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2022 STATE OF THE ROAD BUILDING INDUSTRY
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2022 STATE OF THE ROAD BUILDING INDUSTRY: Let’s Get to Work
The sector is well-positioned to take advantage of the long-term, sustainable funding infrastructure legislation will provide.
Each year, the State of the Road Building Industry report seeks to provide some idea of what the year ahead will bring. After a long 2021, this year brought even more challenges, with rising prices, lack of people and a whole lot of unpredictability.
Yet, after many, many months of debate, the sector finally received some good news with the passage of the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA), which promises $1.2 trillion for infrastructure over the next five years. This marked the first time since 2015 that a significant infrastructure bill has been passed by Congress and represents bipartisan support for infrastructure spending that will benefit all 50 states.
In each of the next five years, the federal government will now spend the equivalent of about 1% of GDP on roads, bridges, rail, public transit, water systems, broadband, power systems and more. It is the largest such investment in more than a generation. It will raise federal infrastructure spending to its highest share of GDP since the early 1980s.
While the bill is not perfect, and there will be struggles in completing this work with the current state of the labor market and supply chain, there are many reasons to be optimistic for the foreseeable future. Let’s see what industry experts have to say about it and its long-lasting benefits.
IT’S FINALLY INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK
Q: After years of waiting and 10 months of debate, Congress passed the IIJA. How will this investment impact the road building industry and the U.S. economy?
Dr. Alison Black, senior vice president & chief economist, American Road & Transportation
Builders Association (ARTBA): The passage of the IIJA will provide a significant boost in federal transportation investment that will impact every state highway, bridge and transit program. The increase in the federal-aid highway program is truly historic — this is the largest boost in funding since the first two years of the program over 60 years ago.
The IIJA offers a generational opportunity to repair and modernize every state’s transportation system, while simultaneously delivering tangible economic benefits for years to come: ˜ On average, federal funds account for over 50% of state spending on capital outlays. The additional resources will help states address their capital programs and it is likely that states will move projects up the pipeline. ˜ We expect highway and bridge construction activity to increase in 2022 as projects supported by the IIJA get underway. Spending will ramp up in 2023 and 2024 as work continues and new projects get started. ˜ This multi-year spend-out of funds will support market activity for many years. A recent report on the IIJA by IHS Markit found that 43% of the IIJA money is spent after 2026, continuing to have a positive impact in the long term. ˜ The same report by IHS Markit found that the new investment under the IIJA will support over 250,000 jobs, increase federal, state and local tax revenues by $160 billion and add an average of $500 in annual personal disposable income per household. They estimate that every $1 invested to fix our roads generates $3.60 in economic activity.
Edward Mortimer, vice president, transportation infrastructure, U.S. Chamber Of Commerce
(U.S. Chamber): Enactment of the IIJA will mean historic investment in our nation’s infrastructure. This will allow state and local partners to not just fix but modernize aged infrastructure. The new law will ensure the creation of millions of new jobs and improve the nation’s economic productivity and quality of life. The legislation includes a five-year reauthorization of surface transportation programs, which will allow state departments of transportation to make long-term decisions with the predictability of federal investment.
Dr. Anirban Basu, chief economist, Associated
Builders and Contractors (ABC): The deal includes $110 billion for major projects including bridges and another $40 billion specifically allocated to building and repairing bridges. This would not only help communities finance needed improvements, but would also open the door to longer-term infrastructure planning, which this nation desperately requires.
Dr. Audrey Copeland, president and CEO, National Asphalt Pavement Association
(NAPA): The passage of IIJA assures a record investment in our nation’s highway programs to improve and repair our highways and bridges. It includes a five-year reauthorization of the Federal-Aid Highway Programs, giving states the certainty they need to budget for and plan highway and bridge projects. States will begin planning the 2022 construction season this winter based on the funding levels in IIJA. Federal highway funding would jump from $46.4 billion [in 2021] to as high as $69.3 billion in 2022, which will substantially increase demand for asphalt pavement.
BUILD NEW VS. REPAIR OLD
Q: The nation’s current infrastructure is in poor condition, receiving a C- on ASCE’s most recent Infrastructure Report Card. Are there concerns with the IIJA that the money will be used toward new projects and not address the backlog of deteriorating roads and bridges in need of repair?
NAPA: There are about $1.6 trillion in needed highway improvements in the United States. We trust that the state departments of transportation and local agencies will prioritize and balance the current infrastructure repair backlog with the need for new projects.
ABC: Many of these decisions will be made by local policy makers. Undoubtedly, there are many who will strive to address current infrastructure deficits. Those are the deficits, after all, about which many of their constituents complain. For other policy makers, this represents an opportunity to “go big.” That said, one suspects that
— Dr. Alison Black, ARTBA
— Edward Mortimer, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
many of the most pressing issues will be addressed, particularly with respect to deficient bridges.
ARTBA: Each state will decide how to spend the federal highway program funds within the guidelines of the program, depending on their needs and priorities. But in terms of how states use their federal dollars, most funds are already going to toward projects to fix existing structures.
