Special Road and Bridge Product Spotlight
Asphalt Zipper
Revolutionizing Texas County Road Budgets
Counties across Texas concerned with limited budget resources are turning to an innovative new machine, the Asphalt Zipper, to squeeze more out of their budgets and achieve longer-lasting results.
The Zipper can save 50 percent to 70 percent or more and increase productivity.
“Since we got the Zipper, it only takes a half a day to get two days of work done,” said San Patricio County Commissioner Fred Nardini. “My crew and I just love it.”
County roads were not designed for today’s increased traffic volumes or vehicle weights. Thin, alligatored asphalt, chip-sealed roads, or just plain base failure can be addressed with full depth in-place recycling or stabilization.
As Burleson County Commissioner Frank Kristof said, “I’m impressed by the one-step base repair we’re able to do. No more digging out soft spots and backfilling with base. Now we can add our stabilizing material on top of the road, mill it in, set it up, and seal over it. We are now able to reuse our existing gravel and asphalt. We expect to save a lot of time and money with this machine, plus make better repairs than in the past.”
Victoria County Commissioner Wayne Dierlam uses his Zipper for repairing shoulders.
“We like the Zipper for shoulder work,” Dierlam said. “This way we only have to replace 36 inches of asphalt instead of disturbing the whole road. Time is money, and I would say the Zipper saves us at least half and probably more on time and materials.”
Benefits include:
• It’s Portable – pulls behind a pickup
• It’s Powerful – turbo-charged diesel engine
• Utilizes existing equipment
Seeing is believing. The Asphalt Zipper representatives will be happy to come out to your county and let you see the Zipper in action. For more information, contact Asphalt Zipper Marketing Director Jim Keller at 888-947-7378, ext. 224.
Equipment Support Services
Leon County and ESS Partner for Success
Leon County has been doing business with ESS, their Case dealer, for more than 11 years. Year after year, the county has grown to rely more and more on the services of ESS and Case.
In September of 2004 and again in February of this year, Leon County Commissioner David Ferguson traded in other machines for new Case motor graders.
“ESS gave us the best deal on machines we can trust, and our operators love them,” said Ferguson. “Our Case machines stand up to the heavy use we put them through, and their engines are the best around.”
The 800 Series Motor Graders have been designed by Case from the ground up to provide operators with a powerful, comfortable, high performance grader. The exclusive articulation joint, located in front of the operator, provides the clearest sight lines to the moldboard and front tandem tires for precise blade positioning.
The moldboard has an involute curve design to provide better cutting, increasing productivity while lowering the required horsepower resulting in reduced fuel consumption. Industry-standard lever control patterns, 85 square feet of glass, and suspension seating with lumbar control offer superior cab comfort and ease of operation.
With the introduction of the high-performance 800 Series Motor Graders, Case has brought a new level of serviceability to motor graders. The exclusive tilt-up rear hood along with drop down side panels provide best-in-class maintainability and serviceability.
Terry Johnson, machine operator for Leon County for more than 10 years, agreed.
“Case Motor Graders are easy to handle, the smooth ride really helps and they do have better engines,” Johnson said.
Used primarily for road maintenance, the three Case Motor Graders are getting the job done for Leon County. In fact the county is so pleased with their Case machines, that they have invited other counties to come see how well Case performs.
Gray’s Wholesale Tire Inc.
Counties Reap Benefits of State Contract
Last year 162 counties took advantage of a state contract secured by Gray’s Wholesale Tire Inc., giving county officials low-price access to everything from small wheelbarrow tires to off-the-road equipment tires.
Bobby Harms first bid the state of Texas Tire and Tube Contract for Gray’s Wholesale Tire in 1994 and was awarded a large portion of the contract. This portion has grown since then to 93 percent of tires on the contract. Gray’s Wholesale Tire has two warehouses in Texas which carry anywhere from $3 million to $5 million in inventory.
The benefits to counties are numerous. First, counties have an approved contract from which they can purchase, freeing them from the RFP or bid process. Next, the contract includes a vast selection. The contract is divided into sections to make it easier for consumers to find what type of tire they need. Some of the sections are passenger, police, light truck, medium truck/bus, mixed service truck, trailer, grader, loader/dozier, backhoe, tractor and implement, garden and ATV, etc. The prices for the contract are good for one year and will only change if the manufacturer increases the price to Gray’s.
