Asphalt Contractor February 2021

FEBRUARY 2021

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ASPHALT PRODUCTION SCHEDULING

TIPS & TRICKS Emery Sapp & Sons Navigates Massive

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I-44 Design Build Project

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THE LEADER IN PERFORMANCE AND EFFICIENCY

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TABLE OF CONTENTS |

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FEBRUARY 2021

COVER STORY Emery Sapp & Sons Navigates Massive I-44 Design Build Project The Missouri-based company self-performs nearly 75% of the work, allowing the project to be completed ahead of schedule. | 32 TECHNOLOGY MATTERS

PRODUCTION NOTES

PRESERVATION UPDATE

10 How to Implement Paperless Technology with Tread

20 Asphalt Production Scheduling Tips & Tricks

46 Innovative ThickLift Asphalt Design Facilitated

by Diamond Grinding

Fleet management software helps contractors improve efficiency and productivity.

Communication is key in order to successfully manage mix delivery and new technology can help.

28 Production Products

12 Utilize Technology to Keep Drivers Safe Telematics, video and communication apps help ensure driver safety.

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Plants, baghouses, mixers, dryers, automation systems & more to measure the quality of their asphalt.

Milling machines, reclaimers, infrared equipment & more.

With a prevalence of potholes in the existing asphalt, SC 544 required significant rehabilitation and a non-traditional mill & fill application helped revive the severely deteriorated highway.

JOBSITE INNOVATIONS

42 Jobsite Products Pavers, rollers, MTVs & more.

ASPHALT CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2021

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59 Preservation Products

52 Cracksealing “Best Practices” These cracksealing “best practices” will help your crew be more productive and will help them produce high-quality work consistently.

IN EVERY ISSUE 8

Editor’s Perspective

66 The Last Exit

Wi pa pe an to yo

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Blaw www.ForConstructionPros.com/Asphalt

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ON THE ROAD AGAIN

With over a century of innovation to its credit, Blaw-Knox pavers have earned a reputation for quality, durability and performance unmatched in the industry. Today, with its new and improved highway-class designs, Blaw-Knox continues to deliver on its promise with all the performance features you’ve come to expect from an industry leader.

BLAW-KNOX, THE LEGACY LIVES ON. Blaw-Knox Corporation 1280 Superior Avenue Chambersburg, PA 17201 Tel. 717-400-7900 www.blawknox.com

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DIGITAL CONNECTION www.ForConstructionPros.com/Asphalt

Report: Infrastructure Investment Presents Opportunity to Energize U.S. Economy The ASCE has released their 2021 Failure to Act Report which discusses how the nation’s failure to act to improve the condition of U.S. infrastructure systems affect the nation’s economic performance.

Search: 21220821

[VIDEO] Catch Up on Hops & Highways!

Hops & Highways is your weekly newscast dedicated to the road building industry. Catch us live every Friday on Facebook and again on the website.

Search: www.forconstructionpros. com/videos/hops-highways

4 Factors That Will Affect Equipment Availability and Pricing in 2021 These factors will impact equipment availability and pricing, and the industry as a whole, in the months ahead.

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Get social with us! Share pictures of what you’re working with over 29,000 other asphalt contractors on our Facebook page: Facebook.com/ Asphalt.Contractor/

Speaker Lineup Released for First Ever “People, Plants and Paving Digital Conference” The sixty-session lineup has been released for the digital conference taking place March 9-11, 2021.

WWW.FORCONSTRUCTIONPROS.COM/ASPHALT

Search: 21232709

CONTRACTOR WWW.FORCONSTRUCTIONPROS.COM/ASPHALT WWW.FORCONSTRUCTIONPROS.COM/ASPHALT

CONTRACTOR LATEST INNOVATIONS FOR ASPHALT PROFESSIONALS

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ASPHALT ASPHALT

FEBRUARY 2021 Vol. 35, No. 2

CONTRACTOR CONTRACTOR LATEST INNOVATIONS FOR ASPHALT PROFESSIONALS

LATEST INNOVATIONS FOR ASPHALT PROFESSIONALS LATEST INNOVATIONS FOR ASPHALT PROFESSIONALS

Published by AC Business Media.

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Asphalt CONTRACTOR

CONTRACTOR

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Published and copyrighted 2021 by AC Business Media. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

Asphalt Contractor (ISSN 1055-9205, USPS 0020-688): is published ten times per year: January, February, March/April, May, June/July, August, September, October, November, December, with an additional Buyer’s Guide issue published in August by AC Business Media, 201 N. Main Street, Fifth Floor, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin 53538.

Periodicals postage paid at Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin and additional entry offices.

POSTMASTER: Please send change of address to ASPHALT CONTRACTOR, PO Box 3605, Northbrook, Illinois 60065-3605.

Printed in the U.S.A. SUBSCRIPTION POLICY: Individual subscriptions are available without charge only in the USA. The Publisher reserves the right to reject nonqualifying subscribers. One-year subscription to nonqualifying individuals: U.S. $45.00, Canada & Mexico $65.00, and $95.00 all other countries (payable in U.S. funds, drawn on U.S. bank). Single copies available (prepaid only) $10.00 each (U.S., Canada & Mexico), $15.00 each (International).

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CONTRACTOR

EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE

LATEST INNOVATIONS FOR ASPHALT PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS LATEST LATEST INNOVATIONS INNOVATIONS FOR ASPHALT PROFESSIONALS

Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/gustavofrazao

Jessica Lombardo, Editor-in-Chief

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WHERE TO START? Each month in Asphalt Contractor magazine, we try to feature at least one article that covers emerging technologies for the industry. In this issue, there are several articles and products that are related to technology implementation.

These resources have helped asphalt producers and paving contractors move their business forward just through small investments in time and training.

Of course there is a financial component to upgrading your business with some of these changes, but consider these investments in the future success of your company. The cost of staying the same and having your competition grow up and around you will be much higher in the future.

With change knocking at the door of the asphalt industry, contractors need to be ready and if we adapt fast enough, we will be positioned well against other road building materials.

“We must be the disruptors for our pavement structures and our work zones to generate data that can be used for project intelligence & predictive maintenance – a service we can help provide to our customers, the road owners, road users and mobility companies – who will demand it,” Audrey Copeland, president and CEO of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) says.

Copeland says asphalt contractors should use innovative solutions such as drones, telematics and bots to collect vast amounts of data about our roadways today and use that data to better our industry.

The transformation of the transportation industry will depend on contractors like you who are willing to move roadway technology forward. Smart cities and highways can’t exist without a workforce willing to build them. Be an early adopter and reap the benefits of your forward thinking.

ASPHALT CONTRACTOR FEBRUARY 2021

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CONTRACTOR Published by AC Business Media

Give Tech a Chance

hat's the way we've always done it.

Those are the seven most expensive words in the construction industry and we hear it all the time. That's the way we've always done it.

However, just because something has worked for you and your construction business in the past, doesn't mean there haven't been new ways created to help your company accomplish those same tasks more efficiently.

And efficiency lends itself to profitability.

Unfortunately, the construction industry has been slow to adopt technology and that has left us behind. Behind on adoption.

Behind on growth. Now, this lack of technology has left us behind on hiring the next generation of workers as well.

A survey by Microsoft and SurveyMonkey found that 93% of Millennials say up-to-date technology is a top priority in the workplace.

A new perspective and tech-savviness are needed as construction is struggling. While it is one of the oldest and most essential industries, it lost millions of skilled workers after the 2000s recession, and each year the workforce ages we lose more. The recruitment pool needs to expand to fill this gap. As the skilled trades gap is top of mind and the industry emerges from the Covid-19 crisis, it is important to continue encouraging this younger, more diverse workforce because they are essential to the industry’s survival.

ASPHALT

LATEST PROFESSIONALS LATEST INNOVATIONS FOR ASPHALTPROFESSIONALS LATEST INNOVATIONS FOR ASPHALT

jLombardo@ACBusinessMedia.com 920.542.1247

Technology will help drive your business growth in 2021 and beyond

FEBRUARY 2021 • Vol. 35, No. 2

Asphalt CONTRACTOR

201 N. Main Street | Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 800.538-5544 • www.ACBusinessMedia.com LATEST INNOVATIONS INNOVATIONS FOR FOR ASPHALT ASPHALT PROFESSIONALS PROFESSIONALS LATEST PROFESSIONALS LATEST www.ForConstructionPros.com/Asphalt

Publication Staff Publisher

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TECHNOLOGY MATTERS | BY DORMIE ROBERTS, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

“The industry is beginning to digitize quicker than it used to and still has a long way to go,” Dolgoy said. “We provide a customized approach to the app depending on the comfort level of technology usage to match what the customers’ needs are.”

The implementation of Tread depends on the willingness to adapt to the different tools. However, Dolgoy said, “within 30-days of signing up, while following the onboarding plan, a company can have at least 90% of their business digitized.”

How to Implement

PAPERLESS TECHNOLOGY with

TREAD

Fleet management software helps improve efficiency

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oah Dolgoy, founder and CEO of Tread, was first exposed to the challenges of managing heavy equipment and subcontractors when he started a residential construction business while attending college. Dolgoy also worked in infrastructure finance and corporate law and subsequently advised an excavation company.

Waiting on material or trucks to show up was the biggest challenge Dolgoy experienced. The more time he spent in the industry, he realized it was a broad problem and many contractors experienced the same challenges, prompting him to turn

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Image Supplied by Tread

to technology in 2016 and start Tread.

Tread is a mobile platform that makes the business of moving raw materials more profitable, more efficient, more productive and more connected. The app allows companies, contractors and asphalt plants to work together and become one fleet. It also provides visibility into a workflow that has historically been paper-based.

SAFER AND MORE EFFICIENT With paper tickets, truck drivers will typically drive a load across a scale, get out of the truck, enter the scalehouse to pick up copies of a paper ticket, return to the truck and drive off.

These paper-based processes can get lost in the shuffle. Tread offers a paperless e-ticketing solution that can digitally capture those tickets and store them for all users to easily access.

Tread also has the ability to notify the crew about upcoming truck arrivals, eliminating guesswork on when the next load will be at the jobsite. Also, if that truck gets delayed, a notification will come in so the crew can adapt.

