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9 Ways to Build Better Roads in Michigan


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34 minutes ago, Seatofmtpants said:

This article is shit.......here's why.

 Most of these suggestions are expensive as hell and don't fix the problem.  Most of what causes a road to fail is what is underneath the surface.  I wont talk bridges because I don't mess with that stuff.  

Porous asphalt exists and will not survive in that region, because of the freeze-thaw.  Rubberized asphalt doesn't work....... we already put some plastic in (vestoplast for example) and they fail early too....... pig shit doesn't make asphalt either.......

I do agree with making the road bases thicker, that part I can get on board with.  Most roads are either too thin, have failed past the point of remediation, or are incorrectly designed (meaning the actual material).  MI would be smart to incorporate more polymer into the mixes up there to help combat the vast temperature swings IMO...... That and allow more RAP into the mixes to drive manufacturing costs down (more lane miles paved on budget).  Just my quick thoughts...... 

So there is no sense in looking for better materials and methods? 

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1 hour ago, Seatofmtpants said:

This article is shit.......here's why.

 Most of these suggestions are expensive as hell and don't fix the problem.  Most of what causes a road to fail is what is underneath the surface.  I wont talk bridges because I don't mess with that stuff.  

Porous asphalt exists and will not survive in that region, because of the freeze-thaw.  Rubberized asphalt doesn't work....... we already put some plastic in (vestoplast for example) and they fail early too....... pig shit doesn't make asphalt either.......

I do agree with making the road bases thicker, that part I can get on board with.  Most roads are either too thin, have failed past the point of remediation, or are incorrectly designed (meaning the actual material).  MI would be smart to incorporate more polymer into the mixes up there to help combat the vast temperature swings IMO...... That and allow more RAP into the mixes to drive manufacturing costs down (more lane miles paved on budget).  Just my quick thoughts...... 

The use of carbon fiber in bridge construction makes a lot of sense. Strong, lightweight, zero corrosion. 

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3 minutes ago, spin_dry said:

The use of carbon fiber in bridge construction makes a lot of sense. Strong, lightweight, zero corrosion. 

I dont know about the cost vs standard steel and concrete but I'd assume it to be exponentially more expensive. Better materials is for sure the way forward though. HMA has came a long way in the past 15 years..... but some technologies are just crap. Ultra-thin wearing courses are junk for example as are warm mix technologies.... but thats just me. GAP and polymer mixes are advancing quickly, but when we mill up roads you have to be able to ise it back in the mix.....otherwise it is landfilled or wasted.

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1 hour ago, Jimmy Snacks said:

So there is no sense in looking for better materials and methods? 

See above. Thats exactly whats needed, that article is referencing (for the most part) very old technology.

Edited by Seatofmtpants
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Just now, Seatofmtpants said:

I dont know about the cost vs standard steel and concrete but I'd assume it to be exponentially more expensive. Better materials is for sure the way forward though. HMA has came a long way in the past 15 years..... but some technologies are just crap. Ultra-thin wearing courses are junk for example as are warm mix technologies.... but thats just me. GAP and polymer mixes are advancing quickly, but when we mill up roads you have to be able to ise it back in the mix.....otherwise it is landfilled or wasted.

Do you think that road and bridge materials have improved in technology in the same way as other items have? Could more have been done? 

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10 minutes ago, spin_dry said:

Do you think that road and bridge materials have improved in technology in the same way as other items have? Could more have been done? 

Well thats tough. Its a low bid system ran by and inspected by the government.... so they will only let us do whats specified.....

 

For example: we designed and placed 5 different materials on the same stretch of road (adjoining sections).... now why would that be??? Different engineers.... but why different mixes? Same traffic, same weather, same subgrade just different SHA designer. If industry was able to design and build projects (with a guarentee) then innovation would thrive....  doing what the book says isn't always the best.  Buttttt..... muh roads...... Typed on my phone so ignore the grammer

Edited by Seatofmtpants
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Hey Jimmy ! ; https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/natural-gas/061019-propane-likely-to-shift-to-rail-if-michigan-forces-enbridge-to-shut-line-5   :read:  Early this week on WJR  there was a good interview , the state  transportation people pre estimates are 2000 tanker trucks per day or 500 rail cars per day 4-1 average. IF ?? the MI Gov. + A.G. pull the plug on line 5 . Rumors are floating that the state has offers from multi  investors to purchase the state owned Gaylord n- s trackage that ends at the old Wickes lumber warehouse plus the rail banked  line to Mac City . Rails were pulled years ago when it was owned outright by the Pinkerton family AKA as the long gone Detroit and Mackinaw Railroad , now Lake state Railroad.

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Posted Monday at 03:42 PM (edited)

The company I work for makes about 750k tons of asphalt a year.

Edited Monday at 03:42 PM by Seatofmtpants

 

 

Mine also, probably exceed 800k this season with projects on the books already.  Gonna be crazy 2019 paving season!

Edited by ARTIE KATZ
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3 hours ago, hwytohell said:

Hey Jimmy ! ; https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/natural-gas/061019-propane-likely-to-shift-to-rail-if-michigan-forces-enbridge-to-shut-line-5   :read:  Early this week on WJR  there was a good interview , the state  transportation people pre estimates are 2000 tanker trucks per day or 500 rail cars per day 4-1 average. IF ?? the MI Gov. + A.G. pull the plug on line 5 . Rumors are floating that the state has offers from multi  investors to purchase the state owned Gaylord n- s trackage that ends at the old Wickes lumber warehouse plus the rail banked  line to Mac City . Rails were pulled years ago when it was owned outright by the Pinkerton family AKA as the long gone Detroit and Mackinaw Railroad , now Lake state Railroad.