All tires purchased from the state contract are shipped freight, prepaid with no minimum order needed. In addition, Gray’s runs route trucks daily in metro areas and weekly throughout the rest of the state. Gray’s offers direct billing to the counties on a 30-day account. Finally, Gray’s provides knowledgeable customer service representatives who can suggest the proper tire to use for the job if the commissioner isn’t sure.
LeeBoy ROSCO
Maximizer II Asphalt Distributor Versatility Benefits Tarrant County
The versatile and dependable Rosco (a LeeBoy Company) Maximizer II asphalt distributor plays an important role in Tarrant County’s Precinct 4 roadway construction and maintenance projects. From paving to fog sealing to chip sealing, the precinct’s two Maximizer II distributors help to keep projects on schedule with their reliability and productivity.
Tarrant County, the third largest of 254 counties in Texas, is home to a population of 1.4 million and is one of the fastest growing urban counties in the United States. Its four precincts are responsible for 435 miles of county roadways, and each precinct works hand-in-hand with state and municipal agencies to keep traffic flowing smoothly within the county’s 836 square miles.
Tarrant County is proactive in its planning and project scheduling to construct and maintain the roadways under its authority, and their Maximizer II asphalt distributors are almost always in the mix. Traffic patterns determine whether a roadway will be paved with asphalt or chip sealed. There are also preventative maintenance techniques such as fog seal and chip seal overlays to extend the life of roadways and keep damaging moisture from breaking up hard-surface roads.
Bobby Randolph, equipment maintenance supervisor and a 23-year Tarrant County Transportation Department employee, explained that the versatility of the Maximizer II asphalt distributor in handling emulsions is one of its strengths. For asphalt paving tack coats, an MS1 material is used. Fog sealing to seal cracking in roadways uses a CRS emulsion product. The most challenging, according to Randolph, is chip sealing where Tarrant County lays down an AC15-5TR rubberized material before applying aggregate.
“Extending the life of our roadways is a top priority,” Randolph said. “We believe the rubberized material is more durable, holds the aggregate better, and that makes it more effective at keeping moisture from infiltrating the surface.”
With a fleet of more than 100 pieces, Randolph is impressed with the versatility and durability of the Maximizer II, making special note of the Viking pump and internal spray valves on the spraybar.
“Rubberized material is difficult to handle, and the pump and spraybar handle it and its 350 degree plus temperatures very well,” Randolph explained. “Access for maintenance is easy, and cleanout at the end of the day is also easy with the internal spray valves.”
“We have a wide range of equipment – from pickup trucks, dump trucks and motor graders to compaction rollers, a chip spreader and asphalt paver – and we perform our own service and maintenance,” Randolph added. “Dealer support is important, and through the years Bane Equipment of Fort Worth has served us well with their service and product support.”
Lime Association of Texas
Tough Trucks – Tough Lime Treated Subgrade
There may be a few folks out there who have not heard about the Toyota assembly plant being built in southwest San Antonio, but the rest of us who have are thrilled that Toyota selected the Alamo City for its new plant.
Toyota Motors Manufacturing of America (TMMA) is currently building the massive assembly plant that will produce the popular and rugged ? and 1 ton Tundra pick up truck.
The project is located between IH 410 and Loop 1604 at the intersection of Watson Road and Applewhite Drive. Initial site clearing began almost two years ago, and lime soil treatment got underway in April of 2004. The existing plastic clays that are unsuitable for supporting roads and parking areas are being mitigated with roughly 8,000 tons of lime slurry. Lime Association of Texas member Chemical Lime Company has been providing the lime slurry and guidance when needed.
Olmos Construction is the earthwork contractor on the project. Todd Miller, Chemical Lime sales manager on the project said “The workability in construction and effectiveness of using lime in soil of this type has been very helpful to the contractor and the success of the project thus far.”
Lime has proven for decades that it is the most effective product when dealing with high plasticity clays. High plasticity clay requires time for intimate mixing to occur between the calcium from the lime and the mixing water and alumina and silica present in the soil. The incredibly high surface area that some of our clays have in Texas must come in contact with the available calcium in the lime in a high pH environment. Lime is the only product that allows this to occur at a concentration high enough to change the soil permanently.
NET Data
Road and Bridge Software Application a Perfect Fit for Texas Counties
The Visual Road & Bridge Integrated Management System? (R&B IMS?) is your solution to the ever-changing and demanding requirements of your county’s road and bridge information management needs. With this software, a user can generate screen views and reports that relate thousands of data elements into useful information with just a mouse click. The software, specifically designed for county government operations, puts users in full control of their data.
