Over hill, over dale: Contractor overcomes Iowa hills to be a Hayes finalist

In order to qualify as a finalist for the National Asphalt Pavement Association's 2015 Hayes Award, the Norris Asphalt Paving Company faced an uphill climb on its US 34 two-lane highway project in Wapello County, Iowa. The slope and smoothness of the highway was required by the Iowa department of transportation to be corrected over a 9.5 mile stretch, and cold in-place recycling (CIR) was the prescribed method for doing so. The width of the shoulders also needed to be standardized, and more than 13,000 feet of new cable guardrail was installed. The challenge was that due to the hilly, wooded environment of this section of US 34, numerous twists and turns precluded passing for long stretches, thus requiring an extra lane added every mile or two for the purpose of passing. Climbing lanes also ran through some of the most sloped part of the roadway with overlap on a significant portion of the job, making the achievement of optimal, uniform smoothness difficult. The topography also was cause for concern from a stability standpoint, with a lot of fill sections. In spite of these challenges, the completed work met with all stakeholders' approval and satisfaction.