Vol. 36, No. 1

...a New ConcreteTrack for BristolMotor Speedway

GOMACO World is published by GOMACO Corporation to inform readers of applied constructiontechnology utilizing GOMACO equipment as well as innovations and concerns in the constructionindustry throughout the world. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not bereproduced either in whole or in part without the consent of copyright owner. Printed in U.S.A. © 2008 GOMACO Corporation (01 CFX). All stories written by the editor unless otherwise noted.

Address all communications to GOMACO World Editor. If you do not receive GOMACO World,and would like a complimentary subscription, please contact GOMACO Corporation, PO Box 151, Ida Grove, IA, 51445, USA, 712-364-3347 or e-mail bwonder@gomaco.com.

Vol. 36, No. 1

GOMACO

President and CEO Gary L. Godbersen

Vice PresidentsWorldwide Sales and Marketing

Kent GodbersenAccounting Sharon K. GodbersenManufacturing Grant Godbersen

Administration & Finance Richard E. SmithEngineering & Service Dwayne SalmonResearch and Development Kevin Klein

General Manager of ManufacturingDan Soellner

Sales United States and CanadaSales Manager Bob Leonard

Sales Coordinator Brad ZobelAssistant Sales Coordinator Mike Leinbaugh

United States and CanadaDistrict Managers

Brad Barkema – N. CentralJim Hayward – Western

Kendall Kelly – S.W.Vinnie Miller – S.E.

Len Rettinger – N.E./Central

International SalesDirector Bryan Schwartzkopf

Coordinator Randy Bean

International Regional ManagerTim Nash – Asia Pacific

Steve Bowman – Latin America

GOMACO International Ltd.Managing Director Rory Keogh

Service DepartmentManager Dennis Ernst

Service Desk DeWayne Krayenhagen & Doug Comstock

Parts Manager John KallinParts Desk Dan Ellerbusch,

Jeff Stevenson & Dean O’Tool

GOMACO University Training CenterDirector Dennis Clausen

Assistant Director Rod Schneider

GOMACO World is produced by theGOMACO Advertising Department.

Manager Randy BachMarketing Coordinator Micki RettingerGOMACO World Editor Kelly Krueger

Director of Sales Support Gayle HarrisonCommunications Specialist Thomas R. GrellCommunications Specialist Bobbi L. WonderAdvertising Coordinator Carrie J. Odgaard

Photo Lab Don Poggensee

Please visit our Web site at http://www.gomaco.com GOMACO World magazine at http://www.gomaco.com/gomacoworldGOMACO World Editor Kelly Krueger at kkrueger@gomaco.com

10 12 16 20

3 SMOOTH DRIVING AT THE WORLD’S FAST HALF-MILE– Baker Concrete Construction Inc. (Cover photo by Kelly Krueger SL-060736 D7)

10 ISLAND HOPPING WITH THE GT-3600– Black Diamond Group, Inc.

12 THE FIRST END-AROUND IS A SUCCESS...– Archer Western Contractors

15 PAVING AN IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN INDIA– B.R. Goyal Infrastructures Pvt. Ltd.

16 ANOTHER HIGH PRODUCING DAY FOR SHIRLEY CONCRETE– Shirley Concrete Company

18 PREPARATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY...– Axis Curb

20 THE CHICAGO-LAND WORKHORSE– Lorig Construction

22 2008 GOMACO UNIVERSITY CLASS SCHEDULE

23 AROUND THE WORLD

3Baker’s crew poured under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway. Just 13 weeks later, thenew track was premiered in a series of NASCAR racing events.

Pho

to b

y K

elly

Kru

eger

S

L-06

0735

D25

Smooth Driving at the

“Edwards ClaimsSharpie 500” stated a newsrelease from the Bristol MotorSpeedway. It went on to detailhow Carl Edwards, in his #99 car,earned his first win ever at theSpeedway during the Saturdaynight race on August 27. He tookthe lead on lap 371 and led therest of the race.

“This is the biggest win of mycareer,” said Edwards, whoperformed his usual celebratorybackflip in front of the crowd ofnearly 160,000 fans. “I think in thebig picture this is a transition race.You’ve gone from an older stylecar at the track that’s been theway it’s been for however manyyears to a new style race track. Itlooks a lot the same, but sure isn’tthe same...”

The .533 mile (0.86 km) trackat Bristol is definitely not the sametrack it was earlier this year.Speedway Motorsports Inc.,owners of the track, made thedecision to completely removeand replace the track andsurrounding structures betweenthe spring and fall races. All of thework would have to be completedin a 13 week time frame. Missingthe deadline was simplyunthinkable.

The Sharpie 500, the first raceon the new surface, was alreadysold out. Approximately 160,000fans had their tickets already inhand for the race, and going toBristol is the ultimate experiencefor a NASCAR fan. Bristol isannually voted the #1 track byNASCAR fans and the Sharpie 500is one of the Top 10 HottestTickets in all of American sports.According to ESPN.com, it rivals

...an Engineering and Construction Feat!

4

In full super elevation, theleg on the SL-450 is actuallyinside the back face of thewall.

As the machine moves outof the full super, the legmoves away from the wall.

In the straight-aways it is as far away from the wall aspossible. The design allows upto 14 inches (356 mm) ofvertical and 18 inches (457 mm)of horizontal movement.

“It’s unbelievable,” Todd Bodine, the 2006 NASCAR CraftsmanTruck Series Champion, said. “This is the way a track should bebuilt... The old Bristol was classic and everybody either loved it orhated it. Now, I can’t see how everybody can’t love it. This is by farthe best revamping of a track ever. No doubt about it. The peoplehere knew how they wanted to make this place with the re-doand they went out and did it. This is the way it should be done.”

such sporting events as golf’s Masters,baseball’s World Series, and football’sSuper Bowl.

But Bristol’s track was failing. Itsasphalt track was replaced in 1992with post-tensioned concrete. Over theyears, several design flaws with thepost-tensioning and drainage systemrevealed themselves.

“It was just falling apart,” SteveSwift, Construction Manager forSpeedway Motorsports, explained.“We had numerous places where thetrack had failed through the years thatwe had patched. You can look at oldpictures and see all of the patches. Itwas a constant battle just to repair. Wedebated whether to keep it concrete orgo back to asphalt, and wantingsomething that would last the longest,we decided to go back with concrete.”

They contacted Baker ConcreteConstruction Inc., based out ofMonroe, Ohio, to help them buildtheir new track and other structures atthe Speedway.

Baker would be responsible forbuilding 2900 feet (884 m) ofperimeter crash wall, 3380 feet (1030 m) of interior crash wall, 4000 square yards (3344 m2) of seven inch (178 mm) apron paving,13,000 square yards (10,869 m2) of fourto six inch (102 to 152 mm) leanconcrete base, and 13,000 square yards(10,869 m2) of seven inch (178 mm)continuously reinforced concretepavement.

Demolition of the old track beganthe day after the spring race, the FoodCity 500, on March 26.

“We mobilized on April 9 andwere given 13 weeks to complete ourportion of the project,” Jim Hosea,

Project Manager for Baker Concrete,said. “Our work involved the totalreconstruction of the track, theperimeter crash walls, interior crashwalls, pit row pavements, and pit rowwalls.”

Long before Baker ever mobilizedat the track, they were working withSpeedway Motorsports and outsideengineering firms designing Bristol’snew track. Racing at Bristol, for anumber of years, had been limited tosingle file. If a driver wanted to pass,they had to bump the car ahead ofthem out of the way. The ownerswanted to see that changed.

