The process of laying paving fabric involves spraying hot asphalt cement with a tack truck. "[This is] followed immediately with a tractor outfitted with an implement which holds the rolls of fabric," explains Lillis. "The implement contains numerous brushes to press the fabric into the tack coat and hand brooms are used at the beginning and ends of the runs."

Since applying the correct amount of asphalt cement is essential to a successful fabric application, English Paving employed an Etnyre Centennial Series asphalt distributor tack truck with Etnyre DC-2 computerized application.

"If too little tack is applied, the fabric will not adhere to the surface or allow enough bleed through to hold the asphalt surface course. Too much will cause excess bleeding through the fabric and may show through the surface," Lillis explains. "The computerized application allows the truck to be operated at various speeds depending on the size of the area and configuration of the paving areas."

Let the paving begin!

On the morning of English Paving's fourth day on the job, they began paving the parking lot area using a Blaw Knox 5510 paver. The parking lot area used 500 tons of asphalt for the half-inch to three-quarters-inch leveling course and over 14,000 tons for the two-inch surface course. The paver was equipped with an Omni III screed with Blaw-Kontrol and an Ultra 5 Joint Matcher.

"The joint matcher operated by sonar. It measured their distance from the reference point to the existing mat placed and ensured the run being placed was at the same elevation, thereby lessening the chance of uneven surfaces between runs. The joint matcher also eliminates the need for a screed man constantly working on the screed," Lillis says.

English Paving used three rollers on the parking lot. The system was worth the effort since English Paving accomplished a more than 94% density rating on the finished job.

The crews used a CAT 634 for the initial breakdown rolling immediately after the paver and took two or three passes over the surface. Then they employed a CAT 434 to make three passes over the mat to gain compaction and remove any heavy roller marks. Finally they brought out a CAT 334 for small areas and to remove all other roller marks. Lillis says the rollers were generally on separate paving lanes approximately 30 to 40 minutes apart.

English Paving completed the job on time, and turned the lot over to their striping subcontractor, who completed the job on Friday. As the subcontractor completed portions of the striping in the parking lot, English Paving crews began removing the construction drums and flagged roping. The roadway striping was completed by closing lanes as needed, and the striping contractor took care of the traffic control for this portion of the project.

Coordination, scheduling, and cooperation from Mother Nature allowed English Paving to deliver the Willowbrook Mall parking lot job on time. Skilled crews and state-of-the-art equipment contributed to the excellent results of the project, including no visible joints, superior compaction, no segregation, positive drainage, and high density.