InfraStructures - August 2010 - A New Sight to See in Picturesque PEI

A New Sight to See in Picturesque PEI

Confederation Square, Green Gables, potatoes and rolling lush landscape are what you likely think of when asked about Canada's smallest province.

It is unlikely that you typically stop to consider the requirements of providing the infrastructure for an entire province, on an island. It is a pretty tall order, and when availability of resources and economies of scale are considered it becomes mind boggling!

The province is blessed with scenery and renowned for its agriculture thanks to that red soil and blue sea. To get the sight seers and the harvests' bounty to and fro requires good roads and highways. When you consider that liquid asphalt, aggregate and other materials must be shipped in, then you can understand why the highways’ department takes pavement maintenance so seriously.

According to the province’s Rob McKinnon, “We pay a premium for our roads because of our geographic challenges. That means we must maximize the life cycle costs, so we have always tried to be proactive about maintenance. That has meant, amongst other things, having an active cracksealing program in place as a first line of response.”
According to all the available data, cracksealing will extend life expectancy by 20% or more at 1/6th the cost of resurfacing or similar methods. Alain Cormier P.Eng., of McAsphalt explains, “Cracking begins the moment a pavement starts to cool or cure. These microscopic stresses grow when UV radiation and dynamic traffic stresses are applied. Weather patterns, freeze/thaw and base stability further compound the problem. Once an opening is created incompressibles like salt or stone further irritate the wound and moisture begins to infiltrate the pavement structure. Left unchecked this process multiplies to create crazing, potholes, edge fragmentation and other deterioration. That is costly to correct. Sealing and filling candidate cracks early-on is the most effective and affordable action that crews can take."
PEI, as part of an ongoing program has recently invested in a new Cimline Magma 230 DHR to improve productivity.

With a 30 GPM material pump and a heat-up time under 45 minutes, crews will be able to get more hours “on the job” pumping hot rubber. By moving up to a pump unit with a heated hose not only has productivity improved, reliability and safety are also enhanced. “In choosing the Cimline unit the crew has been relieved of the tedium of carrying cones of molten hot rubber around a busy roadway,” says John Maclean of Sancton Equipment. “It is less about speed and more about accuracy and safety with this machine. Thermostatic controls ensure the material is maintained within manufacturers specifications. The fast start-up and ability to heat in-transit are where the improved efficiency is most readily demonstrated"...he adds.

So the next time you have the pleasure of driving PEI's scenic thoroughfares, remember how much effort goes into keeping them smooth and safe.

Source: Sancton Equipment