The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) names Northeast Asphalt Inc. of Greenville, WI, as winner for the 2016 Sheldon G. Hayes Award for excellence in construction of an asphalt pavement. The award, bestowed annually since 1971, recognizes the country’s highest quality highway pavements. Northeast Asphalt, Inc. received its award today at a ceremony during the 62nd Annual Meeting Orlando.
“The asphalt pavement industry is committed to building quality pavements that deliver high performance and drivability to the public,” said Kevin Kelly, NAPA 2016 Chairman. “All contractor’s projects earning a Sheldon G. Hayes Award are measured against industry best practices, rated for smoothness a year after construction, and visually inspected to ensure the project lives up to our promise. I’m honored to say that, in earning a 2016 Sheldon G. Hayes Award, Northeast Asphalt Inc. has exceeded these rigorous standards.”
Northeast Asphalt and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation – Northeast Region were named the winner for Northeast Asphalt’s work on STH 26 in Rosendale, Wis. “Two pilot requirements were in place during the entire STH 26 project — a Quality Management Program (QMP) special provision for pulverize and relay base density and a high-recycle-content test section,” said Chris Winiecki, Professional Engineer and Area Manager for Northeast Asphalt.
The 16-mile stretch of construction included various road widenings, the reshaping of 12 intersections, 15 culvert crossings, a 2,500 linear-foot full realignment of the highway, a 2-inch mill and overlay, and a 5½-inch mill/pulverization and relay.
“To be awarded the highest honor in asphalt paving is truly humbling,” Winiecki said. “This is the result of exceptional collaboration between the Wisconsin Department of
Transportation (WisDOT) and industry in the design phase coupled with a high degree of skill and attention to detail by all the men and women involved in the field construction.”
The QMP provision, a base course density provision, required compaction testing on the pulverized material. That, combined with the existing pavement irregularities, presented daily challenges to both Northeast Asphalt and WisDOT. Constant communication was needed to meet the density requirements while at the same time maintain production.
“As a result of the fast-paced nature of the pulverization and relay, not to mention the fact that the paving operation was only fractions of a mile behind, it was crucial for all to work together to resolve problems in a timely manner,” said Jake Brucker, Project Manager, Northeast Asphalt.
Another important piece of the project’s operation was the high-recycle HMA pilot that was permanently installed in the southern portion of the project and used on the lower and middle lifts. Once completed, the mix design was put into full production to include the more than 12,000 tons of high-recycle-content asphalt pavement mix used.
Brett Williams, Corporate Technical Services Manager for Northeast Asphalt, said the high-recycle mix design required more testing than a traditional hot-mix asphalt design. These included performance testing requirements for rutting, thermal cracking, fatigue, moisture susceptibility, and binder recovery.
