Westley, CA @ Interstate 5 – Asphalt Replacement with Concrete Pavers

Located in Westley, California at exit 441 on I-5, Howard Road handles a tremendous amount of heavy truck traffic. The Stanislaus Public Works Department was faced with the challenge of designing a long-term, economical pavement solution for the frontage road. Given that the asphalt pavement had failed, the County looked at interlocking concrete pavers as the innovative solution. Given design parameters of an R-value of <5 for the subgrade soils and a Traffic Index of 11, the Public Works staff designed the pavement section that called for the 80 millimeter thick concrete pavers in a herringbone laying pattern. The pavement section required 14 inches of compacted Caltrans Class 2 aggregate and a layer of biaxial geogrid installed over the compacted subgrade for additional structural support. Stanislaus County received six bids ranging from $4.50 to $6.00/sf to install the concrete pavers. Earth Shelter Developers was awarded the concrete paver installation. With businesses such as Denny’s, Chevron and Joe’s Travel Plaza open 24 hours per day, an extensive traffic control plan was implemented allowing the contractor to maintain open drive aisles to accommodate the truck traffic during construction. The project went smoothly and was completed in fall 2014. A follow up visit conducted by Stanislaus County in August 2015 showed that the concrete pavers are performing well, even with the extreme conditions in Westley, California. In the heat of the summer, it is not unusual for temperatures to reach 110° F. which can weaken asphalt concrete pavement. Truck traffic on the reconditioned road was non-stop during the site visit.