“We talked to a lot of the driversand got input from them, what theywould like to see, and we took all thatinformation to our engineers,” Swiftexplained. “The old track’s transitionswere very short where they come outof the turns and come into thestraight-away. There’s a transitionthere that rolls the car over from beingin the high bank to a relatively flatbank. It actually had a crown in theold track. That’s why they ran onegroove at Bristol for so long, becausein the second groove the track rolledover and it would push them into thewall.

“This new track has just the

opposite. It’s a parabolic shape so thehigher they go, the faster they can goand keep up with the bottom car. Theupper car can keep up with the lowercar and overcome distance withspeed.”

The design looked good on paper,but it had its paving challenges. Firstoff, they would be paving on slopesup to 30 degrees. The track’s parabolicshape added another degree ofdifficulty. Smoothness of the finalproduct was also another majorconcern. Baker Concrete choseGOMACO to manufacture theirequipment and turned to thecompany’s engineering departmentfor some additional design help.

“Early on we selected GOMACOto furnish the paving equipment,”Hosea said. “The engineering wastricky on the job and it required anawful lot of input from the machinemanufacturer, as well as the trackdesigner.”

“Actually, the engineeringdepartment at GOMACO is one of thereasons we chose them for the job,”Rob Ford, Project Coordinator forBaker Concrete, added. “They have avery strong engineering departmentand we knew they could handle it.”

GOMACO’s answer was an SL-450

GOMACO designed and built specialbrackets to hold the rail in place along thetop wall of the track. Baker used 705 ofthe brackets during the paving process.

Pho

to b

y K

elly

Kru

eger

S

L-06

0742

D15

5

Station 0+00: Start/Finish Line15 percent cross slope

Station 6+00: Full Super Elevation57 percent cross slope

These diagrams illustrate the SL-450’smovement through the changing cross slopes –

slope finisher with some addedfeatures. Two work bridges wouldfollow behind the finisher forhandwork, brooming and curing. Allof the equipment would run on a railsystem and the top section of rail wasmounted to the new crash wall usingspecially designed brackets.

“GOMACO designed a specialbracket that was able to accept 18 inches (457 mm) of horizontalmovement and 14 inches (356 mm) ofvertical movement to handle how thepaver adjusted as it went around thetrack,” Ford explained. “The key wasto keep the end of the C-450’s frameclose to the wall to minimize theamount of hand finishing. There was alot of intensive engineering involvedin that process to get the machine inthe right place everywhere on thetrack.”

At the bottom of the track, afooting was poured to mount the railbrackets on. The footing varied in itslocation relative to the track, both inheight and horizontal distance. Eachone of the rail cradle heads had to beshot in by a surveyor using a totalstation to guarantee their correctplacement, and ultimately the correctgrade on the track through all of thetransitions.

“There was major surveying

involved because of the slopechanges,” Dennis Ernst, ServiceManager for GOMACO, explained.“The rail height would change as theslope changed. All of those gradechanges were shot into the rail by thesurveyor. As the track widenedthrough the transition, the rails wouldwiden and adjust horizontally so wecould keep a constant grade.”

The key to accomplishing thosechanges easily were fully automatedlegs with slope sensors on the SL-450.The legs would automatically adjustto plumb, or a true vertical position,as the rails changed widths throughthe transitions. No manual

adjustments were necessary. “We had fully automated legs so

as you came out of the lower slopesections and you went into what theycall full super, the legs automaticallyadjusted vertically,” Ford said. “Wedidn’t want to have to be doing thatby hand.”

Before each pour, the SL-450 wasdry run to make sure the machine washitting grade. The surveyor was onhand to shoot various points acrossthe length of the pour to ensure anaccurate final product.

The track was paved on top of amassive subbase. One of Bristol’s oldissues was substantial water and

“When I heard they were digging it up, I’m like ‘What? How can theymake it better?’ I was surprised when they said they were digging itup, but like everything Bruton Smith (Bristol’s owner) does, it’s firstclass and it’s spectacular,” David Starr, the 2002 NASCAR CraftsmanTruck Series Most Popular Driver, said. “It’s just incredible. It’s a 12(on a scale of 1 to 10) -- It’s not even on that scale. When I walked inthe gate over turn 3 it definitely had that ‘Wow’ effect to it.“

The SL-450, with a seven inch (178 mm) lowering kit on the drum, finishes the track’s leanconcrete base. It was also equipped with an auger to give the surface a rougher finish.

Pho

to b

y D

enni

s E

rnst

S

L-06

0716

D11

A close-up of the auger spreading the leanconcrete base material.

Station 3+00: Midway through thetransition to full super elevation36 percent cross slope

Pho

to b

y D

enni

s E

rnst

S

L-06

0715

D5

Bristol’s new track has a parabolic shape with a six degree dip to allow side-by-side or two to three car wide racing.

Pho

to b

y D

enni

s E

rnst

S

L-06

0722

D17

drainage problems. Bristol’s newsubgrade started with the removal of3.5 to four feet (1.1 to 1.2 m) of dirt allthe way around the track. A geotechmatting was laid on top of freshly cutdirt. Two feet (0.6 m) of four to fiveinch (102 to 127 mm) stone was placedon top of the matting. A six inch (152 mm) lift of 0.5 to 0.75 inch (13 to19 mm) stone was placed on top of thelarger rock. Three feet (0.9 m) of aground shell material was then addedfor fill. The top layer was six inches(152 mm) of crushed stone with a 13 percent lime content.

The next step for the track was anew four inch (102 mm) thick leanconcrete base. Baker’s crew finishedthe lean base with their SL-450. Theroller on the SL-450 was replaced withan auger to give the lean base arougher finish. The rough surfacewould help create a better bondingsurface when the concrete was pouredon top of it. The machine was alsoequipped with a seven inch (178 mm)lowering kit on the drum.

“If we had lowered the entire

SL-450 down seven inches (178 mm),it would have shifted it sideways andthat was not acceptable,” Ernst said.“The two parabolics in each of thelifts, the lean base and the concretetrack, would not have matched then.To overcome this, we used a seveninch (178 mm) lowering kit and seteverything to to the top surface of thelean base.”

A huge amount of steel reinforcingwas placed on the new lean base tohelp form the final layer of the track,the continuously reinforced concrete(CRC). Longitudinal steel bars wereplaced 4.5 inches (114 mm) apart atthe top third of the track, five inches(127 mm) in the center third and 5.5 inches (140 mm) in the bottomthird. Perpendicular bars were every30 inches (762 mm). A total of 188 tonsof reinforcing steel went into Bristol’snew track.

The concrete was a standard mixdesign with a 4000 psi (276 MPa)strength. Slump averaged 1.75 to 2.5 inches (44 to 64 mm). Both the leanbase (1200 psi (83 MPa)) and concrete

were mixed at a mobile batch plant setup just outside the entrance to BristolMotor Speedway. Both mixes wereplaced with a telebelt placer becauseof the stiff slump of the mix designs.

Paving production on the CRCaveraged 45 to 60 feet (13.7 to 18.3 m)per hour. The automatic advancefeature on the SL-450 was set toadvance eight inches (203 mm) oneach pass.

“On the supers and the transitionsinto the supers, production was a littleless because we were going from a 15percent to a 50 percent or 25 percentto a 50 percent,” Hosea said. “Oncewe got into the straight-aways,production would increase for us.”

