Paving the Way

Ruby Tuesday Goes "Green"

No we’re not talking about Ruby Tuesday’s all-you-can-eat salad bar (although it’s quite green and delicious). We’re talking about their new “green” parking lot! Ok, you’re probably thinking the picture of the parking lot is black but under that top layer is a layer of foam asphalt treated base that is actually recycled asphalt, making it “green”. Ruby Tuesday in Mililani is the first project in Hawaii to use Alakona’s Green Mix Hawaii, which uses 97-percent reclaimed material in a cold process that uses less energy and emits fewer pollutants to created new asphalt treated base.

“We were so pleased that the Ruby Tuesday job used Green Mix Hawaii and believe this is an important step towards setting an example of how even businesses can make sustainable choices,” said Alakona Superintendent, Arist de Wolff. “Green Mix Hawaii provides a strong treated base material at a lower cost than traditional asphalt treated base.”

In fact, using Green Mix actually saved the customer almost 10-percent!

Rick Valluzzi, co-owner of Valluzzi-Poteet Building Co. and the project manager said that the deciding factor was the enormous cost savings.

“The cost of the project exceeded the owner’s budget but using the green mix helped to offset the cost of the testing.”

The parking lot originally needed a 6-inch base course with a 3-inch AC but using Green Mix helped to reduce it to 4.5-inch base course with 2-inch AC, while still providing the same strength and significantly reducing the price.

“Alakona really worked with us throughout the process to ensure we had the best product and price,” added Valluzzi. “While being green wasn’t the driving factor in choosing Green Mix Hawaii, it did really add to the quality of the project.”

The 2,086-square-foot parking lot took only two days to pave and was completed on February 23. So next time you pull up and park at Ruby Tuesday’s in Mililani Shopping Center, take a moment to consider the fact that asphalt is the #1 recycled material in America and Ruby Tuedays is leading Hawaii to become a part of the recycling effort.

Back to Top

Alakona Welcomes New Cold Planer

Alakona welcomed a new fuel-efficient, advanced cold planer to its fleet. The 2009, 280 horsepower, W120F cold planer, made by the Wirtgen Group, has a maximum milling width of 48 inches and features a hydraulically folding supporting track and front-end loading of reclaimed pavement via a two-part conveyor system. The updated computer system, which can automatically regulate pre-set milling depth and inclination, allows for operator efficiency and precision.

“The new paver is a welcomed edition to our fleet as it will help our team do their job more efficiently,” said Superintendent Arist de Wolff. “We are committed to keeping our equipment as up-to-date and efficient as possible.”

The machine is also more fuel-efficient and releases less diesel emissions. In addition it cuts 12-inches deep making it suitable for removing complete asphalt courses to their full depth. The machine cost $350,000 and joined the Alakona fleet in January.

Back to Top

 

Gas Station Paving

Hundreds of cars stop at gas stations every day to fuel up so when its time for the service station to get new black top it’s absolutely essential that it gets done quickly and safely. Thanks to years of experience, Alakona has come to master this job and is an expert at the intricacies involved in paving service stations.

“We understand that gas stations are in high demand at all hours of the day and every day a gas station is closed, it is money lost for the business and an inconvenience to motorists who need to fuel up,” said Jimmy Iwata, Alakona General Superintendent/Estimator. “That’s why Alakona has invested in updated equipment that allows for efficient cutting and paving of asphalt parking lots so that paving can be done quickly and accurately.”

In fact, this type of job requires highly sophisticated machines that can maneuver in tight areas. Some of the machines that Alakona uses for this type of job include the Cold Planer W120F, Hamm rollers and the Vogele Paver.

“Being able to complete the job quickly is in large part thanks to our experienced team who has learned over the years exactly what needs to be done to get in and out of the area quickly. We also work carefully with the service station operator to coordinate the job,” added Iwata.

Thanks to the updated equipment and experienced crew, it only takes on average two days to complete this type of job. While paving a service station is similar to other projects – remove the old asphalt, apply tack coat, pave and compact the new asphalt – what makes this type of job so unique is that it requires great attention to detail and the crew must take special safety precautions because they are working around gasoline.

“Safety is the utmost priority for us,” added Iwata. “We work to make sure that every crew member is properly trained and is briefed about the site before beginning work.”

Alakona repaves ten service stations a year, on average. In fact, since December Alakona repaved the Chevron stations in Waialae, Kahala and Manoa.

Back to Top

Alakona, Paving All Over Town

Check out some of the recent jobs completed by Alakona across Oahu.

• Waikiki – Guests who arrive at the Sheraton Waikiki will drive over nearly 1,500 square feet of newly rehabilitated and cold-planned road.
  
• Honolulu – The Convalescent Center of Honolulu on Bachelot Street has a newly repaved parking lot, delivery truck lane and trash pick up lane.
  
• Honolulu – Zippy’s King Street customers have a newly reconstruction parking lot thanks to Alakona.
  
• Kailua – Alakona recently reconstructed and paved more than 106,000 square feet of parking lot and the driveway at the Bluestone condominium complex in Kailua. The job also included replacing the concrete gutters and curbs, new striping and signage for parking stalls and asphalt speed bumps. Alakona also worked with Century Construction for the concrete work and Striping by Lee for the striping work.
  
• Kailua – The Alakona pothole patrol showed up at Napa Auto Part’s store in Kailua. The team used four-inch AC in the 196 square foot parking lot to get rid of those nasty potholes.
  
• Pearl City – It took only one day to pave the 4,850 square foot parking lot at Sam’s Club in Pearl City.
  
• Pearl City – Hawaiian Electric Company’s Waiau Power Plant’s 8,100 square foot interior access roads were reconstruction and paved.
  
• Kapolei – Paved Chevron Refinery’s 8,040 square foot access road.

 

Back to Top