See Ajax Paving in Action | Race Track Projects in Michigan
This projected consisted of construction of a new 2.5-mile Road Course Race Track in Opa Locka, FL. Work included land balancing, underground utilities, subgrade stabilization, aggregate base, and three lifts of HMA for a total of 5” of HMA. The track was about 2.5 miles long, and 40’ wide, with 3’ shoulders. This track included 15 curves/turns, ranging from about 20 degrees to 180 degrees. In addition, there were 11 runoff areas that were placed with two lifts of asphalt. Concours Club in Miami Shows Importance of Speedway Paving This project consisted of 5” full depth pavement crush and shape of the main track, grading and aggregate base installation in new runoff areas, grading and aggregate base installation in two new chicanes, and installation of 4” of HMA placed in 2 lifts. This track is designed for vehicle testing, specifically steering and handling. The existing track was approximately 8600’ in length and 28’ in width. The existing track included two super-elevated turns at the North and South ends, two straightaways, and a series of hard turns. This area was crushed and shaped. Two brand new chicane roads were added to the main track, one running N/S and the other E/W. Both chicanes were approximately 1300’ long and 28’ wide. A portion of the N/S chicane experiences a cross slope of 14.86% and then abruptly changes to a reverse curve in approximately 75’. Due to safety concerns, FCA requested that runoff areas be constructed in each of the major turn areas. In total 10 runouts were constructed. The Waterford Hills Road Racing Track, also know as the Waterford Race Track, worked together with Ajax Paving for several years budgeting this project. The contract called for the removal and replacement of the 1.5 mile asphalt track. The road race course has 12 turns and numerous elevation changes, which Ajax Paving installed over a mile of edge drain for improved drainage. Special pavers, rollers and transfer machines were used for this project. 5300 tons of asphalt were used, over 24,000 square yards of pavement were pulverized and regraded with specialized grading equipment, and 2,000 LFT of new concrete rumble strips were installed in the turns. Ajax Paving specifically designed the new 3.5 inch asphalt to meet the needs of this track, along with the help of redesigned lane widths and overall layout of the track for a better racing experience. Watkins Glen International is a world-famous road racing course that hosts NASCAR and Indy Racing League sanctioned events. Last resurfaced in 1998, the track is 3.4 miles long over rolling terrain and consists of a front straightaway, back straight away, and 11 turns. Banking in the turns ranges from 6 to 10 degrees. The racing surface width varies from 36 to 48 feet wide in the turns and 36 feet wide in the straightaways. It was critical that the track's geometric characteristics — banking, hinge points, pavement width — be maintained to preserve the venue's historic identity. Maintaining the integrity and individual nature of the track is critical to any race venue repaving or repair project. The MIS project, set to the exacting standards of the International Speedway Corporation Design and Development, included reconstruction of the pit road area, removal of the existing asphalt surface, repaving of the 2-mile long track and construction of a 1.5-mile long road course in the track in-field. The pit road project was completed in just 30 days. The second phase saw completion within a tight 90-day window despite many engineering challenges. The MIS track has variable banking, with its steepest point at 18 degrees, a pitch requiring us to modify existing equipment to adhere to smoothness standards. A laser survey of more than 100 million data points guided engineers in replicating all points of the original pavement surface, maintaining the track’s unique character and track geometry. Increasing ride quality was the main goal when repairing the vehicle evaluation track at Chrysler Group World Headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The 1.8-mile track consisted of two straightaways connected by a steering and handling section and two high-slope parabolic return loops, with 31 degrees (60 percent) slopes. The project required pavement repair of failed areas, cold milling, and installation of a course with variable depth and asphalt wearing material with unique frictional qualities. Specialized equipment on the project included a custom-designed paver using a computer-controlled, high-density parabolic screed, specially designed support equipment to hold paving equipment and asphalt material transfer devices in place for work in high-slope sections, and asphalt rollers equipped with drums shaped to mirror the parabolic curvature of the track. After 20 years, Phoenix International Raceway needed repaving, but its leadership team also decided to rev up the track's potential for excitement. In addition to repaving, the front stretch was widened from 52 to 62 feet, pit road was reconfigured, and the turn radius of one dogleg tightened from 800 feet to 500 feet. To promote side-by-side racing and increase track speeds, the new design called for the construction of variable