“Getting those transitions rightwas the key to this whole project,”Ford continued. “There was a lot ofcomplex geometry that was going onduring this entire process.”

Two work bridges followedbehind the SL-450. The finishersworked from the first work bridgeperforming handwork operations andsurface corrections. Finishers workedfrom the second bridge applying alight broom texture and spray cure.

Joints were saw cut into thetrack’s front stretch and back stretchin the transverse direction every five feet (1.5 m). In the slopes, the

“They did a nice job of redoing it,” Matt Kenseth, the 2003Winston Cup Champion, said. “There are some differences, butthey’re subtle differences. I think it’s nice. I think most driversliked it, the fans loved it, and it was hard to make it a lot better.”6

77

transverse joint was every ten feet (3 m) on center. Two jointswere cut longitudinally, one was 14.5 feet (4.4 m) from thetop wall and the second was 14.5 feet (4.4 m) below the firstone. Saw cutting the joints on the steep slopes proved aninteresting challenge.

“We had to develop a saw that was capable of workingon a 57 percent incline,” Hosea said. “Most conventionalsaws, if they’re gas powered, will run out of oil or run out ofgas at that slope. We modified a Soff-Cut G2000 saw with athree-phase electric motor and built a frame that housed it,ran it off the wall, and accomplished all of our sawing on thesuperelevations with the saw rig.”

Developing a smoothness specification for the new tracksurface was difficult. The track’s new parabolic shape and thesteep slope of the banks made profiling with a standarddevice almost impossible. Plus, just deciding on what thespecification should be was hard to determine. Finally, themeasure of acceptable smoothness was left up to the driversand if they liked racing on the new track.

After 13 intense weeks of demolition and rebuilding,Bristol Motor Speedway was ready to unveil its new track.NASCAR legend and nine-time winner at the World’s FastestHalf-Mile, Rusty Wallace, stopped by the track near the endof July to take a test drive. His verdict?

“On a scale of 1 to 10, what do I think?” Wallace said.“It’s a 10. This place is great. I love the transition. Thestraight-aways are so smooth.

“It looks fantastic. I didn’t really know what to expectbefore I got here. I was a little worried about how this wasgoing to turn out, but I tell you, these guys did anunbelievable job. I’ve been through a lot of these(resurfacings) at different places. This ranks right up there atthe top. I don’t know how these (Nextel Cup) guys can’t lovethis. It’s so, so much better. Man, it’s really good.”

The week of August 20 would bring all of the NASCARevents to Bristol, the Craftsman Truck Series, the Busch Seriesand the Nextel Cup. As each race went by, the drivers hadnothing but rave reviews for the new track.

“All I can say is the feedback we got from the drivers...they were all pumped up,” Hosea said. “It was a new Bristolfor them. They didn’t have to bump people out of the way.

“It’s definitely way smoother than it wasbefore,” Ryan Newman, the 2003 NASCARWinston Cup Driver of the Year, said. “Thetransitions are good and there’s a littlerelaxation coming off the corners.”

Baker had to modify their concrete saw and build a special housingfor it to be able to cut joints in the track’s steep inclines.

The SL-450 ran on a rail system that was mounted on aspecially poured footing. Each rail cradle head was shot in by asurveyor to guarantee their correct placement.

The SL-450’s legs were fully automated. Slope sensors mountedon all four legs would tell them when to adjust, both horizontallyand vertically, to automatically accommodate the manytransitions and grade changes in Bristol’s track. A stabilizer,mounted to the top of the SL-450, ran along the side of the walland helped hold the machine on line through transitions.

Pho

to b

y Ji

m D

iimig

S

L-06

0707

D17

Pho

to b

y D

enni

s E

rnst

S

L-06

0722

D5

Pho

to b

y K

elly

Kru

eger

S

L-06

0747

D11

8

They could run around them on the low groove, themedium groove or the high groove to pass traffic, asneeded. They were all enthusiastic that we had giventhem something that is truly special.”

“The drivers were very, very appreciative of the trackand the way that it drove,” Swift said. “Baker Concreteand GOMACO have given us an excellent track and weare more than happy with their product. All the teamsthat we had, they were the best of the best. We werelucky to have the best contractors and the best suppliers.We honestly feel that way, because if we would have hadsomebody else, it wouldn’t have worked.”

It was an outstanding job of planning andpartnership to complete a challenging project in a shortamount of time.

“Our guys put a lot of effort in and worked somelong hours,” Ford said. “Everybody had a goal and theywere pushing for it. We would pave sometimes 18 hoursstraight and the guys would still be charging hard, tryingto meet all their goals, not slowing down and not givingup.”

“Our working relationship was outstanding withGOMACO,” Hosea said. “It was a wonderful workingrelationship and things went very, very smooth.”

Editor’s Note: Congratulations to Baker Concrete andSpeedway Motor Sports! They were recently awarded theprestigious Harold J. Halm Presidential Award from theAmerican Concrete Pavement Association. The award is inrecognition of their outstanding concrete work at BristolMotor Speedway. Thank you to Bristol Motor Speedway forsupplying the driver’s quotes in their news releases and forsharing the photos of race day on the following page.

Pho

to b

y K

elly

Kru

eger

S

L-06

0746

D7

Pho

to b

y K

elly

Kru

eger

S

L-06

0744

D17

A view from a spotter’s nest on top of Bristol Motor Speedway shows the massive size of the total project.

A Baker Concrete employee waves the checkered flag as they finishup their last pour and win against the tight completion deadline.

9

Carl Edwards backflips off his #99 car as he celebrates winning theSharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, the first race on the new track.

Race day at Bristol Motor Speedway with approximately 160,000 fans on hand to watch the Saturday night NASCAR race.

Single lane racing was the norm on the old Bristol track,but with new track in place, cars were driving two,sometimes even three lanes wide.

Pho

to c

ourt

esy

of B

rist

ol M

otor

Sp

eed

way

/CIA

Pho

to

SL-

1107

24 D

2P

hoto

cou

rtes

y of

Bri

stol

Mot

or S

pee

dw

ay/C

IA P

hoto

S

L-11

0724

D1

Pho

to c

ourt

esy

of B

rist

ol M

otor

Sp

eed

way

/CIA

Pho

to

SL-

1107

24 D

3

A close-up of a sign that hung from the SL-450 during paving.

Pho

to b

y D

enni

s E

rnst

S

L-06

0725

D13

10

Black Diamond Group, Inc., firststarted in the construction industry in1959 in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Thecompany has always maintained thevision of being the easiest company todo business with. Their philosophyincludes business with not only theircustomers, but also suppliers,subcontractors and equipmentsuppliers. When the company decidedto create a concrete division in 2005,their first choice for a curb and guttermachine was GOMACO.

“We strive to live our vision everyday,” Mark Pichler, Concrete DivisionManager for Black Diamond, said.“The construction industry is verychallenging, especially in our climateand the seasonality of where we’relocated. You have to be on top of yourgame. We separate ourselves from thecompetition by being easy to dobusiness with. GOMACO has thesame values as Black Diamond and

that’s why we’ve picked them as atreasured partner in the relationship.”

The company currently ownsthree GOMACO GT-3600s andslipforms a variety of applicationswith them. Their subdivisions andparking lot work include severaldifferent profiles for curb and gutter,sidewalk and barrier wall. They arecurrently at work at the WheatonFranciscan Hospital in Franklin,Wisconsin. They have approximately5000 feet (1524 m) of sidewalk and25,000 feet (7620 m) of curb andgutter to slipform. Two of their GT-3600s, including their new 2007model, are on the site slipforming thework.

