Central Specialties Wins Excellent IRI

The team at Central Specialties Inc., headquartered in Alexandria, Minnesota, isn’t new to achieving quality with its work. With the motto of “It’s on Us,” the full-service general road contractor has received accolades from various departments of transportation and recently expanded operations to handle the additional work that comes with success.

As demonstrated in the Highway 85 project we discussed in the October issue, they’re open to trying out new technology and they put innovation into their day-to-day business for continuing success. Let’s look specifically at an award-winning project CSI performed on Interstate 94 (I-94) in Stark County in 2023 for another example of their innovation and quality workmanship, and how it all contributes to the expansion.

I-94 Project

The mill-and-overlay project called for two 1.5-inch lifts along 9.6 miles of two-lane interstate. Operations Manager Joey Johnson shared that it involved concrete removal and repair, as well as hot-mix asphalt (HMA) repairs before the team mobilized their HMA plant for mainline paving to the tune of 38,000 total tons—about 18,500 per lift.

The plant they used for the project is a parallel flow drum plant from CWMF, Waite Park, Minnesota, which can produce up to 700 tons per hour (TPH). CSI positioned their plant about 14 miles from the project and produced the RAP Superpave FAA 45 with a PG58H-34 asphalt cement at 295°F.

CWMF Vice President Travis Mick spoke in glowing terms of the team. “Partnering with Central Specialties has been a rewarding experience due to their dedication to excellence and integrity, which perfectly complements our own values at CWMF. Their ‘get it done attitude’ and commitment to building the best road infrastructure ensure our equipment is utilized to its fullest potential, resulting in outstanding outcomes for their projects.”

While the crew used state of the art equipment and new technology like infrared thermal mapping and the patterned SDX screed, Johnson also credits the people who take the time for best practices for a stunning finish. You see, the I-94 project won a North Dakota Pavement Quality Award for ride and density. Johnson reported the bonus-worthy overall total international ride index (IRI) was 25.8 and the average density was 98.7%.

Those are numbers worth emulating. Here’s how they did it.

On I-94, the team was getting good density right off the bat. Immediately behind the breakdown roller, which was a CAT CB 15 with VersaVibe, purchased in 2020, they were getting a density of 92.5. In the intermediate position, on the bottom lift, they ran a CAT CW34 pneumatic purchased in 2017. In the intermediate position, on the top lift, they ran a CAT CB 15 purchased in 2018. The finish roller was a CAT CB 34.

Laying the first lift was straightforward. It was a standard mill-and-fill. On the second lift, they used the notched wedge joint system from Willow Designs LLC on the center seam to increase longitudinal joint density.

First of all, they were getting good density numbers behind the screed. Johnson shared: “The Trimble infrared thermal imaging camera was used for tracking mat temperature. Combined with VETA data and analysis software it gave us good confidence with our rolling pattern coverage which resulted in good densities.” As mentioned above, they were seeing densities of 92.5 behind the breakdown roller.

“To be honest, this [thermal mapping] is a very helpful tool to be able to better help get density and ride, seeing issues and ways to improve rolling patterns,” Johnson shared.

The crew wasn’t using a material transfer vehicle on this project—just best practices and a cohesive team. The paver operator, Tomas Chavez, has been with the company for two years and was at the helm of a CAT AP 1055F paver equipped with the new SDX screed CSI is testing for Caterpillar.

Johnson shared that the paving widths varied along the project from 10 to 12 to 16 feet, yet the crew handled the changes smoothly. The dump man on the project was Jose Becerra, and the screed operator, Carlos Pasillas, has nine years of experience.

“Carlos is a very strong leader for our main line crew and a positive person,” Johnson shared. “I believe the reason we won the award was that the crew works together to make the best road possible. There is really a team atmosphere when it comes to Plant 4 crew for CSI. It really starts with John Fales leading the crew and developing them and then the crew taking ownership of the paving. At the end of every job the crew is always asking how they did on ride and density, which shows they have pride in their work.”

Winning Against Challenges

CSI began the I-94 project April 4, 2023, and finished it Aug. 14. During those four months, the crew had challenges to overcome to hit an award-winning completion.

“There was a lot of concrete removal, and the state would only close down a certain amount of interstate at a time,” Johnson explained. “Then we would have to go out and patch back in to let traffic back on it. It was difficult scheduling to keep subs on track working and getting a crew deployed on a short window to get the patching done.”

He gave credit to Dave Winkler, the project manager, and John Fales, the paving superintendent for their leadership and expertise on the job. “The project manager really kept a close eye on the subs on when they would be completed with their phases and lining up our paving crew to come in and patch in mix, then move the subs to the next phase to complete to stay on track for the job.”

One aspect of the project that the crew gave extra attention to was the centerline joint. “Making sure centerline is clean after the milling machine,” he shared. “On the bottom lift we had some longitudinal joint failures that we had to mill out and repair because we did not get centerline completely clean but after finding the issue the crew took ownership and got the project back on track.”

At the end of the day, the crew handled best practices and challenges with professionalism that Johnson’s proud of. “I like the fact that when there were issues the crew stuck together to get the job done. They never pointed the finger; they owned the issue and moved on. That is what makes a great crew.”

New Location

If you think the logistics of the I-94 project look complex on paper, consider what it was like in the field. With the amount of work available across North Dakota, CSI management decided it was time to expand operations. They purchased a building to start a shop and office in Watford City, North Dakota.

“We expanded with offices and a shop in Watford City, North Dakota, in January of 2024,” Johnson said. The team then used the office space to hold interviews every two to three weeks and set up the offices and a conference room for the project managers to use during the 2024 construction season for both a home base and for meetings with local agencies when needed.

“The shop is running well,” Johnson shared. “We have three current mechanics working out there and are looking to staff up to four to six full-time mechanics in the future. That will really save us time and money in the future not hauling our equipment in the area all the way back to our main shop in Alexandria, Minnesota.”

Fleet maintenance, whether in Watford City or Alexandria, is another key to CSI’s success. “We really feel that we keep our equipment up to date and have some of the best technology. We swap out our mainline pavers every three years and we send our crews to paving classes every year to keep them up to date on new methods and ideas. We are constantly trying innovation to see what works, such as the new SDX screed CAT has us trying out.”

With updated technology and innovation for a fully trained workforce, CSI takes ownership of its success on every project. The award-winning I-94 project exemplifies this attitude and aptitude and offers a great example of the company’s motto “It’s On Us.”

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Lender, Sandy. “Central Specialties Wins and Expands” ASPHALT PRO Vol. 18 No. 2 (2024): 30-34. https://theasphaltpro.com/articles/central-specialties-wins-excellent-iri-expands-into-western-north-dakota/ Web.