Pioneer Paving & Grading bid a large project for Santa Fe's Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains - and they convinced the chief engineer to pave one of nine parking lots with warm mix asphalt. You can read about how the job went and about the crew's reaction to WMA in "Santa Fe Hospital Goes Green with Warm Mix Asphalt" in the August/September issue of Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction. But for a step-by-step look at how the job went down and finished up check out these 13 photos.
Just as it does with other overlays, Pioneer Paving & Grading applied a tack coat prior to placing the warm mix asphalt.
The first pull went down smoothly and the crew got on it pronto with a plate compactor to compact the edge.
Owner Don Rooney ordered 364 tons of warm mix, which was hauled to the jobsite from LaFarge Asphalt's plant 60 miles away.
The warm mix asphalt was at 275°F at the plant, 250°F coming out of the truck at the jobsite, and the crew put it down and between 220°F-230°F.
As on most parking lots, light poles made straight pulls impossible. Pioneer Paving's crew turned to a Cat skid steer to hustle mix into the hopper when the haul truck wouldn't work.
The crew noticed immediately that the warm mix was easier to work by hand...
...and the real difference became evident when shoveling.
First roller on the mat was a vibratory steel roller which was followed by a pneumatic (rubber tire) roller. The crew wet the roller - just as on a standard HMA job - to prevent the mix from sticking.
The Pioneer Paving crew had more time for compaction, and for the most part the pneumatic roller was effective in removing roller marks.
Oftentimes both the pneumatic and steel roller in static mode were on the job at the same time, the steel roller providing the smooth finish and taking out any stubborn roller marks...
...And the finished surface shows what a nice pavement WMA - and Pioneer Paving & Grading's crew - can provide.
The day after paving was done Pioneer's crew returned to layout and stripe the 80-stall parking lot.
Parking blocks were re-installed, and the medical/dental facility of Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center was open for business.
