ft per night, and up to 6,000 ft during the day. The increase in production also forced saw crews
to double their daily footages of sawcuts. Up to 54,000 lineal ft of sawing was completed during the
more productive periods of concrete paving.
Page 41
The project specifications required profile milling up to 6 in., with 6 in. of concrete for the mainline. A
Wirtgen 2200 mill was used as the primary profiler, which helped enhance the bond between the
concrete overlay and the asphalt pavement.
As the project progressed, additional mills were later used to keep the project on schedule. The
mainline was paved at 30 ft-wide with joints spacing at 6 ft x 6 ft. The four longitudinal joints required
deformed epoxy coated tie bars at 36 in. centers. The 10 ft shoulder was used as the haul road for the
mainline paving, then milled and paved with a 250 CMI paver at a depth of 6 in. The shoulder also
required a longitudinal joint in the middle. To accomplish all these paving tasks, Koss put a 12 CY
Rexcon Model “S” central mix plant to use.
Because there was a 7 mile section of Interstate-70 between jobs, two plants were erected near each
project. These highly productive plants provided consistent concrete to the Guntert & Zimmerman
S850 paver. To allow for constant paving, a large fleet of trucks was required to help provide a
productive and smooth paver effort.
The Kansas DOT provided a quality control plan, but Koss worked proactively with the owner by
assigning highly qualified personnel to administer the QC plan. These technicians paid careful
attention to concrete consistency, consolidation, and thickness. They also monitored tie bar placement
by the paver with the use of ground penetrating radar, which provided real-time monitoring to ensure
tie bar placement accuracy. Pachometers, instruments capable of detecting ferrous metals in
concrete, also were used to aid tie bar placement.
These projects earned 75% of the potential smoothness bonus allowed. Partnering and careful
management were essential to the success of the project. Partnering principles were developed early
in the project, and a relationship based on trust and mutual respect was quickly established.
The partnering team included The Kansas DOT as owner and designer; Kirkham Michael as the
inspection and designer of the Lincoln County project; Koss Construction Company; and the
contractor’s subcontractors and suppliers.
With a sharp focus on quality in every aspect of the design and construction, the team rose to the
challenge and produced a high quality, smooth pavement that will provide excellent service to the
traveling public for many years.
Page 42
Reliever & General Aviation Airports—Gold
Project:
Anderson Regional Airport Airfield Pavement Rehabilitation, Anderson County,
S.C.
Contractor:
APAC-Tennessee, Inc., Ballenger Paving Division
Owner:
Anderson Regional Airport
Engineer:
The LPA Group, Inc.
The Anderson Regional Airport is located approximately 3 miles southwest of the City of Anderson,
S.C., and is owned and managed by Anderson County. The airport has two operational runways and a
terminal which serve the general aviation needs of Anderson County and the surrounding areas.
Clemson University is one of the airport’s major customers. Clemson regularly charters flights out of
the airport for their athletic teams. To handle the large aircraft the university needs, the apron and
connector taxiways needed to be upgraded.
The airport manager wanted to upgrade the airport to meet its customers’ needs, as well as to create
durable pavements that provided the best value for the owner and customers. Through his past
experience at other airports, and with assistance from the design engineer, The LPA Group (LPA), it
was determined that concrete paving would provide the solution for the airport on the apron.
Also, reclaiming the existing taxiways and capping them with asphalt would help upgrade the taxiways
to an acceptable standard. In conjunction with this work, there were extensive electrical and lighting
changes made on the longest runway at the airport. The major portion of the project involved removal
of the existing apron, including two layers of old tie downs, and then. replacing the entire base and
paving structure. The new structure was 10 in. of concrete pavement on top of 6 in. of cement treated
base.
The project also involved reconstructing the connector taxiways with 10 in. of a reclaimed base course
with cement, a double surface treatment, and finally, a 4 in. cap of P-401 asphalt. The project was
originally bid with three phases, but was subsequently divided eight sub-phases. Ballenger proposed to
the owner and the engineer that the phasing be changed to expedite the paving of the apron.
These changes placed most of the apron paving in the first phase, with two lanes approximately 100 ft
long in the second phase. These two lanes were left in Phase 2 to provide access to one of the hangars.
Page 43
After discussing the pros and cons of the changes, all parties agreed to the phase changes, and the
entire apron was paved and turned back to the owner for occupancy approximately three months
ahead of the original schedule.
During the project, Ballenger also made several value engineering proposals that saved the owner
significant money. The owner was then able to use these savings to construct additional parking in the
general aviation area.
