Base stabilizer addition saves money for county in North Dakota

Oct. 29, 2020

Related To: Team Laboratory Chemical

McKenzie County, North Dakota Public Works Director Suhail Kanwar, P.E., had a reconstruction project planned for County Road #36 in 2019.

The original design for McKenzie County #36 was a 7-in. superpave FAA45 over a 12-in. class 5 aggregate base on top of 12 in. of cement treated subgrade.

Mayo Construction out of Cavalier, North Dakota, proposed a value engineering (VE) plan to McKenzie County that would save on the amount of aggregate base needed for the project. The proposal was to eliminate 4 in. of class 5 material and stabilize 8 in. of the class 5 with Team Laboratory Chemical Companies’ BASE ONE base stabilizer. The VE proposal was accepted.

The only change in the construction process was the addition of the base stabilizer. The BASE ONE and water mixture was reclaimed and injected into the 8 in. of the class 5 base. The material was compacted with a pad foot roller. The surface was shaped with a motor grader and compacted to density.

The road was tested in the spring of 2020. American Engineering & Testing Inc. conducted a falling weight deflectometer (FWD) test and used ground penetrating radar to collect data.

The chart below lists the North Dakota DOT structural layer coefficient values for new and existing base material. The stabilized material exceeded the strength needed to achieve the required design compared to virgin class 5.

Structural%20layer%20coefficient%20values

The following chart is the suggested seasonal roadbed soil resilient moduli Mr (psi) as a function of the relative quality of roadbed material.

Mayo Construction Company Inc. said the BASE ONE has proven to be a cost-effective base stabilizer that has given the company much success in base preparation for asphalt paving. The stabilizer provides a much stronger base layer for asphalt paving equipment in a faster construction process critical to North Dakota weather conditions and limited construction season. Project Manager Jon Newman said, “The BASE ONE treatment allowed us to reduce our aggregate base, while still maintaining the design requirements for the project. This was a substantial reduction in the overall cost, saving $466,275 on class 5 aggregate base and shortened the overall schedule on the 7.2-mile project.”

Editor's Note: Scranton Gillette Communications and the SGC Infrastructure Group are not liable for the accuracy, efficacy and validity of the claims made in this piece. The views expressed in this content do not reflect the position of the Roads & Bridges' Editorial Team.