Q2 2018

www.acpa.org Quarter 2, 2018 17 R C C I N N O R T H C A R O L I N A WHEN THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION was planning the rehabilitation of I-85, west of Greensboro in Guilford and Randolph counties, it was apparent that traffic would have to be diverted onto the shoulder tomake room for construction. Unfortunately, the 7-mile stretch of asphalt shoulder in each direction was not in any condition to handle traffic during the construction period. A simple, mill-and-fill repair would not produce a durable enough surface to handle traffic, so NCDOT opted for Roller Compacted Concrete as a shoulder pavement that could handle traffic during construction and minimize maintenance for years to come. “We had an issue with the asphalt shoulder where it joined the concrete mainline because the joint separated as a result of temperature changes and water flowed below the subgrade, which affected the shoulder and mainline,” explains Patty Eason, PE, construction engineer for Region 7 NCDOT. “We had heard a presentation about the use of RCC and saw this project as a good opportunity to try something different.” Eason and Kris Lorenz, PE, the project engineer, had considered concrete for the shoulder but determined that the cure time for concrete and the need to tie into the travel lane were reasons to select RCC. “Construction with RCC goes faster because it does not require reinforced steel, which continues on page 19 »