On Oct. 14, 2005, Ace Asphalt, located in Bonita Springs, Fla., took delivery of their new Dynapac PL-2000 milling machine to tackle numerous milling contracts in the Naples-Fort Myers region. The Rte. 41 project called for removing deficiencies from new Rte. 41 between Higgins Road and Bonita Beach Road. The specs called for removing the pavement in various spots from as little as a 1?2 in. to a zero taper and in some spots from 13?4 in. tapered to zero.
In some of the project areas there was an accumulation of water that had to be precisely tapered to allow runoff, while at the same time, not creating a “butt joint.” With the PL-2000, the taper came out perfectly, which created a smooth transition from draining water while maintaining a very smooth ride that was indiscernible to the automotive traveling public. The highway inspection was performed under the auspices of Kissinger Capital Construction Services (KCCC) and the quality control performed by Allied Engineering.
The next objective for the Ace crew was to remove 2.5 miles, 24 ft wide, of what was known as Veterans Boulevard in Port Charlotte, Fla. The unusual part of this project was that the depth of asphalt material that had to be removed varied from 6 to 12 in. The material at its deepest point consisted of the normal three courses of base, binder and top. The base course’s nominal maximum size aggregate was 1.5 in., with the binder course ranging from 3?4 in. minus and the top or wearing course maintaining a gradation from 1?2 in. minus.
The county staff anticipated removing this material in at least two or more passes of 3- to 4-in. cuts to attain the county’s requirements. However, as the operation progressed it was realized they could easily remove the entire lift in one pass. As the cutting became deeper more trucks were needed to keep up with the cutting operation. Each tandem dump truck was hauling approximately 22 to 25 tons. It was not being hauled off site so there were no weight restrictions. Even so, more trucks were needed to keep up with the machine’s production, and Ace brought in a large excavation haul vehicle that could handle over 35 tons per load.
Production was accomplished ahead of schedule. They were anticipating two to three weeks to complete the project and they finished in six days.