Concrete for the project issupplied locally and has 395 pounds(179 kg) of cement and 170 pounds(77 kg) of fly ash in the mix design.Slump averages 1.25 to 1.5 inches (32to 38 mm).

The non-reinforced sidewalk onthe project is five feet (1.5 m) wideand four inches (102 mm) thick. Jointsare tooled in every five feet (1.5 m)with expansion joints every 100 feet(30 m). The GT-3600 is simultaneouslytrimming six feet (1.8 m) widethrough four inches (102 mm) ofcrushed limestone base.

“On this particular job we wereaveraging 1000 feet (305 m) of slippedsidewalk production per day,” StanMaertz, Concrete Project Manager,said. “Our production just dependson the job-site conditions. On a goodsubdivision, we’ll average around2000 feet (610 m) per day.”

The second GT-3600 on the projectis slipforming the 18 inch (457 mm)wide curb and gutter. Municipalrequirements for green space ondevelopments are increasing eachyear in the state and requiring moreislands on projects. This hospital

Black Diamond will slip an 18 inch (457 mm)curb and gutter around a two foot (0.6 m) radius.

Parking lot designs are getting more and morechallenging with radii and 90 degree turns.

Island Hopping with the GT-3600on a Curb and Gutter Project in Wisconsin

Pho

to b

y B

rad

Ros

emey

er

CG

-050

716

D8

Pho

to c

ourt

esy

of B

lack

Dia

mon

d G

roup

C

G-0

9072

0 D

9P

hoto

cou

rtes

y of

Bla

ck D

iam

ond

Gro

up

CG

-090

720

D29

Black Diamond currently owns three GT-3600 curb and gutter machines,and all of them are at work on this hospital project in Franklin, Wisconsin.

11

parking lot has approximately 50 islands with several two and three foot (0.6 and 0.9 m) radii in thedesign.

“We construct numerous parkinglot projects yearly with a variety ofdifferent island profiles andcomplexities,” Deb Teglia, Presidentof Black Diamond, explained.“Customers count on us for quality,timeliness and attention to detail.When performing these types ofprojects, we take pride in being theircontractor of choice.”

Black Diamond isn’t afraid ofslipping the 18 inch (457 mm) curband gutter around a two foot (0.6 m)radius with their GT-3600s. It’ssomething they’ve become quitesuccessful at, which is a handy assetto have on a project like this one.

“We just slide the right, front legof our GT-3600 out and go with a 12 inch (305 mm) offset,” Maertz

explained. “We use stringline on thestraight-aways and use fiberglass rodsto set the radii...”

“We also trim a little deeper outin front so the mold doesn’t catch aswe go around the radius,” Pichlercontinued to explain. “We lose a littlebit of concrete on a tight radius, butthat’s not a big deal. We just send themachine right around and if we’vegot a good mix design, we haveminimal tearing around a two foot(0.6 m) radius with an 18 inch (457 mm) curb and gutter.”

Curb and gutter productionaverages 1600 feet (488 m) per day,even with all of the radius work.Finishers work behind the GT-3600cutting in joints every 10 feet (3 m),with expansion joints every 300 feet(91 m), or one per island.

It’s surprising to learn that themost challenging aspect of theirproject isn’t the number of tight radii,

but simply job-site logistics and tightworking spaces.

“It’s a fairly good-sized site, butin some of the smaller sections, weare dealing with 10 subcontractors ina quarter-acre area,” Pichler said.“Keeping those guys out of our wayand out of our curb and gutter is achallenge.”

The hospital project is almostcomplete for Black Diamond and theirGT-3600s. They’ll be onto the nextchallenge soon and looking towardsthe future and what the next seasonof work will bring. The company isalways searching for new innovativeideas and are currently looking intostringless paving.

“We want to be innovative,”Pichler said. “We want to find waysto be easier to do business with andwe envision stringless as being a wayto do that. We like to be in the fore-front of being prepared. Even thoughour customers aren’t demandingstringless right now, we want to beready for it when it becomes desiredin the market place.”

They have the right machines toaccommodate their vision. BlackDiamond’s GT-3600s are as innovativeas the company that owns them.

Photos from the roof of the new hospital show thechallenging parking lot design.

Black Diamond slipforms as much of the project aspossible, even the tight radii with their GT-3600.

“We construct numerous parking lot projects yearly with avariety of different island profiles and complexities,” Tegliaexplained. “Customers count on us for quality, timeliness andattention to detail. When performing these types of projects, wetake pride in being their contractor of choice.”

Pho

to b

y B

rad

Ros

emey

er

CG

-050

716

D5

Pho

to c

ourt

esy

of B

lack

Dia

mon

d G

roup

C

G-0

9072

1 D

9P

hoto

cou

rtes

y of

Bla

ck D

iam

ond

Gro

up

CG

-090

722

D2

The parking lot’s design includes approximately 50 islands with severaltwo and three foot (0.6 and 0.9 m) radii.

The First End-Around is a Success It is the first of its kind on an American airport. In fact, there is omajor airport, and it’s in Frankfurt, Germany. It’s called an end-acompleted on one at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in A

Taxiway Victor (V) is the nation’s first FederalAviation Administration (FAA) approved end-aroundtaxiway. Before Taxiway V opened, the approximately700 airplanes a day that landed on the airport’snorthern most runway, Runway 8L/26R, had to wait inline for clearance to taxi across the other active runway,Runway 8R/26L, to get to taxiways Echo (E) andFoxtrot (F) or to the terminal gates.

Now, when the planes land on Runway 8L/26R,they just travel to the end of the runway and turn ontothe new 4200 feet (1280 m) long Taxiway V. The taxiwaydips 30 feet (9.1 m) below the level of the adjacentrunway before emerging at the gate area. The dip in thetaxiway allows planes to keep taking off from therunway without any interruptions.

FAA studies have predicted a 30 percentimprovement in overall runway efficiency because ofthe new end-around. Airlines are hoping to save anestimated $26 to $30 million per year, because theirairplanes won’t be sitting on the runway as longwaiting to take off or waiting to taxi. It also means lessdelays for travelers and a safer traveling experience.Taxiway V eliminates the need for aircraft to cross anactive runway.

Archer Western Contractors, based out of Atlanta,won the bid for the end-around at the airport. A tightcompany imposed deadline of 30 days or less tocomplete the 50,000 square yards (41,805 m2) of concretepaving was given for the project. The companymobilized their GOMACO paving equipment and wentto work on the unique project.

Concrete was supplied by LaFarge, and ArcherWestern worked closely with them to develop a durablemix that could stand up while being slipformed andmeet the project’s required flexural strengths.

“We had some problems with the initial mix designand some of the super plasticizers and other exoticingredients in it,” Don Cowan, Paving Coordinator forArcher Western, said. “We worked together to simplifythe mix, but still meet the project requirements. It had to meet flexural requirements of 650 psi (45 MPa) at 28 days. The final result was a wonderful mix designthat stood up well and left a really nice finish.”

Security on the airport created some delays inconcrete delivery, as the trucks passed through a maincheck point. To compensate, more end-dump truckswere utilized, averaging 15 to 18 trucks on the project.The trucks carried nine cubic yard (6.9 m3) loads ofconcrete and dumped into a 9500 placer working infront of the GOMACO GHP-2800 two-track paver.

