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From May to November of last year, J.F. Shea Construction was completing the asphalt rehabilitation of Interstate 5 northbound lanes. These lanes are just north of Lassen Lane overcrossing in Mt. Shasta to just south of the South Weed undercrossing in the Redding area. The project involved removing the top 18 inches of 13 miles of asphalt road surface, and repaving the roadways with 18 inches of new asphalt. The $14 million project, completed for CalTrans, also involved widening shoulders at multiple locations, reconstructing the northbound North Mt. Shasta onramp, upgrading of onramp lighting and drainage, and replacing guard railing, roadside signs and weed barrier.
Work took place from 6 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday, with additional work done on weekends and at night. According to Kirk Johnson, project estimator, the traffic control proved to be one of the toughest aspects of the job. Throughout the job, there was one lane of traffic open, while crews worked on the adjacent lane. |
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Trucks slowing down on the mountain grade contributed to slow, congested traffic for a couple of miles each day. J.F. Shea operated with 24-hour lane closures throughout the duration of the project.
To help control traffic, CalTrans and J.F. Shea used changeable message signs, stage construction, traffic surveillance and temporary lane closures. The California State Highway Patrol was also onsite.
J.F. Shea had up to 25 employees on the project during paving operations. The crews laid 75,000 tons of asphalt/concrete overlay. The asphalt was mixed at J.F. Shea’s asphalt plant in Redding and then trucked north on Interstate 5 to the project.
Most of the equipment J.F. Shea used on the project was manufactured by Caterpillar. According to Bob Jones, J.F. Shea’s equipment superintendent, the crews used a Cat 320 hydraulic excavator to dig out the bridge approaches. According to Caterpillar’s website, the “hydraulic system has been designed to provide reliability and outstanding controllability. The new cab provides maximum space, wider visibility and easy access to switches.”
In addition to the excavator, J.F. Shea had pavers, rollers, motor graders, loaders and Case tractors on the job. The grinding of the old asphalt pavement was completed by a sub-contractor.
Jim Murray was J.F. Shea’s project manager on the job and Greg Caldwell was the foreman.
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Black Butte Rehabilitation Project Phase B, which involved the southbound lanes, will be coming out for bid in the next several months and is slated for a 2008 start date.
Bob says that J.F. Shea owns all of the equipment they use on their various projects, with 95% of the off-road pieces manufactured by Caterpillar. Peterson Tractor is their Caterpillar equipment supplier, and Royce Stevens is their account representative. In all, J.F. Shea owns more than 200 pieces of equipment, which are used on every kind of heavy highway project from bridges and highways to tunnels. When more equipment is needed for particular jobs, Bob will rent from one of his vendors.
Bob has seven mechanics on his staff that keep the J.F. Shea equipment up and running.
“We are trying to keep downtime to a minimum,” he says, “with the goal being zero downtime.” |
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To contribute to that effort, he says that he has sent some of the mechanics to the Caterpillar maintenance school and some have gone to paving school.
“I’ve hand-picked each one, making sure they are properly trained,” Bob comments.
When things get busy in the summer months, Bob says he relies heavily on the mechanics at the various vendors from which J.F. Shea buys equipment.
“I will hire one of their mechanics when I’ve got more than seven pieces of equipment down at one time,” Bob says. “I always have a Peterson guy working for me in the summer.”
His mechanics also work on the equipment used at the four J.F. Shea aggregate plants in the Redding area.
Bob says that J.F. Shea places a high value on safety and the company has each of its employees participate in the safety program to cut down and eliminate accidents.
One of the biggest challenges for Bob with the equipment is complying with the California emissions regulations.
J.F. Shea Construction is part of the J.F. Shea Co., Inc., which is headquartered in Walnut, California. The company was established in 1881 by John F. Shea, and has grown into the largest privately held builder in the nation. J.F. Shea Construction has played an integral role in civil engineering projects across the nation for years. The company also includes Shea Homes, Shea Mortgage and Shea Properties. |
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The Redding Division of the company was born in 1957 with the Shea Sand and Gravel Plant. It supplies aggregate materials to contractors and government agencies, as well as performs highway and bridge construction and repair work in Northern California, as far south as Corning and as far north as the Oregon border. It is also the home to gravel, asphalt and concrete plants, as well as quarries. CC
For more information look online at www.jfshea.com or call (530) 246-4292. |
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