Four Corners 4, February 12, 2023

Youth Movement

Colorado Contractor Answers Industry Call

As construction leaders continue to trumpet the need for new, young talent in the industry, one 27-year-old Colorado man is answering that call in a big way.

Andrew Cortese was 26 with an MBA from Colorado State University in hand when he left a job with an established milling contractor in Denver and struck out on his own. That was just 13 months ago in January 2022. One year later his company, Prime Milling, is rapidly becoming a major player in asphalt recycling

on the front range.

“Yeah, the banks thought I was crazy at the time,” Cortese said. “They wondered why a guy my age with an MBA and undergraduate degrees in economics and business management would want to get in the construction business.”

Now Cortese’s Pueblo-area company has a fleet of four Wirtgen milling machines as he looks forward to continuing the impressive growth curve in 2023.

see YOUTH page 4

4Rivers Equipment and Wirtgen support the rapid growth of Prime Milling’s asphalt recycling operation located near Pueblo.

Andrew Cortese, 27, believes construction to be an attractive profession for young people whether they are interested in skilled labor positions or management. His company, Prime Milling, is utilizing Wirtgen cold milling machines from 4 Rivers Equipment as he builds a business he hopes will attract young talent along Colorado’s Front Range.

LOGAN, UT 453 North 1000 West Logan, UT 84321 435-752-1533

SALT LAKE CITY, UT 4343 Century Dr. Salt Lake City, UT 84123 801-262-5761

CLIFTON, CO 549 32nd Rd. Clifton, CO 81520 970-434-7363

CEDAR CITY, UT 482 North Main Street Cedar City, UT 84720 435-586-4406 Email: del.maxedon@centuryeq.com

SPRINGVILLE, UT 1350 South 2000 West Springville, UT 84663 801-794-1463

DURANGO, CO 1097 Hwy 3 Durango, CO 81301 970-247-0522

ALBUQUERQUE, NM 6301 Edith Blvd. NE Albuquerque, NM 87107 505-433-2246

Cortese Finds Supportive Partners in 4Rivers, Family

YOUTH from page 1

“Fortunately, I did have a lot of support and encouragement right from the start,” Cortese said. “My family certainly encouraged me to do this, and they remain involved in the business to some degree today. My stepmom Virginia, for example, is our office manager. I also found some very supportive equipment partners, particularly 4Rivers Equipment’s Pueblo branch.”

Just a Matter of Time

Cortese grew up on a farm, so a strong work ethic had been entrenched in him from childhood. Extended family members were mostly business owners, so the entrepreneurial spirit also was encouraged.

After college, Cortese took a job with an asphalt milling company as an estimator and project manager. It was there that his passion for the industry took root, as did relationships with many customers.

“I was fortunate that with my previous employer I was given the latitude to make decisions and function largely independent from upper management and ownership,” he said. “However, the company was sold in 2021 and I quickly realized that it would be difficult to perform as I had before. More importantly, the company’s customer base noticed a difference in operations, and that bothered me.”

After only a week under the new management, Cortese decided to take the plunge, in

part because, “I didn’t want to let the customers down,” he said.

“Our first piece of equipment was a Wirtgen 210 Fi cold milling machine from 4Rivers,” Cortese said. “Rich Naylor, their branch manager in Pueblo, has been a family friend for a long time. He was able to locate the machine at 4Rivers’ branch in

Albuquerque, and we were in business.”

Cortese remembers the very first job, the Eagle Crest high school parking lot in Aurora.

“We ended up having to do the job on a Sunday,” he said. “It needed to be completed during spring break, and the weather did not cooperate on the other days. Our first billing was for $6,500, but it was for customer from

my previous experience, Straight Line Saw Cutting, so it had special meaning for us.”

A Business About People, Machines

It would be difficult to imagine a more positive first year than what Prime and

After college, Andrew Cortese took a job with an asphalt milling company as an estimator and project manager. It was there that his passion for the industry took root, as did relationships with many customers.

Prime Milling’s first piece of equipment was a Wirtgen 210 Fi cold milling machine from 4Rivers.

see YOUTH page 9

Construction Crews, UDOT Complete $1.08B of Work in 2022

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) completed 129 projects statewide during 2022, with a total value of approximately $1.08 billion. Utah is one of the fastest-growing states in the country and UDOT is continually working to meet current and future transportation needs while keeping the existing highway system in good condition.