Under the FAST Act, states used 46% of their federal funds to support reconstruction and repair work. An additional 19% of funds were used for projects that added capacity to an existing road. This could include widening a lane, adding a turn lane and/or additional lane for thru-traffic. States used 6% of funds for new highway and bridge construction.
U.S. Chamber: Enactment of the IIJA will ensure we continue to expand highways where needed and bring innovation and technology to address other parts of the system. The legislation ensures states can make the best decisions to improve their road and bridge networks for many years to come. Creation of a new national bridge program will ensure the nation addresses the 45,000 structurally deficient bridges that can be unsafe and in need of modernization.
Q: Many in Congress and the industry have said the IIJA is not perfect, but it still has transformative funding the road building industry needs. What is lacking from this bill?
NAPA: NAPA worked to include the Wicker-Stabenow amendment to make “paving activities” eligible for the new carbon emissions program and additional funding being stood up in IIJA. Unfortunately, debate on the bill was cut short in the Senate and the amendment was not offered. NAPA will try again when Congress takes up a technical corrections bill on IIJA.
However, the IIJA did exempt aggregates, asphalt binder, additives and polymers from the Buy America requirements for construction materials. Without the exemption, paving activities may have shut down in the Northeast and been severely constrained across the country.
U.S. Chamber: Like any legislative process, the need to compromise means that not everyone gets everything they would like. That being said, while imperfect, the legislation is the largest, most comprehensive investment in infrastructure since the creation of the Interstate Highway System in 1956. The positive impacts from this legislation will be felt for 50 years to come.
One area where the Chamber would have liked to see more focus on in the legislation is the need to enhance private investment to supplement public investment. Some improvements were made, but we will continue to work with Congress to continue to provide further opportunities to grow private investment as an important tool moving forward.
FUTURE OF FUNDING
Q: The IIJA reauthorizes the traditional surface transportation programs for five years, with a $118 billion bailout of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) from the Treasury’s general fund. It does not, however, address the fact that the gas tax is not a sustainable source of revenue moving forward. What should the solution be to shore up the HTF for the future?
ABC: I have advocated for many years for a federal sales tax. Raising income, corporate and other taxes can create disincentives to work and to produce, which limits their appeal. A federal retail sales tax could raise a considerable amount of revenue, and could be implemented to avoid regressivity.
Higher user fees represent another obvious source of revenue for infrastructure maintenance. However, raising such fees on water, toll roads, etc. can be highly regressive. There needs to be more sources of ongoing, predictable revenue. The gas tax will fade in effectiveness over time. It already has.
ARTBA: The IIJA was funded through a variety of one-time revenues. This means that the revenues going into the HTF, absent this transfer, are not enough to cover the IIJA spending levels. When Congress revisits the highway program as it expires in 2026, they will have to address this issue once again. As in the past, the options are to raise revenues, cut the program or provide resources from the General Fund.
Over the last decade, we have seen states take steps to diversify their own transportation revenues. While over 30 states have raised their gas tax revenue during that time, many of these initiatives included increases in other revenues and user fees, such as motor vehicle registrations, license fees, business taxes, sales taxes and revenue raised from alternative fuel vehicles. There are also 23 states that have a variable rate component to their gas tax. This means that a part of their motor fuel tax rate adjusts automatically to an outside indicator, such as changes in inflation, project costs or the wholesale price of gasoline.
NAPA: In the short term, a gas tax increase is needed, but it is critical that multiple options are explored. For example, a vehicle mile tax, tolling, bonding and freight fees need to be explored in the next reauthorization in addition to the gas tax.
U.S. Chamber: We were disappointed not to have had user fees as part of the funding for this bill. We continue to believe that long-term sustainable funding mechanisms are critical moving forward. The IIJA legislation does include a national pilot program to examine a Vehicle Miles Traveled mechanism. We will continue to work with Congress moving forward to ensure the long-term financial security of the HTF.
OPPORTUNITIES IN TECHNOLOGY
Q: The IIJA reauthorizes the Advanced Innovation and Deployment of Paving Technologies program, which allocates $6 million per year for FHWA to advance and deploy asphalt technologies to improve quality and efficiency. What other technologies and innovations will the industry continue to see and utilize to help it stay productive?
ABC: The great revolution in construction delivery is coming. It may take many forms,
—Audrey Copeland, NAPA
including prefabrication, modularization, more robotics, advances in materials science, more sophisticated equipment generally, 3D printing, digitization, drones, driverless vehicles and artificial intelligence.
Construction services are delivered today much as they were decades ago. That will change, and there will be a handful of companies that will lead the way. Hopefully, those companies will be American, creating new export channels in the process.
NAPA: The pandemic was a catalyst for implementing e-ticketing more rapidly than most expected. While that was prompted by safety and social distancing, there are other reasons e-ticketing improves safety on a jobsite, such as eliminating people reaching out of or into trucks to exchange paper tickets.
