Halifax Paving Fixes Hurricane Damage with Asphalt

Asphalt professionals in the southeast remain alert for more than just rain delays at this time of year. It’s hurricane season as well as paving season for states along the east coast of the United States, and the team at Halifax Paving in Daytona Beach, Florida, can attest to the fast pace of emergency projects in the wake of any strong storms. When Hurricane Matthew came ashore during his October run in 2016, it left a mess that Florida Governor Rick Scott wanted cleaned up quickly. Here’s how Halifax Paving used asphalt to come to the rescue for citizens.

Vice President of Halifax Paving, Joey Durrance (on left), and Florida Governor Rick Scott, celebrate the quick completion of A1A’s emergency rebuild.

“When Hurricane Matthew damaged over a mile of Florida’s A1A in Flagler County last October, time was of the essence,” Fred Iannotti, purchasing manager for Halifax, explained. “Governor Scott wanted A1A opened in 15 days. Normally, it takes between 45 to 60 days just to get work started. But in this case, bids were submitted on a Friday, evaluated on Saturday and awarded on Sunday. Halifax started work Monday and the road was reopened just 29 days later.” The 29 days of work included base repair because the storm washed away land. Halifax was responsible for rebuilding the subgrade. “Sand was imported; granite and boulders were used for the shoreline,” Iannotti shared.

Before: Hurricane Matthew became the first Category 5 Atlantic hurricane since Felix in 2007. When large portions of state road A1A in Flagler County were destroyed, FDOT awarded the rebuild of the 1.3-mile stretch from Ninth Street North to 22nd Street North to Halifax Paving, Daytona Beach, Florida. All photos courtesy Halifax Paving.

For the portions of the 1.3-mile stretch of roadway that Matthew left in place but damaged, the Halifax crew used one excavator and milling machines to get the broken, cracked sections removed. Then they hauled mix from their Gencor drum plant in Ormond Beach, about 16 miles from the project, to place a total of 3,800 tons.

During: Halifax Paving rebuilt the shoreline as well, using imported sand, granite and boulders.

“In total, 3,800 tons were laid on this project,” Iannotti said. “An asphalt base, structural asphalt, and friction course were laid using an 8-foot Vogele paver and Hamm 90 rollers. The asphalt was a Superpave 12.5 provided by Halifax, used on all lifts, including the top lift.”

During: Halifax Paving rebuilt the shoreline as well, using imported sand, granite and boulders.

The Superpave 12.5 is an FDOT-approved mix to which Halifax adds Evotherm® warm-mix additive from Ingevity. Halifax began incorporating Evotherm into various projects in 2014, after considering how the additive could help them address mix challenges while also meeting FDOT’s specs.

“Evotherm was it,” Iannotti said. “Mixtures became more workable and achieved more consistent density. When time was of the essence on A1A, Evotherm allowed us to quickly work the mix and achieve consistent densities quicker than conventional paving.”

Here’s part of the 35-member crew that served on the A1A emergency rebuild project.

Getting good density also requires a good crew that can handle the pressure. Josh Lloyd was the project superintendent who managed the logistics. “We had an experienced paving crew on this job,” Iannotti said. “They average 20 to 30 years of service. There was extremely limited work space; one lane of access to the entire site; 40 to 60 dump trucks, 25 pieces of heavy equipment, 35 employees, all in one lane. But the 35 employees were necessary to meet the tight deadline on time. The tides were also a daily consideration.”

The Halifax crew took it all in stride to make the project a success. “Logistically, Halifax is geographically close to the emergency site,” Iannotti said. “We were able to mobilize with our existing paving schedule at the time so that we could most quickly and efficiently meet the governor’s timeline.”