“We’re committed to making our state’s transportation system work better for everyone,” said Carlos Braceras, UDOT executive director. “We want to make sure that no matter how people choose to get around, they can do so safely and easily. Our projects keep our roads, bridges and trails in good condition and help connect people to places they want to go.”

This year, UDOT widened highways, added passing lanes, replaced pavement and bridges and added safety improvements for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. The list below highlights some of the notable work completed this year on Utah’s highway system.

Bangerter Highway Interchanges, Salt Lake County

Three new interchanges with on- and offramps were constructed along Bangerter Highway at 6200 South, 10400 South and 12600 South. With the opening of these interchanges, Bangerter Highway drivers are able to travel more safely and efficiently. Four more interchanges are scheduled for construction beginning in 2023: 2700 West, 13400 South, 9800 South and 4700 South.

I-15 Express Lanes

Davis County/Weber County: I-15 was

widened in both directions to add a new Express Lane from Layton Parkway to Riverdale Road. This extends Utah’s continuous Express Lanes to 82 mi. from Spanish Fork to Riverdale — the longest continuous high occupancy vehicle (carpool)/toll lanes in the United States. This shortens the drive time and enhances safety for travelers in Weber and Davis counties.

I-84 Maintenance

Box Elder County: Crews completed concrete pavement maintenance on a 10-mi. section of I-84 northwest of Tremonton to extend the life of the interstate. In the spring, workers will apply new striping and install new signs and fences.

Vineyard FrontRunner Station

Utah County: In cooperation with the Utah Transit Authority, UDOT helped construct a new FrontRunner commuter rail station in one of the fastest-growing cities in the state. The new station provides residents with a new connection to the Wasatch Front’s transit system, so they have more transportation choices.

U.S. 40 Paving Wasatch County/Duchesne

County/Uintah County: Crews repaved a total of nearly 60 mi. along sections of U.S. 40 in these three counties. These paving projects help keep U.S. 40 in good condition as a critical connection between the Wasatch

SR 24 Paving

Emery County/Wayne County: A series of projects repaved approximately 70 mi. of SR 24 and widened or graded the highway shoulders in many locations to enhance safety for drivers. Another project is currently under way to replace the SR 24 bridge over the Fremont River.

I-15 Paving, New/Rebuilt Bridges

Beaver County/Iron County: UDOT completed pavement maintenance along 3mi. of I-15 in Cedar City, 7 mi. near Beaver, and 11 mi. north of Parowan. Projects this year also replaced the I-15 bridges over East Nichols Canyon Road and constructed a new bridge over I-15 at Coal Creek Road in Cedar City. In addition, crews installed new guardrails and barriers along the interstate at strategic locations between the Arizona border and the I-70 interchange.

Bluff

Street

Pedestrian Tunnel

St. George: UDOT partnered with St. George City to build a new pedestrian tunnel under Bluff Street near the I-15 interchange. The new tunnel improves safety for pedestrians and cyclists, and improves connections to the region’s trail network.

Addtionally in 2022, work continued on major projects including the new West Davis Highway and U.S. 89 widening and reconstruction in Davis County; I-80/I-215 reconstruction in Salt Lake County; U.S. 40 bridge and pavement maintenance in Wasatch County; and I-70/I-15 interchange bridge maintenance in Millard County. Most of these projects will be completed in the next 12-to-24 months. 

(All photos courtesy of UDOT.)

Front and the Uintah Basin.

Construction crews working for the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) completed 129 projects statewide during 2022, with a total value of approximately $1.08 billion.

Crews repaved a total of nearly 60 mi. along sections of U.S. 40 in Wasatch County, Duchesne County and Uintah County.

Addtionally in 2022, work continued on major projects including the new West Davis Highway and U.S. 89 widening and reconstruction in Davis County; I-80/I215 reconstruction in Salt Lake County; U.S. 40 bridge and pavement maintenance in Wasatch County; and I70/I-15 interchange bridge maintenance in Millard County.

Officials Mark Milestone of Colorado’s Central 70 Project

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, the Federal Highway Administration, local officials and the Colorado Department of Transportation celebrated the completion of the 4-acre cover park over a section of the new lowered Interstate 70 between Brighton and Colorado boulevards, as well as the completion of major interstate construction as a part of the Central 70 Project.

At $1.2 billion, the Central 70 Project is the largest infrastructure project in Colorado’s history and is finishing on time and under budget.

The Central 70 Project spans between Interstate 25 and Chambers Road and is one of Colorado’s economic backbones. It is home to 1,200 businesses, providing the regional connection to Denver International Airport and carrying upwards of 200,000 vehicles each day.