This unique Activity Based Accounting software enables you to implement only those modules needed. As your requirements increase, you may implement additional modules that are instantly integrated. No data conversion or other user intervention is required.
Examples of the functionality of R&B IMS? include the user selecting a road segment, then a specific asset such as a bridge or sign. Instantly, the maintenance history, inspections and results, and maintenance costs are generated. Each step is completed with a mouse click!
When NET Data customers asked for a road and bridge software application, they located a company that could provide their customers with software that fits the county’s business needs. CompuLink, Ltd. fit that need.
“We have the ability to gather and post all road and bridge information including maintenance hours and equipment use to how much money each precinct is spending,” said Patsy Garrison, secretary to Red River County commissioners and customer of NET Data. “I also run numerous reports for my commissioners. It’s a great program.”
Currently, there are 60 counties nationwide running R&B IMS?, five of which are NET Data customers. These counties include Denton, Falls, Grimes, Hopkins, Lamar and Red River.
CompuLink, Ltd., software developer, was incorporated in 1982 as an information systems architect/developer. For additional information and software demonstration, contact NET Data at 800-465-5127 or visit our Web site at www.netdatacorp.net.
ROMCO
Guadalupe County Finds Greater Versatility With Wheeled Excavator and Rototilt
The Guadalupe County Road and Bridge Department has found that adding a Rototilt attachment to a Volvo EW180B wheeled excavator allows them to handle a wider variety of jobs and save time in the process.
One recent demonstration showed how the combination of the EW180B’s exclusive two-piece boom arrangement, the Rototilt’s 360-degree unlimited rotation and a grapple, can clear debris from bridge pillars below the water line.
Traditionally crews would use backhoes or Gradall machines, but that approach required more manpower to secure lifting chains or slings.
The newer approach also reduces safety exposure and the additional manpower inherent with that issue.
During the demonstration the operator and one spotter successfully cleared the area directly below the equipment under the bridge deck with an estimated 65 percent reduction in job time and manpower.
“It was amazing to be able to see a machine reach completely underneath itself,” said Assistant Road Administrator Mark Green. “Normal machines just don’t do that.” Green made sure to monitor the process from several different angles and study the results.
“Like I said, I was amazed,” he added.
Other applications for this combination are numerous with attachments such as ditch-cleaning buckets, grapples, pallet forks and hammers.
The Railroad Yard
Commissioner Discovers Low-Cost, Efficient Method of Replacing Deteriorating Bridges
The Railroad Yard Incorporated headquartered in Stillwater, Oklahoma, has been very instrumental in helping Texas counties replace deteriorating bridges.
“In rural areas many bridges built in the 1930s and 1940s were made of wood,” said Jasper County Commissioner Rod Barger. “Through time, these bridges have undergone constant repair as a result of flood damage and heavy traffic. Replacing these bridges has been an economic challenge for many counties on limited budgets, especially now with the high cost of fuel taking even a bigger bite out of our available funds.”
The commissioner began researching the economics of bridge building, investigating several alternatives before meeting with former Anderson County Commissioner Truman Starr, now with the Railroad Yard’s Texas Division.
“Starr is vivacious, energetic, and totally committed to finding ways to build bridges on a limited budget, and he did just that,” Barger said.
After visiting several bridges near New Waverly, Barger settled on a steel structure and met Starr at the site multiple times taking measurements, discussing height, flood levels, and how the bridge should be constructed. The 50-feet, free-span steel bridge has no load limit and is 30-feet wide and consists of 8 inches of reinforced concrete. Crews began preparing the site in January 2004. Soon after that, Curtis Neyland, who builds bridges for many other Texas counties, completed the construction.
The total cost of the bridge was around $70,000, well below the $350,000 to $600,000 spent on state constructed bridges.
“This is a very cost-saving means of building a bridge and should be seriously considered by other counties. It is fast, economical, structurally sound, and it makes the voters happy,” said Barger.
Starr and Neyland have worked with other commissioners including, Dale Jaecks, (Milam County Precinct 3), Jim Davis (Robertson County Precinct 2), and Wade McKinney (Henderson County Precinct 2), in replacing old deteriorating wood structures with stronger steel and concrete bridges while continuing to work within the restraints of limited budgets.