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November 14 2009
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Vol. XV • No. 23
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“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”
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Your Ohio Connection: Ed Bryden, Strongsville, OH • 1-800-810-7640
ODOT Opts for New Path on Way to Repairing Roads By Linda J. Hutchinson CEG CORRESPONDENT
Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has tried something new when it comes to road repair. “Hot mix and cold patching sometimes aren’t enough to patch those pesky, re-occurring potholes. That is why ODOT District 2 has invested in the ‘hottest’ weapon to fight the ongoing battle of ODOT vs. road — the DuraPatcher,” said Theresa Pollick, ODOT District 2 public information officer. Nat Alford of Duraco Inc., of Jackson, Miss., credits DuraPatcher distributor Mark Leaders of Leader Machinery Co. LLC in Middletown, Ohio, for sales to ODOT districts 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 — which owns two. All of those purchased by ODOT are the trailer mounted machines. The city of Hilliard, Ohio, also owns a DuraPatcher. According to Alford, these are very simple machines. Duraco Inc., part of Cimline Pavement Maintenance Group, “manufactures and sells DuraPatcher trailer mounted and truck mounted units. The trailer mounted units operate with two people, one in the truck one on ground. There also is a two-person truck mounted unit. The truck mounted DuraMaxx is a one-person unit; the operator does everything from the cab of truck—it’s fully automated.” “The trailer-mounted is the biggest seller,” said Alford. “Pricing is the low to mid-$60K range.” Duraco, Inc. “also sells the DuraMaxx model with pricing in the high $100K range that includes the truck.” “We’ve been building the DuraPatcher for over 20 years in Pearl, Miss., and sell in North America and overseas. We’re the number one seller in the world of this type of machine,” said Alford Over the years they’ve improved on some small things like a larger drain port for the tank, a larger fill lid, and heat exchange efficiency, but today’s design is really close to
The purchasers of DuraPatchers are typically state DOTs, city street departments and county road departments.
where it’s been all along, according to Leaders. The DuraPatchers in the ODOT fleet use “spray injection which allows compressed air to do the job of three men,” according to the Duraco website. “Instead of men with
shovels, tampers and hot mix, the DuraPatcher system cleans the area, applies a tack coat, sprays the emulsion/aggregate mix into the pothole with sufficient see REPAIR page 6
New Four-Lane Highway 330 Interchange Opens in Ohio The final phase of the expansion of U.S. 30 between Ohio 235 and Upper Sandusky was completed when an interchange at County Highway 330 and new U.S. 30 west of Upper Sandusky opened to traffic. “There are a few signs yet to be installed and some minor pavement markings to be placed and that is all that remains to be
done,” said Tim Burkepile, Ohio Department of Transportation District 1 deputy director. Work to eliminate the last twolane segment of U.S. 30 in northwest Ohio in Hancock and Wyandot counties began in 2005. The new, four-lane highway was opened to traffic in November of last year which allowed motorists for the first time to travel four-
lane U.S. 30 from the Indiana state line to Canton. The completion of U.S. 30 through northwest Ohio marks the end of a 40-year plan to expand the route. The 26-mi., limited-access, four-lane highway was constructed on a new alignment one-half mi. south of the existing route. The project included interchanges at SR 235,
U.S. Route 68 and State Route 37 in Hancock County, and at County Road 330 in Wyandot County. Last year, transportation officials made the decision to delay the completion of the interchange at County Highway 330 in order to concentrate on getting the fourlane highway opened to traffic. “It was always our goal to open
the highway as soon as possible and we accomplished that by constructing the interchange last,” said Burkepile. “The opening of four-lane U.S. 30 could have occurred much later had we not made that decision,” he said. The $98.8 million project was constructed under a joint venture between E. S. Wagner of Oregon and Shelly Co. of Findlay.