S.T. Wooten offers a lesson in enhancing material movement efficiency with I-40 success story
The I-40 road widening project was a milestone for the S.T. Wooten Corporation of North Carolina. The four-year, $360 million job grew an extra $60 million and two years with expansions to the contract once construction got underway. To facilitate moving about 169,000 tons of asphalt for the project without disrupting existing traffic, the S.T. Wooten crew set up a clever conveyor system.
Division Manager Matt Davis shared the Astec double barrel, rated at 350 tons per hour, was set up alongside the interstate with two 300-ton silos. Using Astec’s Weighmate system for controls and ticketing, the team sent mix over a conveyor system to a Gencor 85-ton silo located in the interstate median.
The conveyor was about 280 feet long and enclosed for safety. By sending material to the loadout silo in the center median, the team saved about 8,500 truckloads entering and exiting traffic, according to Davis. Instead of hauling asphalt 20 miles roundtrip, a truck moved mix about 100 yards from the plant to the conveyor, which also saved on fuel.