UNDERSTANDING THE DATA The industry is competitive for bidding jobs, the pressure to improve efficiency and cut costs while working under tight deadlines is looming. Implementing a paperless technology system into your workflow will improve communication across all employees as papers won’t get lost in transit. This also allows easier access to information, from anywhere

Attracting Younger Generations Veteran laborers and operators are retiring, causing gaps in the workforce. While recruiting for the construction industry can be challenging, there are many Millennials and Generation-Z workers looking for rewarding careers. Members of Gen Z, born between 1995 – 2010, are comfortable with technology and are described as true “digital natives.” This group will be the ones to ask, “what are the tools that will support me to be more productive in my role,” that is where digital technologies, such as the Tread app, can give a company a leg up in recruiting.

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and at any time.

There are four primary components to the data generated by the Tread app. The first, Cycle Time, allows contractors to understand the nuances of each load of each trip, by each truck.

“This gives the contractors the ability to understand, how materials are being moved to optimize the efficiency of the dispatch program,” Dolgoy explained.

The second component is the Profitability Report, which allows users to understand targeting and goal setting and how it reflects on an entire jobsite.

The third primary component is Compliance Data where the stakeholder can understand how their employees are interacting with the Tread app. “Are they actually tracking and logging the jobs properly? Are the dispatchers working within the app the correct way?” said Dolgoy. “The reason to look at compliance data is to make sure everyone is using the app correctly and make sure all

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KEY DETAILS

users are in sync with one another.”

The fourth component, Site Activity, allows users to understand the entire site as a whole. “Users can look at an individual jobsite relative to another and understand how different projects are generating margins,” said Dolgoy. “Site Activity also allows the stakeholder to understand what a good project for their company is.”

“While there is a lot of different data Tread can surface, it is really about what the company needs to see.

Tread is also able to work with companies on generating other reports such as movement, and communication data among other things.”

PRODUCTIVITY DURING A PANDEMIC The Coronavirus pandemic has triggered a generational change in the adoption of technology. Companies have been forced to change their way

of operating, taking into consideration many obstacles. “We have seen a real mindset shift across the industry in regard to the rate of technology adoption,” Dolgoy said. “Companies suddenly had to start looking into tools like Tread to shift their paper-based process to digital.”

On the up-side, digital platforms and apps will last long beyond the pandemic, resulting in improved efficiency, better communication and transparent data for each job.

Image Supplied

by Tread

For more information on paperless technology, visit ForConstructionPros. com/21135710

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TECHNOLOGY MATTERS |

BY CURT BENNINK, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

UTILIZE TECH TO KEEP DRIVERS SAFE Telematics, video and communication apps help ensure driver safety

I

t’s hard to dispute the return on investment from many of the recent technologies being implemented to monitor driver behavior and protect your construction business from unwarranted claims. The payback can often be measured in mere months.

But the rapid evolution of technologies

designed to protect drivers in a company fleet means many are still in their infancy. The adoption of these technologies will depend on a series of factors.

“In technology there’s a triangle,” says Keith Schneider, president and CEO, GPS Trackit. “Three things have to happen — cost needs to come down, the value to the customer needs to be very high and it has to be easy to use. If those three things don’t align, you are in the early adopter stage and you’re living at a 20% market penetration. When

that triangle aligns, you’ll see penetration go from 20% to 60%.”

Telematics video technology is an area that is currently witnessing rapid adoption. “In video, we are just entering those pieces aligning,” says Schneider.

“Costs are coming down, value is getting very high and the ease of use is getting much better. The data rates are actually coming down, also. So, the stage has been set for that adoption to go from the 20% to 25% range now to over 60% over the next couple of years.”

A few of the driver behavior metrics that fleets can monitor with Geotab telematics include speeding over the posted speed limit, harsh braking, sharp cornering, backing up while driving, after hours use of vehicle and driving with no seat belt.

Photo Credit: Geotab

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CHNOLOGY

While the devices can help us a lot, they’re leading to some very unfortunate unintended consequences. For example, 40% of commercial driving accidents are being caused by device distraction.

Photo Credit: Truce Software

DISTRACTED DRIVING TOPS THE LIST Distracted driving tops the list of dangerous activities on roads and on the jobsite, as well.

“Mobile devices have done so much for us in terms of their ability to help us get things done,” says Joseph Boyle, CEO, TRUCE Software. “There’s a tremendous amount of promise that comes from having all of your workers deployed with mobile technology, but the reality is they’ve caused us to behave much differently than we did 10 years ago.

“We live in a society where if you don’t respond almost instantaneously to a text or a message, or even a social media post, it’s to the point of almost being considered rude. We’ve been reconditioned to think about phone or device first and everything else second, third or maybe even fourth,” he points out. “While the devices can help us a lot, they’re leading to some very unfortunate unintended consequences.

For example, 40% of commercial driving accidents are being caused by device distraction.”

Software technology can provide a flexible solution to maximize mobile

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technology benefits while limiting distractions. “The TRUCE platform is all about how you enable those devices for your workers so that you can get the benefits you are looking for but control the acceptable use policies so that you don’t have the accidents, you don’t have the distraction,” says Boyle. “Everything is situational. What is acceptable for a person to do with a device when standing in an office is different from what is acceptable when operating a piece of heavy equipment or driving a vehicle.”

To address this, companies often try to implement one-size-fits-all policies.

This doesn’t work since workers just carry two devices. “The answer is really about having a very flexible solution that allows you to understand, define and enforce the different use policies for different environments,” says Boyle. “Those policies tend to get stricter when you get into high-risk environments. TRUCE is comprised of a mobile app that helps companies enforce their policies at the right time by automatically adjusting employee access to apps and functions based on where they are and what they are doing.

“For example, our customers who are deploying in vehicle environments will say, ‘We don’t want you using your phone at all, except you can make and receive phone calls as long as you’re connected to hands-free’,’” he notes. “‘You can use turn-by-turn directions as long as you are not typing in the address while you are driving. And you can listen to your music and podcasts.’”

TRUCE software limits the use of phone apps and features based on the specific employee environment. “You define those policies in our application and we bring them to life,” says Boyle.

“Those policies are 100% enforced.

If you say the employees cannot do something in a certain environment, you’re not relying on their good will not to do it. The phone will not access those capabilities that you have said are out of bounds.”

This approach produces immediate results. “Our customers typically see between a 30% to 40% reduction in accidents, and it happens right away,” Boyle states. “We go after the root cause of the issue, which is we are addicted to our devices. We stare at them constantly, most of the time not even realizing that we are doing it.”

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TECHNOLOGY MATTERS

It is all about removing technology distractions. “If all of a sudden people just can’t access those things on their phone, you change the environment,” says Boyle. “The behavior then changes. They put the phone in the cradle or they leave it in their pocket because they know they cannot chat, they cannot text. The accidents fall off right away.”

TELEMATICS DATA HELPS MEASURE DRIVER PERFORMANCE Modern telematics systems allow fleet managers to identify risky driving behavior.

“Given that employees are a company’s greatest asset, it is important for fleet managers to understand how drivers are doing and where coaching may be needed to help improve fleet safety and performance,” says Stephen White, senior business development, Geotab.

“By utilizing Geotab’s Driver Safety Scorecards, for example, fleet managers are able to view a dashboard report including an overview of their fleet’s riskiest drivers and overall safety score.”

Fleet managers have a variety of information at their fingertips,

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including metrics on speeding, harsh braking, backing up, seat belt usage and more.

The technology is evolving to allow real-time intervention. “It is the first time in my 13 years that I am not telling a business owner what happened post mortem,” says Schneider. “Our technology in the cab allows our customer to be proactive and actually enter into the space of accident crash prevention.”

Real-time alerts notify drivers of risky behavior. “In addition to monitoring dangerous driving, fleet managers can take action to help curb dangerous driving behaviors and manage off-road worksite safety through in-vehicle alerts and gamification methods,” explains White. “For instance, Geotab’s GO TALK in-cab verbal coaching alerts are sent directly to the driver in real time to help them recognize their risky driving habits so they can actively work to help correct them. On the other hand, gamification is a strategy that helps to motivate drivers to improve their safety performance by measuring them against other drivers and the company safety standards. Drivers who perform well can potentially receive bonuses and

The technology is evolving to allow real-time intervention where technology in the cab allows a fleet manager to be proactive and actually enter into the space of accident crash prevention.

Photo Credit: GPS Trackit

other incentives for their success.”

Video telematics are also rapidly gaining acceptance as an important tool. “Video telematics data is helpful to both drivers and their fleets because it can help provide more context around traffic-related road events,” White elaborates. “It enables fleets to gain more insights that can help keep drivers safe by identifying risky driving, providing tailored driver training programs and helping to protect drivers against high insurance claims.”

The Geotab Marketplace is currently home to more than 150 third-party solutions, including video integrations from partners such as Lytx, SmartWitness, Trimble Video Intelligence, Surfsight and more, White adds.

“Video is very powerful,” says GPS Trackit’s Schneider. Some of the breakthroughs in artificial intelligence allow an understanding of what is going on in the cab in real time and can be used

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TECHNOLOGY MATTERS with technologies that can actually prevent an accident. “On the low end, that might be a cab buzzer where if someone is falling asleep you can buzz the cab to alert them of that.

On the far extreme, you could disable the engine. You could just turn it off and make them pull over depending upon the severity of what they are doing.”

It is really up to you to decide what type of events to monitor. “We give our customers the ability to control the settings and decide what they’re going to record. What they are looking at is becoming more advanced,” says Schneider. “In the last six months, I’ve seen cameras with AI software that are able to scan your retina. The last one was even with a pair of sunglasses on.

We’re getting to the point now where you’re actually able to predict what the driver is doing by having a machine determine what’s happening with their eye movement. That is out in the marketplace now. It’s getting better and improving as we go.”

A lot of information and data can be collected through small, easy to install devices. “We pack a lot of technology into a small space,” says Paul Miller, global product success, Verizon Connect. “Vehicle location is supplemented with speed, acceleration and G-force

The Verizon Connect system collects and analyzes the data coming in from vehicles and equipment and delivers actionable driver safety insights so you don’t have to go searching for it. The insights can be delivered in the form of reports, alerts and dashboards via an internet connected browser or mobile app.

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Vehicle location is supplemented with speed, acceleration and G-force measurements to provide interesting insights into the risks facing drivers.

measurements to provide interesting insights into the risks facing drivers. A pattern of hard braking events could be a sign of distracted driving, but it may never be uncovered until an accident occurs. Our technology identifies it early, and when unsafe driving behavior occurs, you can choose to view dash cam footage to better understand what happened before and after the event and have video evidence in the event of a disputed claim.”

