Alabama 19 2014

ALABAMA STATE EDITION

231

65

72 Florence

2

Huntsville

20 Decatur

72

565 59

43

A Supplement to:

231

431

31

5

Gadsden

78 59 Anniston

20

Birmingham Bessemer

82 Tuscaloosa

65 280

20 82 Auburn

80

85

Selma

Phenix City

Montgomery

82

September 17 2014

65

231

43 84 431 331

84

84 52

Vol. XXVI • No. 19

“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”

Dothan

31

45 65 98

Mobile

10

Your Alabama Connection • Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479

Reed Contracting Services photo

Crews working to repair sink holes.

New Interchange to Boost Huntsville Area Economy

By Cindy Riley

Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) crews are busy constructing a new interchange near Huntsville that could be a major economic boost for the area. When completed, the project will provide motorists full access to and from I-565 to Madison Boulevard and County Line Road. The interchange will mean an easier drive for Madison residents commuting to Huntsville and Redstone Arsenal, and encourage business development along County Line Road.

CEG CORRESPONDENT

“There’s property in three quadrants of the intersection in the city of Madison and the city of Huntsville that will benefit from improved access to I-565 that could enhance their development opportunities and expand the tax revenues for the cities,” said Johnny Harris, ALDOT division engineer.

“The city of Madison, Limestone County and the city of Huntsville have undeveloped property in their respective jurisdictions that will be greatly enhanced for development, once an all-direction interchange is in place. The congestion associated with the current Wall-Triana/I-565 intersection in

the city of Madison will be reduced, as well.”

Drivers in the city of Madison and Limestone and Madison counties will have another access point aside from Wall Triana Highway, which currently experiences heavy traffic. The interchange construction will include building additional ramps to the existing underpass and relocating a portion of Madison Boulevard.

As traffic continues to increase along County Line Road due to growing business in the area, the interchange will help see INTERCHANGE page 2

Page 2 • September 17, 2014 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Crews Put Down Asphalt, Prepare to Install Overhead Signs

ALDOT photo

ALDOT photo

ALDOT photo

The sinkholes were excavated to bed rock and filled in with rip rap and flowable fill concrete, according to Tim Mayhall, project manager.

Materials used on the job include 48,000 tons (43,544 t) of stone.

The sinkholes have resulted in an overrun of approximately $600,000, to date.

INTERCHANGE from page 1

reduce the amount of traffic and create an access point for nearby new developments.

The project will serve countless motorists and residents using the I-565 corridor.

Reed Contracting Services Inc. of Huntsville is serving as general contractor.

“We’re responsible for all the grading and drainage work, as well as the paving,” said Tim Mayhall, project manager. “We will perform 80 to 85 percent of all the work on this project, which is about 40 percent complete. All drainage has been installed, 75 percent of the grading has been performed and about five percent of the paving has been performed.”

Crews are putting down asphalt and preparing to install overhead signs. In addition, the signage for the project, much of the asphalt course, permanent stabilization, final grading and striping of roadways have yet to be carried out. Crews also have to deal with three sinkholes, discovered near southbound County Line Road to the eastbound I-65 ramp alignment, which had to be investigated and addressed. This resulted in an overrun of approximately $600,000, to date.

“The sinkholes didn’t affect the project schedule,” Mayhall said. “Of course, had we not encountered them, I’m sure we would be further along than we are, but we’re still ahead of schedule. The sinkholes were excavated to bed rock and filled in with rip rap and flowable fill concrete.”

Many different types and models of equipment have been used on the project.

For excavation, crews have used John Deer tractors and pans, as well as track excavators and articulated trucks. The stone installation under the asphalt layers requires Caterpillar motorgraders and rollers. In addition, paving machines and steel drum rollers are being used.

ALDOT photo

Crews have to deal with three sinkholes, discovered near southbound County Line Road to the eastbound I-65 ramp alignment, which had to be investigated and addressed.

A total of 231,554 cu. yds. (117,035 cu m) of dirt has to be moved, which has been a substantial part of the company’s work.

Materials used on the job include 48,000 tons (43,544 t) of stone, 1,500 ft. (457 m) of drainage, 2,500 cu. yds. (1,911 cu m) of concrete and approximately 64,000 tons (58,059 t) of asphalt.

