Dallas North Tollway Improvements Image

Effecient Staffing, Proactive Planning for Peak Work Loads Saves Money

Project Background

Dallas North Tollway (DNT) Improvement Segment 1

The Dallas North Tollway (DNT) Improvements Project Segment 1 extended from Harvest Hill Road to Interstate 35E. This $2.7M, 18-month project required removal of the existing median concrete traffic barrier and replacing it with a single slope concrete barrier. Work included resurfacing the roadway pavement with an ultra-thin bonded Hot Mix wearing course, fog sealing existing raised asphalt shoulders, and full-depth pavement repair, and restriping all lanes.

Practice: Construction Materials Engineering and Testing

Sector: Roadway

Location: Dallas, Texas

Services: Asphaltic Concrete Testing, Portland Cement Concrete Testing, Asphaltic Concrete Placement Inspection

Dallas North Tollway Project

The Problem

The project needed highly proficient staff specialized in various types of construction, including thin bonded overlays, with a tight budget.

The Goal

To deliver a successful project with particular care that the thin bonded overlay provided a high-quality wearing surface with excellent rideability.

Our Solution

We provided a qualified inspector with ACI and TXDOT certification on an “as needed” basis. This addition gave us the ability to provide construction inspection and material testing on-site, avoiding the need for additional dedicated resources and resulting in significant cost savings.  Additionally, the proximity of our Dallas office to the construction site reduced the costs of related vehicle expenses and trips.

Due to heavy traffic within the project limits, much of the work occurred on nights and weekends. Our ability to provide the staff needed for Ultra-Thin Bond Overlay and Type D placements along with two plant HMA 1A technicians and two field HMA 1B technicians on 12-hour shifts from Friday night through Sunday night was critical. During each shift, we utilized one Level 1A technician at the plant to sample material and perform 1A testing.  HVJ’s 1B technician monitored hot mix placement on site as well as performing testing.

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