Name of project: Strawberry Sheep Creek

Project location: Utah and Wasatch County, Utah

Project start: June 2020

Project completion: October 2021

Key project team members:

• U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Division
• GRP-DSB-TSB (Geneva Rock Products, Inc./DSB Construction Joint Venture)
• Central Federal Lands Highway Division, Denver, Colorado
• Mike Summers – Area Manager (GRP)
• Michael Garcia – Project Manager (GRP)
• Tevita Kafoa – Project Manager (DSB)
• Matt Mitchell – Project Superintendent (GRP)
• Shawn Shuey – Lead Inspector (HDR)

Tons of hot mix asphalt mixed: 40,000 tons

Project overview:
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. The road is arguably one of the most beautiful highways in the state of Utah! A summary video of the project can be found at youtube.com/watch?v=dU31akRrpRg.

The project was divided into Schedule A, Option X and Option Y.

Schedule A (the base bid) was the most extensive, transforming the old Forest Service gravel road into a paved 2-lane highway. This 12.24-mile segment consisted of the following:

Removing the old drainage pipes and installing 64 new crossings
Installation of two structural plate pipe arches and reestablishing streambeds
100,000 CY of roadway excavation and embankment
58,000 tons of aggregate base
40,000 tons of HMA

Option X: A worn-out stretch of paved roadway started at US-6 and extended for seven miles. After minimal maintenance, it needed to be repaired and resurfaced to extend the existing roadway’s life. Improvements to this segment include patching existing asphalt, crack sealing, ditch reconditioning and chip seal.

Option Y began at Strawberry Reservoir for 3.75 miles toward US-40. A one-mile portion of this existing paved roadway was beyond repair. As a result, it was pulverized, regraded and repaved with new asphalt. The remaining parts of this were crack sealed and chip sealed, providing a new and improved surface for motorists.

What makes the project unique?

The project is in some of the state’s most rugged and wild terrain, topping out at 8,583’ at the project summit. Winter approached fast both years, giving us about 12 working months, but the project team’s outstanding final product impressed shareholders. The Federal Highway Association has a high standard for asphalt roughness/smoothness, but our grading and paving crews exceeded expectations for an excellent ride.

The smooth finished road culminated months of earth moving and grading work. Geneva Rock was fortunate to have some of the best dozer and grader operators prepare the base course and asphalt surface. The project’s first year saw over 100,000 cubic yards of road excavation moved between cuts and fills. The project features several large, reinforced slopes, hundreds of cut and fill slopes and many super-elevation curves. The project team utilized the latest in GPS and machine guidance to prepare this subgrade. To achieve the necessary tolerances, our survey team installed a GPS base station on a nearby mountain top for our equipment to connect to.

In addition to the earthwork and asphalt placement, this project included two arch culvert structures in active running creeks, over 1000’ of rockery wall, and over 60 new CMP drainage structures.

The mountain ranges this project traverses serve multiple purposes, including livestock grazing, hunting and recreational use. We had to maintain access to the public during most construction phases. During the summer months (our construction window), thousands of cattle and sheep were brought on-site to graze in the mountains. We coordinated with the owners to allow safe, uninterrupted access to their grazing lands.

This complex project was finished on schedule, in time for this area’s popular deer and elk hunting seasons. The road will provide faster and safer access to Strawberry Reservoir for communities in Utah County and Carbon County for years to come.