MANAGING THE BACK OFFICE The latest technology solutions are designed to identify risky behavior with minimal intervention. Yet, you need to determine how the information will be acted upon to ensure its value.

“There are a few simple ways that fleet managers can work with telematics to help monitor behavior with minimal resources,” says White. “First, fleet managers can create custom fleet rules and automatically receive an email or a text message notification when a driver violation occurs. The fleet manager can also receive notifications for possible collisions, allowing them to take the proper actions quickly and efficiently.”

According to White, a few of the driver behavior metrics that fleets can monitor with Geotab’s telematics solution are: • driving over the posted speed limit • harsh braking • sharp cornering • backing up while driving • after-hours use of a vehicle • driving with no seat belt “There will need to be a fleet manager, or ‘coach’ to interact with the drivers based on the fleet data. However, the Geotab Marketplace provides a variety of integrated solutions for driver coaching to help promote good driving habits within a fleet,” says White. “As an example, the Driver Safety Scorecard allows fleet managers to set up real-time alerts and notifications when a risky driver behavior is detected. The report can also help identify trends, showcasing which drivers may need additional support or training.”

Using Driver Safety Scorecards, fleet managers can also recognize top performers and drive improvement in others. Fleet managers can use techniques such as gamification — along with bonuses and incentives — to help motivate drivers to improve their safety performance by measuring them against other drivers and the company’s safety standards, White points out.

The objective is to automate the driving reports. “[Verizon Connect’s] system collects and analyzes the data coming in from vehicles and equipment and

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delivers actionable driver safety insights so you don’t have to go searching for it,” says Miller. “The insights can be delivered in the form of reports, alerts and dashboards via an internet-connected browser or mobile app.”

GET DRIVERS ON BOARD Ten years ago, there was a lot of resistance to some of the technologies being implemented. “Back then, it was very much ‘Big Brother’,” notes Schneider. “There was a lot of driver tampering with the [telematics] devices after they were installed. We’ve pretty much evolved past that. It’s really an accepted technology today. Many of the drivers are great drivers. They take their profession very seriously.”

To aid in adoption, make sure drivers understand the purpose of the technology. “Be transparent about the use of the technology and the benefits for drivers, the business and wider society,” says Miller. “Consider a grace period after installation when results are shared but no actions taken. This creates a benchmark for future programs. Drivers and operators are more likely to be engaged if the aim is to positively improve safety rather than solely as a tool to punish offenders. Consider a driver competition to focus on best performers.”

He adds, “Our tools enable drivers to monitor their own performance across a range of measurements and see how they rank against their peers. People are naturally competitive and the daily updates provide motivation to improve.

The information also supports more personal intervention for supervisors and coaches to discuss performance.”

There are a number of ways to help get drivers on board with telematics.

“To begin, the more aware a driver is of unsafe driving patterns, the less likely they are to get into an accident or be potentially penalized,” says White. “In the event that there was an accident, the safety systems and critical event data captured through the telematics system can help to quickly determine if the driver was at fault, giving drivers peace of mind while out completing their routes.

“Ultimately, once a driver realizes

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that telematics technology works to benefit the driver’s safety and efficiency, then they will be more likely to embrace it,” he asserts.

Today’s technologies are creating more visibility into daily operations. “Fleet owners and managers are now able to measure, score and publish their drivers’ performance on a set of metrics they get to choose and design,” says Schneider. “I

am happy that has evolved from a bit of a ‘stick’ into a ‘carrot’ for our customers. In this space today, many owners are using that as an incentive, reward and recognition for good behavior.”

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PRODUCTION NOTES |

BY JESSICA LOMBARDO, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Asphalt Production Scheduling

&

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Communication is key in order to successfully manage mix delivery and new technology can help

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sphalt plant owners have a lot to manage in any given day; materials, fleet capabilities, capacity, data and safety just to name a few.

This can lead to a fair amount of unpredictability on certain projects or with certain customers when it comes to scheduling a day. Outside events like weather, breakdowns, traffic accidents and other projects can also disrupt when a project can pave and how many tons a crew will take. Many plant operations have tried to create good ways of tracking and communicating what is

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coming up on the plant schedule, but this is not an easy task.

There will always be changes to when a project will go and how much mix a paving crew will need each day.

This requires communication between the paving crew and plant operations.

In the past, asphalt plants have had to rely on spotty communication between all parties involved in order to try and make their best educated guess on what assets will be needed each day.

Over the years, every producer has found a way to accomplish these tasks from creating sophisticated spreadsheets to using hordes of post-it notes; often supplemented by lots of phone calls and emails.

"These conversations were usually kept in someone's memory or noted on their paper notebook in the past," Daniel Mekis, continuous improvement

project manager at Granite Construction and early partner with PlantDemand says. "This made it difficult to keep all of these conversations updated somewhere where everyone can see them, maybe on a shared white-board or in an excel sheet. These need to be manually updated and shared with everyone in real-time or else people will be working based on old information."

Luckily, experts in the industry have worked hard to create new tools to integrate the entire business and allow management to make informed decisions using up-to-the-minute, company-wide data.

MIX WASTE & MIX DELIVERY ISSUES Machine monitoring technology can help plant owners and operators to have a better handle on the tasks they need

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PRODUCTION NOTES

State-of-the-art automation helps to ensure that correct product is delivered and dramatically reduces the risk of an accident.

Photo Credit: Libra Systems

to manage each day and also gain a better sense of what can be done in the future to avoid catastrophic issues. One such issue is delivering the wrong mix to the wrong customer or producing the wrong mix entirely.

"With more ability to continuously monitor production by use of electronic devices, such as the mechanical metering system, the closed loop automation to verify that equipment, whether it be a liquid asphalt pump, a belt scale, or a material feed bin, is operating as instructed by the control system, the contractor/producer can be more assured that the specification is going to be met on a repeatable basis," says Gregg Gilpin, director of automation and Jeff Mitchell, director, at Stansteel/Hotmix Parts Technology can also help ensure that the mix that is being created is 100% what the customer is expecting.

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"If something is left out of the communication chain and the wrong mix is loaded, there can be serious consequences," Mekis says. "Something as “small” as producing and loading a mix with oil/bitumen from the wrong supplier - even if it is the same grade and quality - can be considered a defect, and may lead to major cost in remove and replace, or for a warranty over X years.

This opens up a ton of potential risk to the contractor or plant. Most plant computers do not have the capacity to store different product supplier information or other fine details that may cause this to occur - so it is very important to be able to specify information like this so that everyone is on the same page with exactly what they plan to produce."

Producing a mix that doesn't meet customer standards not only gives your company a bad reputation, it's also detrimental to your bottom line.

"The consequences of making bad mix or the wrong mix can be costly and a nuisance or they can be extremely devastating to a producer’s reputation and financial bottom line," says Gilpin and Mitchell. "Certain older control systems actually did not have a way to quickly run the precise blend of materials and they’d have to run sometimes 15-20 tons of mix in order to make sure that the material was correct."

Gilpin and Mitchell say that some producers still will run a few tons of a mix, take a sample to their lab, have them run the extractions and gradation and then sort of tweak the settings on the plant to get it to match the outcome they want.

"Perhaps the plant called for 5.1% liquid A.C. and the mix came out at 4.5%, so they will just keep tweaking or adjusting the liquid asphalt percent up or down to get it to come out about right.

This is a constant challenge to get a mix that is acceptable for the governmental unit that has specified it," they add.

Hearing the pain points of customers over the years, asphalt plant software has been developed to help plant owners and operators better manage their materials and assets from start to finish.

"Enterprise information systems integrate the entire operation, allowing the people who responsible for the data to be in control of it," Ken Cardy, president of Libra Systems says. "This allows plant operators to simply pick from pre-configured lists. These systems assist the operator by limiting the product choices to ones that have been pre-assigned for the job."

ENTERPRISE INFORMATION SYSTEMS These systems have been developed to help asphalt producers better improve on inefficient operations. Comprehensive systems can monitor multiple points on the plant and assist the operator in making the mix according to the setpoints. The will also signal alarms in case the materials have drifted beyond a certain point or do initiate an emergency or sequential shutdown for way out-of-tolerance mixes.

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PRODUCTION NOTES "With the AAI (Asphalt Automation Intelligence) that is built into the Accu-Track Advantage, many of these concerns that contractors have experienced have been greatly decreased," Gilpin and Mitchell say. "Since it is not just a matter of setting a device to operate at a certain level or feed a certain rate of material, there are verification devices to make sure that the equipment is operating under parameters and, in fact, is meeting the setpoints and guidelines. Stansteel was very honored to be granted a United States Patent for the Accu-Track Advantage and its unique characteristic to help the contractor make good hotmix asphalt repeatably and even change from one mix to another on-the-fly."

Silo safety systems take this one step further to help ensure that the truck is under the correct silo before dispensing the product.

"These systems are always “watching” thereby dramatically reducing the possibility of opening the wrong silo," Cardy says. "Silo safety systems are essential for any company that considers safety a priority.”

In terms of mix delivery, in the past, producers have resorted to spreadsheets, or mix sheets, or other methods to be certain of what goes into each mix.

Centralized management and dispatch systems integrate the operation and optimize hauling

"This is where a tool like mix scheduling software can come in very handy," Mekis says. "It is specifically made for scheduling asphalt plants, and provides live information to everyone on the operational team. PlantDemand is cloud based and has iOS and Android apps, so keeping the schedule updated is much easier. Also, when there is

But if there is not a good indicator to a plant operator of what supplier to use, the binder grade, or other factors, the communication must be at a top level.

Normally an error like this is caught prior to loadout, but exactly when it is caught can be the difference in running smoothly or needing to reschedule and delay a job.

The Importance of Cross Training to Mix Delivery The asphalt plant operators are the lifeblood of your company. If they are out for any reason, it’s important for the success of your company to have someone that can step in to do the job.

“The operator has many jobs and responsibilities not just at the plant, but dealing with phone calls, dealing with truck drivers, customers, scheduling inventory and many more functions, any Asphalt Automation Intelligence is a huge benefit to him and to the efficient and safe operation of the hotmix plant facility,” says Gilpin and Mitchell with Stansteel/Hotmix Parts. “We would also encourage companies to plan and have multiple people trained to operate the control systems and run the plant. So often, the entire operation is dependent on one person and if that person is sick or not available for one reason or another, it could shut down the whole operation.”