There have also been improvements in what I will call logistic technology. While people commonly associate this with fleet management, it goes beyond that to include technology that allows every part of the operation to communicate and troubleshoot in real time, helping to improve operational efficiency. Some of this technology will promote efficiency — for example, using technology to avoid over-trucking a job. Different types of workers may be needed, too — people who are skilled in computers and attracted to technology-centric jobs.
CONCERNS OVER ATTRACTING, RETAINING AND TRAINING LABOR
Q: The IIJA will create “good-paying jobs that can’t be outsourced” – as many as 660,000 new jobs by 2025, according to a Washington Post analysis. This is a little concerning for an industry that’s already struggling to find workers. There are reports that the bill includes funding and provisions to get more job training programs going, and to get more women into the construction and trucking industries, but what else can we do to fill these open careers?
ABC: The IIJA will both accelerate growth and further strain labor supply. While road and bridge construction are relatively more capital intensive than other forms of construction, there are already too few workers available to work on large-scale infrastructure projects.
Issues pertaining to labor supply extend well beyond road and bridge construction. We will probably see extended time schedules. Everything takes longer the greater our resource constraints. It may be that it will take more than five years to deploy much of this infrastructure funding.
The IIJA should have had a much larger human capital development component. This represents an opportunity to induce more Americans into apprenticeship and similarly situated programs. The goal should be to create an extraordinarily talented pool of construction workers who can continue to help build out America in various ways even after these infrastructure dollars have been spent.
Of course, there will also be considerable numbers of retirements during the years ahead. The focus should be on young people, including from underrepresented groups including women. Too few young people are aware of the opportunities from growth and prosperity offered by the skilled construction trades.
NAPA: For some of our members in certain regions, hiring is a very real concern and they are contemplating the best measures to recruit and retain workers. Our industry is fortunate that asphalt employees were by and large able to continue working throughout the pandemic, and the retirement rate for this industry is lower than the national average.
Pre-pandemic, NAPA established an effort to provide tools to help the industry recruit and retain talent. Through careful planning, innovative construction techniques, persistent recruiting and collaboration with agency partners, the industry stands ready to continue delivering high-quality asphalt pavements.
The people who perform the work are invaluable; without them, tasks cannot be accomplished. Great employers differentiate themselves from their peers by building a climate and culture that attract the types of individuals who can meet the organization’s goals. Employee incentive programs, active employee engagement surveys, investing in professional training and development and simply saying “thank you” go a long way toward job satisfaction.
ARTBA: Over the decade, since states began increasing their own revenues, highway and bridge contractors have added over 60,000 jobs. During that same time, industry wages increased at a faster rate than in other sectors to attract that labor.
We expect the market will adjust, although in some regions there may continue to be challenges. The adoption of new technology and increases in productivity will also help deliver projects.
U.S. Chamber: As we know, workforce challenges have been a problem the last several years. Our view is that enactment of IIJA provides a new opportunity to redouble our efforts to reach out to under served communities and inform and educate on the job opportunities available to modernize our nation’s infrastructure. We also look forward to partnering with labor partners to provide apprentice and other job training opportunities.
The key is to reach out to communities that may not have heard of the potential job opportunities and provide them the knowledge and skills to ensure they are part of building modern infrastructure. This is also a commitment of the Biden Administration and we look forward to partnering with them to ensure the communities participate and benefit from building 21st century infrastructure. ET
IS IT TIME TO CONSIDER ELECTRIC?
To help you better judge if electric is right for you, we’re addressing some of the top considerations for making the switch.
POWER
When it comes to power and performance, most electrically powered machines are either comparable to or exceed their diesel counterparts. For example, the Volvo ECR25 electric excavator and L25 electric wheel loader boast nearly identical specs to their diesel equivalents — in some cases, they’re improvements.
MAINTENANCE
With electric, there’s no engine-related maintenance. The lithium-ion batteries and electric motors are totally maintenance-free. The lifetime of the battery electric components should be equal to or better than the diesel engine on a conventional machine.
CHARGING
When it comes to electric equipment, an adequate charging infrastructure is key, so you’ll want to plan on more than standard household outlets. For optimal overnight charging, it’s strongly recommended to have a 240-volt, 32-amp charging infrastructure in place to ensure the machines have plenty of power for the next day’s tasks. With an optional fast charging device, it takes less than one hour to charge the ECR25 back to 80%, and about one and a half hours for the L25.
COMFORT
Serious reductions in noise and vibration mean smooth, quiet operation and less fatigue for operators after several hours of work. It’s a difference they’ll notice immediately, and one they’ll appreciate long-term.
DISCOVER NEW JOB OPPORTUNITIES
While investing in electric equipment comes with a lot of considerations, there are serious advantages to having a hybrid fleet, like putting construction equipment to work on jobs that were never possible before with only diesel-powered equipment. Take some time now to think about the ways electric could help you reinvent the way you do business in the future — you could get a leg up in markets you may have thought were off the table. If you’re ready to make the move, reserve your electric machine today.
On these 28° banks, segregation is controlled with the feeder belt that fed the paver, a proprietary piece Sunmount developed to pave the high banks.
