Concerns surrounding the reduction of noise and creation of fewer dust particles on construction sites are shaking up techniques on which civil contractors have historically relied to break or handle concrete during road and bridge projects.
Mobley Contractors, based in Morrilton, Ark., recently was retained by Olgoonik Corp. for a U.S. Army Corp of Engineers bridge deck resurfacing project involving the rehabilitation and reinstallation of 20 machinery access hatches — 12-in. thick concrete slabs measuring 6-ft. long by 7-ft. wide.
At Table Rock Lake near Branson, Mo., Mobley's work crews were assigned the task of extending the lifespan of the 540-ft.-long bridge by hydro blasting and installing a Latex Modified Concrete Overlay, raising bridge elevation by 1 in.
For its material-handling solution, the contractor turned to Tulsa-based Vacuworx and rental of an MC 5 Series vacuum lifting system. The objective was to make it safer, easier, faster and less impactful to traffic flows — ultimately reducing the time scheduled for each hatch removal as each 7,500-lb. chunk had to be drawn out to expose the overlay and bridge deck underneath.