Furthermore, Gilpin and Mitchell say that too many plants are trying to run with only two people – the plant operator and the loader operator and it may be a good idea to change that.

“This means there are compromises made on maintenance, on accuracy and, since the plant operators are literally the hotmix heroes of the industry, they wear so many hats and do so many jobs, it is better to help them focus on making mix correct and in the quantities desired.”

Automation can help. Machine monitoring systems can remove many of the routine tasks that can be performed better by automated and artificial intelligence and alert the operator if there is a problem or deviation or even do sequential or emergency shutdowns, depending on the severity of the issues and plant production integrity.

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PRODUCTION NOTES a good calendar view where sales or dispatch can record orders (and changes to orders) further out, it gets people looking out further than just a few days or a week or two. Since it has a lot of room for specifying mix ID/names and input materials with their corresponding suppliers, it is easier to know exactly what to make and what should go in it."

RIGHT TECH, RIGHT TIME On top of getting the right mix out the door, if you are an asphalt plant owner that also paves, you want to make sure you're getting the mix out in timely manner. This is where having a dispatch module in place comes in handy as well.

"Sophisticated dispatch modules are available to help optimize hauling for each order," Cardy says. "When coupled with GPS, the dispatch module is an invaluable tool for maintaining proper truck spacing, not only to ensure that the paver is never held up, but also to ensure the job is not over trucked. The result is a highly profitable reduction in overall trucking costs. With truck costs of $150,000 to $180,000 per year,

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saving one to two trucks a day really adds up."

The dispatch modules also provide feedback on driver behavior as well as when waste is occurring during the delivery cycle.

When looking to invest in technology, make sure you're going to get exactly what you need out of it.

"Plant owners should consider tools made specifically for a task, which are simple, easy to implement, easy for their people to use, and - as we have learned in 2020 - can aid people working remotely," Mekis says. "A few years ago, several plant managers would be looking for a tool that “does it all”, but now with integration and APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) there is the capability to connect several great tools without having to wait for the unicorn to arrive. PlantDemand, truck tracking applications, Command Alkon and other important tools have developed APIs to give the plant managers the value they desire by getting the information into a central dashboard or report.

Mekis says that it is also important that these tools are made for ease of usage for the everyday busy lives of plant people. It is a common mistake for management to focus only on their own reporting needs when selecting software, but making sure that the tools get acceptance from the team is very important for adoption and low error rates.

At the end of the day, investing in these types of technologies will save your business both money and headaches down the road.

"Asset management is an important aspect of the materials business," Mekis says. "Although typically there may not seem to be a direct value to a customer’s bottom line, there is an impact to availability, sustainability/longevity of the operation and eventually a direct value to the customer."

For more information on asphalt plant technology, visit ForConstructionPros. com/21066739

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In July 2020, Sapphire Gas Solutions was formed by joining Blue Roads Solutions and Thigpen Solutions into one company company.

The newly formed Sapphire Gas Solutions is still committed to focus on serving the road construction industry with the same quality product fueling capabilities.

NEW NAME, SAME PASSION FOR EXCELLENCE IN ASPHALT Sapphire e Gas Solutions is a T Texas based LNG and CNG natural gas in the utility, industrial, and pipeline industries.

Through years of experience provide LNG and CNG to asphalt plants, pipeline integrity projects, supplemental winter gas supplies, and a myriad of other applications, Sapphire is a true, national, virtual pipeline solution.

In addition to our emphasis on Asphalt Plants and Remote Power Generation, we now also help with: inter supply ea y fuel replacement ipeline integrity

ipeline curtailments Supplemental pipeline supply mergency pipeline outages

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PRODUCTION NOTES Astec M-Pack Relocatable Facility

Meeker Baghouse Built for asphalt plant use in sizes up to 120,000 cfm.

• Jet-pulse design great for retrofit applications • Solenoid valves enclosed for easy operation in cold weather • Even distribution of air across baghouse ForConstructionPros. com/10084028

The M-Pack plant is engineered as a set of modules, which are transported by truck and bolted-up at the site.

• Astec tests each component before shipping to ensure a hassle free setup • Full-sized control rooms, large silos, high production capacity and excellent maintenance access • VFD controlled air flow reduces electrical cost ForConstructionPros.com/10091043

Gencor Quick Draw Silo

Heatec's Additive Storage Tank Heatec storage tank for liquid additive at a HMA plant.

• Heated by hot oil and also available with electric heating • Available with or without insulation • Also available in horizontal/ portable configuration • Available in a variety of capacities

Gencor Industries Quick Draw is a unique concept that combines both fast load-out time and reduced segregation.

• The Quick Draw silo system is designed to eliminate the jogging or reversing of trucks while on the scale ForConstructionPros. com/10092370

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Libra Systems PlantWise PlantWise Drum Mix Control System offers advanced automation for asphalt drum mix plants.

• Adaptability for retrofit or total plant control of nearly any plant • Extensive use of high-speed networking to increase accuracy and reduce wiring • Integral manual control via software control "panels" • Easy calibration of plant equipment • Real-time trending of key process parameters • Fully graphic operator interface • Instantaneous production rate changes • Tracks equipment maintenance and re-calibration schedules • Facilitates future expansion ForConstructionPros. com/10565024

ALmix Duo Drums ALmix Duo Drum Plants feature independent aggregate drying and asphalt mixing drums.

• Longer dryers incorporate early entry RAP system • Big diameter dryers reduce minus 200 carryout • Higher speed mixers thoroughly incorporate additives • Light ends are incinerated by the main plant burner • Both skid mounted and highly portable configurations are available • Models available from 160 to 600 tph

E

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Stansteel Accu-Track Total Plant Control The Accu-Track Control system is designed to properly meter and proportion all ingredients on a plant.

• Series of closed loop fail-safe and feedbacks in order to real-time correct the process in order to verify that run rates and flow rates are meeting their specified target

Fro for win are

We

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From innovative designs to Caterpillar dealer service and support, Weiler is paving the way to success for contractors across North America. Weiler’s material transfer vehicles, commercial pavers, road wideners, windrow elevators, static split-drum compactors, soil stabilizers, rock drills, tack distributors and front mount screeds are engineered with innovative features to increase productivity while reducing operating costs.

Weiler equipment is sold and serviced exclusively at Caterpillar dealers throughout North America.

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PRODUCTION NOTES Systems Equipment 1292 Material Temperature Capture

Tarmac Dryers Tarmac’s counter-flow dryers offer longer combustion flights for better flame development.

• Moving slinger belt to adjust gas temperature to baghouse • Three RAP entry location options for higher RAP percentages • Insulation available • Trunnion or chain drive

Non-contact infrared temperature measurement at time of load provides a tool to determine when burner temps should be adjusted to assure that asphalt is applicationready when it is delivered.

• Infrared enclosure measures approx. 4.5 in. high by 3 in. wide by 3 in. deep • One temperature probe included to accommodate material temperature capture for one silo ForConstructionPros.com/12175947

Ammann ABP HRT Asphalt-Mixing Plant

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MINDS, Inc. BatchTronic Full Asphalt Batch Plant Automation Control With the number of screens ranging from one to four and a 'zero console' option, the BatchTronic fits all types of asphalt plants and budgets.

• The system has the capacity to control all asphalt plant operations or just the tower • An industrial grade computer with security and redundancy features ensures reliable operation ForConstructionPros. com/20864797

Maxam Recycle Systems Maxam's Recycle Systems are available for drum and batch plants.

• Skid-mount RAP bin designed to eliminate plugging or no-flow conditions • ¼-inch-thick AR bin walls standard • Dual roll breaker reduces RAP with high-speed self-relieving revolving drums • Manganese cutting teeth on double extra-heavy wall rollers

ADM EX120 Asphalt Plant

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ForConstructionPros. com/20988239

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Asphalt Drum Mixers redesigned the EX 120 asphalt plant as a solution for producers who need a portable counterflow plant that can process high percentages of RAP. • Single-drum counterflow technology with separate drying and mixing zones • 120-tph unit meets all federal and state emission regulations • Can process as much as 50% RAP • Shorter length makes the plant even easier to transport, while taking up even less space on the job site, making it the ideal asphalt plant for remote and demanding locations worldwide • One-person operation • Customized components include cold feed bins, hot oil asphalt cement tanks (both horizontal and vertical), direct-fired horizontal cement tanks, portable and stationary baghouses, mineral filler systems, RAP systems, self-erect and stationary silos, weigh and drag conveyors, weigh batchers and fuel oil tanks ForConstructionPros.com/12315118

The ABP HRT (High Recycling Technology) plant is an ideal fit for asphalt manufacturers who need to incorporate large proportions of RAP without sacrificing production capacity and quality.

• The HRT is a “two-in-one” plant featuring both warm and cold recycling systems that can be used in combination • There are two warm recycling systems to choose from; one is the conventional RAP dryer for RAP additions of up to 60 percent

CMI E3 RAP-STAR Series Drum Mixer The E3 line of continuous counterflow drum mixers marks the newest technology in drum design, combining high productivity and high RAP percentage capabilities.

• Available as portable drums in capacities from 200 to 500 tph and as relocatable and stationary drums in capacities from 200 to 600 tph • Continuous full-length main shell is surrounded by an outer RAP drum that fully heats RAP before mixing it with virgin aggregate and AC ForConstructionPros. com/12320479

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JOBSITE INNOVATIONS |

BY JESSICA LOMBARDO, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kevin Smith, Emery Sapp & Sons

EMERY SAPP & SONS Navigates Massive I-44 Design Build Project

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The Missouri-based company self-performs nearly 75% of the work, allowing the project to be completed ahead of schedule

A

ccording to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, one in three bridges in the United States are structurally deficient. That means there are 178 million daily crossings by Americans on over 46,100 structurally deficient bridges. Of the 24,494 bridges in the state of Missouri, 2,146, or 8.8 percent, are classified as structurally deficient.

In 2019, the state began I-44 Project Bridge Rebuild. The goal of the project was to repair 19 bridges along Interstate 44 in the southwest portion of the state.

