Pub. 2 2019-2020 Issue 2

27 CUTLER REPAVING T his highway was chosen by UDOT Region 3 as a candidate for the hot in-place recycling method known as heater repaving.Theexistingasphalt surface needed rehabilitation because the chipseal surface was weathered and aged, while the underlying HMA was also showing signs of distress. The condition of the road did not meet the physical or budgetary needs for a conventional mill and overlay yet, but it was a good candidate for a heater repaving process to treat andpreserve thepavement. This project included over 150,000 SY of hot in-place recyclingwith about 17,000 tons of integrated HMA overlay. Thisprojecthadsomeuniquechallenges.The schedulequicklybecameacriticalcomponent afteracold,wet springacross thewest caused a very late start to the 2019 construction season. Also, the Flaming Gorge Recreation area draws large numbers of tourists during the summer. We needed to finish mission critical aspects of the job during popular weekend events such as the Fourth of July, Fishing Derby, and Town Festivals, but the project was finished well within the allow- able number of working days. Location also proved to be an obstacle. In addition to being a heavily traveled tourist area, Manila is 75miles fromthe Burdick hot plant inVernal.Thehaul route fromVernal is a steep, twisting, narrowhighway. Scheduling was very important to ensure that trucks couldmake two“rounds”each day and that there were enough trucks to maintain flow at the repaver. The long haul, cooler tem- peratures andhigher elevationnecessitated the use of warmmix technology and “dou- ble-doubles”for hauling. The roadway itself causedsomeconcernsbecausetherewereno shouldersalongmuchof thesection. Inmany spots, the white edge line had crumbled into the ditch. Cutler Repaving recycled the existing 12-foot width and then applied the overlay at a 14-foot width to provide a safer edge andbetter platformfor striping. UDOT hasrealizedthistypeofprojectisimportantin “fillingthegap”onsecondary roads thatneed work but aren’t yet at the deterioration level or budgetary capacity for the more expen- sive mill and overlay construction process. It can extend the life of the road 7-12 years. Improvement to ride quality was a major goal of this project. SR-43 was notorious for beinga very roughpavementwithpoor ride qualityandmanyvehicleaccidents.The initial MRI Profile showed that SR-43was generally in the 200-300MRI range. Values in the final profile were in the 80-150 range. Overall, there was a 57% improvement to the MRI. Thiswasagreataccomplishment.Overthe22 lane-miles of pavement, therewere approxi- mately 50must grinds.That is a bignumber, but considering theoriginal surface, thiswas a welcome result for everyone. Safety is always the most important aspect of any project. UDOT, Burdick Materials and Cutler Repaving agreed to strictly follow all PPE requirements (hard hats, steel toes and eye protection) for any personnel in the work zone. There were no violations, reported injuries, or vehicle accidents during this project. To keep motorists safe, a pilot car safely guided vehicles into the work zone and around the pavingoperations. Additionally, UDOT coordinated with the Wyoming Department of Transportation to use var- iable message signs along I-80 advising alternate routes to the Flaming Gorge Recreation area. Locals were kept abreast of the construction on SR-43 and Manila Mayor David Coombs hadweekly updates posted on the town’s website. 3 REGION 3, SR-43 QUALITY IN PRESERVATION WINNER: PROJECT LOCATION: Manilla, Utah, Daggett County PROJECT START: June 17, 2019 PROJECT COMPLETION: August 9, 2019