The high quality in all aspects of the project, the innovations in design and construction of this project
and the successful management of safety and traffic were all key to this project. Through the
combined efforts of the APAC Tennessee’s Ballenger Paving Division, Anderson Regional Airport, The
LPA Group, and the Southeast Chapter-ACPA, this was a very successful project that will provide that
will serve the region and its customers for a long time.
Reliever & General Aviation Airports—Silver
Project:
Taxiway Pavement Rehabilitation - Phase 1, Charles B. Wheeler Downtown
Airport, Kansas City, Mo.
Contractor:
Ideker Inc.
Owner:
Kansas City Aviation Department
Engineer:
Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc.
The Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport has rehabilitated both runways and a portion of the existing
taxiway system over a period of seven years. With multiple airfield improvements taking place, there
was still a need to address the remaining taxiway pavements, particularly those approaching 50 years
old.
While the existing concrete surfaces have performed well for their age and exceeded their life
expectancy, it became apparent that there was a need to rehabilitate these taxiway pavements.
Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc., along with the Kansas City Aviation Department and the Federal
Aviation Administration, developed a three-year program to phase the work in ways that minimize
disruptions to airfield operations. Part of the strategy was to combine similar construction operations
within the same construction season.
Page 44
The first year of this three year program, was a concrete taxiway pavement to be rehabilitated in fiscal
year 2011. This included Taxiway K and Taxiway G, north of Runway 3/21.
A full-depth reconstruction of the pavement included 14 in. on a 6 in. bituminous drainable layer,
placed on a 10 in. crushed aggregate base course on geotextile grid. Ideker, Inc. was awarded the
project on August 2. The contract allowed 120 calendar days to complete the project; however,
Ideker pursued an aggressive approach to complete the project within the remainder of the 2011
construction season. To expedite the construction, the contractor proposed combining two phases
into one, which included the relocation of a tenant for a month and a half. This proposal was a risk for
Ideker as the end of the construction season was approaching. There was a potential the tenant could
have been displaced throughout the winter months if Ideker did not complete the pavement ahead of
the winter construction shutdown.
Ideker laid out a plan that was approved by the Aviation Department to substantially complete the
work within a 90 day period—a reduction of 30 days from the original as bid documents. With a
notice-to-proceed date of September 6, and facing a construction season that was dwindling rapidly,
Ideker, Inc. embraced the challenge of completing the work before the end of the season.
Teamwork among Ideker Inc., Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Airport staff, and the Kansas City Aviation
Department, made the plan come to fruition. As the weather began to get cooler and the days
shorter, Ideker faced these challenges successfully day by day. The concrete taxiway pavements were
substantially complete 30 days ahead of schedule.
With many long work hours, including working most weekends including Sundays, the contractor
finished work early, which allowed opening the taxiways a month early on December 5. The relocated
client was moved back to its hangar, and Taxiways G and K were reopened to aircraft traffic.
Page 45
State Roads—Gold
Project:
State Trunk Highway 83, Mukwonago to Genesee Road, Wisc.
Contractor:
Zignego Company, Inc.
Owner:
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Engineer:
exp.
The project involves the reconstruction of State Highway (STH) 83 in Waukesha County, Wisc. It begins
at the north city limits of the City of Mukwonago, goes north through the Village of Genesee, and ends
at the intersection of State Trunk Highway 59 west of the City of Waukesha. STH83 is a direct northsouth link between Interstate 43 and Interstate 94 west of Milwaukee. This was a very complex paving
project that reconstructed 6 miles of an existing two-lane rural road to a 2-lane and 4-lane divided
highway including 12 intersections and 3 roundabouts.
Significant planning was required to pave a range of sections varying from a four-lane divided urban
roadway to a two-lane rural undivided road. There were a total of 12 different typical sections, as well
as bicycle lanes on both sides for the full length of the project.
The Zignego Company was awarded this Wisconsin DOT contract with a low bid of $19.65 million. This
included 710,000 CY of excavation subcontracted to James Peterson and Sons of Medford, Wisc. The
two companies worked together to accomplish the grading and the paving of 254,120 SY of concrete
pavement. Wisconsin DOT originally designed the project to be a two-year project with the roadway
open to traffic.
After the Wisconsin DOT public information process, it was decided to close the roadway and
complete the project in one year. The grading was a success, and the DOT’s SE Region nominated
James Peterson and Sons for their 2011 annual Outstanding Highway Construction Award for Grading.
The goal was to minimize the impacts to the City of Mukwonago and business. With the grading and
base work completed, the concrete paving began on April 28, 2011. By Memorial Day all construction
was completed within the city limits.
The intersection of STH83 and STH59 is very busy with large volumes of commuter traffic daily. The
contract required that all construction on the roundabout had to be completed within a 10 day period.
