Location: US-31 to I-196 - Benton Harbor, MI Concrete Contractor: Sanches Construction Concrete Supplier: Consumers Concrete Engineer: Wightman & Associates Testing Company: Driesenga & Associates Owner: Michigan Department of Transportation
In 2018, MDOT released a new concrete barrier design with a single straight slope on each side, instead of the typical “Jersey” barrier that had been used for over 50 years. The tall single-slope median barriers required the use of a new slipform mold on Sanches Construction’s Miller Formless 8800 barrier wall machine, and the upgraded 5,000 psi concrete mix was designed to be placed at a very low slump of one-half-inch, which also added to the complexity.
Highly technical mixtures such as this barrier wall mix require significant technical experience, strong aggregate control, and tight standards on the amount of water used in the batching process. The supplier must strike a balance between the need for low slump while maintaining concrete finishability. Consumers Concrete knew that they could help Sanches achieve these goals while supplying over 6,000 cubic yards for the median barrier on this multi-year project in the southwest corner of the state.
Placing the new barrier wall along an open I-94, the main artery between Detroit and Chicago as well as the interchange for I-196 a main highway for the Western Michigan Lakeshore added immense complexity to the project.
Because this was constructed on a key highway in Southern Michigan and a major connector for Chicago, cooperation and communication between the contractor, suppliers, engineers, and MDOT were critical to completing the sections safely and to the quality standards this project demanded.