In total, about 17,000 tons of material was used to bring the all-new Atlanta Motor Speedway to life. It was a race to the finish to make sure the work was done on time.
All photos courtesy Atlanta Motor Speedway
Crews Face “Steep” Challenges on AMS Repave
Sunmount Paving customized paving equipment to meet the needs of the new racetrack profile at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Racetrack paving can be some of the most challenging and rewarding projects an asphalt contractor ever works on. Yes, the days are long and the job is tough, but it’s worth it to see your hard work on TV as race cars speed around asphalt you helped put down.
These jobs always come with their own set of tight timelines and tighter tolerances. But Sunmount Paving Company faced an all-new level of obstacles on the repave of Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) last summer.
“The track was last paved in 1997, and the track surface was severely worn and the paving seams were starting to cause large failures prior to events and even during events,” explains Steve Swift, senior vice president of operations and development, AMS. “The surface was beginning to fail at the paving seams, causing large delaminated sections to pull out because of severe wear of the paving seams and water infiltration. We knew it was time for a repave.”
Before any work could begin, AMS wanted a clear picture of what the new track could look like. It worked with a research company, iRacing, for 10 months before deciding on the final profile of the course.
“We worked with iRacing to simulate what the new design would produce in racing,” Swift says. “In past repaves, we didn’t have the luxury of knowing if the idea we had on track design would produce the racing that we were looking for. Thankfully, in the world today, simulations are as realistic as they have ever been, and iRacing has a huge following and members that race the simulations daily.
“With their experience and membership, we were able to take advantage of seeing what we were designing prior to the
placement of the design,” says Swift. “Through the process, we were able to recognize areas that needed to be smoothed out and make for the smoothest ride on the race track. Our initial design did create what we were hoping for in competition on the track and they helped us make some minor changes that took it to the next level.”
The new design changed the banking on the turns from 24° to 28°, which is sure to thrill racing enthusiasts. But it proved to be quite the undertaking for the reconstruction team.
THE RACE IS ON
Sunday, July 11, was the final race on the 24° banked quad-oval configuration of the speedway. Just a few days later, the steel portions of the barriers wrapped around the entire 1.54-mile outer wall had been removed and reconstruction of the track began. Baker’s Construction Services from Bristol, TN, was contracted to remove and construct the profile of the subgrade for the new surface.
On Monday, July 19, the first chunks of asphalt were removed from Turn 1 of the speedway. Then, Baker’s began carving into the embankment in Turns 1 and 2 to yield the steeper 28° banking.
“The new banking on the course will create a more group racing experience for the fans. The cars will not be able to get away from each other and will require drafting to get advantages, thus keeping the cars closer for great competition,” Swift says. “This will be the only 28° 1.5-mile racetrack on the current schedule, or for that matter in the U.S.”
In the process of increasing the banking to 28°, the width of the racing surface in the corners was decreased from 55 to 40 ft. wide.
AMS also took the reconstruction opportunity to improve drainage at the course. To extend the life of Atlanta’s old racing surface, the speedway’s operations department had to work vigorously to limit the amount of moisture below the surface. They installed a new drainage system all around the track and an Open Drainage Layer, or ODL. The ODL is a porous layer of asphalt designed to better absorb ground water and lead it to the drainage system, away from the racing surface.
Going forward with the new ODL, AMS will have a partner hidden beneath the racing surface removing excess water day after day and year after year. “It’s a large investment for a company to put this [asphalt] in. We want to make sure it lasts as long as it possibly can,” Swift says.
PAVING THE BANK
Asphalt paving equipment is designed to be operated on a flat surface. Obviously, if you’re going to have the equipment work in less than ideal situations, you want to be sure you have experienced partners to help.
“Eurovia Atlantic Coast LLC — dba Sunmount Paving Company — was contracted to complete the asphalt paving portion of the project,” Swift says. “They were selected to pave the track in February of 2021. There are only two companies in the country that attempt to pave high bank racetracks and Sunmount is the only company that has paved higher than 21°. They are the experts in this difficult paving process and have the want and knowledge to produce a great product and racing surface.”
Paving on the track began at the beginning of October and Sunmount had to custom fabricate solutions that would keep the equipment in place on the high banks.
“Typically, on this style banking, Sunmount has held the equipment from the top of the racetrack,” Swift points out. “Due to the unique structures in the turns of AMS, they were required to hold the machinery from the bottom of the track. With their great engineering and some trial and error, they developed a system to achieve placing asphalt on 28°.”
How do you keep equipment in place when you’re at such a steep bank? That required some innovative engineering to say the least.
“We fabricate something almost every week to help us and come up with new ways to make it better, make it easier,” says John Rauer, division manager for Sunmount Paving Company. Over the last 25 years, Rauer has Crews worked to carve into the embankment in Turns 1 and 2 to yield the steeper 28° banking.
A new Open Drainage Layer, or ODL, was installed all around the track to better absorb ground water and lead it to the drainage system and away from the racing surface.
helped pave several racetracks across the country and has experience with the trial and error, quick thinking and adjustments needed on this type of project.