“For placing concrete on this project, we preferred

“Overall though, the project and the smoothness weachieved on it has passed everyone’s expectations wflying colors,” Cowan said. “I heard secondhand thatpilots are having to put on their brakes as they goaround the end-around taxiway because it’s so smo

All the Way Around –only one other like it in the world on aaround, and work has just beenAtlanta, Georgia.

Pho

tos

cour

tesy

of

Arc

her

Wes

tern

H

W-1

0070

6 D

19P

hoto

by

Aer

ial P

hoto

gra

phy

Inc

. H

W-1

0070

6 D

5

ewitht the

oth.”

14 Archer Western achieved production hours of 250 cubic yards (191 m3) with a 9500 placing concrete in front of the GHP-2800 paver.

using a 9500, because we don’t haveto worry about getting on thereinforcing steel or baskets oranything like that,” Cowan said. “Italso puts down concrete very fast andeffectively. We’ve had production of250 cubic yards (191 m3) an hour andthat’s very good, especially whenyou’re considering traffic, working ina secured area, and other factors thatcan slow down production.”

The end-around taxiway is 130 feet (39.6 m) wide and 4200 feet(1280 m) long. It was slipformed infour paving passes with the GHP-2800paving 25 feet (7.6 m) wide, 20 inch(508 mm) thick jointed concrete with26 inch (660 mm) thickened edges onthe slab. A Commander III slipformed15 feet (4.6 m) wide shoulders overcontinuous steel reinforcing tocomplete the new taxiway.

“Both of the pavers on the projectwere very well suited to the kind ofwork they did,” Cowan said. “TheGHP-2800 is the right machine to dodual-lane paving and it handled the

thick concrete very well. We wereworking both pavers hard and theyproduced a beautiful slab.”

A T/C-600 texture/cure machinefollowed behind the pavers applying aburlap drag and light broom finish.

“It was definitely an interestingproject for us,” Cowan said. “It waschallenging in several aspects. Wewere pouring on a cement-treatedbase and we had to watch the curetimes on that. It was a relatively cutup job and the sequencing of the workand dealing with the variable factorswas challenging.

“Overall though, the project andthe smoothness we achieved on it haspassed everyone’s expectations withflying colors. I heard secondhand thatthe pilots are having to put on theirbrakes as they go around the end-around taxiway because it’s sosmooth. The concrete guru, who isalso the airport’s owner, is extremelypleased with the project. If he’spleased, then we know we did a goodjob.”

It was a successful project for thecompany all the way around. Theybeat their company imposed deadlineand finished the project in just 24 days. Concrete paving productionaveraged 1200 to 1500 cubic yards(917 to 1147 m3) per pour.

With work complete on the newtaxiway, Archer Western started onanother project at the airport. They’recurrently at work on a 20-phase apronreplacement project and are usingtheir brand new two-track GHP-2800paver.

“The guys are loving our newpaver and it’s doing a really good jobfor us,” Cowan said. “I’m verypleased with all of our GOMACOequipment and the support theyprovide is superior. I can call anynumber of people at GOMACO ortheir Georgia distributor, Tractor andEquipment Company, and get theanswers I need. There has never beenan issue that we haven’t been able toresolve, and that means a lot to us inthe field.”

The new Taxiway V is 130 feet (39.6 m) wide, 4200 feet (1280 m) long and 20 inches (508 mm) thick.

Taxiway V will save airlines approximately $30 million peryear, because airplanes won’t have to wait to taxi or take off.

Pho

to b

y A

eria

l Pho

tog

rap

hy I

nc.

HW

-100

706

D17

HW

-100

706

D20

HW

-100

706

D2

15

Paving an Important Development Project in India

The city of Indore is locatedalmost in the center of the country ofIndia. It is the largest metropolitancity within the state of MadhyaPradesh, and has a large corporatepresence established there. Indore isthe hub for the country’s automobile,steel and alloy industries;agribusiness, especially in soybeanprocessing; the garment industry; andis also in the middle of the Indiansoftware services industry boom.

The Indore DevelopmentAuthority (IDA) is constantly workingto develop affordable housing withinthe city for the many workers in thevarious industries. IDA Scheme 140 isa new public works developmentproject creating a large colony of low-cost housing plots. The new colony isan important project within the city,and all of the new roadways withinand leading up to the project arebeing paved with concrete.

B.R. Goyal Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd.,based out of Indore, won the contractfor the concrete paving on the project.They needed a new concrete paver forthe project and turned to GOMACOfor help. They wanted a paver thatcould slipform passes varying inwidth from 3.5 meters (11.5 ft) up toseven meters (23 ft). The paver theychose was the GOMACO two-trackGP-2600. It would be the first two-track GP-2600 to operate in India.

“When we were looking to buy amachine, we looked at severalfactors,” Rajendra Kumar Goyal,Director of B.R. Goyal, explained.“The most important things were the

reliability of the product, including agood hydraulic system, a machine thatis economical to operate, servicebackup, and the easy availability ofspare parts.”

Paving on IDA Scheme 140 beganin May 2007. The new colony willfeature a city approach road 5 km (3.1 mi) long and 14 meters (46 ft) orfour lanes wide. It is being slipformedin four passes with the GP-2600paving 3.5 meters (11.5 ft) wide.

New roads within the colonycreate an additional 5 km (3.1 mi) ofconcrete paving to the project. Thewidth of the new roadways variesbetween five and seven meters (16.4 and 23 ft). Concrete depth onboth of the projects varies between200 and 330 mm (7.9 and 13 in).

They are paving on a 300 mm(11.8 in) thick granular subbase withdry lean concrete for the city approachroad. Dowel baskets are placed ongrade every 4.5 meters (14.8 ft). Thecolony’s roadways feature a 200 mm(7.9 in) granular subbase with drylean concrete, and baskets are placed

on grade every three meters (9.8 ft).Indore is a city with a population

of approximately 1.5 million peopleand the biggest obstacle to productionis simply getting concrete to the site.Concrete trucks are constantly gettingdelayed in the city’s heavy traffic. Acontinuous supply of concrete that is aconsistent mix is the biggest challengeB.R. Goyal faces, but it’s one thatthey’re learning to overcome.Production is averaging 500 meters(1640 ft) per ten hour shift.

“The performance of our GP-2600is good and we are getting a nicesmooth finish,” Goyal said. “We choseGOMACO because of their machines’good reputations and the companyhas good paving experience. Theirequipment is economical and easy tooperate and they provide good follow-up service after the sale.

“The GP-2600 has met ourexpectations and it is a qualitymachine. I am able to get goodproduction and a quality productbecause of it.”

A two-track GP-2600 slipforms a newroadway for an important housing colonyin Indore, India.

Pho

tos

by

Vin

ayak

Reg

e H

W-1

1070

1 D

7

HW

-110

701

D1

HW

-110

701

D4

16

CG

-060

710

D4

The Willow Oaks subdivisionproject in Shelby County, Alabama,had over 16,000 feet (4877 m) of 30 inch (762 mm) valley gutter. Itwould be a typical project for ShirleyConcrete Company and theirGOMACO Commander III.

Walter Ivory had been on site forthree days in advance running thecompany’s motor grader and gettingthe grade properly prepared. JamesShirley and his stringline crew spenttwo days setting up 8000 feet (2438 m)of line each day with approximately2500 pins, and finishing up the workon the third day, setting the remaining400 feet (122 m). The company’s three-track Commander III was driven offits low-boy trailer and set on line.Slipforming was ready to begin onthis typical project.

