Asphalt paving in island paradise

Praslin, the second-largest of the Seychelles Islands with roughly 6,500 inhabitants, is a tropical paradise of white sandy beaches, dense jungle and crystal clear seas. Tourism is the island's main source of income, and luxury tourism at that. A road had to be diverted for a new five-star hotel and property development project which will create jobs for around 400 people. The road would have obstructed the residents' access to the sea. Sey-Afrique Exporters from Pinetown, South Africa, won the contra
April 10, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The Vögele paver is coping with tough conditions

Praslin, the second-largest of the Seychelles Islands with roughly 6,500 inhabitants, is a tropical paradise of white sandy beaches, dense jungle and crystal clear seas.

Tourism is the island's main source of income, and luxury tourism at that. A road had to be diverted for a new five-star hotel and property development project which will create jobs for around 400 people. The road would have obstructed the residents' access to the sea.

Sey-Afrique Exporters from Pinetown, South Africa, won the contract to build the new, approximately 1.5km stretch of road, and the company chose a 1194 Vögele paver for the construction work.

Temperatures of between 35-40°C with relative humidity of over 90% made this a physically gruelling job. The topography, with gradients of more than 20% and tight hairpin bends, was also tricky.

The small SUPER 800 which handles pave widths from 0.5-3.2m, was said to be ideal for the job. Its asymmetrical material hopper allows it to work close to the edges, even in tight bends.

To obtain asphalt on an island just 12km long and 5km wide, Sey-Afrique Exporters had to revive an old government-owned mobile asphalt mixing plant in order to prepare bitumen-coated material.

Although the mix did not meet the standard asphalt specifications, the SUPER 800 was able to produce good results with it. Combined with an AB 200 extending screed in TV version, the paver placed two asphalt layers on a roughly consolidated base. The first, a level-regulating layer between 3 and 12cm thick, was paved to equalise the considerable unevenness of the base. Then a 5cm wearing course followed.

Around 80tonnes of mix was paved every day for the roadway, which varied in width between 7.5m-10.5m.

Helmut Bethge from 2395 Wirtgen South Africa trained and supervised the paving team throughout the job.
Asphalt milling, paving & compaction

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Dynapac’s F1250CS Plus Compact Paver
    June 16, 2023
    It’s the ‘Plus factor’ with Dynapac revamped F1250CS Compact Paver, especially when used with Dynapac’s RC360 Remote - a double portion of power and precision.
    Read More
  • Pavement recycling using cement
    July 12, 2012
    Carlos Jofré, technical director of the Spanish Institute of Cement and its Applications (IECA), introduces, on behalf of EUPAVE*, a sustainable technique to rehabilitate fatigued pavements Recycling of pavements is a technique whereby an existing degraded pavement is modified and transformed into a homogeneous structure that can support the traffic requirements. More specifically, it involves reusing the materials from the existing pavement for the construction of a new layer, including the pulverisation o
    Read More
  • Austrian project focuses on paving quality
    April 1, 2014
    Work to improve a section of the busy A12 Inntal highway in Austrian Tyrol, Austria, has been carried out by contractor Strabag. The A12 is one of Austria’s busiest highways and carries heavy traffic volumes, particularly in summer when it is an important holiday route through to Southern Europe. The heavy traffic volumes mean that the road has to withstand high stresses. The Brixlegg branch of Strabag carried out a surface renovation contract on the 5.5km stretch between Kundl and Radfield and focussed on
    Read More
  • Terex built for bridge paving
    November 29, 2012
    To meet a need to carry out complex modern bridge designs, the Terex Bid-Well 3600 paver is available with truss transition inserts, increasing maximum paving width from 27.4-33.5m. The inserts adjust truss depth from 914-1219mm toward the paver’s centre, reducing frame deflection and this is said to increase surface profile smoothness. Offering paving widths from 4.6-33.5m with optional transition inserts, the 3600 gives companies more versatility for paving a wide variety of bridge designs, including mult
    Read More

Highlighted Content