2008 Paving

Highway 281 - Jamestown

Concrete paving near a major shopping center and mall is never easy. This is especially true when expectations that asphalt surfacing can be constructed more quickly on intersections and driveways so important for customer access. It was not an easy decision for the engineers to switch the pavement surface from asphalt to concrete, and risk public discontent with a slow moving project. With this background, a big challenge was laid before Northern Improvement Co. to prove how a project using the long life paving option of concrete could meet local expectations. Considerable attention was made by the design team to identifying the appropriate tools to establish a fast-track culture on this important project. High-early mixes were used where necessary, but most of the success in meeting the goals of the engineering team was through the flexibility given the contractor to provide slight modifications to plan. Through this flexibility, plus a healthy dose of communications with the public, the experienced construction managers could use standard paving mixes to meet the construction needs. One NDDOT Engineer Manager noted the effective relationship with Northern Improvement Co. throughout the project. He said, “When the contractor said he could have the intersection totally open by Friday if we could close the area to traffic on the previous Monday, it was done”. The same engineer noted that Northern Improvement Co. may have set a new standard on how to use concrete to attain fast-track goals for a project. The design and construction effort was able to successfully meet the public’s needs such that no complaints were fielded by the NDDOT engineers during the whole project. Effective use of a Public Information Officer and weekly information meetings were critical. However, the ability of the contractor to predict with accuracy what was to be expected for the next weeks work was very important. Aggregate Industries, Inc. provided over 16,000 cubic yards of paving mixes and 664 cubic yards of colored concrete for medians. Ten trucks were wholly dedicated to serving the contractor for this project. Northern Improvement Co. and Aggregate Industries, Inc. are both charter members of the ND Chapter, Inc. – American Concrete Pavement Association.

Owner: City of Jamestown	Supplier: Aggregate Industries
Construction Engineer: NDDOT - Valley City District	Contractor: Northern Improvement Co.
Designer: Interstate Engineering