This typical project quicklybecame anything but that. HilaryShirley, Vice President, and WendellShirley, President of Shirley Concrete,and their employees had something toprove within their company. You see,the company had four curb and gutterslipforming world records and theyare the current holders of the record at16,625 feet (5067 m) in 11 hours and 10 minutes. That record was set onOctober 11, 1986, with their GOMACOGT-6300.

The Willow Oaks project wouldn’tgive them a chance to break thatrecord in actual feet, but it would be a

test to see if they could beat the time.It was a challenge for both thecompany and their machine.

“This is the first job that we’vehad in a long time with so many feeton it,” Wendell Shirley explained. “Weknow that if you have a goodmachine, a good crew, and a goodready-mix man, you can accomplish alot in a day. Every once in a while wejust have to prove within the companywhat we can do and remind ourselvesthat we can still do it. Hilary puteverything together and orchestratedthe whole pour and he did anexcellent job with it.”

The project included seven cul desacs, 26 radii that were 25 feet (7.6 m),and 42 inlets. Shirley Concrete usedtheir Commander III, serial #900100-605, for the long pour. Concrete wassupplied by Ready Mix USA.

By the time the day was finished,Shirley Concrete had slipformed 828 cubic yards (633 m3) and 16,357 linear feet (4986 m) of valleygutter in nine hours and 23 minutes.It’s an astounding feat of planning,organization, skill and determination.

“All of the credit for this pourgoes to Hilary, James our lineman,Robert Shirley our operator, andSteven Shirley my nephew,” WendellShirley said. “Seven men, includingmyself, working on the pour that dayeach has over 35 years of experiencewith Shirley Concrete and have been

on all of our record pours. It was justa combination of a good ready-mixcompany and our own good people.

“Basically we just did the samething we do every day. It justhappened that instead of two separate8000 feet (2438 m) jobs, we had one

Their Commander III slipformed 828 cubic yards (633 m3) ofconcrete during the pour.

Shirley Concrete slipformed 16,357 linear feet (4986 m) ofvalley gutter in nine hours and 23 minutes.

Pho

tos

cour

tesy

of

And

erso

n W

illia

ms/

SE

ME

Res

ourc

es,

Inc.

C

G-0

6071

0 D

2

Another High-Production Dayfor Shirley Concrete...

Wendell said, “I asked RobertShirley, our machine operator,several different times duringthe pour, ‘How fast are yourunning?’ He said wide open! Wewere pouring 50 feet (15.2 m)per minute at different times onthis job. Overall, we averaged100 cubic yards (76.5 m3) perhour, which meant a truck everyfive minutes.”

The project included seven cul de sacs, 26 radii that were 25 feet (7.6 m), and 42 inlets that all had to be dealt with during the pour. 17

16,000 foot (4877 m) job.”The pour started at

6 a.m. on a Thursdaymorning. Ready Mix USAhad several trucks on siteand Shirley’s crew hadthem in position. It’s one ofthe keys to their success...the proper staging andslumping of the trucks.Hilary’s son and Wendell’snephew, Steven, was incharge of the ready-mixtrucks that day.

“We had 14 ready-mix trucks onhand that day from Ready Mix USA.They wanted to make sure we didn’thave to wait on any mix and we didnot,” Wendell said. “I asked RobertShirley, our machine operator, severaldifferent times during the pour, ‘Howfast are you running?’ He said wideopen! We were pouring 50 feet (15.2 m) per minute at different timeson this job. Overall, we averaged 100cubic yards (76.5 m3) per hour, whichmeant a truck every five minutes.”

Two men were working the chuteposition, getting trucks in and out,and also watching out for rocks. Thesite was filled with grapefruit-sized orlarger rocks that had to be moved outof the way. Four finishers workedbehind the machine applying a broomfinish to the valley curb. Joints weretooled in every 10 feet (3 m).

Three laborers were in charge ofsetting headers at the 42 differentinlets on the project. A crew led byRandy Booth goes into the project thefollowing day to set the inlets andfinish around them.

“The boxes are set low enough sothe trimmerhead and mold don’t catchon them,” Wendell said. “Hilary goesin before the pour, removes the siltfence and lays a piece of plywoodover the box to keep the dirt fromgetting in the inlet. It’s what’s sowonderful about this machine of ours.We just put it on the stringline, pourup to the box, sit down on the otherside of the box, and keep on goingdown the line.”

By 3:23 p.m. that afternoon, theday’s pour was finished and thecompany had 16,357 feet (4986 m) ofcurb and gutter on the books. Fifteenof Shirley Concrete’s men, includingone on the grader, one on a backhoe,one checking line, a machine operator,two chute men, two checking slumpand spotting the trucks, four finishers,three laborers setting headers at inlets,and Wendell’s dog, Lucy, hadcompleted the pour.

The figures associated withthe day’s pour are astounding.The concrete alone for the dayconsumed 1,531,800 pounds(694,824 kg) of stone, 1,126,080 pounds (510,790 kg)

of sand, 298,000 pounds(135,173 kg) of cement,121,520 pounds (55,121 kg) of fly ash, and 25,668 gallons (97,164 L) of water.

“Just think about thatconveyor on theCommander III having tocarry all of that up,”Wendell said. “It makes metired just to think about it!”

The company has onceagain proven what they canaccomplish. The successful long pourhas built up excitement within thecompany and with area developers. Arecord breaking project of 20,000 feet (6096 m) of curb and gutter ishopefully in the works for next year.

“We think we have a job next yearwith 20,000 feet (6096 m) on it so wecan get a new record,” Wendell said.“We’ve got a good crew, everybodyknows their jobs, and we have amachine that isn’t even broken in yet.We want to get a job big enough to seewhat the real potential of this machineis, because we haven’t really had achance to test it out yet. We arelearning and when this machine getsbroken in and we get a little moreexperience, we hope to give you somehigher figures.”

A Ready Mix USA truck feeds one of the 92 nine cubic yard (6.9 m3) loads of concrete onto the belt of Shirley’s Commander III.

CG

-060

710

D3

Pho

to b

y S

teve

n S

hirl

ey

CG

-060

711

D1

18 inches(457 mm)

12 inches(305 mm)

6 inches(152 mm)

9 inches(229 mm)

30 inches(762 mm)

Almost ten years had passed sinceAxis Curb had set a company recordfor one day’s curb and gutterslipforming production. Their recordwas 6,003 feet (1830 m) of curb andgutter in a single day and it was setusing their GOMACO Commander IIwith the Analog control system.

The company record came close tofalling a couple of different times sincethen, but never has... until now. Oneof their projects, a semi-industrial areanear Woodburn, Oregon, hadapproximately 15,000 feet (4572 m) ofcurb and gutter built into it.Conditions were finally right for thecompany to make another record-breaking attempt. This time theywould be using their GOMACO GT-3600 curb and gutter machine toset the new record.

Everyone, including theslipforming crew, the prime contractor,the ready-mix plant and the ready-mixdrivers, knew what was at stakebefore the pour began.

“When I first saw how this joblaid out, that it was about 15,000 feet(4572 m) in total and had some reallynice pulls on it, I knew that we had to

try to beat the record,” Mike Blakley,Concrete Superintendent for AxisCurb, explained. “We made sureeverybody was fired up for it and Ikept preaching to them that this waspreparation meeting opportunity.Everyone out there was on-board withsetting a new personal record. Wedidn’t think we’d get over 10,000 feet(3048 m), but we were going to bedisappointed if we didn’t make it over6000 feet (1829 m).”

