As the number of road building contracts awarded to the Milestone Co., Jacksonville, Fla., has grown over the last several years, so has the company’s need for quality hot-mix asphalt (HMA). They recently decided to install their own HMA facility to have mix when they need it and eliminate the need to purchase mix from other suppliers in the area.
Milestone installed a Cedarapids E400R Relocatable Magnum CF Drum Mixer along with a relocatable baghouse, two 200-ton Cedarapids Surg-Stor silos with a third silo future upgrade capability, a five-bin cold feed system and control house complete with a QMA 2001 N’Touch Plant Automation System, which also is a product of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based manufacturer.
According to Ray Grode, divisional manager for Milestone, “The new plant provides us with a state-of-the-art HMA facility that will enable us to supply mix for the more challenging Superpave projects.”
Up and running
Milestone’s new Jacksonville HMA site became fully operational the end of March. Since then, the plant has produced over 100,000 tons of mix.
Recent stack tests have permitted the plant to run over 400 tons per hour. Current production is up to 402 tph with 20%RAP. In June, the plant is expected to be running around the clock, producing hot mix for several state DOT projects.
“Our plan is to produce around 250,000 tons per year from the new site,” said Grode. “With the plant we can balance our production needs to balance out both commercial and public HMA project needs.”
The Cedarapids/Standard Havens E400R features a 100-in. x 48-ft welded alloy steel plate drum with a 24-in.-wide adjustable slinger feed conveyor.
The drum’s patented adjustable slinger allows for raw material drying and control of the drum exhaust gas temperatures. The adjustable slinger aids in reducing overall fuel usage, thus lowering operating costs.
The E400R’s variable length mixing chamber is 13 ft, and a heavy-duty trunnion drive, speed reducers and four electric motors provide smooth drum rotation.
The drum’s self-contained, operating supports with steel cribbing pads provide easy setup and a recycle collar attachment has an intake wheel with scrapers, plus shroud with feed chute and calibration bypass.
The E400R’s 125 million btu/hr refractoryless dual-atomizer burner provides heating/drying capability.
Cedarapids’ N’Touch System utilizes the Microsoft Windows PC-operating environment and “touch-screen” technology. With N’Touch, the plant’s operator can view all critical operating parameters from a single work station, and can touch the display screen to activate or change a control function. The control package includes Load Management System software with English or metric processing/tabulation capabilities.

Looking good
In developing the new HMA site, Milestone took the extra step in trying to be a good neighbor by making the plant visually appealing. Located near a marsh surrounded by large oak trees draped with Spanish moss, the company has tried to blend the facility into the natural landscape.
To enhance the southern charm of the location, the company used crushed white rock throughout the plant and has included flower beds and fish ponds.