Safety and shutdowns

Safety took center stage during the opening General Session at the NAPA 2025 Midyear Meeting in Louisville, with NAPA members sharing the benefits of shutting down highways for paving work.

Louisville Paving & Construction Vice President of Construction John Lynch and Matt Bullock with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet shared details from three interstate paving projects where traffic was completely halted while work was being done.

LPC completed work during complete shutdowns on I-64, I-71, and I-65.

Lynch presented the contractor perspective as the two explained how shutting down traffic allows for enhanced safety and can even increase pavement quality since contractors are more able to determine their own working hours.

“From a safety standpoint, it’s fairly obvious, but not working in traffic is a lot better,” Lynch said. “Those guys sitting down barrels, doing the flagging; probably the most dangerous job you can think of, and the more we can eliminate the need to do that, then the safer our folks are going to be.”

For larger companies with plenty of workers and equipment, Lynch pointed out the full shutdown approach to traffic control allows crews to work 24/7. Without restrictions, contractors

“It lets you work 24/7 if you can,” Lynch said, adding that it also allows for more echelon paving, “which is one of the major benefits of this, you don’t have to go back to for a longitudal joint seal, later, so that adds a cost benefit.”

Lynch said paving that joint correctly also cuts down on future paving repairs since the longitudinal joints are some of the first places that show distress.

“Water gets in there and so forth, so that hot joint really helps with longevity and pavement,” he said.