By the time they called an end totheir pour at 4:30 p.m., they hadslipformed 10,712 feet (3265 m) of 24 inch (610 mm) wide curb and gutterwith a six inch (152 mm) thick gutterand 12 inch (305 mm) high curb. Theyhad shattered their old companyproduction record by over 4700 feet(1433 m).

Preparation was one of the keysto success. Axis Curb worked closelywith their concrete supplier, WallingSand and Gravel. The project waslocated 25 miles (40.2 km) away fromthe batch plant. Seven ready-mixtrucks, each capable of carrying either10 or 11 cubic yard (7.6 or 8.4 m3)loads, were assigned to the pour.

Stations were also createdthroughout the job site for the ready-mix drivers to drop their receipts offand to wash out after emptying. Thiswas done in an effort to keep driversin their trucks, ready to move whenthey were needed.

“We wanted the drivers on-boardwith us so we could move those trucksas efficiently as possible,” Blakleyexplained. “We knew it would beimportant to get the trucks in and out,because if the GT-3600 wasn’t moving,we weren’t going to break the record.”

Grade preparation was essential as well. The prime contractor, Emeryand Sons Construction, was in chargeof preparing the grade and leaving 1.5 inches (38 mm) of trim for the GT-3600 to cut through as itslipformed.

Two days before the pour, a five-man stringline crew was on-sitesetting up the first 8000 feet (2438 m)of stringline. Survey work wasn’tcompleted yet for the entire project.The morning of the pour, the crew wasonce again at work setting up theremainder of the stringline. Witheverything in place, all that was left todo was bring in the company’s 2002GT-3600 and begin the record-settingpour.

“We started the morning off reallystrong with a 2500 foot (762 m)perfectly straight run without anypickups,” Blakley said. “We ran thatout and picked up and moved to anisland that was 5000 feet (1524 m) byitself. We were halfway around theisland and everybody was laughingand in really good spirits.”

They poured a total of 542 cubic

Axis Curb slipformed 542 cubic yards (414 m3) of concrete, taking an average of 12.5 minutes to unload each ready-mix truck. The original seven trucks had to beincreased to 11 to keep up with the GT-3600’s fast production speed.

Pho

tos

by

Jim

Pre

ston

C

G-0

1070

5 D

24

18

Preparation Meets Opportunity on a Record-Setting Day

“The GT-3600 ran flawlessly,”Blakley said. “Our full-speedpouring capability with thecurb machine was right at 39 feet (11.9 m) per minuteand we did that for severalloads throughout the day. Theproduct came out nice. Theinspectors in that area, who are notorious for not beingeasy, all said it was nicelooking curb. It was almost afantasy how well it ran.”

yards (414 m3) of concrete throughoutthe course of the day. On average, ittook 12.5 minutes per ready-mix truckto dump its load onto the GT-3600’sconveyor belt. The original seventrucks was increased to 11 after thefirst 10 trucks had unloaded. Seventrucks just wouldn’t have beencapable of keeping up with the GT-3600.

“The GT-3600 ran flawlessly,”Blakley said. “Our full-speed pouringcapability with the curb machine wasright at 39 feet (11.9 m) per minuteand we did that for several loadsthroughout the day. The product cameout nice. The inspectors in that area,who are notorious for not being easy,all said it was nice looking curb. Itwas almost a fantasy how well it ran.”

All the while the slipforming crew of 12 kept working away. Theyquickly surpassed their record of 6003 feet (1830 m) and soon were over7000 feet (2134 m), 8000 feet (2438 m)and then 9000 feet (2743 m). And itwas just mid-afternoon with severalthousand more feet of stringlinealready set up on the site.

“I was talking to the crew, talkingto ready-mix and asking them, ‘Howabout 10,000 feet (3048 m)?’Everybody said they were on board,”Blakley said. “It was running so wellthey weren’t even tired.”

They went on to slipform 10,712 feet (3265 m) of curb and gutterand at 4:30 p.m., they ended the day’spour. They could have gone further,but didn’t want to leave their ready-mix supplier without a project for thenext day.

“We stopped pouring at 4:30 p.m.because we didn’t want to put ready-mix in a position of having seventrucks to find some place to go thenext day,” Blakley explained. “But theowner, once he found that out, saidwe should have kept pouring! We arecertain we could have done 12,000 feet(3658 m) and we think we could havepushed 14,000 feet (4267 m), but thatwould have been a bad thing to do toready-mix.”

The company also acknowledgesthat they couldn’t have beaten theirold production record without the

cooperation of their partners on theproject and some good equipment,which includes the GOMACOGT-3600.

“The GT-3600 is very versatile,very adaptable from project to project,and that includes both width andheight,” Blakley said. “We like thevertical-lifting and sideshiftingtrimmerhead and mold, its ability toturn a tight radius, and the fact that itbacks up really tight on line. We likethe ability to move the tracks aroundin relationship to the pour. If we havean asphalt edge or other obstacles thatwe’re working around in relationshipto the curb, we can find a position toset the mold and the tracks to avoidthe obstacle. We also get somefabulous service from GOMACO andJim Preston, who is our salesman fromGOMACO’s Oregon distributor,CONAGGBIT Inc.

“This project’s success was a teameffort and Axis Curb could not havedone this by ourselves. We relied onthe general contractor to prepare itwell, the concrete supplier to produceand deliver concrete within thetolerances needed and our own crewto work the project. Everyonedeserves to be proud of what theyaccomplished. It really was aphenomenal day.”

19

CG

-010

706

D18

The crew celebrated the end of the day with a photo. The number on the sign is actually incorrect, after a full accounting of theday’s pour, it was discovered they slipformed 10,712 feet (3265 m) of curb and gutter.

Working towards a record-setting day...

CG

-010

705

D15

20

After several years of planning,several hurdles jumped, and severalmiles of new concrete slipformed,Chicago’s south extension of I-355 isscheduled to open soon. The new 12.5 mile (20 km) long I-355 corridorwill run through 13 suburbs from theI-55 interchange in Bolingbrook/Woodridge, to I-80 in New Lenox. Theproject is part of the south extensionof the North/South Tollway by theIllinois Department of Transportation(IDOT) and Illinois State HighwayToll Authority (ISHTA).

Lorig Construction, based out ofDes Plaines, Illinois, is just finishingup their second season of work on themassive project. They’ve had their fullline of GOMACO equipment at workon the project, including both a 9500trimmer and 9500 placer, a C-450bridge deck finisher, a PS-2600placer/spreader, GHP-2800 four-trackpaver, T/C-600 with skewed tiningkit, and a four-track Commander III.

As the projects wind down, Lorigis finishing up work on the shouldersand ramps portion and utilizing theirCommander III and 9500 placer.

“We did the initial pave with ourGHP-2800 and PS-2600, and that waspaving 24 feet (7.3 m) wide,” WallySimpson, Senior Project Manager forLorig Construction, said. “We’refollowing that up with theCommander III to add on the 12 foot(3.7 m) shoulder lanes and the 16 foot(4.9 m) ramp lanes.”

Working conditions on the projectare less than ideal, especially for theramp work. The paving lane is usuallysurrounded by steep banks that leavevery little room for the finishers towork and no room for a haul road forthe concrete dump trucks.

