Training + Advanced Controls = Smoothness Bonus

The original $55 million contract consisted of 1.36 million cubic yards of excavation, 1.73 million cubic yards of embankment, three bridges, 41,000 lineal feet of storm drainage, 340.000 lineal feet of underdrain, four box culverts, and 12,000 square feet of mechanically stabilized earth walls. Some 290,000 tons of asphalt were placed, plus 52,000 square yards of concrete pavement.

Shelly & Sands began work on Ohio 161 in June 2006, and had 24 months to complete by May 30, 2008. But utility conflicts and near-endless rain delayed the project six months right after the project started. In 2006 Shelly & Sands lost 88 calendar days on the schedule due to unusually wet conditions.

"We were greatly delayed by the weather when we first started out in 2006, but 2007 started out dry, and we were able to get underway with no problems," says Brian Varrato, Columbus area manager for Shelly & Sands. "We started from the east end of the project and headed west."

For this project on new alignment, a 12-inch lime stabilized foundation was topped with 6 inch No. 304 crusher-run aggregate, followed by base courses of 5 inches of asphalt with No. 302 aggregate, and 2.5 inches with No. 301 aggregate. This was topped with 1.75 inches of Type 2H intermediate course with 3/4-inch max nominal size aggregate and 1.25 inch of Type 1 with 3/8-inch max nominal size aggregate for friction or driving course.

The hot mix asphalt was provided by the Mar-Zane Materials division of Shelly & Sands. The PG binder was provided by S&S Terminal, the liquid asphalt division of Shelly & Sands. The HMA was made by a portable plant of composite manufacture, at 350 tph at 5% moisture removal.

Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) was used at a maximum 40% in the base, 35% in the intermediate lift, and 10% in the friction course.

"This was a seven-year warranted project," says Morrison. "We had flexibility in our design criteria, but had to meet aggregate quality specs for the material used.

"As far as the design of the structure, we could use Superpave or Marshall design," Morrison says. "We chose a hybrid, with 10% RAP in the surface course. We also added at the plant, at our own option, 1.5% Rub-R-Road latex modifier to the intermediate and surface courses. It was not required by the state spec because the average daily truck (ADT) estimate was lower than 1,500, which is the ODOT requirement for PG 64-22 liquid.

"But with the anticipated added traffic once an additional section is opened, we wanted to add a little more cushion to the mix to help it fight rutting and cracking. The extra percent and a half latex brought it up to a 70-22 grade."

Information for this article provided by Vögele America Inc.