Focus on the I-44 infrastructure was critical to the state as it is a significant national freight route, carrying more than 230 million tons of freight worth over $433 billion. More than 1.3 million jobs nationwide depend on I-44 in Missouri and more than 35 percent of through-freight originates from as far as Arizona, California and Texas.

In 2015, Missouri had the sixth highest percentage of combination trucks utilizing its interstates in the nation.

The existing bridges on the route were built as part of original I-44 construction in the 1960s and the bridges were deteriorating, requiring major work to keep them safe for travel.

"For Project Bridge Rebuild, we offered up 31 bridges within the project limits for design-builders to consider," Greg Chapman, southwest district construction and materials engineer at the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT) says. "The contract amount was established to be $31.1 million. We knew there was no way to address all 31 bridges with the dollars available, however, we wanted to address as many

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as possible in the poorest condition. We created innovative scoring criteria that allotted the highest amount of points for addressing the bridges in the poorest condition. This methodology directed teams to focus on the poorest bridges first as they worked their way through the list. This approach put us in line with our goal to maximize as many of the worst condition bridges within the contract amount."

Ten of the bridges identified for repair on Project Bridge Rebuild were already in poor condition. In addition, nine others were on the verge of being classified as in poor condition.

In April of 2019, Emery Sapp & Sons (ESS) was selected to complete the work on this design build job. They were to

improve the 19 bridges along 30 miles of I-44 between Sarcoxie and Halltown.

The work required them to replace 13 bridges completely and rehabilitate six more. The job had a $31,100,000 design and construction budget and was scheduled for completion by December 15th, 2020. The crew completed the work November 15th, 2020, a month earlier than expected and a full year earlier than the original completion date proposed by MODOT. A project of this type that spans across multiple seasons however, is bound to encounter it’s fair share of problems and the crew at ESS rose to the challenge of each one.

Copyright @ Adri Guyer Photographer

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NO ONE OFFERS MORE THAN ASTEC Our commitment to serving our customers in the asphalt pavement industry drives us to be our best, from our full-service engineering department eager work with you to configure a plant to meet your needs, to our logistics and construction crews ready to get your plant delivered and operational. Astec plants are all backed by after the sale parts and service support. You can count on us as your single source for complete plants, component equipment, parts and service.

SALES: 423.867.4210

All specifications subject to change with or without notice. | Products shown are representative, details may vary. | Equipment shown with options at additional cost.

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JOBSITE INNOVATIONS Copyright @ Adri Guyer Photographer

KEEPING THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC Coordination and communication are keys to success when trying to coordinate a project of this size. During work, ESS had to keep at least one lane of I-44 open in each direction at all times and maintaining the flow of traffic was a challenge.

“I-44 is one of the busiest roads in the state and is the largest freight corridor,” Jeremy Bexten, project manager at ESS says. “With the number of big trucks traveling the route at all hours, maintaining traffic flow was tough. We were able to work the MODOT and the highway patrol to successfully get the work done while minimizing traffic impacts.”

ESS deployed the largest smart work zone ever implemented in the State of Missouri. They used message boards spread from West of Joplin to East of Springfield that would alert motorists well in advance if any delays were occurring.

"This was extremely helpful on the large travel holidays and weekends,"

Bexten adds. "With major colleges and easy access to tourist destinations traveling down I-44, those routine travelers relied on those dynamic and always changing messages to get them to the fast route around the back ups."

These message boards and cameras were made accessible to the highway patrol, so they could quickly identify the cause of the back up and clear the accident or respond to the scene if needed.

ESS also utilized intuitive segment configurations to help with work zone safety.

"These bridge bundles were paired with the largest smart work zones our district has seen," Chapman says. "The segmentation of the project allowed the contractor to bundle multiple bridges under one traffic control set up, maximizing efficiency, saving time and minimizing impact to drivers. The smart work zones utilized 36 electronic

P P o a d o

Copyright @ Adri Guyer Photographer

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JOBSITE INNOVATIONS

message boards strategically placed along the entire 30-mile length of the project, alerting drivers to traffic delays and directing them to alternative routes when necessary. This provided for the least impact to traffic, and improved safety and access for emergency responders."

ROUTE 96 CHALLENGES While most of this project involved the ESS excavation, grading and bridge construction crews, the asphalt paving division did self-perform work in several areas, including under a corrugated structure in the cities of Halltown and Mt. Vernon.

“A majority of this project was bridge replacements with minimal grade and pavement changes,” Bexten says. “A couple locations, like Route H in Mt. Vernon and Route 96 in Halltown, had vertical clearance issues that were able to be corrected by lowering the road under the bridges.

One of our major innovations on the job was the use of a corrugated steel arch in place of replacing four bridges.

This removed four future maintenance issues from MODOT's list and reduced the cost of construction. The life on these structures will be longer than a standard new bridge in these locations.”

The Route 96, location where one of these arches was to be installed, posed several challenges for the crew. The first one being the actual geometry of the roadway.

“The existing roadway is on a curve and has a non-traditional ramp layout,” Bexten says. “This creates confusion and slows traffic down in the area.

Because of the curve in the interstate, we were not able to raise the grade of I-44 to create the clearance we needed to get the arch under the existing bridges. We decided to lower Route 96 instead.”

ESS Investing in the Future 2020 may have been a slow year for some companies, but not for ESS. Founded in 1972, ESS is a 100% employee-owned multifaceted contractor who thrives on delivering complex heavy civil projects by developing innovative infrastructure solutions.

ESS has grown into a team of more than 1,400 employeeowners that are experts in excavation, grading, underground utilities, bridge construction and asphalt and concrete paving.

In 2019, ESS doubled in size adding three new civil construction partner companies with asphalt expertise to it’s family of brands.

Hutchens Construction, LLC (Cassville, MO), AchenGardner Construction, LLC (Chandler, AZ) and Premier Testing Laboratories, LLC (HannibalPalmyra, MO), all joined the ESS team in 2019 helping them grow their commitment to asphalt paving for years to come.

All photos copyright @ Adri Guyer Photographer

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JOBSITE INNOVATIONS Copyright @ Adri Guyer Photographer

able to dump about 3/4 of the load at the paver and the rest needed to be packed in.”

ESS used a pavement design of 9-in. of asphalt on 4-in. of base for a total tonnage of 2,100 tons.

On this one section of the entire I-44 project, the ESS team encountered under pavement problems which initially caused significant schedule impacts. The team worked six to seven days a week through August and September to fast-track construction and make sure this portion of the project finished on time.

In doing that, ESS ran into solid rock about 3-ft. above the elevation they needed to get to. The crew improvised and brought in a blasting subcontractor to loosen up the rock.

After blasting was complete in May, the crews then discovered this area had a very high water table and were forced to pump water almost nonstop until the arch construction was complete.

“Lowering Route 96 ended up being a major challenge,” Bexten says. “Once the excavation was complete, we keyed the footings of the arch into rock and built the arch. The arch construction was supposed to be the hardest part of this location but it ended up going very smoothly. Once the arch was complete, we backfilled the arch and paved the asphalt through the arch. We did concrete paving over the arch to provide some extra support to the fill over the arch where the backfill was thinner than normal.”

Paving underneath these structures also posed a few challenges for the asphalt division.

The previous pavement was removed by the ESS crew while they were lowering the roadway. They milled off the pavement and used a pavement hammer to break up the concrete that was underneath.

“During paving, we struggled with the fact that the dump trucks couldn't raise their beds completely inside the arch,” Bexten says. “We were usually

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CHALLENGES DON’T STOP PRODUCTION Because ESS was able to self-perform the asphalt paving work, they could make up some of the time initially lost due to the previous challenges they encountered. By completing this work with their own asphalt division, ESS was also able control the timeline that it needed to be completed, speeding up construction while also ensuring the quality of the work.

Additionally, like many companies, ESS experienced short-term shutdowns due to COVID-19. ESS pushed through these challenges to make sure they were able to open Route 96 as soon as possible.

The entire project was completed on December 15th, 2020 and ESS will warranty the work for one year, handling any issues that may arise before the one-year inspection.

MODOT says the total programmed amount for this job was $36.1 million and it's anticipated the project will come in under budget by approximately $1.5 million.

"This project was a true success for MODOT," Chapman says. "We addressed a large number of bridges in definite need on one of our most critical roadways, while improving safety at the same time. The project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget."

MODOT says that one of the reasons the project was so successful was due to the communication with the team at ESS. "One of the biggest keys to success was establishing team goals and making sure all decisions were based on those goals," Chapman says.

"Partnering was also a huge key to success. In addition, high levels of communication were imperative to ensure issues were resolved timely, team members were consistently informed of project events and issues, and schedule discussions consistently had to take place to ensure we delivered the project on time to our customers."

ESS considers this project a huge success for their company as well and despite the challenges this project held for the crew, the team was able to overcome each one and learn from their experiences.

“Don't underestimate the unknowns on a design-build job,” Bexten says.

“When a contractor assumes the risk of the design, they need to be prepared for anything. We encountered water and rock where we shouldn’t have. We had railroad delays, COVID-related challenges, flooding and snow. When you have a job that lasts multiple years and several seasons, you can expect to see everything.”

For more information on design build projects, visit ForConstructionPros. com/21076180

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JOBSITE INNOVATIONS Sakai SW652ND Roller The 58-in.-wide SW652ND high-frequency, double-drum oscillating roller can also serve as a double-drum vibratory roller.

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The EZ IV Screed features advanceddesign heating elements that are in direct contact with the upper surface of the main screed plate for even, controllable heat.

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Weiler's W730 Road Widener offers a large hopper capacity and high-production conveyor to keep material flowing.

• 30-in. wide conveyor belt travels at speeds ranging from 0 to 800 fpm • The large-capacity receiving hopper has a 9-ft. 4-in. opening and hydraulically raises and lowers 14 in. allowing for easy loading on trucks • Capable of widening from one to 14 ft. with a working depth from 12 in. above grade to 12 in. below grade

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Roadtec RP-170e Asphalt Paver The 174-hp RP-170e rubber-tire 8-ft. highway class paver features a 6-ft. 4-in. wheelbase designed to offer greater maneuverability without sacrificing traction or pushing power.

• 10-ft. 5-in. hopper width with a 11.5-ton capacity • Tight turning radius of 30 in.

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LeeBoy 6150 Asphalt Paver The 6150 Asphalt Paver has a Kubota Tier 4 Final engine.

