Superior Asphalt Case Study

The Client

Superior Asphalt (A Division of the Yates Companies)

 

The Project

Superior Asphalt needed to cut over 140,000 linear feet of integral curb-head over a nine-mile stretch —between Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi — of East and Westbound U.S. Highway 90. The concrete along the outside lane and the inside islands of the Highway had to be cut flush with the existing roadway. They also needed to cut an additional 30,000 feet of 10” thick concrete roadway. Productivity demands for the project were high — over 1,000 horizontal feet of curb needed to be cut per day in order to meet schedules.

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The Plan

Because the aggregate in Mississippi is the hardest in the country, and because Superior required more than 1,000 feet of curb sawed per day, Diamond had ride-on, curb-cutting machines built to their specifications to meet the challenges presented by the hard aggregate and the aggressive timeline. In addition, DCS mobilized experienced crews to Mississippi to meet production timelines.

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The Process

To carry out the plan Diamond’s two crews of three men each, operated the custom-built, curb-cutters, Monday through Friday — 12 hours per day. Diamond also kept careful per-foot, performance tracking data on the diamond blades used every day. Transmitting this information to its diamond blade vendor, incremental cutting improvements to successive batches of new diamond blades were achieved. The combination of custom-built equipment, knowledgeable crews, and diamond blade improvement, brought productivity rates above 1,800 linear feet per day — an 80 percent increase over initial specifications. Diamond also used three high-horsepower diesel slab saws for the road sawing part of the project. 

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The Outcome

“This was a very large project with a very aggressive timeline,” said Edd Black, Senior Estimator for Superior Asphalt. “We had an idea of what needed to be done to bring in this project at cost and on time. After reviewing the plans of various companies, Diamond presented us with the best implementation option.” According to Black, quality was not compromised by the speed by which Diamond completed the work. “Their knowledge and innovativeness, allowed them to be thorough and fast, while never compromising safety or quality. They are consummate professionals at their craft.”