Better Roads

August 2014

Better Roads Digital Magazine

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Better Roads August 2014 21 Applications & Innovations job sites by excavating companies, contractors, landscapers and trucking companies. Applications for the extracted stone include all construction aggregate uses including concrete stone, bituminous mixtures, road bases, rail sub ballast and ballast, erosion control, shore protection and dam recon- struction. Coldspring was able to supply and deliver the open-graded asphalt base (OGAB) needed for the project. They had a good source of high-quality granite that was only 15 miles from the project site. Meeting the needs of a local market The Highway 23 project required 43,000-tons (the equiva- lent of 2,150 truck loads) of granite aggregates from multiple quarries. The granite aggregate was provided in sizes from 3/8 inch to 1 inch. The stone was used to build an 8-inch base of rock for the Paynesville bypass. It formed a drainage layer to remove wa- ter and minimize cold weather frost issues, and was placed directly below the new highway. Concrete was then poured on top of the open-graded base. The granite was sized to provide an interlocking base that was workable and signifi- cantly more stable than other locally available gravel base materials. With granite aggregate as a base, edge drains and overall drainage are maintained throughout the pavement life, which minimizes the possibility of concrete breakage and cracking. Kraemer Trucking crushed the material to meet the proj- ect's specifications. The company performs residential and commercial site work, as well as munici- pal projects including street construction and has worked with the aggregate sup- plier on a myriad of projects throughout the past 40 years. Working ahead of schedule One of the major challenges on this project was a very tight timeframe. Be- cause of Minnesota's weather challenges – a winter season that can last for six months – the season to complete road projects is small. Project timelines and scheduling meant the OGAB had to be delivered at a high rate to keep the project on schedule, says Chad Kraemer, president of Kraemer Trucking. To accom- modate the excessive truck traffic, this meant Coldspring had to keep its gate hours open as long as needed to deliver the daily quantities needed to keep the project on schedule, he said. "To keep the trucks rolling, most work days would start at 6 a.m. and end at 8 p.m." Adding to the timeframe challenge, the project faced a month-long shutdown due to the non-ratification of the state budget, which caused all government activities to cease op- erations. Yet, even with the shortened work seasons and the government shutdown, the Highway 23 Paynesville Bypass was completed more than a month ahead of schedule. A team effort to make strict standards MnDOT's strict standards meant that a granite product had to be produced that would meet the road agency's tough grada- tion specifications. It was paramount for the contractor on this project to be selective in the feed of material to produce specified material for the project. Now travelers on Highway 23 have a safer, less-congested route between Willmar and St. Cloud, Minnesota. The aggre- gates producer was able to serve as a valuable partner to the contactors by providing the aggregate, from a nearby pro- cessing facility, at the density and durability required. Article and photos are courtesy of Cold Spring (coldspringusa.com). Granite aggregate formed an 8-inch base of rock for the Paynesville bypass project. Because of Minnesota's weather challenges – a winter season that can last for six months – the season to complete road projects is short.

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