When it comes to paving and asphalt, most companies can manage a smooth paving job, such as on a driveway or in a parking lot. Although each of those job types comes with its own obstacles, they are far more straightforward than the job that Central Paving, LLC decided to take on.
Central Paving accepted a job repaving a railway that runs 24/7 and could not be shut down. Figuring out the best way to accommodate the railway while still being productive posed a huge challenge for the company. Even with visible hurdles ahead, the crews did not shy away.
Inside Job
Back in 2009, Central Paving was created by the Greear family. In the beginning, it was just two brothers and their father. The company started out as an asphalt maintenance company, just doing crack seal, seal coat, and restripe work. Eventually, the company started gaining momentum, so the Grears jumped into paving and haven’t looked back since.
Billy Harrell, account manager at Central Paving, said that since the company began paving, it has grown astronomically. 
Central Paving, LLC
After his family's hay farm was sold, Harrell was looking for something else to do. That’s when Harrell took a closer look at the company his friends owned. Since he liked the construction industry in general, Central Paving seemed like a good company to be a part of.
Harrell recounted, “I didn't really know anything about asphalt. They brought me in, and I didn't know I was in an interview, but by the end of it, I had an offer. So I started as an account manager, basically an estimator/project manager.”
Central Paving is now full scope and does all things from crack sealing and restriping to milling and overlays - almost anything asphalt-related.
Staying on Track: A Balancing Act
Harrell shared that he often bids on very unorthodox things and then he and the crew have to figure out logistically how the project can be done. This time was no exception. Central Paving picked up its award-winning job with Packaging Corporation of America (PCA). PCA pitched the project as an unusual job that required an onsite visit. The job was in a pulp mill that had a railway inside, and they were tasked with repaving the area around the rail.
Harrell said, “It’s like mud but it's paper pulp - rotten paper, so it just smelled horrible, and it's probably like four to six inches deep. It’s an intermodal portion of the mill where they pull in the container on a rail car, load up all this material …, pull it back out, and do it again.”
The PCA job was not going to be easy. There were a lot of factors working against the crew.
The rails before paving.Central Paving, LLC
The site was less than ideal but Harrell and his team were up for the challenge.
“I think anyone in our industry would have looked at this and been like, ‘That looks tricky. Let's see if we can do it. This one looks like fun,'” said Harrell.
To prepare, the crew had lots of meetings ahead of time to make a plan and break down the best ways of attacking the toilsome project at hand. Harrell said that at first, the crews were questioning his decision to bid on the job, but then their tune started to change as they worked through the challenges of the job, and the excitement continued to build in each of the meetings.
Facing the Challenge Head-On
Although the job with PCA was not going to be an easy one, the Central Paving team was ready and excited to begin work. The challenges of the PCA project were immediate as the team quickly found how tedious and narrow their clearance was when paving around and between the rails.
Harrell said, “We came in behind a rail crew that basically tore out the rail, replaced it … and then they brought in their ballast material. So we had to prep on top of that, which is interesting with the skiddy because they don't have that much of clearance either.”
Soon, their original attack plans fell through and they had to fall back to backup plans. The plans kept hitting roadblocks and required them to think up a new way to approach the problems. 
Central Paving, LLC
“Every time we got smacked with something, our crew came up with a better idea of how to approach it,” recalled Harrell.
Through teamwork, critical thinking, and perseverance, the Central Paving crew was able to conquer this bear of a project. Due to the team's ability to power through with grace, they completed the job beautifully and as a result, won them the 2025 Paving: Non-Parking Lot Award.
Harrell expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the company’s crew. He said that without their willingness to confront even the most difficult of jobs, the challenging bids he made would be meaningless.
“Our crew just is ready to [do] whatever it takes to make it work. They're just awesome,” said Harrell.
