Ranger South Doubles As Proving Ground
(1st / 2nd Quarters 2008)
I-75
Project Is First In District 6 To Use Bonded Friction Course
Every day, Ranger Construction’s crews prove their dedication to
quality, safety and service. This year, crews
in the South Division will
also be demonstrating their ability to safely tackle unusual
projects in some of south Florida’s busiest regions.
This summer, Ranger South will begin a project to mill and
resurface 5.3 miles of I-75 in the Miami-Dade area. The $11.5
million project will double as a proving ground for a new method
of asphalt application called bonded friction course. It is the
first project of its type in FDOT’s District 6.
On a typical job, a liquid binder called the tack coat is
applied by one machine. A paving machine follows by up to a mile
behind the tack coat applicator, sometimes driving through the
tack coat. With the bonded friction course method, a tack coat
applicator is attached to the paving machine. The hot mix
asphalt is immediately placed on top of the liquid binder. It is
thought that this method will yield a superior product, while
eliminating the risk of tracking through the liquid.
In March, the division began a $5.1 million project to
reconstruct two miles of Powerline Road in Pompano Beach. The
reconstruction will improve the road surface and bring turn
lanes up to current standards in this heavily commercial area.
The job includes the rather unusual requirement of laying
drainage pipe as much as 20 ft. underground. In response, Ranger
South will use steel sheet piling to protect the crew’s safety
during construction.
Other work for Ranger South includes a $2.6 million FDOT job to
mill and resurface two miles near the Sawgrass toll plaza in
Sunrise. The project was launched in April 2007 and will be
completed by July 2008.
The projects complement a host of other work that Ranger South
has underway, including a combined $9.1 million in site
preparation, paving, signalization and lighting work on two
miles of SR-7 in Hollywood and five miles of University Drive in
Coral Springs.
In Boca Raton, Ranger South is also providing the site
preparation, utility work and paving for a recreation center and
alumni center for Florida Atlantic University. Both projects
should be completed by summer.
Ranger South will also focus on a number of smaller projects
this summer. In Pompano Beach, crews will provide site
preparation, paving and signalization for a South Florida
Regional Transit Authority Park-N-Ride, as well as a project at
Bennett Elementary.
In Lauderhill, the division will perform the same services on
seven intersections under a $676,000 contract that begins in
September.
All this work comes on the heels of two large projects completed
earlier in the year: A $3.4 million contract for US-1
improvements from Sunrise Boulevard to Oakland Boulevard, and a
$2.8 million Stirling Road project. Both jobs involved milling
and resurfacing with structural and friction curses, as well as
signalization and lighting, landscaping, striping, and concrete
sidewalk, curb and gutter installation.
Projects like these are valuable additions to Ranger South’s
portfolio of quality, service and dependability, adding to the
division’s strong track record of improving roadways throughout
the region.
