Quarter 4, 2017

www.acpa.org Quarter 4, 2017 13 try new technologies, says Christopher M. Ange, P.E., senior job engineer at The Lane Construction Corporation. “We were familiar with the geotextile fabric and had researched its use for other bids we have submitted, but this was the first large-scale use of it in new construction in North Carolina.” Peoples notes that the use of fabric versus asphalt enables more access to the worksite throughout construction because trucks do not have to avoid wide ex- panses of asphalt immediately after placement. However, Ange points out some changes in scheduling work, due to use of the fabric. “This approach requiresmore finesse because themanufacturer does not recommend exposing the fabric to sunlight more than seven days, and we wanted to minimize the amount of construction traffic on the exposed fabric to prevent damage,” saysAnge.The solution was a staggered schedule that limited the amount of fabric placed in front of the paving train at any given time, with the speed of pavers controlled to prevent “catching up” to the crew placing fabric. “We also had to make sure the side forms didn’t catch on and tear the fabric,” he adds. “It was a balancing act, but we used our most experienced crews and worked with the manu- facturer to train our foremen to be sure the fabric was installed properly,” explains Ange. “There were questions about how efficient the process N O R T H C A R O L I N A G R E E N S B O R O L O O P This approach requires more finesse because the manufacturer does not recommend exposing the fabric to sunlight more than seven days, and we wanted to minimize the amount of construction traffic on the exposed fabric to prevent damage. – Christopher M. Ange, P.E. “ ” continues »