Panhandle Performance

Award-winning Kiewit quality stands up to truck traffic, inclement weather

QUALITY IN CONSTRUCTION: SHELDON G. HAYES AWARD

AWARDS ARTICLES BY TY JOHNSON, MANAGING EDITOR

Overlay for a 20-mile section of the main truck route between Amarillo and Fort Worth carries with it the need to work even while traffic exceeding 70 mph is racing by laydown operations. The full U.S. Route 287 is divided by Yellowstone National Park into two sections and spans the country from just south of the Canadian border in Montana to its southern terminus in Port Arthur, Texas.

Kiewit Infrastructure South Co. of Fort Worth, Texas was ready.

Following an aggressive timeline to complete the project before December 2020, Kiewit finished paving U.S. 287 in Armstrong County within one year of winning the bid and just in time to avoid the unpredictable winter weather the Texas Panhandle is known for.

“Sticking with the basic fundamentals of paving and not overcomplicating the process, we are able to establish quality performance with the entire crew of our paving operations,” said Project Manager Derik Huber.

The final product won Kiewit the 2022 Sheldon G. Hayes Award, the award NAPA has given annually since 1971 to the most excellent paving project in the country.

“The U.S. 287 project in Armstrong County, Texas provided roadway upgrades to a four-lane divided highway for the Texas Department of Transportation and the success of the project can only be attributed to the project team’s commitment to quality,” said Project Engineer Michael Terry. “The fast-paced completion shows superior workmanship can be achieved without sacrificing quality.”

Project Sponsor Scott Roe said motivating the entire team to focus on safety and quality means getting buy-in from workers at every level.

“One thing that we have been doing the last few years is sharing the quality bonus money achieved on the project with all of the craft workers,” Roe said. “We include the paving crews, plant crews, truck drivers and equipment maintenance personnel. We have a huge focus on safety and quality on all of our work. The crews are always aware of our testing requirements and results in real time.”

SHELDON G. HAYES WINNER

PROJECT AT-A-GLANCE

RAP/RAS Percentage: 20% RAP in the mix – the maximum allowed by the specification.

Average IRI: 25.5
Total tons of asphalt: 61,118 (8,040 TN pavement repairs; 53,080 TN 2″ overlay)
Mix design for surface: Super Pave Type C using PG 70-28
Lane miles: 42.4
Completion time: September 2020 through November 2020
Type of project: 2″ ACP Overlay with pavement repairs
Tests performed: A total of 140 tests performed, including weekly Hamburg wheel tracking tests.
Number of safety-certified professionals: 2
Number of safety meetings held during the course of the project: 12

PROJECT TIMELINE

Bid date: Dec. 4, 2019
Award date: Dec. 12, 2019
Pre-pave/pre-construction meeting: Aug. 25, 2020
Drainage work: October 2020 through November 2020
Grading: September 2020
Milling: September 2020
Patching/Repairs: September 2020
Paving: September 2020
Striping: October 2020
Completion: December 2020

SHELDON G. HAYES FINALISTS

Allan Myers VA, Inc.
Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel

PROJECT AT-A-GLANCE

Total tons of asphalt: 83,714
Mix design for surface: SM-9.5(E) HP—Superpave Design
Lane miles: 39.5 miles
Completion time: April 30, 2021
Type of project: Mill & Overlay
Lab Testing: 197
Fielding Testing: 1,483 Nuclear Test / 172 core density checks
Number of safety-certified professionals: 2-3 full time covering all shifts
Number of safety meetings held during the course of the project: Daily safety briefings conducted at each crew’s shift huddle

PROJECT TIMELINE

Bid date: June 20, 2019
Contract award date: July 9, 2019
NAPA Award date: Feb. 8, 2023
Pre-pave/pre-construction meeting: Aug. 26, 2019
Milling: September 2019—April 30, 2021
Patching/Repairs: September 2019—April 30, 2021
Paving: September 2019—April 30, 2021
Striping: September 2019—April 30, 2021
Completion: April 30, 2021

Delta Asphalt of Arkansas Inc.
I-55 in Mississippi County

PROJECT AT-A-GLANCE

Total tons of asphalt: 50,221
Mix design for surface: 12.5mm Superpave Surface
Lane miles: 9.788
Completion time: 51 Calendar
Days Type of project: Mill & Overlay
Tests performed: 67
Number of safety-certified professionals: 2
Number of safety meetings held during the course of the project: 16

PROJECT TIMELINE

Bid date: May 13, 2020
Award date: May 27, 2020
Pre-pave/pre-construction meeting: May 29, 2020 (Teams Meeting)
Milling: 44 Days
Patching/Repairs: 2 Days
Paving: 2 Days
Striping: 5 Days
Completion: 51 Days

Preferred Materials Inc., A CRH Company
SR 93A (I-75) in Tampa, Fla

PROJECT AT-A-GLANCE

RAP/RAS Percentage: 30K/TNS at 40%, 61K/TNS at 20%, 22K/TNS at 0%
Average IRI: 24
Total tons of asphalt: 124,019
Mix design for surface: OGFC (FC-5)
Lane miles: 125
Completion time: 11/2020
Type of project: Mill & Overlay
Tests performed: 250
Number of safety-certified professionals: 5
Number of safety meetings held during the course of the project: 340

PROJECT TIMELINE

Bid date: 10/2019
Award date: Feb. 8, 2023
Pre-pave/pre-construction meeting: December 2019
Drainage work: 500’ and 6 drainage structures
Grading: 240K SY
Milling: 866,640
Paving: 250 paving shifts
Striping: 193 miles
Completion: Nov. 30, 2020