Precast concrete panels accelerate repairs and provide longevity for busy Wisconsin interstate
By Jennifer Schmidt otorists don ’ t often think about the roadway they ’ re maneuvering
M until an issue arises . Perhaps the concrete along their daily commute is deteriorating , a road they typically travel to church needs resurfacing , or a pavement replacement project near their children ’ s school has prompted a lane closure or detour . When construction is called for , both motorists and transportation officials understandably want to keep slowdowns and delays to a minimum .
For travelers on Interstate 94 near Hudson , Wisconsin , a pavement rehabilitation pilot project that incorporated innovative precast concrete panels has done just that . Compared with traditional cast-inplace methods , experts say the new approach shortens the time frame construction crews are working , allows traffic back in sooner , and the repairs last significantly longer .
“ It ’ s a long lasting product to repair concrete roads within short work windows . That ’ s really what drives it ,” said Mike Quaid , product manager at The Fort Miller Co ., a New York-based precast concrete products manufacturer that supplied materials for the I-94 project .
A pioneering project
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation ( WisDOT ) hired Ayres Associates to provide construction observation on the first-ofits-kind project , which involved repairing approximately 500 joints – using roughly 210 precast panels and 300 cast-in-place panels . The work occurred over a 5-mile stretch of I-94 , from the US Highway 12 interchange to the St . Croix River bridges .
One complication in the process was that to make repairs to the middle lane of the interstate , crews had to close one lane on either side of the middle lanes to ensure a safe working area . The only time that could occur was from 11 p . m . to 6 a . m . when traffic volumes were lowest . Therefore , the precast panels were used primarily in the interstate ’ s center lane , where crews had a shorter time frame for lane closures .
WisDOT had completed a handful of similar smaller scale projects , though none of this magnitude .
“ We have some experimental test panels southwest of Madison , but this is the first actual let project where we were incorporating precast panels ,” said Tara Weiss , project manager with WisDOT ’ s Northwest Region .
From Weiss ’ perspective the project , which began in late April and was completed by the end of August , “ was an absolute success .”
“ There was a lot of coordination upfront because this was a new type of product and process ,” she said . “ Whenever we ’ re trying something new there ’ s a learning curve to that , so we went through a lot of the design , checking to see what would meet the needs of the project and the public – and get a good product . Overall , once the project was complete , we have some nice precast panels out there .”
When selecting a consultant for the work , Weiss said WisDOT considered Ayres Associates ’ previous experience on other transportation projects in the area and felt confident in the firm ’ s amount of expertise .
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