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Staging Strategy Shaves Time Off M-97 Facelift
Populated by a myriad of commercial factories, retail
stores, and restaurants, Groesbeck Highway is heavily
traveled. Keeping traffic moving and customers at the
shops were key concerns during the resurfacing work
performed by Ajax.
“Originally, the contract called for closing two lanes, one mile
at a time. This meant we’d be closing a mile section roadway,
skipping a mile section, then closing a mile section,” says Ajax
Estimator Bob Farina. “That would require two stages for each
set of two-lane closures. Because of our experience with past
projects like this, we knew we could close two lanes in one
direction for the entire three and a half miles and complete all
the work in a single weekend. It would significantly cut the
time required for this project.”
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Ajax proposed the new staging strategy to the Michigan
Department of Transportation, which agreed to follow the
company’s plan. “That’s one of the things that the local contracting
industry in metro-Detroit is very good about,” says
Robert Morosi, Communication Specialist for MDOT’s
metro-Detroit Region. “They understand the hurdles we
face, such as the lack of transit options, and they are very
good at utilizing peak repair hours, such as nights and
weekends, and making suggestions that make projects go
more smoothly.”
The M-97 project called for milling off one and half inches of
existing asphalt. After the milling was complete, the remaining
roadway was conditioned. Sections of deteriorated concrete
were removed and replaced. At the same time, cracks and
worn-out asphalt were removed and patched.
In May, Ajax began resurfacing Groesbeck Highway, named
for a former Michigan governor who was an early supporter
of road construction. The company left the road open for the
Memorial Day weekend and then finished the project the first week of June.
On the first two weekends, Ajax closed the two outermost
lanes in each direction, milling the entire three and a half miles
on a Thursday and Friday night. On Saturday, the concrete
patching and conditioning was completed. Then two paving
crews worked in tandem to lay the asphalt on Sunday. On the
third weekend, the crews resurfaced the inner lanes and the
center turn lane.
Because Groesbeck Highway sees heavy traffic, Ajax used
Superpave asphalt for the resurfacing. Superpave is a polymer-modified
asphalt that is more elastic and resistant to rutting
and cracking.
To meet the project’s accelerated schedule, Ajax and its subcontractors,
Kelcris (concrete patching) and Shaw Contracting
(milling), committed substantial resources and crews to make
it happen. “There was no way I could have done a project like
this on that time schedule without contractors like Shaw and
Kelcris, who were more than willing to supply the extra man-hours
to help us complete it,” says Tim Hay, Ajax’s
Construction Manager for the project.
Communication between the three contractors was key
because they often had to work simultaneously on that stretch
of road. “We had to make sure we weren’t stepping on each
other’s toes,” Hay says.
Ajax’s staging strategy resulted in the project being completed
in less than half the time originally called for: three weekends
instead of seven. This was a huge plus, according to Morosi.
“It allowed us to disperse resources to other jobs and speed
them up as well,” he says. “Commuters and businesses were
pleasantly surprised, too, because they didn’t face any
more interruptions.”
The project went well, says Hay. “I was glad MDOT was willing
to sit down and listen to us and give us the go-ahead to do
it our way,” he says. “It was a gamble, but it paid off because
we had good teamwork, and everyone was willing to pitch in
and get it done right.”
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