The City of Oakland, Nebraska, awarded M.E. Collins Contracting Company of Wahoo, Nebraska, a project that totaled $179,000 for curb and gutter work.

Master Construction Company, Inc., of Fargo, North Dakota, was awarded The Westgo Commercial Second Addition project in West Fargo, North Dakota. The project included curb and gutter work for a new subdivision development.

GOMACO, Closner Equipment Company, Inc., of San Antonio, Texas, and a local contractor teamed-up to test the new GT-3200 with rubber tires. The test-site was a Texas Department of Transportation project through a residential/commercial area.

Master Construction Company

Fred Schlanser, Jr., president of Master Construction Company, Inc., stated that certain requirements had to be considered in looking for a new machine. "The GT-3200 had the minimum width access to the existing pavement. That determined our decision in purchasing the GOMACO machine. This machine is 2.59m (8.5 ft) in width. The city directs us on how much pavement we can remove on our sewer and water projects. If we had a machine that was too wide, we couldn't get in to pour a narrow strip of curb and gutter, so the width of the machine was critical to us."

The Westgo Commercial Second Addition project in West Fargo, North Dakota, consisted of 762m (2500 ft) of 762mm (30 in) curb and gutter. The street was 3094m² (3700 yd²) of 203mm (eight inch) thick non-reinforced concrete. It was their first new paving project. With a crew size of 10 to 12 people, they poured it in less than three days. They also had inlets to place and adjust in the flow-line, with some cul-de-sac work. The concrete was 38mm (1.5 in) slump and a 6-sack mix, 30MPa (4000 lb psi).

Two features they enjoyed most were the high-pressure water system and the width of the machine. They also found that the driveway depressor device worked really well. Schlanser stated, "The device is a definite labor saver as well as a concrete saving tool."

Master Construction Company, Inc., has a solid relationship with their equipment supplier, Swanston Equipment Company. Schlanser said, "We have worked with them for over 20 years on different types of equipment. I wanted someone local who was going to be able to handle any problems and have manufacturing support for service needs."

C-450 and GT-3200 Compatibility

The GOMACO C-450 machine was added to the company's list of equipment. Another project by Master Construction Company, Inc., was using the GOMACO C-450 machine and the GT-3200 machine together.

The curb and gutter was slipformed on both sides of the street by the GT-3200. Then the street was paved with the C-450 cylinder finisher. Rails were placed in the gutter line, eliminating the need for setting rail support jacks. Concrete forms were eliminated by filling in-between the existing curb and gutter.

This project in Fargo, North Dakota, consisted of paving a 7.32m (24 ft) wide street. It was 203mm (eight inches) thick and they used a number four rebar while placing it 457mm (18 in) on the center. The concrete slump was 76mm (three inches) and had a 7.2 sack mix design. The project was a complete water main replacement, and Master Construction completed it with four pours.

The power transition adjuster (PTA) on the C-450 allowed them to pave through the intersections and transverse from a 114mm (4.5 in) crown down to flat and back to the same crown again.

Schlanser stated, "The C-450 was chosen for the West Fargo project because we needed the versatility for adding widths for various paving applications. We used the C-450 on an 11.9m (39 ft) wide pour; then we tore the machine down and set up to pour 7.62m (25 ft) wide with the automated crown."

Master Construction was happy with the success they had in working with the two machines on the same project, first pouring the curb and gutter and then coming back and paving the street.

Select either photo for a closer look.

Select the below links to view additional story photos