This included the grading, base, paving and ancillary concrete. The full closure of the intersection
Page 46
began after Labor Day and was achieved. The public relations challenge on this project was to provide
full access to all of the businesses and homes during the grading and paving. Also, emergency services
had to be able to navigate through the project at all times. WisDOT applauded the efforts of the
contractors as there were no complaints from homeowners.
The Zignego quality control was excellent. Meeting or exceeding the combination of quality
specifications for strength, air, ride, and thickness resulted in the contractor receiving a net bonus of
more than $66,000 for the project.
The new roadway completely transformed an old roadway that was functionally obsolete, unsafe, and
whose pavement was in poor condition to one that is safe, bright, attractive, and modern . A ribbon
cutting at the completion of the project was very well attended by the residents, who celebrated their
new road.
State Roads—Gold
Project:
61-59 K-8253-01 & 61-59 K-8253-02, McPherson County, Kansas
Contractor:
Koss Construction Co.
Owner/Engineer:
Kansas Department of Transportation
Completed in November of 2011, these two projects span approximately 14.5 miles from the
Reno/McPherson County line to just north of Kansas highway K-153.
This reconstruction/realignment project consisted of more than 732,000 SY of pavement. The roadway
consisted of two 12 ft driving lanes, along with 6 ft and 10 ft shoulders. The driving lanes were
constructed of 8.5 in. non-reinforced dowel jointed pavement, while the shoulders were constructed
of 6 in. of concrete. The driving lanes were placed on 4 in. of granular base, and 6 in. of lime stabilized
sub-grade.
Koss began paving operations in August of 2010. The entire 732,000-plus SY of pavement were
completed by mid-October of 2011. Completing this large project in such a short time required
considerable thought and attention to every detail for the five at-grade intersections; two
interchanges; and eight mainline bridges.
Page 47
The mainline pavement was placed 24 feet wide with excellent ride results. A separate paving train
was mobilized to complete the ramp paving, also with superb ride results. A third paving train was
mobilized to complete the shoulder paving.
Two 12yd Rexcon Model S central mix batch plant were set up and material deliveries organized to
provide continuous concrete production at a high rate. Three dual lane auto grades, two base laydown
machines, and numerous single lane auto grades were employed as needed in the granular base
construction. An Astec screener was also secured to screen and process the binder for the granular
base. At all times throughout the project, sufficient high quality subbase, base, paving and batching
equipment was used to ensure timely completion.
Prior to the new construction, this stretch of highway was a heavily traveled and dangerous two-lane
roadway. Existing at-grade intersections were difficult to navigate because of sharp approach angles.
The new at-grade intersections were reconfigured to allow for a near perpendicular approach to K-61.
Solid partnering on this project was evident from the start. Problems were openly discussed and
solved together. Both Koss Construction Company and the Kansas Department of Transportation
staffed the project with experienced employees, and the experience of the two staffs was invaluable
on this fast paced construction project. Regular communications, including a weekly meeting held on
the project, ensured direct lines of communication to the owner’s engineers and Koss’ engineers and
managers. The partnering principle and communication also existed among the field staffs, and both
teams could readily present issues to the company and department managers.
With the completion of these projects, the traveling public can now enjoy safer, more efficient travel
along the four-lane roadway from the Reno / McPherson County line to Interstate-135.
Urban Arterials & Collectors—Gold
Project:
14th Street Sidewalk/Streetscape Reconstruction Project, Denver, Colo.
Contractor:
Concrete Works of Colorado
Owner:
City of Denver
Engineer:
PB World
This was not a typical concrete paving project; it was actually an orchestration of work requiring
extraordinary coordination and scheduling.
Page 48
This project in downtown Denver had no room for error on paving days, or on any day, as traffic
needed to always flow as smoothly as possible, and the traveling public needed access to this bustling
area. The corridor includes the Denver Performing Arts Center, the Colorado Convention Center, four
recently-constructed hotels, condominium towers, and hundreds of businesses.
The 14th Street project transformed 12 blocks between Colfax Avenue and Market Street into a
beautiful, pedestrian-oriented “living street." Known as the “Ambassador Street” because of the
diversity of visitor-oriented uses along this corridor, the project held great hope because of the
sheer amount of activity along this street, but it also presented many challenges.
Necessary impacts to the car and pedestrian traffic along the corridor, numerous unexpected
underground utility relocations, and the constant need for scheduling extensive work around the
needs of these high-profile businesses were just some of the challenges that were dealt with on a daily
basis.
