April 4, 2022

Our 2022 UAPA Scholarship Winners are Kevin Bell, Gerald Street and Abdullah Al Mamun. Congratulations!

To reach SR-248, exit US-40 and travel west into Park City. SR-248 passes through beautiful Park City, Utah, and is one of the main access points to the city’s world-renowned ski resorts. You can see many ski runs from the road.

This project called for 10 miles of I-80 SMA overlay and an experimental single 6-inch lift of HMHMA mixed design for the Wendover port of entry. In all, the team placed 41,836 tons. They rotomilled the freeway in both directions to a depth of 1.5 inches and paved back a 1.5-inch depth of SMA with a PG-70-28 binder. That accounted for 41,459 tons. The team also relined existing culverts and installed new end sections. Upon completion, the road was shouldered, and new delineators and rumble strips were placed.

This project included a lane level and overlay on the cracked surface of SR-153 between MP 3.04 and MP 19.2. The route runs along Beaver Canyon and the Beaver River. High-quality work was required because the hot plant was an hour away, and has tight curves, varied widths, steep grades, and multiple river crossings. Due to the narrow 25-foot average road width, this project also included one-foot shoulder widening on shoulders where possible.

This project involved removing and replacing the existing curb and gutter, sidewalk, waterways, and pedestrian access ramps. The project team also removed the entire existing roadway asphalt, cement treated the existing road base, graded and compacted the cement-treated road base, and installed 4.5-inches of new roadway asphalt.

The UDOT I-15 Pages Lane to 2600 South project was a challenging night project in one of the busiest sections of I-15 in Utah. Located in Davis County between Centerville and North Salt Lake, this five-lane, six-ramp and three-mile section of I-15 has an HOV lane and hundreds of thousands of daily commuters.

Mineral extraction in the Uinta Basin means heavy loads traveling many county roadways. These roads typically experience heavy wear because they were not designed for the loads they experience.

US Route 89 is one of the West’s most scenic highways. It reaches from Mexico to Canada and is known as the “National Park Highway.” With over 1,600 miles of a mostly two-lane paved highway, US 89 passes through five states, many cities and towns, and it is the gateway to seven national parks and 14 national monuments.

SR-198 was a roadway in need of safety upgrades and pavement preservation. Staker Parson Materials & Construction and UDOT Region 3 teams successfully replaced all 48 pedestrian access ramps, added a dedicated bike lane, and provided a new asphalt surface using hot-mix asphalt, stone-matrix asphalt, and a micro-surface that will last years to come.

This project was a 2.5-mile mill and fill job completed during the night. Scope of work called for a 3-inch deep rotomill, and a 1.5-inch deep pave back of PG 64-34 HMA using a spray paver. Then, the spray paver did a 1.5-inch-deep overlay of a PG 70-28 SMA. This project was one of the first jobs where Staker Parson Materials & Construction and UDOT used a spray paver.

The project location was on SR-44 between the SR-191 Greendale Junction and FR-094. Work was performed by Staker Parson Materials & Construction, UDOT, Wall Consultant Group, CIVCO Engineering, Jones & DeMille Engineering, and Coughlin Company

The Midvalley Highway involved 4.5 miles of roadway. The project included a new two-lane freeway, a new interchange at I-80, and a direct connection to SR-138 in the Tooele Valley.

The project called for ten miles of I-80 SMA overlay and an experimental single 6-inch lift of HiHMA mixed design for the Wendover port of entry. In all, the team placed 41,836 tons. They rotomilled the freeway in both directions to a depth of 1.5 inches and paved back a 1.5-inch depth of SMA with a PG-70-28 binder. That accounted for 41,459 tons.

The project location was on I-15 from MP-27 to 44 (New Harmony to the Toquerville exits). The elevation change from the bottom of the project to the top of Blackridge was just under 2,000 feet. Southbound semi-trucks had difficulty slowing down, and northbound semi-trucks had difficulty gaining speed back after slowing down.

The roadway was rough with considerable cracking, and the asphalt was thin (1.5-inches to 5-inches). Due to budget constraints, the asphalt could not be removed and replaced with a 4.5-inch overlay. The team used a profile mill with a maximum depth of 1-inch to improve smoothness. Next, they applied a scrub seal to help fill the cracks, and then they used a spray paver to apply a 2-inch SMA overlay.

Andersen Asphalt always puts a focal emphasis on which treatments will be most effective. The longevity of the surface treatment is a very high priority. In coordination with the city engineer, public works director, and assistance from third-party engineering, our team determined which roads would benefit most from AP4 Surface Treatment.

Each spring, the West Jordan Streets crew coordinates with the Capital Projects Group to mill and overlay selected streets throughout the city. The milling operation is contracted with outside parties, although West Jordan provides the trucks and drivers to transport the asphalt millings. The Capital Projects Group also contracts other work, such as lowering utilities and substandard ADA ramp replacements.

The Strawberry Sheep Creek project is a 23-mile segment of the 31.9-mile route that connects US-6 to US-40 through the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. This project is one of the most rewarding projects our company has worked on during the past two years.

Mark Morrison began his career 55 years ago in 1967 field testing soil densities and testing Portland Cement Concrete Cylinders in the lab. Mark developed a keen interest in civil engineering, began his career in civil engineering, and became a registered professional engineering in Utah.

UAPA is proud to recognize Eagle Mountain, Utah, as a recipient of UAPA’s Friend of Industry award. We recently spoke with Zac Hilton, Streets and Stormwater Manager for Eagle Mountain, about the city and the award.

Dale Hansen was nominated and unanimously approved to receive UAPA’s 2022 Industry Leader of the Year Award. His father, Harvey Hansen, was previously inducted into the UAPA Hall of Fame.

John Parson, former CEO of Staker Parson Materials & Construction and senior leader of CRH Americas Materials, was inducted into the Utah Asphalt Hall of Fame Feb. 2, 2022, at the Utah Asphalt Pavement Association’s Annual Conference. The Utah Asphalt Pavement Hall of Fame Inductee is chosen each year from among industry representatives and peers as someone who has significantly contributed to the betterment of the asphalt pavement industry in Utah.

Salina-Gunnison Airport recently completed its Runway 2/20 Reconstruction Project. Project engineering firm Savage Associates Engineering headquartered in Richfield, Utah, provided the design of the runway, taxiway connecter, and apron asphalt pavements.

Global climate experts have been interested in emissions and their connection to climate change for decades. That interest has caused a shift toward extremely specific actions. As a result, the asphalt industry’s customers want to use low-carbon materials more and more, and the clean policies being written reflect that.

The asphalt industry is careful about adopting new materials or techniques. It has to be: people’s lives depend on the materials or techniques working as advertised. At the same time, no innovation means no improvements, which doesn’t work either. Improving pavement requires rigorously thinking through the risks of new ideas and finding the best field projects to test them.

UAPA recently sat down with Jeff Collard, the outgoing UAPA President, to talk about his experiences with UAPA, including his time as president and his thoughts about UAPA and the industry. We appreciate him and everything he has done for the association, and we look forward to our continued friendship with him as he steps away from this particular leadership role. He has done a great job. Thank you, Jeff!

Innovation. Dedication. Commitment. Three simple words that come to mind as I ponder this issue of On the Road. Without fail, each year as we dedicate an issue of our magazine to cover not only the Utah Asphalt Conference but also the host of great projects, wonderful people, and exciting changes that make up our industry I tend to get a little teary-eyed and proud of all that this industry sets forth and accomplishes each year.