“For one example, with the hook point on the paver, it totally didn’t work,” Rauer says. The company instead used a cranestyle machine with a hook bar to keep the equipment in place, and adjustments had to be made for each piece of equipment to keep it steady.
“We had to make some modifications to the equipment because it wasn’t holding the paver up there,” added Swift. “The paver wanted to keep coming down the slope.”
“We moved [the hook point] 9 in. and that fixed it,” Rauer says. “So it was just a small 9 in. that made the difference.”
Segregation on the project was controlled with a feeder belt that kept the paver fed, another proprietary piece of equipment Sunmount developed to pave the high banks.
In total, about 17,000 tons of material was used on the all-new Atlanta Motor Speedway. “Work had to be completed for a test by end of November 2021,” Swift says. “This allowed Goodyear to construct a tire for the Spring 2022 race.”
All the hard work will come to life on the course when racing resumes in March 2022. ET
Trimble Roadworks 3D Paving Control for Asphalt Pavers
The Trimble Roadworks automatic 3D screed control system can improve paving productivity and rideability by directly referencing the design rather than a surface or stringline.
•Android-based application runs on a 10-in. touchscreen TD520 display •Colorful graphics, natural interactions and gestures and self-discovery features make software intuitive and easy to learn •Uses SNM941 Connected Site Gateway to transfer 3D designs from the office to the machine so the operator is always using the latest design •Productivity data collected from machine and automatically synced back to the office www.forconstructionpros.com/21259603
Roadtec RX-700 Cold Planer
The RX-700 heavy-duty cold planer offers balanced weight distribution and can cut up to 14 in. deep.
•Standard cut widths of 6 ft. 7 in., 7 ft. 2 in., 8 ft. 2 in. and 10 ft. •Features a 60° front load-out conveyor swing •Dual control stations allow operation from either side •Automated Control of Elevation (ACE) grade control automates machine elevation through grade and slope sensors •Keyway steering with crab, coordinated, rear-only and front-only steering modes •800-hp Caterpillar C18 six-cylinder, Tier 4 Final diesel engine www.forconstructionpros.com/21759539
Minnich Auto Vibe CC
The Auto Vibe CC vibrator monitoring system is designed to simplify hydraulic paving vibrator monitoring during heavy highway and airport paving processes.
•High-visibility, all-weather touchscreen monitor offers easy navigation •All electrical connections feature Deutsch harness connectors for easy connections and service •Easy to install and features remote access to the company for field support www.forconstructionpros.com/21115190
Power Curbers 5700-D Slipform Curb Machine
The 5700-D features the SlipSmart Control System, simple and accurate controls that come ready to interface with Topcon, Leica and Trimble 3D stringless systems.
•“All up” jog switch raises or lowers all crawler posts simultaneously •Vibrator master scaling knob increases or decreases vibration across all vibrators while individual vibrator adjustments remain relative to each other •Features improved cross-slope control, auto-calibration for the radius steer sensor, fine scaling of speed pots, an easypivot conveyor and more www.forconstructionpros.com/21096387
Volvo Compact Assist Start
The Compact Assist entry-level intelligent compaction package includes pass mapping and temperature mapping functionalities to provide real-time data about how the job is progressing.
•Powered by the Volvo Co-Pilot, a 10-in. in-cab tablet •Pass mapping gives a clear on-screen view of the roller’s coverage of the asphalt, highlighting stop points and overlaps •Temperature mapping offers a colorcoded map of surface temperatures plus ability to set a maximum/minimum range •Available on DD110C, DD120C, DD128C and DD140C asphalt rollers •Comes ready to upgrade to Compact Assist or Compact Assist with Density Direct www.forconstructionpros.com/21415701
Caterpillar AP555 Asphalt Paver
The 8-ft. class AP555 asphalt paver’s compact size and small footprint combine with enhanced maneuverability to enable paving in confined areas.
•Standard paving widths from 8 ft. to 20 ft. 6 in. and paving depths up to 10 in. •Mobil-trac undercarriage design or available wheel undercarriage with sandrib and radial tire options •Low truck entry height and 14-in.diameter augers efficiently move material through auger chamber at both narrow and wide paving widths •Cat C4.4 Tier 4 Final/Stage V diesel engine with Eco-mode feature www.forconstructionpros.com/21821486
GOMACO CC-1200e Batterypowered Curb Machine
The CC-1200e is equipped with a 48VDC lithium-ion battery pack that provides enough power for a full day of paving.
•Charging options include the standard eight- to 10-hour normal charge rate or optional two-hour fast charge system •G+ control system with full-function radio remote control puts all machine operations in the operator’s hands •Able to slipform a 24-in. radius, depending on mold profile •Features a 19-cu.-ft. hopper capacity with up to 15 in. of horizontal sliding capabilities for easy alignment with ready-mix trucks •Curb molds can be interchanged easily and can be positioned on either side for right-side or left-side paving www.forconstructionpros.com/21508925
Leica MC1 for Stringless Paving
The MC1 asphalt paving solution enables operators to precisely place cement-treated base course or start paving directly without waiting for manual stakeouts.
