Oldcastle Precast caps record 6,500-slab contract along Interstate stretch

Sources: Oldcastle Precast Inc., Atlanta; CP staff

Oldcastle Precast’s Fontana, Calif., operation is set to close by month’s end the Interstate 210/Foothill Freeway Pavement and Slab Replacement Project precast schedule. Over an April 2016–March 2017 window, the producer is fabricating 6,500 precast slabs, 12.5-ft. wide x 11.33-ft. long to replace 9.7 miles of deteriorated, mainline pavement north of Los Angeles.

California Department of Transportation specified the 12-in. thick slabs for the $148 million contract, one of largest precast pavement system installations in North America. Lead contractor Flatiron West of Chino Hills, Calif., has scheduled overnight work between two I-210 interchanges, 12 miles apart, whereby highway lanes are closed at approximately 9:00 p.m., deteriorated sections cut out, and lean concrete bases poured. Precast slab placement has followed about one hour after the bases, ahead of lane reopening by 5 a.m. Crews have averaged 280 slabs, or 630 linear feet of pavement, nightly.

“Our team took an innovative approach to this project, drawing on our many years of experience, which resulted in a successful outcome for all,” says Oldcastle Precast Regional General Manager – Southern California Todd Ebbert. “[Precast pavement slabs] offer a solid solution to improving our highways while creating little impact to the public.”

As agencies and motorists have observed in past upgrades for major thoroughfares, he adds, precast pavement systems promote construction methods that reduce traffic congestion and project duration, increase safety, and yield durable repairs. Along with quick installation, the slabs minimize lane closure requirements and crew exposure to live traffic; can be installed in most any weather; and, per Caltrans specs, exhibit service life up to 50 years.