paving project, according to Steven Gehlen, general manager
of RMI.
“The process has been used for more than a decade in the United
States. We were the first ones to bring it to Canada,” said Gehlen. “It
was just a matter of doing the research and finding the product that
would adapt to our situation.”
RMI found that by adding Kevlar fibres to an asphalt mix, the endproduct
is not only stronger and more crack-resistant, it can last a
lot longer.
“It can increase the strength of asphalt by up to 30 per cent, and
it can extend the lifespan by 50 per cent,” Gehlen said.
RMI first utilized Kevlar-reinforced asphalt for roadwork in
Meadow Lake, Sask., in 2016, and since then the company has used
it for five other paving projects in the province.
It’s starting to catch on elsewhere, too. Gehlen says the
Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways is doing two pilot projects with
Kevlar-reinforced asphalt this year, “and I believe there are more
projects on the way for Ontario and Alberta using this technology.”
Soil cement is another product that RMI uses in many of its roadbuilding
projects. Cement and fly ash, a by-product of the coal industry,
are mixed together to create a material which strengthens
the roadbed underneath asphalt.
Gehlen says this type of soil strengthening is highly beneficial
when a weak road needs to be improved and time is of the essence.
“The process was developed in the 1970s, but we kind of brought
the system back to life,” he said, adding that since the early 2000s,
RMI has helped build more than 300 kilometres of road and other
paved surfaces like truck to rail transload sites using the soil
strengthened design.
Asphalt experts
Gehlen says his company is backed by a great deal of experience that
make it a leading authority on asphalt.
His father, Tom Gehlen, worked for the Saskatchewan Ministry of
Highways for 20 years before founding RMI with wife, Val Gehlen,
in 2003.
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