•Operator can change height offset directly on the run screen •Fully compatible with iCON site and ConX for seamless data sharing, file transfer, as-built documentation, track, view and sync functions •Uncluttered and user-friendly interface with the latest updates included •Terrain models for milling and asphalt pavers •Smartspare TPS feature for the handling of spare TPS tracking and lock to target www.forconstructionpros.com/21120984
Case E Series Vibratory Rollers
Seven compact vibratory rollers range from 33.5 to 43.9 hp and from 4,920 to 9,520 lbs. and come in double-drum and combination configurations with drum widths from 39 to 54 in.
•Redesigned operator interface includes an electronic travel lever and rpm settings, drive settings, sprinkler system controls and more at the operator’s fingertips •Operation mode selector allows selection between loading, working and transport modes •Soft drive setting provides a smooth ride during compaction, while the optional hard drive setting enables swift turns •Deliver high centrifugal forces and frequencies at lower rpms with selectable dual vibration frequencies www.forconstructionpros.com/21120047
Miller Formless M-6040 Concrete Slipform Paver
The M-6040 slipform paver features a dual telescoping main frame and variable width paving mold that extends from 8 ft. 3 in. to 16 ft. 5 in. wide without the need for frame or mold inserts.
•Bolt-on mold inserts can expand width to 20 ft. in under an hour without requiring added frame extensions •Can pave up to 15 3/4 in. deep •176-hp Caterpillar C4.4 Stage V turbocharged, air-cooled diesel engine •Four hydraulically actuated square-toround leg columns •Electronic control panel includes two steer sensors and steer wands, four grade proportional sensors with grade wands and proportional slope control www.forconstructionpros.com/21993334
Topcon Millimeter GPS with Robotic-based Solutions
System solutions are designed to support curb and gutter paving by maintaining productivity and accuracy, even when facing difficult GPS coverage issues.
•Millimeter GPS concrete paving solution can be used with the GT-1200 series standalone robotic total station or selfleveling LN-150 robotic layout navigator •Temporarily turns control of paver over to a robotic instrument to ensure production is maintained when GPS coverage is blocked •Both instruments offer support for a prism solution to quickly switch between Millimeter GPS and LPS (local positioning systems) •Use Topcon LongLink communication for robust connectivity www.forconstructionpros.com/21551371
Wacker Neuson RD12 Series Tandem Vibratory Rollers
The 1.2-ton RD12 series rollers include improved visibility and curb clearance and easier service access.
•34.5-in. drum with front drum dynamic centrifugal force of 3,400 lbs. •RD12A powered by a 20.8-hp Honda gasoline engine and RD12K equipped with a 21.6-hp Kubota diesel engine •Fully recessed hydraulic motors provide optimal curb and side clearance •Tapered frame and hood design provides for visibility to the drum edges and more comfortable operation •Ergonomic operator’s platform with water and vibration functions integrated into joystick control and conveniently located fuel and water gauges www.forconstructionpros.com/21047045
BOMAG BW 120 SLC-5 Combination Roller
The BW 120 SLC-5 combination roller features a steel front vibratory drum joined with four smooth rear rubber tires to elevate compaction results on a wide range of applications.
•24.8-hp Kubota diesel engine meets Tier 4 Final standards without a diesel particulate filter •47.2-in-wide front steel drum plus 4,320vpm vibration frequency and amplitude of 0.020 in. •Ergonomic control panel layout with clear symbols and one switch/one function operation •Material manipulation provided by the rear tires delivers a better finish for joint construction www.forconstructionpros.com/21121868
LeeBoy Raised on Blacktop 8520B Asphalt Paver
The Raised on Blacktop Special Edition 8520B heavy commercial asphalt paver was created as a way to pay homage to the pride and passion of those in the asphalt industry.
•Includes an exclusive gray paint scheme and red operators’ seats embroidered with the Raised on Blacktop logo •Stylized Raised on Blacktop decal, carbon fiber-embellished wing decal and larger American flag decal •Weatherproof ticket/phone box •Engraved serialized badge •Various shovel/rake carrier options and optional custom lighting package www.forconstructionpros.com/21259413
Wirtgen SP 154i Slipform Paver
The SP 154i slipform paver features a 436-hp Cummins Tier 4 Final engine that enables paving concrete surfaces up to 52.5 ft. wide and 18 in. thick.
•Available with automatic dowel bar inserter, up to three automatic side tiebar inserters and a concrete conveyor for bottom layer paving •Standard oscillating beam and super smoother to produce a level surface •Hydraulically adjustable one-piece or two-piece side plates on both sides to minimize concrete loss •Four steerable and slewing crawler tracks www.forconstructionpros.com/21138060
Dynapac SD Asphalt Paver Range
The SD2500CS can meet tough ride specifications including airport runways, racetracks and new highways, plus is suitable for RCC paving applications.
