ACPA Quarter 3 2019

www.acpa.org Quarter 3, 2019 19 S R 7 1 0 O P P O R T U N I T Y I N F L O R I D A it is important to encourage its use when concrete is the appropriate pavement type for a certain project or portion of a project, not for every project,” he says. “FDOT has established a goal of 10% of new lane-miles to be done in con- crete each fiscal year, but those projects selected are based on engineering analysis and cost-benefit analysis that indicate that concrete is the appropri- ate design selection.” In the first year the FDOT Central Office requested districts to submit concrete projects, the total number of new concrete lane miles came in at 14%, exceeding the 10% goal, he adds. The SR710 project, which spans from SR 76 to the Palm Beach county line, fits the project profile that is appropriate for concrete pavement. The roadway is a key part of Florida’s strategic intermodal system that has seen steadily increasing traffic—commuter and freight—in recent years. The road is also a critical part of the evacuation routes for Florida residents during hurricane season, which underscores the need for resilience, a key feature of concrete pavements. With an average rainfall of 60 in per year, extreme heat and high volume of truck traffic, FDOT saw concrete as a pavement that could withstand the elements and perform with little maintenance for many years. “The purpose of the new construction was to increase capacity and improve access,” explainsChadRucks, ConstructionSenior ProjectManager for FDOT. Each direction of the new road has two 12-ft concrete lanes for traffic, a 2-ft asphalt inside shoulder and an outside shoulder and bicycle path that mea- sures 7-ft wide total (and is comprised of 1 ft of concrete and 6-ft of asphalt). The pavement is 10 inches of concrete over a 4-in asphalt layer on top of a 12-in stabilization base of Type B aggregate with a limerock bearing ratio , “With an average rainfall of 60 in. per year, extreme heat and high volume of truck traffic, FDOT saw concrete as a pavement that could withstand the elements and perform with little maintenance for many years.” continues on page 20 » » continued from page 17