Page 44 • May 4, 2019 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT GUIDE

As Spring Arrives, Highway Repair Proceeds in Phases MnDOT prepare residents for the upcomingwork, which will see one half of the east-west highway closed to give crews a safework zone. The plan is based on stageddetours of Route 59 overpass bridges andramps, various lane closures and a lanecrossover on Route 2. PCi began the work last October and

completed the temporary crossovers justbefore Thanksgiving. Bill Hines, PCi’s proj-ect manager, is assisted by Rachel Wedig,the onsite construction manager.“With our spring load restrictions, PCi

wants to start in early May or as soon as theycan,” Groven said. “The work on thecrossovers was done rapidly. They broughtin some grading and base materials. Wewere hit with early snow in October and theyhad to wait until we got some warmerweather to melt it off and be able to pave itin.”No major construction challenges are

expected, although nothing is being takenfor granted in case there are problems withgravel and clay subbases.

“Some of these concerns were alleviatedwhen they decided to do a concrete overlay,”said Groven, who added that there are noutility issues. “The contract was awarded lastspring with the idea that they could start con-struction in the summer and continue intothis year. PCi chose to develop a plan to doeverything at once. They have had plenty oftime to plan the schedule. Communicationwith PCi has been good, and we’ve workedwell as a team to create a project team —MnDOT, PCi, and Alliant.”The general contractor is looking to rent

some properties to set up a concrete batchplant and laydown yards. There is a good

possibility that anMnDOT right of way canbe secured, as well as anMnDOT truck station halfa mile from the project, or spaces in Erskine.“If they can start in May, it should take a

few months to repair one side of the road,”said Groven. “The work will be done in sec-tions. We can only allow them to close cer-tain direction ramps for a certain amount oftime and they can only close the Highway 59portion for a certain period. There’s also theweigh station on the east end of the projectfor which access has to be maintained.”The two bridges are located at the Route

59 interchange, with one crossing Route 2and the other spanning a railway. Work onthe bridges will be done simultaneously withthe road work.“Once they close Highway 59, they’ll do

all the bridge work in one time slot,” saidGroven. “The bridge over Highway 2 is aconcrete girder one, so it’s mainly just deckrepairs and the approach panels on bothsides. The bridge over the railroad is a steelbeam one, so for that we are repainting it,

and repairing the deck and approach panels.We’ve had PCi perform work on otherbridge rehabilitation projects and they’vedone really well. It’s a well-oiled machinewhen it comes to their work. They come inand get her done.”For the replacement of curb, gutter, storm

sewer and culverts along Route 2, the plan isto have crews replace the infrastructure onthe side of the road being repaired, with thepossibility that some underground workcould also be done on the other side.Concrete pipe may be ordered, and ordersmay also include prefabricated catch basinsand manholes.Peak days in spring will have close to 65

workers on site. Subcontractors includeHoffman Construction Company forremovals, grading, base, and underground;Knife River Materials for bituminouspaving; Subsurface Inc. for manhole rehabil-itation; H&R Construction for guardrailsand signage; Sherbrooke Turf for landscap-ing and erosion control; NECI for surveying;and Warning Lites for traffic control.Removals from the existing road are

expected to yield concrete and asphalt to berecycled on site and reused as aggregate basematerial.New materials should include 30,000 cu.

yds. of concrete,7500 tons of asphalt, and10,000 tons of aggregate base.Equipment to be used on the proj-

ect includes lifts, concrete and bitu-minous pavers, a concrete batchplant, milling machines, grindingmachines, and crushing machines.PCi uses Guntert Zimmerman slip-form pavers, Rexcon concrete plants,a substantial number of Caterpillarproducts, Wirtgen milling machinesand Bidwell paving machines.“We’ve encountered some weath-

er-related factors,” said Hines, notingthat the repairs are done based on theseverity of the problem, “We haveseveral onsite mechanics with thepaving crews and grading crews. Werefurbish and restore equipment dur-ing the off season, and we do regularseasonal maintenance to keep thefleet in an efficient state.”Hines expects that some rented

equipment will be used on the proj-ect.PCi purchases equipment from regional

and local dealerships.Hines said he is looking forward to the

start of work in the spring and pointed outthat all projects provide opportunities to pro-mote employees and improve skills.“We train in the areas of safety quality,

and environmental compliance to allemployees and stakeholders,” he said. CEG

HIGHWAY from page 1

PCi Roads photoPCi uses Guntert Zimmerman slipform pavers, as well asRexcon concrete plants.

MnDOT photo With proper construction techniques and dowel alignments withthe joints, a concrete pavement can last a long time, said MnDOTproject manager Shawn Groven.

PCi Roads photoMaterials used in the project are expected to include 30,000 cu.yds. of concrete.