Improvements included the reconstruction of 12 intersections in full-depth concrete with colored
concrete crosswalks; the complete reconstruction of concrete pavements along seven blocks; and
widening the northern sidewalk to 19 ft and reconstructing the southern sidewalk to 16 ft. It also
called for adding bulb-outs to the street’s south side to minimize pedestrian crossing distance; and
reconstruction of a concrete sidewalk (full building face to building face) with decorative sandblasting,
granite seating areas, elongated planters; and planter pots with annual plantings, shrubs,
approximately 180 trees, street lighting, accent lighting, way-finding signage, and colored/textured
pavers. The project also included a bike lane to connect the Cherry Creek trail and Civic Center Park.
A “Better Denver Bond Program” project, administered by the city and county, 14th Street was also
designed to meet goals for using recycled materials, regional materials, capturing and treating runoff,
and optimizing energy efficiency. The project not only met each of these goals, but also met the
criteria for Greenroads, a rigorous sustainability metric system for roadways.
Despite many unforeseen utility issues, and the daunting challenges of working along such a busy
downtown corridor, the project was completed on time and on budget. The newly reconstructed 14th
Street now serves as a source of pride for the citizens, business leaders of Denver, and to all of those
involved in the construction of the project.
Page 49
Urban Arterials & Collectors—Silver
Project:
SR-68: 500 South; Redwood Road to Interstate-15, Bountiful, Utah
Contractor:
Geneva Rock Products
Owner:
Utah Transportation Department
Engineer:
URS Corp.
State Route 68, 500 South in Bountiful is a main corridor that connects the newly constructed Legacy
Highway and Interstate-15. This corridor is used daily by more than 100 semi-trailer trucks that haul
fuel from the nearby Holly Oil. Rail and mass transit lines in the area also presented challenges, but in
the end, none of the obstacles could prevent Geneva Rock Products from getting the job done.
The corridor was in desperate need of a widening and repair. High use of the roadway, particularly by
heavy truck, made it a perfect candidate to become a concrete corridor.
This project, which included a total of 8.75 lane miles of 10 in. concrete pavement, was constructed in
four different phases. The first phase involved utility work. The three successive phases all involved
concrete paving.
Right of way was a major challenge, and so the paving had to be completed in unconventional ways.
Three quarters of the roadway width was paved, and then, the contractor returned to pave the last
quarter after the right of way was complete.
One of the most difficult parts of the project was constructing the pavement in front of the fueling
depot for the Holly refinery. The depot is open 24 hours per day, seven days a week, and the facility’s
operations absolutely could not be shut down. As such, the concrete placement had to be completed
with multiple hand pours–15 in all–to allow trucks to move in and out of the station.
Safety on this project was handled with special care since portions of the work was done adjacent to
Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) and Utah Transit Authority (UTA) rail lines, making sure workers and the
traveling public were kept safe during the project.
The project was also selected by the Utah DOT to have a test section using non-corrosive dowel bars in
the transverse joints, and to date, this test section seems to be performing just as well as steel dowels.
Page 50
This just shows that UDOT still is one of the leaders in the nation for accepting innovative ideas into
their portfolio of work.
About the Excellence Awards Judging
This year the awards represent 14 categories of construction and preservation of concrete pavements
used for highways, roadways, airports, and industrial pavement facilities. In all, 30 awards are being
presented to 20 contractors from 11 ACPA-affiliated Chapter/State paving associations.
The ACPA Excellence in Concrete Pavements awards are made possible, in large measure, because of
the generous time commitment of 44 independent judges from across the United States and Canada.
The judges each spend many hours reviewing executive summaries, project details, photographs, and
other details and aspects of project submittals.
ACPA presents awards in both gold and silver levels. Judging is based on a point system, with
independent judges awarding points for quality construction, addressing unique and unusual
challenges, innovation, traffic management, and other criteria. In the case of ties, award judges
present awards to co-winners.
About the ACPA
The American Concrete Pavement Association is the national trade association for the concrete
pavement industry. The primary mission of the ACPA is to create and maintain a strong national
presence through dynamic, strategic leadership; effective technical expertise and resources; and
persuasive advocacy on behalf of the concrete pavement industry.
Founded in 1963, the American Concrete Pavement Association is headquartered in Chicago at 5420
Old Orchard Road, Skokie, IL 60077. Telephone: 847.966.2272. The Association’s Washington, DC
office is located at 500 New Jersey Ave., NW, 7th Floor, Washington, DC 20001. Phone: 202.638.2272.
Visit our technical website at www.acpa.org. Visit our public website at www.pavements4life.com.
each sort group.
# # #
Editorial Contact:
For additional information, please contact Bill Davenport, Vice President – Communications, American Concrete
Pavement Association. Phone: 847.423.8703. E-mail: bdavenport@acpa.org.
Page 51