What We Did
This project, which spans 26 lane miles from Grand Rapids to Cedar Springs, presented a series of unusual challenges. To prevent roadway degradation during construction, Ajax addressed "tented" pavement caused by incompressible material in the old pavement joints and improper expansion in joint maintenance. Additionally, the bridge over 6 Mile Road was too narrow to accommodate conventional construction traffic, and a split/merge traffic plan was required during repairs to keep traffic moving in both directions.
We placed a 6.5-inch unbonded concrete overlay on the existing 40-year-old pavement, bringing the roadway's parabolic surface, superelevation, and crown-cross slope up to current standards. We used a Shilstone-type, well-graded concrete mixture with three aggregates. The mixture contained 40 percent slag cement and used only 294 lb./cubic yard of Portland cement.