Since its August 2018 groundbreaking, the Central 70 Project has reconstructed 10 mi. of I-70, added one new Express Lane in each direction, removed the aging 57-yearold viaduct, lowered the interstate and most recently built a new 4-acre park for the surrounding community.

“We are making Colorado roads safer, reducing traffic and making sure that Coloradans and visitors can get where they are going quickly and easily, including to visit the many thriving businesses along this stretch of road,” said Gov. Polis. “We are thrilled that this exciting project, like many others across the state, has been completed on time and under budget.”

CDOT began studying this corridor in 2003 and completed its environmental study 15 years later after significant changes to both the project and stakeholder engagement processes resulting from neighborhood concerns about the environmental and health impacts of the project. As a result of community concerns, CDOT made more than 100 unprecedented commitments to the

Globeville, Elyria-Swansea communities, contributing a total of $30 million to the community in addition to an overall design that lowers the highway and connects the neighborhood via both the cover park and a network of at-grade bridges with pedestrian access.

These commitments included, but were not limited to:

• Constructing 38,700 linear sq. ft. of ADA-compliant sidewalks making it possible to safely walk the full length of the project area;

• Providing connectivity throughout the Globeville, Elyria-Swansea area including the addition of new traffic signals and lights, crosswalks and pedestrian crossing signals and extending 46th North and South avenues;

• Providing a $2 million affordable housing grant to the Globeville, Elyria-Swansea Affordable Housing Collaborative to support affordable housing in the ElyriaSwansea neighborhood;

• Providing $18.5 million worth of improvements to Swansea Elementary School that included two new early childhood education classrooms, a new playground, a new main entrance and parking lot and new heating and air conditioning;

• Planting 100 trees and additional landscaping along 46th North Avenue and the new cover park;

• Providing interior storm windows and air conditioning units, plus financial assistance for utility costs to residents between 45th and 47th avenues and Brighton to Colorado boulevards to help mitigate dust and noise during construction. More than 260 homes received improvements. This initiative was done in partnership with the city and county of Denver and Energy Outreach Colorado;

• Bringing fresh food access to the GES community that is currently listed as a food

desert. This initiative is being done in partnership with the city and county of Denver; and

• Ensuring job opportunities for residents through a 20-percent local (geographicbased) hiring requirement while also requiring on-the-job training to provide opportunities for workers to advance to high-skill positions during the construction period.

“The Federal Highway Administration congratulates our partners in Colorado for this beautiful cover park which brings meaningful infrastructure improvement to Denver’s Globeville and Elyria-Swanson neighborhoods,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack. “The project is a prime example of how transportation projects can reconnect communities rather than just going through them, bringing people-focused infrastructure improvements that will last for generations to come.”

“This has been a community undertaking, and our community has been involved in informing decisions from the very beginning,” Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock said. “Our goal and vision was to reconnect the neighborhood and reconnect the residents here, and we’re doing just that with this phenomenal new park and other community improvements. Not only that, this

was also an economic opportunity to support our local workforce and help identify, recruit, train and support a local pipeline of construction professionals to thrive and grow their careers in this industry.”

CDOT and Kiewit Meridiam Partners hosted a grand opening and neighborhood appreciation event to celebrate the community and the new park. The event was attended by approximately 600 people and featured players from the Metro State University women’s soccer team, who came to conduct soccer drills for kids in the community on the new full-sized soccer field. This family-friendly event emphasized the importance of ensuring infrastructure projects provide community commitments and interweave them into projects so construction does not create a further burden to communities that were split in half during the original interstate highway system initiative and can feel long-lasting benefits that go beyond just transportation.

“This project is an example of how hard conversations can be productive and help us be better neighbors,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “The advocacy of community members throughout this project helped CDOT learn to take community feedback seriously and develop state-of-the-art processes for mitigating the impacts of large projects. We thank them for their input and hope they see its results in the finished product. A big thanks to the members of the CDOT team who got this project back on track, and delivered it on time and on budget against the odds. CDOT recognizes its unique role in the advancement of transportation and commits to serving Colorado’s diverse regions and communities by prioritizing equity and environmental justice. Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is a

(All photos courtesy of CDOT.)

commitment to all.” 

At $1.2 billion, the Central 70 Project is the largest infrastructure project in Colorado's history and is finishing on time and under budget.

Since its August 2018 groundbreaking, the Central 70 Project has reconstructed 10-mi. of I-70, added one new Express Lane in each direction, removed the aging 57-year-old viaduct, lowered the interstate and built a new 4-acre park for the surrounding community.

