PRODUCER: Ajax Paving Co.
ENGINEER: Michigan Department of Transportation
PROCUCTS USED: ConAir® 260, Optiflo® 500, Optiflo® Plus
This project marked the final phase of the Michigan Department of Transportation’s long-term improvements to U.S. 131 from Grand Rapids to Cedar Rapids. The project began in 2000 and was completed in 2008. The corridor has seen significant growth and rising traffic volumes. A key challenge for this project was the narrow 6 Mile Road bridge on southbound U.S. 131, which couldn’t support conventional construction traffic. M.D.O.T utilized a split/merge traffic plan to maintain two-lane traffic in each direction. Considerable effort was made to correct the parabolic surface, superelevation, and crown-cross slope to bring the roadway up to current standards. This was done while maintaining a minimum of 6.5″ of concrete overlay thickness. M.D.O.T and contractors reviewed grades to ensure quality results.
The unbonded concrete overlay greatly extends the life of the roadway while improving ride quality, and enhancements to ramp alignments at acceleration/deceleration lanes will improve safety and traffic flow. Premiere Concrete Admixtures provided ConAir® 260 offering consistent dosages (1.0-1.8 oz/cwt) even with varying mix designs. Ajax Paving also used Optiflo® 500 (2.0-4.0 oz/cwt) and Optiflo® Plus for enhance finishability and accelerated set times.
