Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/712836
August 2016 | EquipmentWorld.com 68 For example, on a recent $150 million U.S. 101 job north of San Francisco, the grinding and grooving portion only came to $500,000. "A $150 million job and it just costs you $500,000,?" Brandt says. "That's pretty mini- mal. So I think DOT officials are seeing that benefit." Brandt uses an "older model" Diamond Products machine for his grinding work. "We don't really have a lot of the newer equipment, even though we feel the accuracy has improved with them, and there's only one com- pany that really makes grinders, Diamond Products. For correc- tive work, which is a lot of the work we do, they have a nice machine." Diamond Products lineup ranges from the smaller end with its PC1500 application pavement groover and grinder, using 12- inch blades, to the highway-class PC6000EC grinder that uses up to 18-inch blades. Industry advocacy "We are making great strides in educating the specifiers as to our services," Elkin says. "I see that continuing well into the future as long as no one in our business becomes complacent." Both Elkin and Brandt are mem- bers of the International Grooving & Grinding Association (IGGA), which works to promote diamond grinding and grooving as well provide tech- nical resources for contractors. "IGGA helps the owners, agen- cies and designers to have a better understanding of what our indus- try can do for them," Elkin says. "Once we get to the designers or the state DOTs to understand the benefits, we've never gone backwards, it's always trended in the right direction," Brandt adds. "It's just a matter of being able to overcome the political aspect. There have been multiple studies overseen by IGGA through the University of Texas and Univer- sity of Illinois, where they've specified smoothness in preser- vation specifically. So it's well- researched." Brandt also touts the positive impact grinding has on the driv- ing experience for motorists. highway contractor | continued Concrete grinding on precast pavement panels for a FHWA Highways for LIFE demonstration project with the Utah Department of Transportation on I-215. FHWA