The Central 70 Project spans between Interstate 25 and Chambers Road and is one of Colorado’s economic backbones.

Owner, Operations Manager Help Pace Successful Business

YOUTH from page

Cortese experienced. The company’s fleet of milling and cold planning machines has grown to four, all from Wirtgen because, as Cortese said, “I trust the machines.”

In addition to the original 210, Prime operates a 120XTi, a 220Fi and a 250Fi, allowing for milling from 4- to 12.5 ft. widths.

The fleet also includes water trucks, skid steers, street sweepers and brooms.

“We like to say we can do it all, from parking lots to road projects,” Cortese said. “But like most businesses, this one is about people. I have a great cast around me … Jordan Hill, our operations manager, is rock solid fantastic. It took me two months to coerce him to work for me, but he’s made a huge impact on our operations and growth.”

In its first full year, Prime was able to secure the largest CDOT project in terms of tonnage for calendar year 2022 — approximately 100,000 tons.

Chad Parker, the 4Rivers representative

who works with Prime, said he’s known the Cortese family for years.

“I’ve done business with the Cortese family for a decade,” he said, “but what amazed me about Andrew after getting to know him was his maturity and attitude about the business. His knowledge is beyond his years. We have actually learned a lot about the market from Andrew. I see big things happening for him.”

The respect is reciprocal.

Parker calls Cortese “a visionary with no fear. I like hanging out with him.”

Cortese calls the 4Rivers organization an invaluable asset in maintaining Prime’s customer satisfaction.

“We were on a CDOT project on Highway 50 in Pueblo when a machine went down at the end of a shift Friday morning. We made the call to 4Rivers at mid-day and said we needed to be up and running by Sunday. When we got to the job site on Sunday, it was up and running 100 percent.

“Both in terms of employees and vendors, I believe in surrounding yourself with good people. 4Rivers has done a great job of taking care of us, and we consider them good people,” he added.

Pay It Forward

The construction industry has so far been good to Cortese and he endeavors to offer similar opportunities to others that are contemplating what career to enter.

“This industry does a great job in relaying real life skills,” Cortese said. “There are real-life takeaways like having to go to work rain or shine. And there are lots of growth opportunities. In this industry, if you work hard, the world is yours for the taking.”

“I want to make this a sought-after career path,” he added. “I want people to look forward to retiring from Prime Milling.” 

Andrew Cortese (L) credits key personnel for Prime’s quick rise, most notably operations manager Jordan Hill.

As 2022 came to a close, the I-25 North Express Lanes construction crews and the Colorado Department of Transportation acknowledge another year of construction progress on the I-25 North corridor as well as identifies funding for two more segments (Segment 2 and 5) on the I-25 corridor outlined in the state’s 10-Year plan. Funding for these additional segments comes from various funding sources in the 10-Year plan, including SB260, and innovative financing through the Colorado Transportation Investment Office.

From Berthoud all the way up to Fort Collins, residents and commuters alike navigated around more construction signage, activity and a few closures and detours along the I-25 North corridor this past year. Although there were new route changes and road closures, this means the project is making progress and one step closer to bringing the new and improved I-25 North on time and on budget for Colorado to use and enjoy.

As Coloradans and visitors continued to

travel the interstate this year, here’s some of the major work crews accomplished:

• Closed and reopened the Colorado Highway 60 and I-25 interchange to transition it into a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI)—the newest DDI to northern Colorado;

• Reopened Kechter Road across I-25 with a new bridge;

• Replaced the U.S. Highway 34 bridge over I-25;

• Completed seven bridges between Johnstown and Fort Collins;

• Placed 180,000 sq. yds. of concrete in 2022 between Johnstown and Fort Collins;

• Installed approximately four miles of pipe on the Johnstown to Fort Collins segments;

• Recycled 60 million lbs. of the old concrete pavement back into the Johnstown to Fort Collins segment of the project; and

• Placed more than 3 million lbs. of steel in structures and concrete pavement, between Johnstown and Fort Collins.

CDOT said it is excited with the progress its project team accomplished this past year, as well as over the last three years.

Stay tuned on the project website and the CDOT social media pages to stay up-to-date on upcoming construction impacts and milestones for this year. Segment 5 - CO66 to CO56 design will be underway in spring 2023, with construction beginning at the heels of Segments 6, 7 and 8 completing toll

testing and integration. The project, which now includes segment 5, will reach more milestones in 2023, including substantial completion and roadway tolling testing and integration in 2024 for the Johnstown to Fort Collins segments.