•Includes operator-assist technology such as Truck Assist, Light Assist, Width Assist and Screed Assist systems •Dual speed screed control offers two speed levels for faster reaction around quick obstacles and slower control for fine adjustments •Can be paired with the V5100THE tamper, high-compaction electric screed and extensions to pave to 27 ft. •“THE” high compaction screed technology allows flexibility of adjusting pressure and vibration parameters for optimal results www.forconstructionpros.com/21120779
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All photos courtesy Thompson-Arthur APAC Atlantic
The project featured a 1.8-mile Zoo Connector to give the more than 700,000 annual visitors to the North Carolina Zoo easier access from the U.S. 64 Bypass.
ABOVE: Wright Brothers performed DESIGN-BUILD PROJECT 8 million cu. yds. of earth excavation and 2.75 million cu. yds. of rock excavation, clearing more than 500 acres for the project. Breaks Records in North Carolina
Thompson-Arthur APAC Atlantic teamed up with three other companies to construct the 14-mile U.S. 64 expressway.
Four years is not a lot of time when you’re tasked with constructing 14.4 miles of roadway. Add in six interchanges, seven grade crossings and 24 bridges and you’re really asking for a miracle. But that’s exactly what Asheboro Bypass Constructors pulled off in North Carolina.
The project actually started back in 2011 when ThompsonArthur APAC Atlantic, a CRH Company, teamed up with Wright Brothers Construction Company, knowing that the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) planned to improve U.S. 64 in the Asheboro area by adding a 14.4-mile freeway bypassing Asheboro to the south. The project also featured a 1.8-mile Zoo Connector, which would give visitors to the popular North Carolina Zoo access from the U.S. 64 Bypass straight to the zoo’s entrance via a roundabout, instead of through residential areas.
RK&K was added to the team to design engineer the project, and Right-of-Way Consultants to work with appraisals and acquisitions, forming the designbuild team Asheboro Bypass Constructors, LLC (ABC). The team was awarded the project in 2015, and in 2016 began constructing the four-lane divided highway from US 64 west of Asheboro, through the rolling and rocky hills to the south and back to US 64 in the east.
ACQUISITION AND RELOCATION
A project of this size requires massive amounts of planning and the design-build team relied heavily on Right-of-Way Consultants to start everything off right. Right-of-Way is one of North Carolina’s most experienced right-of-way firms and had 40 staff members committed to this project.
“The biggest thing at the beginning was the right-ofway acquisition,” says Jeff W. Saunders, construction projects manager at Thompson-Arthur. “We needed to [ensure] all of the utility relocation was being coordinated before we could start work.”
ABC had to handle the complexity of connecting to, or crossing through, 17 different existing roadways, each with its distinct utility relocations and traffic control management. Compounding those challenges was the overall acquisition of 460 parcels for right-of-way and impacts to 103 locations on permitted jurisdictional streams.
To get started, the project team strategically focused the land acquisition and utility relocation in areas of important reinforced concrete box culverts and bridges that would provide early access to areas of mass grading. The sequence of land acquisition, utility relocation and construction was used repeatedly for the first two years before the entire footprint of the project finally took shape.
The ABC team had to wait until right-of-way was acquired and worked to streamline areas where they wanted to begin the heavy excavating and mainline work.
“We did a good job of identifying areas that we could get access to so we were able to get some of the mainline areas started,” Saunders notes. “We focused on prioritizing those specific right-of-way parcels so we could get to work excavating and grading as quickly as possible.”
EXCAVATION AND GRADING
for the excavation and grading portion of the project because it is the Southeastern U.S. leader in mass excavation, with the extensive heavy equipment and resources needed to complete the task. This would prove essential for clearing the more than 500 acres required.
“Thompson-Arthur is paving and bridges and Wright Brothers completes excavation and bridges,” says Larry Brickey, division president, Thompson-Arthur. “Wright Brothers did all the grading, we did all the paving and stone base work and we split the bridge work in half.”
Wright Brothers performed 8 million cu. yds. of earth excavation and 2.75 million cu. yds. of rock excavation. Communication during this process was key as the movement of material had to be completed in an efficient manner. The ABC team worked diligently to keep
each of the three separate sections, five miles long each, progressing on schedule.
“We had a very good schedule and a very good sequence of operations,” says Brickey. “We worked on a two-month schedule and Michael Prince, who was the on-site manager for Wright Brothers, did a very good job at managing that.”
Wright Brothers put a schedule together pre-bid using the Primavera project scheduler. That allowed the project to continually progress in parts along each section, even as the job was spread out over the 14 miles.
“Wright Brothers did a very good job at knowing where the material was and where it had to go,” says Brickey. “One of the first cuts on the West End of the job was a 60-ft. cut, which was pretty much rock the whole way. They would get that cut, get that fill in, get working on a bridge, complete the underground as well all the storm drain. And once that was done, we’d be in there paving.”
To help streamline the construction schedule and provide a consistent pavement subgrade throughout the project’s length, the ABC team elected to use 8 in. of aggregate base course in conjunction with geotextile stabilization fabric instead of choosing chemical subgrade stabilization. This process removed the need for repetitive and continuous soil sampling and testing, as well as the seasonal limitations for placing chemical stabilization, thereby extending the allowable time for pavement construction.