“Work started before all the land acquisitions were made, and before all the utilities had been relocated,” said Mayhall. “We had to work around the land acquisition and the existing utilities. Some of the utilities still remain in place, and we are waiting for them to be relocated to date. The most time consuming and trickiest part will be to get all the asphalt installed per the many typicals that are called for within the project plans.”

Local elected officials joined Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley and area citizens at the project’s groundbreaking, applauding the work getting underway to help alleviate con-

gestion. The project has been discussed for years, although Harris said work is on schedule, now that work is finally under way.

“Early on in project development, we had some design changes to avoid some historic property that caused the letting date to be adjusted out further than originally planned.

However, after completing the final design, right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation became the controlling factors on the time line for the project to be bid for construction, and there were only minor delays associated with these activities.”

Work on the 17-month project began in December 2013. Harris said the low bid for construction was $9.4 million, which was much lower than expected. The highly anticipated project is being funded by 90 percent federal funds and matched by 10 percent city of Madison funds.

So far, the weather has cooperated for the most part, although temperatures were lower

than normal for a few months.

“We did experience a fairly severe cold winter season,” said Harris. “However, I don’t think it hampered progress significantly. The normal wet winter weather also has not significantly impacted progress.”

In mid-January, the Exit 7 ramp of Interstate 565 East and a portion of Madison Boulevard west of County Line Road were closed for approximately nine months.

Motorists were warned to expect reduced work zone speed limits and closures of services roads, ramps, lanes and shoulders. Most have responded well to the closure and have made adjustments to their driving patterns.

“They have the option to use Madison Boulevard to go east to Wall-Triana Boulevard and access I-565 east or west,” Harris said. “They can stay on Madison Boulevard and continue east. They can access old SR-20 from County Line Road north of Madison Boulevard and proceed west to Greenbriar Road to access I-565 at the Greenbriar Road Interchange.

“Safety is always a priority with the Department,” Harris said. “All traffic control devices are inspected daily by project personnel to ensure they are maintained in good working order and that all electronic message boards are functioning properly.”

The project constructs two additional ramps at the current County Line Road overpass to allow for southbound County Line Road traffic to turn east on I-565 and to allow westbound I-565 traffic to exit to County Line Road and Madison Boulevard.

Madison Boulevard intersection with County Line Road will be shifted to the north to allow for the westbound I-565 exit ramp to loop around to intersect with County Line Road.

ALDOT provides project management to see INTERCHANGE page 6

Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 17, 2014 • Page 3

Birmingham, AL (205) 841-6666 Madison, AL (256) 350-0006 Mobile, AL (251) 633-4020 Montgomery, AL (334) 262-6642

YOU PAVE YOUR ROAD TO SUCCESS. WE’RE PROUD TO HELP.

Oxford, AL (256) 832-5053

Smart Works.

Pensacola, FL (850) 479-3004

1-800-239-2694 www.cowin.com

Page 4 • September 17, 2014 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 17, 2014 • Page 5

Page 4 • September 17, 2014 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 17, 2014 • Page 5

Page 6 • September 17, 2014 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Crusher Works…

Sandvik Appoints Dealer of Surface Drills for Ala. Sandvik Construction has appointed Crusher Works as the official distributor of its surface drills line servicing the needs of its customers in Alabama.

Crusher Works will not only be supplying a comprehensive range of Sandvik surface drills, but also will be providing full aftersales support, spare parts and dedicated customer service.

“Crusher Works’s experience as a very successful distributor of mobile crushing and screening equipment is a testament to their very strong customer focus and knowledge of the quarrying industry,” said Avery Martin, business line manager, Surface Drills, USA. “Sandvik is pleased to introduce them now as our newest distributor for surface drills in the state of Alabama.”

Crusher Works, based in Bessemer, Ala., was founded in 2000 and has serviced the needs of mobile crushers and screeners in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and the panhandle of Florida for more than 14 years.

Upon being appointed official dealers of the surface drills line, Neil McCoy, president, said: “We are proud to be taking on the Sandvik drill line, allowing Crusher Works to provide a more complete offering of mobile equipment to the quarry industry in Alabama.”

