The unusually harsh winter has hindered the excavation of approximately 110,000 cu. yds. (84,101 cu m) of granite along a portion of the State Route 49 widening project in Cabarrus County, NC. The drilling and blasting work is being done by Mid-South Drilling Inc. and the material is being removed and placed in a controlled fill by Davie Grading Inc. The companies, both based in Mocksville, NC, began working on the project in September 2002, and expect to complete the job in June. “We had cold-weather problems for about five months and there were about 14 weeks in a row this winter when we only worked about three days a week,” said Jeff Seaford, general manager and co-owner of Mid-South. “February was our worst month because we only worked seven days. We’ve probably lost at least two months worth of productivity because of the snow and cold weather.” Seaford, who shares ownership of the company with his dad, Jack, and brother, Scotty, has about four employees working on what he calls a “very time-consuming and tedious part” of the widening project. Weather permitting, the crew typically works five or six days a week for at least 10 to 12 hours each day. Mid-South is using a Hitachi EX270 with a Magnum RHB330 hammer and two Tamrock CH550 Tiger drills to break up the rock so it can be hauled away. The company owns the Tamrock drills, which Seaford describes as “the best known to mankind,” and has used this brand on various projects for five years. This marks the first time the company has used the Hitachi EX270, but Seaford said the equipment is proving to be the right choice for the job. Seaford said the $23-million widening project will be a much-needed boost for the area because it will eliminate the existing rush-hour traffic nightmare. He declined to specify how much money his company is receiving to serve as the blasting and drilling contractor. Phillip Shore, president of Davie Grading, said his company’s contract is worth about $400,000 as part of the overall federal-aid project to widen approximately 5.8 mi. (9.3 km) of Route 49 from two to four lanes from east of State Route 1300 (Moorehead Road) in Harrisburg to east of State Route 1155 south of Concord in Cabarrus County. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) awarded the primary contract to APAC-Carolina Inc.’s Papco-Central Division based in Concord, NC, and the company initiated work on the project in February 2002. The targeted completion date is December 2004. “We have six men working on our part of the project five days a week and we’ve already moved approximately 50,000 cubic yards,’’ said Shore. “The weather has delayed the project since November, but things are looking much better this spring as long as the rain holds off.” Davie Grading is removing the rock from alongside three-fourths of a mile of the existing highway. Shore said boulders are being removed from a granite mountain that climbs 40 ft. (12 m) into the air and the material is then being placed in another nearby location to be used as embankment. Shore’s company is using one Hitachi EX330L excavator which he rented from J.W. Burress Inc. based in Roanoke, VA, and a Caterpillar dozer, owned by Davie Grading, to accomplish its task. “The traffic is a challenge because we have to cross Old Charlotte Road and we also have to slow down operations to accommodate school buses from a nearby school,” said Shore. “We’re using three Terex 30-ton artic trucks that are perfect for crossing the road without doing any damage. The maneuverability of the trucks also is excellent, especially in tight areas. Once the project is completed, the traffic flow on Highway 49 will be greatly improved which will be a benefit to the residential areas. It also will reduce the traffic congestion from the nearby speedway.’’ Shore said APAC is doing an outstanding job of working around the traffic impediments. Traffic control is of special importance with the close proximity of the Central Cabarrus High School and the Lowe’s Motor Speedway, formerly the Charlotte Motor Speedway, which typically starts drawing spectators to town in the middle of the week in preparation for weekend races. Bill Jones, spokesman for the NCDOT in Raleigh, said the contract stipulates that the highway lanes cannot be restricted on weekends when races are taking place at the speedway, especially in May and October when major events are held at the venue. Jones said the widening project, which also includes the demolition and reconstruction of several bridges, is approximately 25 percent complete. This story also appears on Construction Equipment Guide.
Aggregate Equipment
Articles
Newsletters
Sell Machines
