Reconstructing an athletic sports complex brings with it many challenges, not the least of which for Bituminous Roadways, (BR) Inc. was Mother Nature and the scope of the project.
Last year, the Minneapolis-based company won the bid from the general contractor to reconstruct Vaughan Field at Shakopee Public Schools, the cornerstone of their athletic facilities. An upgrade was much needed. BR’s focus was the track and event surface, the new east parking lot, and the trails leading to and from the junior high school. Other subcontractors were on site to install electricity, erect bleachers, and construct a building among performing other renovations.
The reconstruction project began on July 23, 2016 and was completed on September 13. BR was on site for a total of 25 days, during which it installed more than 8,000 tons of aggregate in multiple phases, along with more than 4,000 tons of asphalt comprised of six different mix designs, again in multiple phases.
As with all track and event surfaces, there is little room for error in the tolerances of the aggregate base and asphalt pavement, notes BR Key Accounts Manager Jason Krause. “We installed the aggregates and determined the tolerance for the areas to receive pavements. Then we installed two lifts of asphalt for the track and parking lots. The roadway was paved with three lifts of asphalt. The project was completed in three phases due to the site construction schedule.”
The BR team worked hard to keep the project on schedule despite the volume of activity. “Timing was an issue since there were many different contractors working to complete their portion of the reconstruction,” adds Krause. “Our superintendents kept the customer informed, the foreman made sure appropriate product and equipment was on site, and experienced crews (BR has been installing these types of surfaces since the 1970s) laid the asphalt according to the required specifications.”
Moisture Time Outs
Although scheduling was a major challenge, Krause notes the company’s biggest challenge was something entirely out of its control, rain. “It wasn’t just one rain event but several that disrupted the operation. After it rained, we would have to farm the subgrade to dry out some areas. While in the process of farming, we would have another rain event, which required crews to start the process all over again.”
But working through moisture time outs is not an unfamiliar scenario for a company that has been in business since 1946 and employs upwards of 170 people during the busy season. In addition to reconstructing athletic fields, BR does cracksealing, patching, grading, milling, and paving for commercial/industrial and public projects.