In addition to aftersales support, Crusher Works’s surface drills customer base will benefit from financing options from Sandvik Finance.

For more information, visit www.crusherworks.com or www.construction.sandvik.com.

(This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s Web site at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)

Sandvik Construction has appointed Crusher Works as the official distributor of its surface drills line servicing the needs of its customers in Alabama.

Interchange Opens Huntsville to Major Business Opportunities INTERCHANGE from page 2

ensure that the contractor meets the contract specifications, and payments are computed correctly to the contractor. The work is considered a midrange project, and is being performed with no major complications.

Troy Trulock, the mayor of Madison has been a proponent of the new interchange for years, and is looking forward to its completion next year.

“The city of Madison currently only has one access point onto I-565 east and west, and that’s through the Wall Triana interchange,” said Trulock. “That creates traffic jams and increased commute times as citizens and businesses try to access I-565. A second interchange will provide faster access to I-565, shorter commute times, and increase business interest along County Line Road.”

Boeing Co. is reportedly considering nearby Huntsville as a potential location to build its new 777X passenger jet, and officials believe the new interchange is a key selling point.

Trulock also said other companies seem interested in relocating to the area, due to the large lots of undevel-

oped land.

“Business interest has significantly increased along County Line Road with the construction of the new interchange, which will support business and residential growth in the cities of Madison and Huntsville, as well as Madison County and Limestone County,” said Trulock. “It’s a big project for all of the team members, and will support economic growth throughout this corridor for the next 15 to 20 years.”

Trulock said there are mixed emotions, as with any road construction project.

“I often tell audiences, ‘the good news is that we are under construction; the bad news is that we are under construction’. I think of road construction as similar to minor surgery on a shoulder or knee. You know it’s needed; yet the surgery and six-month recovery can be painful. But, in the long run, you will be much better off.”

The new interchange is scheduled to open in May 2015.

(This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s Web site at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.) CEG

Reed Contracting Services photo

A total of 231,554 cu. yds. (117,035 cu m) of dirt has to be moved.

Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 17, 2014 • Page 7

REACH NEW HEIGHTS

The Ultimate Lift and Place Machine Reach new n heights with the JCB 514-56 4-56 telescopic handlerr.. With Wit a maximum lift height of 56 feet, JCB lifts higher than any other telehandler on the To o get you even further ahead, the JCB 514-56 boasts 42% more market. T forward reach than the competition. Powered by the innovative JCB Tier 4 Eco Max engine, JCB telehandlers use 10% less fuel making the new JCB 514-56 the ultimate lift and place machine.

CONTACT YOUR JCB DEALER FOR MORE INFORMATION

8920 Weaver Avenue Leeds, AL 35094 205/699-2699 866/480-6125 Timmins: 705-267-7000 www.jcbofalabama.com Thunder Bay: 807-577-1111

St. Felicien:

1-877-GO-WAJAX

Horizon JCB Taber:

U

791 Anderson Road Montgomery, AL 36110 334/262-8104 866/954-6522 403-223-8928

/JCB

/JCBNA

30 Plunkett Ave. Anniston, AL 36201 256/312-4639 /JCBNORTHAMERICA

3420

Page 8 • September 17, 2014 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Innovative. Intelligent. Integrated.

D61i-23

Scan here to see the video.

Next Generation Machine Control No Masts

No Cables

No Connections

Factory installed Intelligent Machine Control — standard on the new D61i-23.

Automated dozing —1st to last pass with finish grade performance.

Intelligent blade assistance minimizes track slip and improves efficiency.

Conventional Machine Control

Komatsu — Customer driven solutions.

Alabama

ALABASTER ANNISTON BIRMINGHAM DECATUR DOTHAN

www.tractor-equipment.com

MOBILE MONTGOMERY SHOALS AREA TUSCALOOSA

Georgia ALBANY AUGUSTA CALHOUN COLUMBUS FOREST PARK

HOSCHTON KENNESAW MACON SAVANNAH

Florida PANAMA CITY PENSACOLA

Since 1943

www.komatsuamerica.com