Lorig Construction is an expert atdealing with Chicago’s tight job-siteconditions and knows how to workaround them. It’s where their 9500placer is most effective. The 9500works out in front of the paver,running on the grade. The concretedump trucks can back down the ramp,empty into the 9500’s hopper anddrive out again. Laborers workdirectly behind the 9500 placing andinstalling baskets at 15 foot (4.6 m)intervals. The Commander III follows

the placer and slipforms the newramp 16 feet (4.9 m) wide and 12 inches (305 mm) thick.

By the time the entire project iscompleted, Lorig will have pavedapproximately 190,000 square yards(158,859 m2) of concrete pavement. Allof the concrete is produced by localready-mix suppliers and is an IDOTand ISHTA-approved mix design.Slump averages 1.5 inches (38 mm).

Production averages 170 square

The Commander III - The Chicago-Land Workhorse

Pho

tos

by

Kel

ly K

rueg

er

CG

-080

729

D2

Lorig’s Commander III is the company’s workhorse, and gives the company the flexibility of moving from project to project in theChicago, Illinois, area.

“We have jobs all over the city,so this equipment is alwaysmobile. It doesn’t sit here andwait for the next pave. It moves.It’s one of the reasons theCommander III is so nice. Wejust pack it up and go. We’ll bepouring in one place today andwe’ll pave again tomorrowsomewhere else. TheCommander III is just aworkhorse for us,” Simpson said.

21The Commander III is slipforming the new ramp 16 feet (4.9 m) wide and 12 inches (305 mm) thick.

CG

-080

728

D25

Tight conditions on the project require a 9500 placing concrete, withworkers setting baskets on grade behind the 9500, directly in front ofthe four-track Commander III.

yards (142 m2) per hour in the tightconditions.

“The project determines ourproduction rate,” Simpson explained.“It always varies, but in some of thesetight corridors, we’ve kicked out 240 square yards (201 m2) per hour.The equipment can handle the highspeeds and volume if we can get thearea to work in.”

All of Lorig’s pavement on theproject has to meet certain smoothnessrequirements to earn bonus.Smoothness is measured by using thezero-blanking band.

“It adds another level of difficultyto this project,” Simpson said.“Anything under a 20 on the zero-blanking band qualifies us for bonus

and we always seem to fall right inthat range of quality pavement.”

Finishing work behind the paveris kept to a minimum. An Auto-Float®

mounted on the back of theCommander III finishes and seals thesurface of the new ramp. The Auto-Float is a feature that, according toSimpson, was a must have, especiallywhen dealing with the zero-blankingband requirement.

Finishers behind the paver workwith bull-floats, tine the new slab on askew and cut in joints every 15 feet(4.6 m).

With the day’s pour complete, it’stime to load up the Commander IIIand take it to the next project in theChicago-land area. Lorig’s machines

never stay in one place for very longand their mobility and ease oftransport is one of the features thatdrew them to GOMACO.

“For us, in this market, we have to be very flexible and theCommander III gives us the option to pick up and go,” Simpson said.“We have jobs all over the city, so thisequipment is always mobile. It doesn’tsit here and wait for the next pave. Itmoves. It’s one of the reasons theCommander III is so nice. We justpack it up and go. We’ll be pouring inone place today and we’ll pave againtomorrow somewhere else. TheCommander III is just a workhorse for us.”

CG

-080

729

D23

CG

-080

730

D25

CG

-080

728

D13

22

Pho

tos

by

Tom

Hay

ne

OF-

0307

04 D

2

GOMACO University’s 2008 Class Schedule

For further information, please contact: GOMACO TrainingDepartment, GOMACO Corporation, PO Box 151, Ida Grove, IA,51445-0151 or Phone: 800-831-2320 or 712-364-3347, or e-mail:gomacou@gomaco.com. Students can also register for classesonline or print out forms at http://www.gomaco.com/university.

Students listen to instructions for their hands-on shop timeduring their week of training at GOMACO University.

Over 650 students from around the world, and as far away asIndia, attended classes at GOMACO University in 2007.

John Pantuso, Jr., fromZachry Construction inSan Antonio, Texas, earnshis five year letter jacket.

Gary Godbersen, GOMACO’spresident and CEO, addresses thestudents at Thursday night’sgraduation program.

First time University attendees from Gallatin Asphalt Inc., inBozeman, Montana, proudly display their diplomas.

OF-

0107

02 D

10

OF-

0307

04 D

18

OF-

0307

06 D

22C

V-02

0707

D15

a r o u n d t h e w o r l d

CL-

0807

01 D

1

Virgin Island Paving in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, finish anew bridge deck on the island with their older style C-450.

ABI Group Ltd. utilizes the versatility of their Commander III’strack placement to slipform drainage canal in Australia.

CG

-090

716

D14

Miller Paving Ltd. slipforms a new airport parking lot in Toronto,Ontario, Canada. Their four-track GHP-2800 is slipforming 24 feet (7.3 m) wide on 2000 foot (610 m) long paving passes.

HW

-100

703

D17

FT-1

0070

3 D

11

LaFarge Construction Materials trims a new roadway projectto grade with their GOMACO 9000 with monolithictrimmerhead in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

CG

-080

705

D14

S.M. Morris Ltd.slipforms 900 mm (35.4 in) tall Europeanstep barrier with theirCommander III. Theproject is on the N11Highway, just outside ofKilpedder, Ireland. 23

Joint partners K-Con Company and Kajima Road Company Ltd.,slipform a new highway inside of the Ayabe Road Tunnel in Kyota, Japan. They are using their four-track GHP-2800 andCommander III to complete the paving on the project.

CG

-100

723

D11

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAID

SIOUX FALLS, SD

PERMIT NO. 1209

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

PRINTED IN USA

GOMACO CORPORATIONPOST OFFICE BOX 151IDA GROVE IA USA 51445

www.gomaco.com

Come See Us in the Central Hall at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2008!

CV-

0305

15 D

6

CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2008 will be March 11-15, 2008,in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our display will include both a right-side and left-side pour GT-3400. The new GT-3400 is thefirst curb and gutter machine to be remote controlled. Stopby and check out the GT-3400, as well as our full line ofcurb and gutter machines.

We will be introducing our new optional G22 digitalcontrol system in the United States. The G22 has a duallanguage feature and an easy to understand graphicaldisplay with colored pictograms depicting the machine’sfunctions. Several machines in our booth will have the G22system featuring the various languages of the world.

The GOMACO booth will also feature our completeconcrete paving line for all of your airport, highway, citystreets and ramp projects. A complete paving train, a PS-2600 placer/spreader, GHP-2800 paver, and T/C-600texture/cure machine, will be just one of the highlights in

our booth. A GSI® (GOMACO Smoothness Indicator) willcomplete the paving train. The revolutionary GSI providessmoothness for both wet or cured concrete and asphaltslabs. With the GSITools™ software application, it can alsobe used ahead of the paving operation to provide a gradeaccuracy analysis of the subgrade and/or stringline beforethe paving takes place.

A four-track Commander III with V2 variable widthmold will be part of the paver display. The V2 makes widthchanges fast and simple and can make the changes on-the-go for tapered slabs.

The new C-450 and C-750 cylinder finishers will be ondisplay showcasing our new features to finish flat slabs,bridge decks and slopes.

GOMACO will be in Booth #C-5657 in the Central Hallof the Las Vegas Convention Center. We can’t wait to seeyou there to discuss your concrete paving needs for 2008!

GOMACO’s booth at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2005 was a busy one. We can’t wait to see you again in Las Vegas in 2008!