• Enhance hydraulic system optimizes system performance • Paving width: 8-ft.to 15-ft.

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TransTech PQI 380 TransTech Systems flagship product, the PQI 380 non-nuclear asphalt density gauge. Precise pavement density measurement almost instantly (3 seconds) without the hassle of nuclear regulatory training and certification.

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Hamm GRW 280i Pneumatic Roller The GRW 280i pneumatic roller updates its predecessor with subtle design changes and a new 114-hp Deutz Tier 4i-compliant engine.

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JOBSITE INNOVATIONS Dynapac Small Asphalt Roller Line

Volvo P7110B and P7170B Tier 4 Final Pavers The P7110B tracked and P7170B wheeled pavers offer 360° visibility, improved fuel efficiency with 12+ hours of continuous runtime without refueling and options to enhance productivity and mat quality.

• Volvo D8J, 8-liter, Tier 4 Final engine uses continuous passive regeneration and boasts a more than 5% improvement in fuel efficiency • Press of a button extends the twostage, 42-in. hydraulic tunnels, allowing head of material control without bolt-on extensions • Include a range of screed options and a four-sensor material flow system ForConstructionPros. com/12185798

Case DV209CD and DV210CD Combination Vibratory Rollers

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Dynapac’s small range of articulated compact tandem rollers — the CC900, CC1000, CC1100, CC1200 and CC1300 — maximize productivity and ease of maintenance with their easily accessible parts.

• CC1100, CC1200 and CC1300 compact tandem rollers with operating weight of 3,700 to 8,600 lbs. are available in two configurations: dual steel vibratory drums or as combi versions; all double-drum models include vibration and drive on both drums ForConstructionPros.com/12216036

Caterpillar AP1055F Asphalt Paver The AP1055F high-production, rubber track paver provides a 25-ft. maximum paving width using the SE60-Series or XW-Series screeds.

• 225-hp Tier 4 Final engine with Ecomode and automatic engine speed control

Vögele Introduces Witos to Paving Applications • At the end of a day's paving, job-site reports are sent automatically by e-mail to selected recipients • The app and the paver are networked via WLAN, so information can be exchanged between the machine and the foreman’s smartphone even where there is no mobile phone connection

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• 100-hp Deutz engine that is Tier 4 Final certified • Optional compaction meter and infrared thermometer monitor material stiffness and temperature in real time

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The PAVE-TM automatically provides non-contact measurement of layer thickness during asphalt paving.

• MPC-120 controller works in conjunction with Sonic-Ski PLUS and its four high-precision ultrasound sensors to calculate layer thickness in real-time • GDC-320 display on the paver's outer control panel continuously shows current thickness of the surface course, base course or binder course ForConstructionPros.com/20976154

RoadHog G5HD Heavy-Duty Cold Planer The Generation 5 HD (G5HD) heavy-duty cold planer for skid steers is equipped with a Fairfield 7HBX planetary coupled to a Sauer M44 piston motor.

• It can achieve up to an 8-in. cutting depth for optimal base repair and stabilization work

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PRESERVATION UPDATE Diamond grinding achieves rideability on SC 544.

Photo courtesy of Jay Thompson

*C

M an

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D A Au

Innovative Thick-Lift Asphalt Design Facilitated by

DIAMOND GRINDING With a prevalence of potholes in the existing asphalt, SC 544 required significant rehabilitation and a non-traditional mill & fill application helped revive the severely deteriorated highway

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S

outh Carolina’s “Grand Strand” is a stretch of Atlantic Ocean beachfront that is home to 14 coastal communities. The area is a major vacation destination, drawing more than 19 million visitors annually and creating heavy travel on local roads.

Four-lane highway SC 544 in Conway, SC is one of the primary routes to the southern end of the Grand Strand, which includes Surfside Beach, Garden City, Murrells Inlet and several large campgrounds. Years of traffic—not only

during the summer season, but yearround—had taken their toll. A section of SC 544 was severely deteriorated, with a prevalence of potholes in the existing asphalt, requiring significant rehabilitation.

As part of the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) 2020 Pavement Improvement Plan, three separate sections of SC 544 were repaved, totaling about four miles of replacement. A noteworthy aspect of the project was the thickness of the lift.

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PRESERVATION UPDATE

An aerial view of Highway 544 in South Carolina.

Photo courtesy of Palmetto Corp.

“While a 2-in. mill and overlay is standard for this area, this project required a 5-in. mill and overlay conducted in a one-lift operation,” explained Justin Richardson, senior resident engineer with SCDOT. “No one in this area has performed this scope of work before.”

“Thicker lifts allow us to work through the winter. Extra thickness retains heat and helps to facilitate compaction—which can be difficult to achieve with thin layers during cold weather,” explained Jay Thompson, former state pavement design engineer at SCDOT, now with SEPI Engineering & Construction, Inc. “Another benefit to thicker lifts is that they can improve safety by matching existing elevations, as opposed to having drop-offs that are created between one night’s work and the adjacent lane. They also eliminate the need for driving on milled surfaces, since there are no temporary surfaces used during one-lift operations.

Production may be increased by performing a single thick lift, as well.”

SCDOT has been working to conduct more thick, single-lift mill and overlay operations for several years.

“Prior to the SC 544 project, we had performed several thick lift applications for interstate reconstruction,” said Thompson. “We knew that these

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applications resulted in structurally sound pavement. But we were looking for a more cost-effective way to achieve rideability.”

During any asphalt pavement installation, rideability can be adversely affected by the “bump” that is created when a paver starts and stops work. Thick lifts are particularly vulnerable to these discontinuities since thinner, additive layering can correct problem areas from previous placements. Typically, a final surface layer of asphalt is applied to achieve smoothness. But diamond grinding, in which a thin layer of pavement is removed using a stack of closely spaced diamond tipped saw blades, is a more cost-effective solution, and it conserves resources, as well.

SCDOT had previously participated in a study conducted at the National Center for Asphalt Technology in which diamond grinding had proven its value on a test strip. To understand diamond grinding's full capability in highway applications, and to create a spec for the SC 544 work, SCDOT turned to the International Grooving & Grinding Association (IGGA).

“The IGGA was instrumental in helping us put together the spec. They gave us examples from other states where the same type of work had been performed,” said Thompson.

PROJECT EXECUTION ENCOUNTERS CHALLENGES SC 544’s existing 4-in. to 5-in. asphalt layer was worn on top, but underneath, the road base was in good condition despite the fact that it was constructed at different times and of various materials, including cement-treated and graded aggregate foundations.

While thinner courses of asphalt flatten in comparatively predictable ways under the pressure of asphalt rollers, the use of a 5-in. lift resulted in several “unknowns” for the project team to address. One of these was the percentage of compaction, sometimes called “rolldown,” that would occur in the asphalt mat. Thick lifts can complicate the compaction process because of their tendency to displace. The project team took special care to determine the rolldown value, with roadway contractor Palmetto Corporation General Contractors performing various trial runs prior to placement of asphalt on SC 544, comparing the asphalt mat’s thickness immediately after placement by the paver to its thickness after compacting operations. A related concern was that specified asphalt roadway density be achieved. Crews measured density during the asphalt laydown process, verifying that all of the asphalt roadway densities met or exceeded the specified standards.

Another challenge for the project team was that the work had to be performed at night. Complex lane closures were required because of the many residences, schools and businesses located along SC 544, as well as the fact that delivery services depend upon SC 544 to transport goods supporting the Grand Strand’s tourism industry. Despite the scope of pavement reconstruction work, the roadway needed to be reopened to traffic each morning, with no uneven lanes or milled surfaces remaining that could create issues for the travelling public.

The project team calculated the asphalt layer thickness to include adequate material above the existing concrete gutter, as well as above the

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PRESERVATION UPDATE

newly constructed adjacent travel lane, to accommodate the small amount of material that is removed during the diamond grinding process. The objective was a finished surface that achieved positive drainage across the entire pavement while maintaining the contract-specified asphalt layer thickness.

“While an additional pass over the road is required for diamond grinding, the cost is justified by the fact that the overall thick lift process extends our paving season—not to mention the improved finished product, as well as improved worker safety associated with getting on and off the road quickly,” said Eric Faulk, chief operating officer, Palmetto Corporation, who was the general contractor for the project.

SMOOTH & SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME In all, 106,632 square yards of pavement were diamond ground, creating an ultra-smooth, high friction and extremely quiet riding surface.

The SCDOT Office of Materials & Research conducted rideability tests, with the first test being performed after the new asphalt pavement was completed, prior to diamond grinding, and a second one performed after the diamond grinding was complete. Prior to grinding, International Roughness Index (IRI) measurements were as high as 132 inches-per-mile and the average smoothness was 80 inches-per-mile.

After grinding, IRI measurements were as low as 21 inches-per-mile and the average smoothness was 35 inchesper-mile. The average reduction in roughness was 56 percent.

“We removed a 1/4-in. layer from the project over the course of two and a half weeks, with minimal traffic disruption,” said Duff Parker, manager, grooving & grinding division, Swank Construction Company. Swank is based in Pittsburgh, PA and performs work in multiple states. "The surface was aesthetically pleasing and the ride was one of the smoothest that I've experienced.”

“This was a seamless process,”

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confirmed Faulk. “I can’t say enough good things about it. Initially, because our team was unfamiliar with diamond grinding asphalt, we were skeptical. But we were pleasantly surprised and are now encouraged that diamond grinding is a great solution. In fact, the team was able to achieve the maximum possible smoothness for this road—and in South Carolina, where there are financial incentives for contractors to improve rideability, fully meeting those goals is a real ‘win.’”

Aerial view of Highway 544 in South Carolina with an inset showing a close-up of the diamondground surface.

Photo courtesy or Palmetto Corp.

Furthermore, “diamond grinding proved successful in addressing a classic trouble spot when it comes to paving: the transition area between a bridge and the surrounding pavement,” continued Faulk. “On SC 544, the diamond grinding achieved a very smooth tie-in between the road and the bridge.”

An additional advantage to removing and replacing the entire 5-in. depth of asphalt in a single operation, according to Richardson, was that SCDOT found it to be a tidy process.

“Traditional mill and resurface operations can be very messy, with milling debris collecting in the gutters as well as pavement raveling creating debris on the roadway,” said Richardson. Because the single-lift operation conducted on SC 544 eliminated the use of temporary milled surfaces, and because the

thicker lift depth provided a more confined workspace, most of the debris associated with milling and raveling was eliminated.