degree banking of from 4 to 11 degrees. Overall, the project included the removal of 684,000 square feet of asphalt, followed by the installation of a new surface that included 70,000 cubic yards of imported ?ll and 24,000 tons of new asphalt. More impressive, Ajax completed the work during the summer, when Phoenix’s heat reached as high as 120 F. Ford Motor Company's 2.2-mile oval test track, located at their Arizona Proving Ground, is a vital part of their product development. We removed the existing pavement, installed a new aggregate base course, and surfaced with 4.5-inch thick asphalt pavement, replaced guardrails, and striped the roadway. The aggregate base course and asphalt pavement was particularly challenging due to the steep banked, parabolic track design required to test vehicle engineering and performance. Additionally, strict requirements were detailed for scheduling, pavement mixture design, skid resistance, and ride quality. The Chelsea Oval, a high-speed parabolic test track at the Chrysler Chelsea Proving Grounds, included reconstruction and repaving the existing track and widening it by 10 feet. The high-tech team and machinery brought to the project, along with the materials manufactured by Ajax, resulted in a project completed on time and exceeding Chrysler’s demanding ride quality and pavement elevation standards. Reconstructing Ford Motor Company's high-speed, five-mile long parabolic track meant removal and on-site crushing of the 8-inch thick reinforced concrete pavement overlaid with 8-inches of bituminous pavement. Ajax utilized the recycled concrete as an aggregate base course for the track and the recycled bituminous pavement for the shoulder sections. Additional challenges included an outside point reach of 32 degrees, one-fourth of the track transitioning from straight to high-banked parabolic sections, and stringent specifications for ride quality and skid resistance. Originally built by Ajax in the 1980s, the Vehicle Dynamic Area was in dire need of a new design and upgrade. Ajax was involved with every aspect of removal and reconstruction of the existing VDA and construction of a new 30-degree banked, high-speed parabolic return road. The newly designed 139,000 square-yard VDA pad required a 12-inch crushed limestone base course, 5 inches of HMA pavement, and a wearing surface of 1.5-inch HMA Superpave mixture specifically designed for a surface coefficient of friction of 90mu. Stringent ride quality specs required an International Roughness Index (IDI) of 30 measured longitudinally and diagonally. An MDOT mix design was used for the project with three lifts required to make the 5-inch pavement. Keeping with Bosch’s “green” commitment, a portion of the existing asphalt pavement was recycled and mixed with on-site materials for the track’s shoulders. Reconstructing one of General Motor’s test tracks required high-tolerance construction and a quick turnaround time only Ajax Paving could deliver. The GM Circle Test Track is one of GM’s most important assets for testing new vehicles, and every day it’s closed costs the automaker significant time and money. Working on an expedited schedule of less than eight months, Ajax Paving still managed to complete the project one month ahead of schedule. Ajax Paving removed and replaced four concrete driving lanes with 8-inch pavement over 4.5 miles. Lane 5 was patched as needed. The inner asphalt shoulder was replaced and all the existing joints in the upper shoulder were resealed. Additionally, subgrade improvements were made throughout, an edge drain was installed outside the inner shoulder and various signage, electrical, and striping were upgraded. Due to the track’s unique parabolic shape, up to 30% sloping/banking in the upper lanes, the concrete surface required the latest technology and pavement techniques. Ajax worked with GOMACO, the paver manufacture, to modify the pavers to ensure the automated grade control set the vertical location and horizontal grade for the best possible ride measurement. The GM Circle Test Track won two major awards, the 2016 Michigan Concrete Association Quality Award and the 2017 American Concrete Paving Association Excellence in Concrete Pavement Award.
RTR Track - The Concours Club
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FCA Steering & Handling Course
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Waterford Race Track
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Watkins Glen Track Rehabilitation
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Michigan International Speedway
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Chrysler Technology Center Evaluation Track
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Phoenix International Raceway
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Ford Motor Company Arizona Proving Ground
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Chrysler Test Track, Chelsea, MI
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Ford Michigan Proving Ground
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Robert Bosch Vehicle Dynamic Area
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GM Milford Proving Ground Circle Track Reconstruction
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