News

DOWEL BAR RETROFIT REPAIR PROCEDURE CELEBRATES 20th ANNIVERSARY
(West Coxsackie, NY - April 1, 2011) As the issue of infrastructure repair continues to be an ever present concern for municipalities, one repair method, Dowel Bar Retrofit (DBR), will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in the United States. This method of retrofitting load transfer devices across transverse joints and cracks in concrete pavement has been used successfully on thousands of (lane) miles in the United States with more than 6 million dowel bars installed during the last 20 years. (Read the entire article)

NEW TEST SECTIONS CONSTRUCTED AT VIRGINIA SMART ROAD
(West Coxsackie, NY - April 7, 2011) The International Grooving & Grinding Association (IGGA) recently announced construction of diamond grinding and grooving test sections at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) Smart Road research facility. These test sections were constructed to facilitate future road research by VTTI and others. In January 2011, Safety Grooving & Grinding constructed three test strips situated on two test areas. The three test strips included a conventionally diamond ground (CDG) section and an area that was both CDG followed by longitudinal grooving of each half of the lane using two different groove spacings; 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch. Each of the two test areas were ground one lane wide and 528 feet long. (Read the entire article)

Owner’s Perspective on U.S. Route 52, Rivers Avenue, Charleston, South Carolina
Q & A with Sarah Hamrick, Project Manager, South Carolina Department of Transportation

Q: What do you see as the biggest maintenance task for maintaining roadways in your part of the country?

A: From a maintenance standpoint, managing stormwater drainage is probably the most challenging task we face. Geographically, Charleston, South Carolina is located on the Atlantic Coastal Plain, which is relatively flat. This in itself creates unique drainage challenges, since it can be difficult to capture and channel stormwater and keep free of debris with so little ground slope. Additionally, roads cannot be feasibly designed to handle intense storm events without significant cost and consequently, they frequently flood during heavy rains, storm surges and unusually high tides. Overall, it is a continual challenge to keep our drainage systems clean and running smoothly.  (Read the entire Q & A piece)