Concrete Cutting and Breaking Co. (CCB), were hired to saw cut 9-in.-thick concrete pavement on I-95 in Miami-Dade County, Fla. CCB cut damaged roadway locations into 1 ft x 6 ft x 9 in. thick sections, also known as patches, in order for Gosalia Concrete Constructor Inc. to remove the damaged concrete and replace it with new concrete. In all, over 300,000 linear ft of cutting was required to complete the project. Cutting of the concrete was a critical path item, no concrete could be removed until it was cut; therefore, the rate of speed of the cutting dictated how quickly the project could proceed.
Concrete Cutting and Breaking used two Husqvarna FS 8400 flat saws and one Tier 4 compliant flat saw, the Husqvarna FS 7000. The CCB team selected these saws due to their high production rates, high horsepower and dependability.
“These saws were very reliable and productive, which allowed the project to be finished ahead of schedule,” CCB Vice President John Moore said. When paired with a 26 in. blade, the saws cut efficiently and without incident. The production rate of the saws was critical. Since the project was worked on at night, equipment down time had to be kept to a minimum.
In all, the job was very dynamic. CCB’s operators had to be mindful of not only their task of cutting out the sections, but also the surrounding environment. Since I-95 is a the main artery for Miami, the project could only be worked on at night due to the necessary lane closures.
Night work is always tricky and this project was no exception. Moore said that the most significant safety concerns were caused due to the fact that work was performed at night on a very busy highway. Even though lights were used to illuminate the site and traffic was controlled, there were still four different instances where drivers entered the work zone at a high rate of speed and collided with equipment. Drivers hit the flat saws two times, completely destroying one, and the other two instances involved hitting a contractor’s trailer and the vehicle of a Florida State Trooper who had his lights on was parked in the closed lane. Luckily, no one was injured. Incidents like these are great reminders that operators always need to be alert when cutting, especially at night.
The operators felt the Husqvarna saws had good weight distribution, ergonomics and the electric tracking system made it easier to cut straight. This allowed them to stay aware of their surroundings while also ensuring their cutting was efficient.
