Lewiston Hill project wins national asphalt paving award The recent U.S. 95 Lewiston Hill reconstruction project has received a National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) award. Knife River Construction, the project’s prime contractor, won the award for paving by producing a pavement nearly twice as smooth as the allowable standard for initial quality. The project used 112,000 tons of Superpave HMA (Hot-Mix Asphalt) plantmix pavement, and was completed in 99 days rather than the 120 scheduled. “Crews not only completed the project ahead of the initial schedule, but kept traffic moving with minor interference,” said ITD Resident Engineer Joe Schacher. “This project is a good example of how it should be done. The roadway is the smoothest paving project I've been involved with since I became resident engineer 12 years ago.” Resurfacing of a five-mile stretch of U.S. 95 on Lewiston Hill, carrying 10,000 vehicles per day, began in mid-May and ended in early September. Numerous maintenance projects have been performed in the past on the original pavement, placed in 1976. Those included overlays, plantmix seals and seal coats. However, these surface treatments have proven insufficient to keep the highway in good condition. The reconstruction is expected to extend the life of the road by approximately 20 years. “We typically specify that the contractor meet or exceed the highest quality on a new pavement, which we call Schedule I, and it ranges from six to seven inches per tenth mile,” Schacher said. “Knife River exceeded this requirement with many sections below four inches per tenth mile.” "Knife River and ITD worked diligently to produce a high-quality project," said Project Manager Paula Pintaur. "This effort resulted in a high-quality, smooth surface that exceeded the ridability of any previous project constructed in District 2."
Published 12-11-15 |