Chemical stabilization would have switched back and forth from cement stabilization to lime stabilization, depending on the many soil types that were encountered along the 14 miles of roadway. Overall, using aggregate base simplified the process of pavement construction. production and paving. It utilized its asphalt plant locations to make the mix chosen by the NCDOT, a B25-I19, CS 9 1/2-in. base, binder surface laydown pattern.
To enhance safety, particularly during rain events, the team added an asphalt pavement layer to U.S. 64 throughout the project limits. An open-graded friction course asphalt layer has become more prevalent on high-volume, high-speed facilities to proactively combat hydroplaning. It is a permeable asphalt layer that will allow water on the surface to drain vertically through the layer instead of draining naturally off the roadway. As a result, during rainfall, there is an increase in surface drainage, limiting the potential for hydroplaning and producing noticeable reductions in water spray behind vehicles, which can impair driver visibility.
In all, Thompson-Arthur team members put down 745,000 tons of asphalt from the company’s plant locations. They utilized Weiler material transfer vehicles to keep the flow of material moving to the Vogele pavers. HAMM rollers were on site to assist with compaction.
In all, over 200 employees were working on this jobsite at peak times. The total price tag for the project added up to roughly $264 million. Ultimately, nearly four years and approximately 1,360,029 personnel hours later, ABC delivered the project on schedule in December 2020, while providing more than $1.4 million in value engineering. ET
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TECHNOLOGY Improves Managing Fuel on Site
Changing technology in fuel storage is helping to tackle theft and contamination and supply issues and mitigate costs.
When it comes to running a business, everything points to profitability. Crew management, equipment efficiency, even something as simple as fueling can have a huge impact on the bottom line.
In the scope of any project or job, the cost of fuel often accounts for one of the most significant expenses. And when considering additional factors affected by fuel availability and quality, the stakes are even higher. From the cost of lost fuel to theft, to engine issues associated with contaminants in the fuel, to lost productivity due to lack of fuel, the storage, transportation and distribution of jobsite fuel has the potential to significantly affect the bottom line.
Fortunately, changing technology in fuel storage is helping companies tackle those issues and mitigate costs.
REMOTE TANK MONITORS
sure there are always adequate fuel levels to power the productivity of the jobsite. New technology in fuel storage tanks offers remote tank monitoring systems. These systems allow operators to track the tank’s inventory levels and location at any time, helping users take control of fuel supplies and avoid downtime associated with a depleted fuel supply.
The data is transmitted to a browser or phone app, where users are able to generate specific reports, which enable efficient, accurate and timely refill orders. The systems also help flag abnormal level changes due to theft or leaks and reduce the risk of overfill.
Knowing exactly how much fuel they have on hand (and the remaining capacity) also helps the user to capitalize on low prices when they appear. Personalized alerts are available for situations like above-average consumption rates, overfill incidents and more. These customizable reports and alerts are sent as emails or texts and help avoid downtime associated with a depleted fuel supply.
On a large jobsite, tank monitors use GPS to help users precisely locate their fuel tanks. Fuel delivery trucks can quickly and easily locate the truck or trailer carrying the tank, saving them the time of driving around looking for the tanks to fill.
CARD-LOCKED DISPENSE CONTROLS
Loss of fuel, or fuel that goes unaccounted for, is a sometimesoverlooked expense. Losing upwards of $500 a month on misplaced fuel and chalking it up to “the cost of the job” happens more than one might expect. In fact, fuel theft is nearly a $133 billion issue that includes stolen, adulterated and defrauded product. But here’s the good news: fuel loss can be prevented and the bottom line can be protected.
Card-locking control technology combats the potential of fuel theft by only allowing authorized individuals to access fuel. With the card-locking technology offered by some manufacturers, drivers use a phone-based app to enter their driver number, vehicle number and what type of fuel they need. Only after they’ve answered the required information does the fuel pump dispenser turn on and distribute fuel.
This not only prevents loss but also helps determine which operator and equipment is using the bulk of the fuel. This valuable information can help determine overall efficiency or even cost/price structures. In the rare event of technical difficulties, administrators simply bypass the app with a key to allow for fueling, ensuring minimal downtime.
FUEL FILTRATION UPGRADES
While fuel availability and loss prevention are no brainers in terms of impacting the bottom line, fuel filtration and quality are often overlooked. Some may find it surprising that most diesel is delivered with a fairly “dirty” ISO rating. Because a system using contaminated fuel can damage the engine, resulting in unwanted downtime and repairs, more and more users have come to realize the benefits of dispense filtration.
Engineers design new engines to meet changing environmental standards, and fuel tank manufacturers are designing filtration systems to keep up with those standards. Clean, contaminantfree fuel means higher usage time and fewer issues when it comes to dispensing.
PROTECT THE BOTTOM LINE
When fuel can account for up to 50% of a job’s total operating costs, it’s important to do everything possible to protect fuel assets. Pinpointing issues — and utilizing the latest technology — is an effective way to support the bottom line.
Clean, readily available fuel means project movement and that in turn means profit. ET
