May 9, 2024

Asphalt Paving Operations to Shift to Left Abutment Work in May

The main dam asphalt core continues to rise as crews have placed near 200 feet of the eventual 350-foot-tall dam. While it takes almost seven hours now to complete one 9-inch lift of asphalt running end to end, crews are planning to jump bedrock on the left abutment to complete asphalt core paving in a small dip in the dam’s profile.  

To prevent delays on asphalt work across the full dam, crews will be paving this area to raise the asphalt core to the same height as the rest of the main dam.  

Jordan Hall, Earthworks Project Manager, said in early May, crews hand-placed the first four of 34 asphalt lifts  in the dip area, which is 25.5 feet tall and 280 feet long at the top. The hand placement is required before the paver can get into the space. To move the paver, it will navigate over the main dam upstream embankment to a haul road which will bring the paver down to the left abutment.  

Photo of the left abutment of the main dam

Unlike other equipment on site where there are multiple pieces to keep up with demand, there is only one asphalt paver on site. By mid-May, Hall said the paver will move into the left abutment dip to complete the asphalt core work during the day and rockfill placed at night. While paving occurs on the left abutment, crews will continue to place zone 4 rockfill embankment on the main area of the dam. Throughout the next couple of weeks, the paver will toggle between the left abutment and the main dam to get both areas to the same elevation. 

“Ultimately, our goal is to raise the elevation in the left abutment area to 5,740 feet to match that same elevation on the main dam,” Hall said. “This shifting of areas will keep us moving forward with no delay.”  

By the end of May, crews will be able to pave the full distance across the dam without any barriers in between, keeping progressional moving on the asphalt core paving operations. 

Profile of the main dam shows dip in the left abutment bedrock