Richardson, who served as the project manager representing the SCDOT – Horry Construction office, was responsible for ensuring that all work met or exceeded not only SCDOT standard specifications but all projectspecific special provisions, SCDOT supplemental specifications and more.

“I have served in various capacities on other asphalt resurfacing projects on various primary and secondary routes within the district,” said Richardson, “But this was the first project I worked on that involved diamond grinding of pavement. I found the project informative and engaging.”

The fast, clean project was also appreciated by local drivers.

“There were very few complaints from the traveling public about the work,” said Richardson.

The project was completed on May 31, 2020 and the total project value was $4,550,593.60 “In these uncertain times, innovative, cost effective treatments are more necessary than ever as highway funding fails to meet the needs of the driving public,” said John Roberts, executive director of the IGGA. “This is yet another example of how diamond grinding can speed production, increase safety and provide a high-quality pavement while maximizing the benefit of scarce taxpayer dollars. Kudos to the SCDOT for looking outside the box and finding success with their innovative endeavors.”

Kristin Dispenza has been a member of the AOE team since 2013, developing trends articles, case studies and other PR materials. She has more than 25 years of writing and editorial experience and can be reached at kristin.dispenza@ aoeteam.com.

For more information on pavement preservation, visit ForConstructionPros. com/21119266

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PRESERVATION UPDATE |

BY ALLAN HEYDORN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

CRACKSEALING “BEST P Starting the night before a job, here’s how to be productive and guarantee clients quality work

B

est practices for any cracksealing job start well before the job does and carries through all the way until the crew and equipment are back in the yard, readying for the next day.

And then it starts all over again.

Once the job has been awarded, planning starts and it’s important that both the crew leader and estimator are involved. That way the person leading the execution of the job will understand how the person who bid the work was thinking. But once the planning is done it’s time to go to work.

Let’s start at the end.

After the day’s work is done and the crew returns to the shop, manufacturers say the best practice is to ready the equipment for the next day. The goal is to enable the crew to get a quick start out of the yard the next morning and to eliminate any reason a crew member might have to be pulled off a job to go back to the yard to get something they forgot.

On-road cracksealing is usually a moving operation that requires extensive traffic control.

Photo courtesy Crafco Inc.

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OVERNIGHT CARE OF MATERIAL Once the crew returns to the yard, the first step is to take care of the material still left in the tank. Ben Thielbar, director at Cimline Inc., says it’s important to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations to properly cool down the sealant at the end of the day to prevent coking inside the tank.

Brandi M. Julian, Crafco Inc. training director, recommends leaving the material

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T PRACTICES” tank half full (or full just above the top of the agitator blades). “This does two things,” she says. “It enables the material to heat quicker in the morning and it gives you room to add new material.”

Most manufacturers recommend reheating material only one time – that means heating it, shutting down, then reheating it the next day. That constitutes one reheat and the material can’t be reheated again unless enough new material is added to rejuvenate what’s in the tank.

“If the tank is all the way filled, there’ s no room to add fresh material,” Julian says. “This leads to the potential to overcook the material or exceed the material’s pot life. Leaving room in the tank allows fresh material to be added in, resetting the pot life of the material in the tank.”

This process is designed to protect the integrity of the cracksealing material, but because it can withstand only one reheat, manufacturers offer overnight heaters to help shorten the heat time the next day. These overnight heaters keep the material heated at roughly 180°F, cutting heat time by as much as 50%.

Note that pot life is still a concern and fresh material should be added every 12-15 hours.

But Julian cautions, overnight heaters are for “over night only.”

Extended use keeping the same tank of sealant warm over an extended time period will lead to breakdown of the sealant and cause issues associated with that breakdown. “Any longer than that results in gelling and that means you have to shut down the entire tank, let it cool, and clean it out throughout including hoses, pump and the tank interior,” Julian says. “This is to be avoided at all costs.”

READY THE EQUIPMENT Once you’ve protected the material, contractors should take care of the machine and ready it for the next day. Thielbar recommends that each cracksealing machine have its own daily checklist, and crews should work through the checklist at the end of each day. Any problems discovered should be communicated to the crew leader and maintenance staff immediately so they can be fixed overnight.

While each contractor might develop their own checklist, Thielbar says the list should include checking the oil and grease points; blowing out and checking filters; and making a visual inspection of the sealing hose, wand, connections, sealant tank and pump. If the crew is using routers, inspect the router bits, blow out the filters and the radiator, and check the oil and grease points. A DOT daily trailer inspection sheet should also be used.

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Weeds or other vegetation should be treated prior to arriving at the job to do the work. A hot air lance will burn the weed but it may not kill the root and the root will grow through the sealant at a later date.

Photo courtesy Cimline

He adds that cleaning the unit should be considered because keeping the unit clean helps it last longer and operate properly. This is best done at the end of the day, rather than in the morning – or worse, a month or more later.

STOCK THE TRAILER Next, ready the unit for the next day’s work. That means stocking it with

Cracksealing on the Road Excluding traffic control and the job leader, the on-road cracksealing crew should include: • 1 operator of the melter • 1 driver of the tow vehicle • 1 operator of the skid-mounted compressor • 1 utility person (adds blocks to kettle, operates a squeegee if required, provides a safety set of eyes on his peers) These four members should rotate positions throughout the day to reduce fatigue, and the leader should fill in where required. The leader should always come to the job site with a prepared plan of action for the day’s activity. All breaks and stops should be planned.

Never stop at an intersection, for example. Work through it, then break.

54

enough sealant blocks for the day’s work. Consider loading 10% more material that you expect to use during the day as crack size and depth varies and cracks can widen or deepen between the time of the estimate and the work.

Then make sure to load all the tools that might be needed on the job, and make sure they’re in good shape. Also make sure to have enough consumables and wear parts such as tips, switches, fuses to get through the day without a delay. Julian recommends filling the machine with diesel each night when you head back to the shop. “This has a few benefits,” she says. “First, it eliminates the possibility of the crew accidentally forgetting to fill up in the morning. Second, it saves time, one less item to take care of in the morning.

And third, it’s a safety precaution that eliminates any risk of filling up a unit while it’s running or hot.”

PREPARING TO CRACKSEAL “Sealant requires adhesion,” Thielbar says. “Always clean vegetation from cracks, whether they’re on a parking lot or road. And cracks need to be dry, dry, dry. Moisture in the crack will ruin a crackseal job.”

Julian agrees. “First and foremost – all cracks must be prepared properly.

Clean and dry are the most important elements,” she says. “No matter how good the crew, the material, and/or the equipment – if the cracks are not properly cleaned and dried, the cracksealing project will result in failure; a waste of time and money for everyone.”

Thielbar says that a compressor with 60+ cfm and 150 psi can be used

to prepare a crack, a heat lance is the best practice and provides for best adhesion (short of routing, see below).

“A hot air lance is a great tool that can do many things for crack preparation including cleaning out debris, heating the pavement temperature to help improve bond with the material, cleaning out weeds if present, and eliminating any residual moisture not visible to the naked eye,” Julian says.

“When working in humid areas or when near the dew points, or in shaded areas, moisture in the crack may not be visible. Use of a hot air lance can perform the cleaning and drying operation all at once while improving adhesion.”

Thielbar adds that a clean crack will also keep secondary tools, such as squeegees, clean from picking up debris or contaminants while creating an overband.

ROUTING “Better preparation leads to higher customer satisfaction and less call backs on warranty repairs,” Thielbar says. That’s why routing of cracks prior to sealing has become increasingly common.

“Routing helps prepare the crack by removing sand, rocks, vegetation, debris and old, oxidized asphalt in the crack, providing a sound asphalt crack face for the sealant to adhere to,” Julian says.

“Routing results in better performance and better return on investment,” Julian says. “Eighty percent of cracksealing cost is labor, so if you double sealant service life you will improve ROI; that should yield customer satisfaction.”

Thielbar says that on commercial jobs, the preparation is often best done with a separate preparation crew, often sent out a day or more in advance of the cracksealing crew.

He says routing does take the longest of any crack preparation, but it will also extend the sealed cracks’ life to the longest possible range. “It is also the

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The crew leader and maintenance foreman should be in daily communication so repairs and preventive maintenance can be done in a timely manner to make sure equipment is performing optimally.

Photo courtesy Cimline

method that allows the least chance of failure when cracks are cleaned properly after being routed,” Thielbar says.

Julian says studies show that using compressed air and applying an overband provides 44 months of sealant service life. Routing can extend sealant service life to 70 months. But also key is using a high-quality sealant that is chosen for the specific traffic and climate conditions.

“Many sealants that were not good quality failed well before 44 months, so it is the prep along with the high

quality sealant that makes 44 months achievable,” she says.

“If you rout a reservoir, seal, and complete with a Band-Aid or overband, you can achieve a sealant service life of 90+ months,” Julian says. “So then the question becomes, if I rout the cracks, will that slow the crack sealing operation? The answer is simply no, routing will not slow down or decrease productivity of the crack sealing process.”

MATERIAL HANDLING ON THE JOB Manufacturers say that proper material handling can ease most cracksealing operations and make crews more productive. Improper material handling can not only reduce the on-the-job efficiency but can result in a poor-quality job.

Crews should load the tank about three-quarters full before heading to the jobsite in the morning. Depending on the size and efficiency of the unit, heating material should take an hour or less, giving the crew enough time to set up a staging area, begin any preparation and plan out their work once they arrive at the site.

Julian says that maintaining sealant temperature in the tank is imperative for productivity.

“Every sealant has an application temperature range provided by the manufacturer. Proper application temperature helps adhesion and bonding, so it’s important to apply it at the correct temperature.”

She says that to maintain sealant temperature, fresh material should be added equal to the amount of material being

Matching Equipment to Your Company Success in the cracksealing business starts with having the right equipment for the work you plan to do.

“Contractors should select a crack sealant melter that has the capacity to meet the productivity and volume of the projects they complete,” says Brandi M. Julian, training director at Crafco Inc. “A unit that is too small will not have the tank size or melt rate needed to keep up with the volume of material needed. This results in frequent delays as there is more material being placed than can be melted and heated to application temperatures.”

She says that on the other hand, a unit that is too large may be counterproductive if the material heated is more than will be used for the project. “This may result in overheating, coking of the melter, reheating too many times, or degrading the polymers or other elements engineered into the material.”

