Commercial

High praise for George Reed’s work on Highway 89 from a knowledgeable source

(reposted via http://www.calapa.net)

It’s one thing to derive satisfaction from a pavement job well done, including acceptance and prompt payment from the owner, experiencing the smooth ride on the finished product, and hearing an occasional compliment from a nearby resident or a business-owner. But its entirely something else to pass muster with Roger Smith, who has an exacting eye for detail, is a stickler for quality, and isn’t shy about speaking his mind.

Smith, a former senior materials engineer for Caltrans, the Asphalt Institute and onetime state asphalt pavement association executive, teaches the popular “Asphalt Pavement 101” classes for CalAPA when he isn’t helping out the Pavement Preservation Center at California State University, Chico. in numerous technical presentations and classes over the years, Smith is known for showing photos projects done right. as well as those where outcomes were less than ideal, and why. It’s all about learning from the mistakes of others and striving to deliver the best pavement project possible.

Recently Smith came upon a work being done on Highway 89 by CalAPA member George Reed Inc., and quickly fired off the following note to a couple of the company officials:

“I was in the Sierra last weekend and came across your paving projects on Highway 89 (10-Alp-89) near Highway 88,” Smith wrote. “I just want to compliment George Reed Inc. on what is a very nice paving job … very smooth, nice uniform texture and appearance, and great paving joints. The outside edges are nice clean lines and even the temporary markers are perfect. The whole job shows pride of workmanship. I noticed an MTV (Material Transfer Vehicle, or “shuttle buggy”) on site so I assume it was used for all that work, and contributed to the nice uniform look of the new HMA.”

The team at George Reed was especially pleased to hear the rave reviews on the $3 million project near Markleeville because it went through a major design change just prior to the pavement being placed. Caltrans originally designed the roadway improvements to include 3/4-inch Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA A) for pavement repairs, and a .10′ cap of 1/2-inch RHMA G (Rubberized Asphalt Pavement). As the project was about to get underway, Caltrans decided to change the design to 3/4-inch HMA A for pavement repairs and 1/2-inch HMA A 64-28 PM for the top lift. Even with the changes, once the paving got underway the finished product spoke for itself.

“Taking into consideration the unique geographical location of this project, along with its proximity to George Reed Inc’s Asphalt Plant, things went extraordinarily well,” said George Reed Project Manager Dave Cox. “It’s the effective partnering relationships with Caltrans District 10 engineers and consultants that makes projects like these successful.”