TEXARKANA — Although Texarkana drivers have enjoyed predominately clear roads lately, repairs on State Line Avenue are causing backups reminiscent of olden days.
Some of the new concrete roadway just south of Interstate 30 is being removed.
“We had some pavement failures in the new concrete, and they had to cut them out and repair them,” said Kenny Icenhower, area engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation. “Failures are common usually in older concrete, not really something we expect in new construction.”
The problem can be blamed on various issues, from the concrete being poured when it was too hot or too cold to a bad design or improper curing.
“It’s a contractor expense,” Icenhower said, meaning Texas Department of Transportation funds are not being used to make the repairs.
Damaged areas, which usually have cracks or separation, are cut out during repair work. Dowel bars and other reinforcing steel are then placed into the holes and concrete is poured.
Concrete curing can take a week, after which the area is reopened to traffic.
Icenhower said the State Line Avenue failure is no reason to suspect similar issues in other areas of the Interstate 30 project. He said inspections occur at all stages of a project.
“Watching and checking the new pavement is part of our everyday inspection,” he said. “We inspect while they are constructing the new pavement, then we monitor the new pavement as well as all the other work until the project is complete.
“We do a final inspection at the end before we accept the project. But by the time the final inspection gets here, we usually have all the problems identified and fixed.”
The work began a week ago and is expected to be complete by the end of next week, depending on weather and other work scheduling.
Arkansas, Pages 12 on 03/23/2012