Skip to main content

Road repairs with recycling for full reconstruction

Recycling of road surfaces has resulted in restoration and full renovation of a key California route. State Highway 137 in California’s San Joaquin Valley had suffered badly from the effects of weather, traffic and general ageing and the California Department of Transportation recognised the need to improve this route. A 15km section of State Highway 137 west of Tulare, which lies about midway between Fresno and Bakersfield, in the heart of the Central Valley. The road runs through the vineyards and almo
July 15, 2015 Read time: 3 mins
This rural route required rehabilitation
Recycling of road surfaces has resulted in restoration and full renovation of a key California route. State Highway 137 in California’s San Joaquin Valley had suffered badly from the effects of weather, traffic and general ageing and the 2451 California Department of Transportation recognised the need to improve this route.

A 15km section of State Highway 137 west of Tulare, which lies about midway between Fresno and Bakersfield, in the heart of the Central Valley. The road runs through the vineyards and almond groves, and the agricultural producers appreciate the state getting the job done between spring and harvest time.

The project from the California Department of Transportation gave a tight schedule to lead contractor Papich Construction, along with its demanding road specifications. Coughlin Company, based in St George, Utah, was the sub-contractor for milling and cold-in-place recycling of the worn roadway, headed by Darren Coughlin. He said, “Our fleet includes 12 1252 Roadtec RX-900 cold planers with various cutter widths, a Roadtec RT-500 mobile recycle trailer that is fed and pulled by an RX-900, a CRMX2 Recycle Train, a Roadtec RX-400 cold planer with various cutter widths for narrow milling, a 1222 Terex CMI PR-600, two 178 Caterpillar pulverisers, two custom built cement spreader trucks, various trimmers, and various support equipment for central plant recycling and In place recycling,” he said.

The California Highway 137 road had aged and was displaying both transverse and longitudinal cracking. The rehabilitation project was ideal for cold-in-place recycle (CIR).

According to Coughlin, the benefits of CIR are substantial. He said that the Roadtec RT-500 mobile recycle trailer saves 30% in cost and 25% in time.  In addition, the process reduces reflective cracking, substantially improving the road life cycle. Using a crew of seven, Coughlin Company finished the job within the allotted 10 days. The train used was a RX 900e milling machine towing an RT 500 mobile recycle trailer, plus support equipment.

When the situation does not require CIR, the machine does duty as a cold mobile mix plant.  “It’s nice that the RT-500 recycle trailer can be set up to make cold mix from our RAP stockpile using emulsion or foam. Of course, we have options to add cement or lime if required.” The RT-500 also has a weigh bridge on board, which is designed to ensure accurate additive injection in the pugmill.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Recycling innovation unveiled at World of Asphalt
    May 13, 2015
    Road recycling technology was one focus area at the recent World of Asphalt exhibition in the US city of Baltimore - Mike Woof writes. The economic and environmental benefits to be gained from recycling road materials are well understood. In many markets such as North America, Europe and now China, the percentage of road materials being recycled is on the increase. New technologies are helping make recycling more efficient and widening the possibilities for contractors and clients One innovative deve
  • Presidio Parkway: the Golden Gate Bridge’s new southern approach road
    May 29, 2013
    Work on the Presidio Parkway, a new breathtaking and eco-friendly southern approach road to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, has entered its crucial second and final phase. As Guy Woodford reports, the vital US$1 billion project has overcome legal as well as environmental challenges to stay on course for its expected 2016 completion Just after 9pm on Friday April 27, 2012 a large public crowd looked on excitedly as a fleet of more than 40 R&L Brosamer and Ferma Corporation deployed hydraulic demolition h
  • Concrete paving job for Wirtgen machines in Nigeria
    May 14, 2018
    Concrete paving equipment from Wirtgen has been used to slipform a concrete road surface in south-west Nigeria Anew concrete roadway connects the towns of Itori und Ibese in Nigeria’s Ogun State. The construction work has been carried out by AG-Dangote Construction Company and made use of the sophisticated technology offered by Wirtgen’s SP 500 slipform paver. For this project, the contractor, a joint venture between the Brazilian company Andrade Gutierrez Company and the Dangote Group from Nigeria, rel
  • Italian highway link completed
    January 24, 2017
    A challenging road construction project is being carried out in Italy within a tight timeframe, with assistance from a new Marini asphalt plant. The project is for the Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway and the work has to be completed before the end of 2016. Local contractor Bulfaro is carryiing out the work to complete surfacing work to the Macrolotto 3.2; a 40km section of the highway between Laino Borgo and Campotenese. This section of the route is at an altitude of over 800m but the work was complicated b