Keeping Las Vegas Roads in Pristine Shape

The city expects their streets to be pristine. "The city officials are definitely strict about the quality of work we deliver," Reimschiissel says. "We have to grind off any oil spots before we can begin sealing a street. They want neat seams, and they don't want to see any sealer lapping over the adjacent curb. If you get anything on the curb line, you have to clean it off. And they're also very strict about removing any dust or mud from the street surface before we begin sealing; and not tracking any dust from our staging areas to the projects."

Project challenge

"The challenge with a project this large is in coordinating the schedules with all the city departments." Reimschiissel says. "The city requires us to send out two notices (to residents and business owners located along a scheduled street project), and we also have to post ?no parking' signs along the street. We also have to work out any logistics with garbage collection, police and fire departments, and businesses (like casinos) that require access during the time we're doing the work.

"It really involves a lot of communication to make sure we can complete a road when it's scheduled and do so in a way that minimizes any inconvenience to those who rely on that street," he adds.

There were times during the project when the slurry crew had to work weekends to either maintain the aggressive schedule required to complete the project, or to address roads that could only be sealed at that time.

"There were roads located around schools or some businesses that could not be blocked off during the week, so in those situations we scheduled the work for the weekend," he explains.

In order to stage the required work in an orderly fashion, the city issued maps detailing the specific streets to be treated within the specific lots and specific sections of the project; and as Reimschiissel points out, each map came with a deadline.

"That means we had to not only complete the work on time, but we also had to forward the maps to others (like garbage collectors) to make them aware of our schedule; and if our scheduled changed, we had to notify those that would be affected by that change," he says. "There were penalties for not meeting deadlines, so it was crucial to keep everyone aware of our schedules and any changes."

Reimschiissel attributes the success of executing a large project to the competent crews who do the work and having the right equipment. The large Las Vegas project proved once again why he relies on Valley Slurry Seal Macropavers.

"I use Valley Slurry Seal Macropavers to meet our production needs because the equipment is built well and we're able to run it hard without worrying about breakdowns," he says. "The pugmills mix the materials completely and quickly to assure a good slurry seal product. We're working with very dry material and we don't want to end up with a bunch of sand balls out on the road."

As for the satisfaction of successfully completing a large project, Reimschiissel says it's a matter of working together for a common outcome - a quality project that meets the needs of the road agency, businesses and residents who rely on a quality infrastructure.

"Some of the roads we are working on are roads we worked on 25 to 27 years ago. They're roads that have had several slurry treatments over the years," Reimschiissel says. "So it just proves that you can maintain a quality road structure through regular maintenance and preservation treatments, and the City of Las Vegas likes to keep its roads in tip-top shape."