So, the size of the unit should be dictated by the amount of material you expect to place in a day.

“If your job is bigger than a driveway, or contains more than 2,000 ft. of cracks, get out of the direct-fire/10-gal. cart cracksealing business,” says Ben Thielbar, director at Cimline. “You need a larger unit to be productive and profitable in the sealing season. Why do one small job a day when you can do multiple with the same crew?”

Thielbar says that even though 150 gal. or 230 gal. kettles have a smaller tank, they heat faster, reheat faster, and are more economical on fuel consumption with lower BTU ratings of the diesel burner.

“Larger kettles like the 400-gal. units are there because the job requires a larger amount of material, more than 8,000 lbs. per day,” he says. “Larger kettles allow for a head start of liquid sealant so that the operator can dispense it at a rate faster than the melt rate of the kettle. This is common for dual lane practice and airports.”

He says any kettles larger than 400 gal. should be equipped with a dual pump option. “If dual pump is not needed for production on a typical job, the contractor is better to use a 230-gal. machine,” he says.

Julian says that as contractors begin doing larger operations, they should consider a skid-mounted unit, which they also can use as a feeder or nurse unit into the mini-melter. “Or use a mini-melter with a trailermounted unit,” she says. “We see a lot of different ways contractors use the mini-melters. You can feed a number of them from a skid- or trailer-mounted unit.”

Thielbar says the first time a contractor gets a job larger than a driveway or more than 2,000 lineal feet, they should consider moving up to a larger unit. He suggests renting a unit as a good option to gauge the benefit of increased productivity and production.

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place on the ground. Often this means adding a block or two every 3-5 minutes, depending on productivity and speed of the crew. “If you are loading more than three blocks at a time you are waiting too long to load the machine,” Thielbar says.

But adding a block of sealer to the melter lowers the temperature of the molten material, which affects the application temperature.

“If too much material is added to the tank at once, the cold blocks of unmelted material will cool the material in the tank and drop the temperature below the application temperature range. That means the crew will have to stop and wait for the temperature to rise again. Adding equal amounts of material as being placed is the key to maintaining application temperatures and productivity.”

She says that on a small operation using a 10-gal. melter/applicator, it takes a while for that block to melt, so crews

often must wait for most of it to melt before sealing. “In those situations, it’s best to use a mini-melter combined with some kind of feeder unit, such as 30-gal. or larger units,” she says.

Thielbar suggests that on larger melters, a power-loading conveyor eases and improves material handling. “You can load the boxes on the conveyor quicker than putting them individually into the machine so it gives you a head start and also promotes consistent loading which will help the maximum melt rate of the machine.”

Other tips include: • Consider “boxless” material, which costs a bit more per pound but improves melting efficiency, could require one fewer labor, and eliminates hauling of waste material at the end of the day.

• Keeping material clean, dry and free of contaminants will prevent delays caused by pump or tip clogs.

• Know and understand the temperature range and properties of the sealant you are working with.

DISC TIPS AND SQUEEGEES Once prepared, cracks are filled using a wand with a sealing disc tip or using a pipe tip or straight tip, followed by a squeegee. Both methods A swivel or sealing disc, designed for a one-person application, pushes the sealant into the crack and allows the operator to create an overband all in one pass. There are benefits to both a disc and a squeegee, and in some cases a squeegee can be used to “fine tune” material when using a disc.

Photo courtesy Crafco Inc.

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serve the same purpose – to force sealer down into the crack and create an overband to help prevent water seeping in and to smooth out the sealant. Which approach is used is often based on contractor preference and size of the job.

Sealing discs are useful partly because they are a one-person operation, reducing the number of laborers needed

on a job. The wand operator applies the material and creates the overband all in one operation.

If a pipe tip or straight tip is used, a squeegee must be used after. Whether a V or U squeegee is used is often a personal preference, but in some cases, depending on the speed of the person with the squeegee, you might want to opt for a V

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squeegee. There’s always a small puddle of material within the squeegee, and when using a U squeegee, you can end up with too big a puddle and a mess.

“Squeegees can help force sealant down into the crack and tight to the pavement surface, creating a great waterproof seal,” Julian says. “The more material you get down into the crack, the better it will accommodate the thermal movement as the seasons change.”

Thielbar says that especially when cracksealing on parking lots, a V squeegee is handy as it allows a second person to chase sealant down a crack and requires the crew to reposition the trailer machine less often.

“Regardless of the job, large cracks should be filled twice as material will settle,” Thielbar says. “In this method use the disc first, then follow up on the overband pass with a V squeegee.”

When cracksealing using a straight tip, the operator must get the tip down into the crack and fill the crack from the bottom up. Placing material near but not deep into the crack, relying on the squeegee guys to fill it, causes several problems: • Not filling the crack from the bottom, up, resulting in a lesseffective seal • Material is being wasted • Material is more difficult to spread and smooth Julian says the overband shouldn’t extend more than 1 in. beyond each side of the crack and should be 1/16 in. thick.

“You want it really tight to the pavement because it provides a better bond, promotes sealant longevity as well as vehicle safety and a smoother, nicer ride. It also helps in areas of snow removal because plows will rip up the material if it’s too thick.”

Using a squeegee (or multiple squeegees for high productivity) will require additional crew members but can increase productivity.

For more information on crack sealing, visit ForConstructionPros. com/20863052

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Index

 

 

   





  



       

          

             

            

Advertiser Index

PAGE

ALMix

9

Asphalt Drum Mixers Inc. (ADM)

18-19

Astec Inc.

34-35

Carlson Paving Products Inc.

67

Dynapac North America

23

Eager Beaver Trailers

55

Etnyre International

58

Gencor Industries Inc.

3, 5

Gorman-Rupp Co.

11

Homestead Valve

57

Ingevity

15

Kenco Eng. Inc.

37

LeeBoy Inc.

25

Meeker Equipment Co. Inc.

39

Minds Inc.

47

Paratherm

17

Pegasus Vans & Trailers Inc.

49

Roadtec

68

Sapphire Gas Solutions

27, 51

SealMaster

2

Superior Tire & Rubber Corp.

43

Systems Equipment

45, 60

Tarmac International Inc.

53

TransTech Systems Inc.

31

Weiler Products

29

Wirtgen America Inc.

7, 41

Get fast, relevant product information in the Buyers Guide at

ForConstructionPros.com www.ForConstructionPros.com/Asphalt

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FEBRUARY 2021 ASPHALT CONTRACTOR

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THE LAST EXIT |

BY JESSICA LOMBARDO, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Infrastructure Investment Equals Opportunity for Economy Improving the condition of U.S. infrastructure affects the nation’s economic performance

S

ince 1998, America's infrastructure has earned consistent D-grade averages from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). These consistently low grades for our roads, bridges, waterways and more have put the United States economy in an unfortunate position.

The ASCE has released a new report, Failure to Act: Economic Impacts of Status Quo Investment Across Infrastructure Systems that examines the implications of low infrastructure grades for America’s economic future. The report focuses on the incremental and gradual decline of infrastructure systems under current investment scenarios and shows that the impacts to our nation’s economy are exacerbated over time as needed investments are deferred.

Conversely, findings show that the positive economic impacts of infrastructure investment reverberate through every sector of the economy. Reliable, modern infrastructure is the underpinning of economic growth across communities.

"When we fail to act on infrastructure, we continue to pay the price," Thomas Smith, executive director of ASCE said during the report release call.

"Drivers get stuck in traffic, our systems are unreliable and the cost to do business all over the country increases and those costs get passed on to Americans."

The report indicates that total documented cumulative investment gap between projected needs and likely investment in these critical major infrastructure systems is more than $2.6 trillion by 2029, and more than $5.6 trillion

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by 2039. The long-term effects associated with infrastructure investments, long known to be a public safety issue, has a cascading impact on our nation’s economy, impacting business productivity, GDP, employment, personal income and international competitiveness.

Overall, if the investment gap is not addressed throughout the nation’s infrastructure sectors, by 2039 the economy is expected to lose more than $10.3 trillion in GDP. Losses are expected to include $2.4 trillion in exports, while imports into the U.S. economy will decrease by about $1.8 trillion, resulting in a $4 trillion loss of trade, and a further increase of $626 billion in our national trade deficit. As a result of this under performance, job losses will mount annually, and in 2039, the U.S. economy is predicted to support 3 million fewer jobs than under baseline conditions. The report estimates that about 47% of the jobs lost in 2039 will be in high wage and high production jobs including manufacturing, finance, insurance and real estate, professional services and healthcare.

“America’s infrastructure bill is overdue, and we have been ignoring it for years,” said Smith. “There’s no better way to jumpstart the economy, while also lessening the financial burden on businesses and families, than by making a down payment on our infrastructure now – transit systems, bridges, water treatment plants and the grid - to ensure these systems are sustainable, resilient and safe for communities across the nation.

Importantly, the report finds that if infrastructure investment continues at the current pace, American residents and businesses will suffer. The expected impact for every household in the U.S. will be an average loss of more than $3,300 per year in disposable income through 2039. That's nearly $60,000 in money lost from every family.

INFRASTRUCTURE HOPE UNDER BIDEN The most important finding of the report is that infrastructure deterioration is progressive, and the economic effects will dramatically escalate over time from a business as usual approach. The good news is that much of the economic declines from worsening infrastructure, particularly those forecast from 2030— 2039, can be prevented with thoughtful investment programs that address documented deficiencies.

The Biden transition team has indicated they are ready to move on infrastructure very quickly and this leadership on a national level will ensure infrastructure funding will receive the support it needs to get something done, and hopefully quickly.

However, we still need to deal with the financing and the 117th Congress will be faced with how to fund an infrastructure program that is sustainable for the future.

The asphalt industry have been tireless advocates for the infrastructure funding our country so desperately needs, however there is a longterm cost to doing this and our Congress needs to be prepared to help move us forward. Without federal support, worsening conditions are likely to accelerate and our country can't afford to wait.

"We have a crisis we have to solve, this is a way to do that. We have to find people jobs and put them back to work.

This is a way to do that. Infrastructure investment checks all the boxes to get the economy moving again," Smith concludes.

For more information on infrastructure funding, visit ForConstructionPros.com/ Infrastructure

www.ForConstructionPros.com/Asphalt

1/27/21 3:41 PM

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