Pub. 1 2018-2019 Issue 2

Too often, roads today are built so they match the specifica- tions and nothing more. Road production is generally not allowed any room for mistakes, but building a good road involves more than just avoiding obvious mistakes. A good example of this is subgrade preparation. Asphalt pavements are flexible pavements. However, the paving materials were never meant to bridge soft spots. Some bridging does occur naturally because of the addition of structural layers, espe- cially if the layers are thick, but if there is a defect in the sub- grade then potholes are likely to appear. If you take the time to have skilled craftsmen do a detailed inspection of the subgrades that will support the pave- ment, it will cost money, but the extra effort is worth it because everything that sits on top of the subgrade relies on its providing uniform support. A site foreman who tells me he needs to fix a soft spot makes me happy. I know he is using his skills and inspecting the grade. How do you get a feel for soft spots? One excellent way is to use a continuous analysis process like proof rolling. The process can give you valuable insights about the uniformity of the subgrade. Proof rolling used to be common, years ago; but nowadays you don’t see it very often. Another too-often-neglected aspect of road building is the ride profile. Sometimes the ride profile is neglected by the owner in the project bid documents. The owner just doesn’t include it. Sometimes the contractor has the wrong attitude and decides just to pave what is there. Either way, the result is poor con- struction and substandard ride quality fromthe very beginning. The pavements that we travel are the sum of all their layers; which is why a road that has correctly built layers will be low-maintenance andwill last a long time. In contrast, a poorly constructed road will always cost you more in the long run even if the contractor who built it gave you the lowest bid. You should always choose the contractor who understands the art involved in building a good road and will do the work to build all the layers correctly. You might not be con- scious about why you like riding on that road better than a bad road, but this is one case where unobtrusive quality is a good thing. 3 Nothing is as important for a contractor than being able to focus on core business functions – those activities that support the bottom line and put money in the bank. Every small business owner knows that pro t is the di erence between success and failure. Outsourcing HR management relieves business owners of the burden of managing employees, and allows them to redirect their resources towards more important aspects of their business. WTA, inc. is a professional employer organization offering a wide range of HR related services to small businesses, both new and established. WTA gets you back to business, and for a contractor that’s invaluable. Call today, for a free consultation! WTA , inc . WorkforceTraining and Administration Services 801.270.6851 continued from page 17 18