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I’m hoping the Feds stopped it due to the dangerous situation being created by the bridges not being a safe option by not widening them and the bottlenecks being created at County Line. There may also be issues at the I-65 interchange.
Bits it’s probably as you said with the temps to do asphalt correctly.
The lack of action can be due to the cold temperatures. Asphalt paving just isn't as easy to work with when the asphalt cools down faster because of the cold surface it is going on and the cold temperatures suck the heat out of it. Asphalt typically has a designed application temperature of 300º +/- 25º and it gets difficult to get the proper compaction when it is colder. Whatever the other delays or lack of work could be something that has to be resolved before they can work again. Occasionally, a problem comes up that the plans didn't allow for and a resolution has to be found. This involves ALDOT personnel high up the chain of command to investigate, make recommendations and get the changes approved via a "Supplemental Agrrement and Change Request". The paperwork takes some time with ALDOT, even in the best of times, and if the FHWA is involved, that can take even longer.
The lack of action can be due to the cold temperatures. Asphalt paving just isn't as easy to work with when the asphalt cools down faster because of the cold surface it is going on and the cold temperatures suck the heat out of it. Asphalt typically has a designed application temperature of 300º +/- 25º and it gets difficult to get the proper compaction when it is colder. Whatever the other delays or lack of work could be something that has to be resolved before they can work again. Occasionally, a problem comes up that the plans didn't allow for and a resolution has to be found. This involves ALDOT personnel high up the chain of command to investigate, make recommendations and get the changes approved via a "Supplemental Agrrement and Change Request". The paperwork takes some time with ALDOT, even in the best of times, and if the FHWA is involved, that can take even longer.
I think it's seasonal, but they knew it would be seasonal all along so why start when you have to leave a dangerous situation all winter, with long nights and short days?
We'eve had a few warm days and have seen some asphalt being layed in small areas, like the Zierdt Rd/Hwy 20 intersection. They'd probably have more of an issue on the 565 'widening' project since it covers such a larger area. Also, I doubt they'd have started without Federal approval if that was one of the hurdles to be cleared.
Another issue that they can run into with the colder temperatures and shorter days is that it is just not economically feasable to come out and pave for five or six hours. In the ALDOT Specifications book, under COLD WEATHER RESTRICTIONS.
Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) layers of 200 pounds per square yard or less shall not be placed when the surface or air temperatures below 40ºF; air temperature shall be 40ºF before the spreading opertion is started. Spreading operations shall be stopped when the air temperature is below 45ºF and falling. For HMA layers over 200 pounds per square yard, the above temperature may be lowered by 5ºF. Unless otherwise stated in the plans and specifications, polymer modified HMA layers of 200 pounds per square yard or less shall not be placed when the surface or air temperature is below 60ºF; for layers over 200 pounds per square yard, the above temperature may be lowered by 10ºF.
The Contractor, at his discretion, may place HMS layers at temperatures lower than theses cold weather limits. The contractor is warned that other factors such as wind speed and percent humidity may increase the heat loss from HMA layers. All other requirements for the installation and quality of the HMA layers shall be applicable to the work even when the restrictions against placement of the HMA during cold weather are not followed. The layers placed under such conditions shall be at the Contractor's risk and shall be removed and replaced by him without extra compensation should they prove unsatisfactory. There will be no direct payment for additional costs associated with the placement of HMA during cold weather.
Another issue that they can run into with the colder temperatures and shorter days is that it is just not economically feasable to come out and pave for five or six hours. In the ALDOT Specifications book, under COLD WEATHER RESTRICTIONS.
Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) layers of 200 pounds per square yard or less shall not be placed when the surface or air temperatures below 40ºF; air temperature shall be 40ºF before the spreading opertion is started. Spreading operations shall be stopped when the air temperature is below 45ºF and falling. For HMA layers over 200 pounds per square yard, the above temperature may be lowered by 5ºF. Unless otherwise stated in the plans and specifications, polymer modified HMA layers of 200 pounds per square yard or less shall not be placed when the surface or air temperature is below 60ºF; for layers over 200 pounds per square yard, the above temperature may be lowered by 10ºF.
The Contractor, at his discretion, may place HMS layers at temperatures lower than theses cold weather limits. The contractor is warned that other factors such as wind speed and percent humidity may increase the heat loss from HMA layers. All other requirements for the installation and quality of the HMA layers shall be applicable to the work even when the restrictions against placement of the HMA during cold weather are not followed. The layers placed under such conditions shall be at the Contractor's risk and shall be removed and replaced by him without extra compensation should they prove unsatisfactory. There will be no direct payment for additional costs associated with the placement of HMA during cold weather.
Wonder if that's what happened on Madison Blvd at Zierdt Rd, in the area between the east and west bound lanes. That area was left bare for quite some time after the main lanes were paved, then the median got paved. A week or two later the median asphalt was milled up, and then repaved a couple of weeks ago.
According to the restictions you quoted above, there won't be a lot of paving going on in north Alabama during the winter.
Another issue that they can run into with the colder temperatures and shorter days is that it is just not economically feasable to come out and pave for five or six hours. In the ALDOT Specifications book, under COLD WEATHER RESTRICTIONS.
Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) layers of 200 pounds per square yard or less shall not be placed when the surface or air temperatures below 40ºF; air temperature shall be 40ºF before the spreading opertion is started. Spreading operations shall be stopped when the air temperature is below 45ºF and falling. For HMA layers over 200 pounds per square yard, the above temperature may be lowered by 5ºF. Unless otherwise stated in the plans and specifications, polymer modified HMA layers of 200 pounds per square yard or less shall not be placed when the surface or air temperature is below 60ºF; for layers over 200 pounds per square yard, the above temperature may be lowered by 10ºF.
The Contractor, at his discretion, may place HMS layers at temperatures lower than theses cold weather limits. The contractor is warned that other factors such as wind speed and percent humidity may increase the heat loss from HMA layers. All other requirements for the installation and quality of the HMA layers shall be applicable to the work even when the restrictions against placement of the HMA during cold weather are not followed. The layers placed under such conditions shall be at the Contractor's risk and shall be removed and replaced by him without extra compensation should they prove unsatisfactory. There will be no direct payment for additional costs associated with the placement of HMA during cold weather.
I know ALDOT gets bashed a lot for the road problems in this area and I do that too when I see the roads around here getting ignored with all of the growth, but that is Huntsville, Madison and Athens too. It is also not Huntsville, Madison or Athens responsibility to maintain state and federal highways other than paying their share of matching funds on these projects.
Believe it or not, I worked for ALDOT for 34.5 years and retired in 2013. My job was inspecting contractor's work on a wide variety of road projects and documenting the work done, the quantities used, locations and some other stuff. Most of the projects I worked on were resurfacing projects, some of which I worked on four different occasions. I worked on a section of I-22 in Marion County back in the late 80's, 15 miles of new 4 lane construction on Al. Hwy. 24 from mile marker 33 in Franklin County east of Russellville, to mile marker 48 in Lawrence County, west of Moulton. The base and pave project alone had 94,000+ tons of asphalt, consisting of around 14 different pay items. Some were for the mainline, some for the shoulders and some for the side road tie ins.
I have inspected bridges under construction and have witnessed just how powerful ice can be. On the hwy. 24 project the bridge contractor poured two of the bridge bent caps on Christmas Eve back in 1991. These caps are the section of the bridges that the concrete girders would rest on. The girders have to be bolted down at a later date and in order to do that, the contractor placed corrugated 4" plastic pipe vertically in the rebar cage so that there would be a void where the bolts could be inserted and grouted in. After poring the concrete, the contractor should have covered the pipe with masking tape to keep rain out of the voids. That night, rain came in and then the temperatures dropped below freezing. Several days later, when they came back to strip the formwork, we got a phone call from the contractor that we needed to come out to the bridges to see what happened to the caps.
The caps had cracked about 20' from one end and the crack went diagonally to the same end and almost to the opposite side. The crack in each cap was around 2" wide and top to bottom. The caps were 40' long, 5' wide and 5' high with #6 (3/4") rebar tied together on 8" centers. The concrete was hard but still green, so that didn't help with its compressive strength. Had it been 30 days later, it may have not cracked.
Another project, also cold prior to paving on Hwy. 24 closer to Decatur, the contractor for this project was setting up to do a test strip on the start of the wearing surface layer. This an approximately 500 ton stretch of asphalt that gets done on every paving projects top layer and has multiple tests performed on it. These tests determine the air voids, asphalt content and density of the surface layer
. They have to use a Shuttle Buggy or a material transfer device to take the asphalt from the dump truck to the paver to minimize the paver having to stop because of no truck being there for several minutes. When the equipment was lined up to pave, the first load of asphalt was dumped into the shuttle buggy that was on the job and this then transferred the asphalt to the paver. Only problem then was that no one from the contractor checked to see if there was any water in the shuttle buggy's hopper. There was and instantly cooled the asphalt down so that the conveyor became clogged. After cleaning that out and continuing the paving, chunks of hardened asphalt were found in the wearing surface, some of which were leaving streaks and gouges in the finish. Each one had to be dug out and fixed. This test strip was almost 5000' lons and 12' wide. They had to come back in and mill up the test strip, clean the surface and then do another test strip without any further payment.
As you can see, problems can pop up when precautions aren't taken.
All this is sad, but bizarrely funny in the incompetence at predicting what would happen when work was allowed to proceed on one exit ramp and not the other. Any parent with a kid knows that if you give a kid his cookie first he will refuse to eat his vegetables until he gets hungry again. It was obvious from the get-go that there was a power play going on, with pressure to open the one ramp as the goal.
Meanwhile, every time I travel in Tennessee I marvel at just how good their roads are, and how new stretches are regularly opening up - even in the middle of nowhere. It make us in Alabama look like a bunch of sad sacks. The one main road between Huntsville and Decatur has no alternate route when there is an accident, and at some point one of the pile ups will prevent emergency responders getting to a major event, and people will die. Even though my van is set up for camping, I refuse to take that route from Athens to Huntsville during peak hours. Better to plod through Chik-fillet traffic in Madison that risk being stuck for an hour because some 90 mph twit can't drive and crashes.
The good-ol'-boy network is alive and well. The developer was successful in gaming the system.
Did you think Breland would let the $195,000 he donated to Ivey go to waste?
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