Escalante, UT SR-12 Asphalt Paving

The project involved an HMA lane level and SMA overlay, and it included 37 pedestrian ramp replacements (with ADA specifications), curb and gutter replacements, the reconstruction of manholes and covers, shouldering, and striping.

The original configuration of the project had two lanes of traffic in each direction. When completed, traffic was reconfigured to just one lane each way, with a turning lane in the middle and bike lanes on each side. There was a lot of controversy at the beginning of the project, however, once residents began to see the final result, they liked what they saw.

A huge success of the project was the minor impact to the public made. WW Clyde was able to get in and out of Main Street first before moving to the outside part of town. All of Main Street had to have two inches of asphalt milled. Then, sections of the road had to be milled to a full depth. Main Street had to be done in a seven-day period to help with traffic flow. Impact to the actual residences of Escalante was very minimal based on the sequencing and scheduling of the work. This was a huge success for the city and general contractor.

The location of the project was very rural and isolated. One of the challenges faced was simply getting WW Clyde’s hot plant to the location. There are two entrances to get to the location, but there were clearance issues with one of the roadways, making it not ideal or recommended to take a hot plant through. The second way in was at the entrance of Bryce Canyon, which has tunnels, bridges, and roundabouts that had to be bypassed. The highway had to be completely shut down at points to ensure safe passage of the hot plant.

A big challenge from the project involved some heavy unseasonal rainstorms that washed the roadway to the asphalt plant on two separate occasions. Despite the delay, WW Clyde was still able to get in and get the job done despite having half the available time.

Overall, WW Clyde performed significant work on time and under budget despite the weather and other challenges that came along the way.