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Keeping traffic flowing during a maintenance project
By Mali R. Schantz-Feld
As part of a capital preventive maintenance program project in the center of downtown Ypsilanti, Michigan, Ajax Paving Industries, Inc., is geared up to tackle any traffic challenges while repairing the 2-mile stretch.
The road under construction follows the loop around Michigan Avenue. Because the road varies from three to two lanes and is mostly one way, the project necessitates “a lot of coordinating between us, the prime contractor, and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT),” says Ajax Project Manager Tim Hay.
Up to Standard
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The project was completed in just two weeks, but the renovation is expected to extend the life of the roadway by five to 10 years. |
Ypsilanti is a college town, home to Eastern Michigan University, which boasts 19,000 undergraduate and 4,800 graduate students. The project is located close to campus, where the daylight hours are bustling, with many cars parked on the streets and considerable foot traffic. The work must be accomplished during the daytime. “We have to ensure that the proper areas are barricaded, and we are very conscientious to get people through our zone quickly and efficiently,” says Hay.
The work “is relatively easy and standard,” says Hay. First, the crew will patch any distressed areas of the existing pavement and then mill off the top 1.5 inches before placing the new asphalt, a 5E3 high-stress material combined with a polymer. “Polymers are additives to the asphalt material that aid in the prevention of ruts from forming over the course of the pavement life,” says Hay. This project consists of approximately 2,000 tons of the high-stress material.
“This is a heavily traveled area,” describes Hay. “This type of asphalt will prevent future rutting.”
Benefits to Prevention
The eight-man team, consisting of a paver operator, three laborers, and four roller operators, are working with a Caterpillar paver and four dual-drum, high-frequency rollers. The use of high-frequency rollers help to ensure full compaction is achieved to help prevent future damage due to weather conditions, such as freeze and thaw. “We must keep the road at least 92 percent density,” notes Hay.
The capital preventive maintenance program offers a benefit to tax payers and state highway authorities. The
program practices preventive maintenance by keeping a usable section of roadway in good condition, instead of waiting until it falls into disrepair. “It allows us to get to a lot of lanes resurfaced at a cheaper price,” says Hay. “The patching program allows us to extend the life of the road before doing costlier repair,” he adds. “The alternative, more expensive step involves taking out and rebuilding the whole road from the base up; that’s anywhere from 1 foot to 18 inches deep.”
The project’s duration was quite short — it commenced in September and was completed just two weeks later. But the results will be more far-reaching, since the renovation is expected to extend the life of the roadway by five to 10 years. |
