Colorado Flood Response Continues
Apr 02, 2014
Due to warm mix asphalt's success on flood response projects last fall, the Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association has indicated that the remaining 850 million in flood repair work will be completed using warm mix. Last year, contractors from Colorado and surrounding states utilized Evotherm warm mix asphalt to reconnect communities cut off by damage from 500-year floods.
Tom Peterson, CAPA executive director, worked with contractors and agencies to implement warm mix technology. "We told them WMA would be perfect, as the contractors needed to get in, place the material and compact it very quickly," Clayton said. "Going up in thos canyons wtih very little sunlight, and three-hour hauls, there is no way they could heat the asphalt high enough to retain workability without burning the light ends of the binder off, making the material virtually useless."
Kiewit Infrastructure and Coulson Excavating utilized Evotherm WMA on US. 34 where the flood had completely wiped out the roadbed in some places. Ken Coulson, president, Coulson Excavating, said, "The 4-in deep pavement was placed in one lift. It turned out so good that they may never mill it out."
The current issue of Roads & Bridges contains a full article by Tom Kuennen on the asphalt industry's flood response efforts.
Author: Heather Dolan