Good read...interesting.

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On 6/10/2019 at 2:41 PM, Seatofmtpants said:

Well thats tough. Its a low bid system ran by and inspected by the government.... so they will only let us do whats specified.....

 

For example: we designed and placed 5 different materials on the same stretch of road (adjoining sections).... now why would that be??? Different engineers.... but why different mixes? Same traffic, same weather, same subgrade just different SHA designer. If industry was able to design and build projects (with a guarentee) then innovation would thrive....  doing what the book says isn't always the best.  Buttttt..... muh roads...... Typed on my phone so ignore the grammer

Many times that's done to test different bituminous mixes and or concrete formulas such as more or less admixtures like A.E., bag % per Cu. yard, quantities of #1 and 2 stone, and sand amount percentages all in the same stretch of road..known as Test Plats...

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39 minutes ago, XCR1250 said:

Many times that's done to test different bituminous mixes and or concrete formulas such as more or less admixtures like A.E., bag % per Cu. yard, quantities of #1 and 2 stone, and sand amount percentages all in the same stretch of road..known as Test Plats...

Few roads round here have been done like that. Now if they stopped painting the lines with paint that eats asphalt we could have good roads.

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On 6/10/2019 at 1:09 PM, f7ben said:

Most of the process change has been focused on substrate prep from what I've seen

correct. a road is only as good as the sub-roadbed, asphalt and poylimer enhanced asphalts are the proven industry standard all these mixes listed in the article are no more than wish full, waste full spending, we have tried adding recycled tires to our mixes with unsatisfactory results, we are currently using 40% rap (recycled asphalt product) reducing virgin liquid asphalt used with great results, we have some roads out there with no repairs needed for 20 years, google our parent company COLAS or my company Barrett Paving Matertials/Midland Asphalt Materials Inc and look at the different pavement preservation methods

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2 hours ago, 01mxz800 said:

correct. a road is only as good as the sub-roadbed, asphalt and poylimer enhanced asphalts are the proven industry standard all these mixes listed in the article are no more than wish full, waste full spending, we have tried adding recycled tires to our mixes with unsatisfactory results, we are currently using 40% rap (recycled asphalt product) reducing virgin liquid asphalt used with great results, we have some roads out there with no repairs needed for 20 years, google our parent company COLAS or my company Barrett Paving Matertials/Midland Asphalt Materials Inc and look at the different pavement preservation methods

Could you bring over enough material to coat my 2100 foot driveway. It's coming uncunted and I need to do something.......ok thanks!

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12 hours ago, XCR1250 said:

Many times that's done to test different bituminous mixes and or concrete formulas such as more or less admixtures like A.E., bag % per Cu. yard, quantities of #1 and 2 stone, and sand amount percentages all in the same stretch of road..known as Test Plats...

Meh, we don't have admixtures.  My comments were about HMA not concrete.  While these mixes did have different aggregate, asphalt, and ESAL levels..... it is doubtful they were performing any type of test strips.  Most of these were in consecutive calendar years.  Mixes placed were 12.5mm HPV 76-22 Level 4, 12.5mm GAP Level 5, 12.5mm 76-22 Level 4, 9.5mm Level 4 HPV 76-22, and 12.5mm Level 4 64-22.  

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11 hours ago, 01mxz800 said:

correct. a road is only as good as the sub-roadbed, asphalt and poylimer enhanced asphalts are the proven industry standard all these mixes listed in the article are no more than wish full, waste full spending, we have tried adding recycled tires to our mixes with unsatisfactory results, we are currently using 40% rap (recycled asphalt product) reducing virgin liquid asphalt used with great results, we have some roads out there with no repairs needed for 20 years, google our parent company COLAS or my company Barrett Paving Matertials/Midland Asphalt Materials Inc and look at the different pavement preservation methods

Hey I didn't know you were an asphalt guy.......

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2 hours ago, Seatofmtpants said:

Meh, we don't have admixtures.  My comments were about HMA not concrete.  While these mixes did have different aggregate, asphalt, and ESAL levels..... it is doubtful they were performing any type of test strips.  Most of these were in consecutive calendar years.  Mixes placed were 12.5mm HPV 76-22 Level 4, 12.5mm GAP Level 5, 12.5mm 76-22 Level 4, 9.5mm Level 4 HPV 76-22, and 12.5mm Level 4 64-22.  

Yes, I realized what you meant... I worked in all types of Road/Highway/Freeway & Railroad Construction including Materials design to determine Batch mixes for both Bituminous & Concrete material strengths and durability which included Nuclear Density testing, and in our Materials and Soils Laboratories for Soils analysis including Atterberg Limits ASTM D4943 to determine shrinkage limit, plastic limit, and liquid limit, solid, semi-solid, plastic, and liquid contents of soils for roadway Sub-grade and Bridge Abutment and Column depths and placements. (Retired now.)

Edited by XCR1250
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We had many test area locations (in Wisconsin) some were several miles long, both Bituminous and some Concrete areas which included Open-Graded Aggregate Sub-Grades used with concrete surfaces.

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12 hours ago, Seatofmtpants said:

Hey I didn't know you were an asphalt guy.......

hauling hot base for 15 years to HMA Barrett HMA plants in NY parent co. is COLAS from France

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46 minutes ago, Cold War said:

Michigan Republicans. Pass their counter bill to use the money raised for roads on the roads.  

Wtf :lol:well played. 

 

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Since we are sort of on the topic I just received my tag renewals in the mail and I’m still trying to figure out why my 2000 Silverado is the most expensive of the 3?

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