About I-25 North Express Lanes: Berthoud to Fort Collins

The I-25 North Express Lanes Project will increase highway capacity by adding an Express Lane in each direction, rebuild interchanges, replace aging bridges, straighten highway curves to improve safety, make major utility and drainage improvements, and add carpool and two mobility hub transit facilities. During construction on the I-25 North Express Lanes Project, the highway will see minor lane shifts, temporary concrete barriers and median bridge work. Construction is expected to be complete in early 2024. 

(All photos courtesy of CDOT.)

Crews Complete Portions of I-25 Express Lanes Project

Joint Venture Completes Structure Work On Colo. Highways

Beginning spring 2023, the team will work on replacing two bridges near Antero Junction at Mile Points 227.10 and 229.47 on US 24, two additional structures at Mile Points 271.69 and 271.90 on US 24 between Divide and Florissant and another bridge near Guffey on CO 9 at Mile Point 20.1.

The Colorado Department of Transportation and its contracting partner CapitalTezak Joint Venture have replaced a structure located near Guffey approximately 5 mi. south of the intersection at County Road 102 on CO Highway 9.

Work started in early August with a lane reduction to a signalized, alternating single lane traffic and a speed reduction to 25 MPH, which lasted approximately four months.

The two 84-in. diameter pipe structure has been replaced with two ALBCs (aluminum box culverts). This is the first structure in the West Mountain region to be completed. As

of mid-January, this project site was shut down due to winter conditions. There will be some minimal work this spring to finish up at this project location.

Beginning spring 2023, the team will work on replacing two bridges near Antero Junction at Mile Points 227.10 and 229.47 on U.S. 24, two additional structures at Mile Points 271.69 and 271.90 on U.S. 24 between Divide and Florissant and another bridge near Guffey on CO 9 at Mile Point 20.1.

The Colorado Department of Transportation and its contracting partner CapitalTezak Joint Venture also have

replaced the first two of nine bridge structures planned along U.S. 350. Last August, two aluminum box culverts and three reinforced concrete pipes were placed during a 21-day road closure. The two completed structures are located at Mile Point 57.5 and 57.1 just north of Timpas.

The next bridge structures being replaced are north of Timpas. The replacement of a single-span bridge structure at MP 56.6 began in mid-November and will be replaced with a double barrel aluminum box structure anticipated to be complete in early spring. A three-span timber bridge located at MP 47.131 will be replaced with a single barrel 8-ft. by 14-ft. cast in place box culvert. Work began in late January and is expected to wrap up by early spring, weather and resource dependent.

The work completed as a part of this project will help improve and prolong the life of the bridges, offering a higher quality driving experience for travelers. Maintaining the structural integrity of highway bridges is crucial to upholding the safety of all motorists.

Project Overview

Colorado is one of the fastest growing states in the country and with that growth comes strain on aging transportation systems that have significant consequences in the form of growing safety and mobility problems. The purpose of this project is to provide necessary improvements to 17 structures so motorists can be ensured that they

are driving on more stable and up to date structures with life spans of 100 years. The three rural highway corridors where structures are being replaced include:

• Colorado Highway (CO) 9;

• U.S. Highway 24;

• U.S. Highway 350.

Importance of CO 9 Corridor (Mountain Region)

Three structures to be reconstructed between Cañon City and Alma provides vital access for residents and tourists to many of the recreation destinations in the Rocky Mountains, which is essential to supporting the rural tourist-based communities and the main north/south corridor traveling through west-central Colorado. Highway 9 also serves as an alternate evacuation route for natural incidents, such as floods and fires.

Importance of U.S. 350 Corridor (Plains Region)

Nine structures are to be reconstructed between La Junta and Trinidad. It provides a connection between Interstate 25 and U.S. 50 (saving many miles for freight traffic), and is a designated route for hazardous waste, gasoline, diesel and liquefied petroleum. Highway 350 also is a major access point to the US Army’s Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site.

Construction completion of the bridge bundle — a $43 million project — is slated for late 2024. 

(All photos courtesy of CDOT.)

The joint venture — CapitalTezak — has replaced a structure located near Guffey approximately 5 mi. south of the intersection at County Road 102 on CO Highway 9.

The two 84-in. diameter pipe structure has been replaced with two ALBCs (aluminum box culverts). This is the first structure in the West Mountain region to be completed.

FOUR CORNERS PUBLISHING 2023