Undue flooding in 2011 caused a former gravel pit to become centered into the main channel of the Colorado River. The excessive volumes of gravel caused the river to be braided with extreme channel migrations that posed threats to homes and businesses near the river.

“The simplest solution was to remove the excess gravel from the river and find a common sense approach that benefits both the industry and environment,” says Pete Siegmund, United Companies environmental vice president. “We implemented stream restoration techniques to repair damage caused by the floods and to protect existing stream banks and property.”

United Companies removed over 100,000 tons of excess gravel from the main river channel to achieve a channel capable of transporting water and the sediment load. The company installed rock structures to roll the water flow away from the river bank and created a wall of wood to stabilize the banks and create an environment ideal for fish habitat. Soil, trees and sod mats were placed on top of the wall of wood.

Results of the reclamation process show that the reconstructed river bank is stable with the main channel capable of handling the water flow. The former gravel pit is now a back water area. According to Rick Kruger of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “The back water area provides valuable aquatic habitat especially for small fish to grow and develop. Consideration should be given to using gravel pits along the river to enhance aquatic life.”

The Jack Starner Memorial Reclamation award is presented annually to honor the best reclamation efforts in the state that enhance the habitat of aggregate/construction materials operations and further the industry’s knowledge about successful reclamation techniques.

The Department of Energy awarded United Companies a contract to construct a new roadway into a disposal site located in Mesa County, Colorado.  During the preconstruction phase, the Department and construction team discussed how to increase the recycled content of the pavement on the project. United Companies presented the option of using recycled asphalt shingles in addition to recycled asphalt pavement, increasing the recycled content and decreasing the required amount of asphalt cement.

Currently, the asphalt industry is the number one recycler in the United States, utilizing over 62 million tons of recycled asphalt per year in new pavements. Recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) offer another component of contributing to the industry’s recycling efforts while offering the same benefits that have been realized with recycled asphalt pavement.

Discarded asphalt shingles are typically sent to the landfill, but because roofing shingles contain both aggregates and asphalt cement, they are a prime material to use in pavements as a means of increasing recycled content and extending valuable aggregate and asphalt cement resources. With the emergence of RAS technology and gaining acceptance with owner agencies, the use of RAS in pavements is now contributing to the industry’s recycling efforts by over one million tons per year.

“This is the first project in the Western slope of Colorado that has allowed the use of recycled asphalt shingles,” says Kyle Alpha, United Companies general manager. “We hope the success of this project has set the stage to continue using RAS in asphalt pavements throughout the state.”

General Contractor: United Companies

Completion Date: October 2012

Location: 12 miles south of Meeker, Colorado

This project was a complete reconstruction of 2 miles of State Highway 13. United Companies greatly improved the safety and rideability of the road by widening the shoulders and adding a passing lane. We relied on continual communication with subcontractors and the Colorado Department of Transportation to complete this project succesfully and safely.

• 75,300 tons road base
• 91,400 cubic yard embankment material
• 18,895 tons hot mix asphalt

Completion Date: June 2011

Location: Mt. Crested Butte, Colorado

United Companies completed various road improvements in Mt. Crested Butte in June 2011. Our work included full depth pulverization of existing pavement using a reclaimer, subgrade conditioning and grading in preparation for new asphalt pavement.  This process involved several streets in the resort  town of Mt. Crested Butte including the main road through town, Gothic Road.  We also completed some curb and gutter replacements and new concrete installation in various places on the project.

After a discussion about the importance of mine safety, each student is given a chance to try their hands at mining. They use mining money to purchase tools (toothpicks or paper clips) and chocolate chip cookies. It’s a race to see who can “mine” the most chocolate chips using only the tools they purchase. Students are given one dollar for each clean chocolate chip they mine. Then they have one minute to reclaim their sites and are fined for any crumbs they have left behind after mining.

“Mining requires responsibility, and we emphasize that with the students,” says Pete Siegmund, United Companies’ environmental vice president. “Most of the students in the class have experienced the benefits of resourceful mining. The Colorado River Trail and Connected Lakes State Park are examples of benefits to the community from mining. United Companies has donated land and several mine sites to help create these trails and lakes that are regularly used by the community.”

Fourth grade teacher Michelle Lyon said the students enjoyed the hands-on activities and mining for chocolate chips. She added, “Our learners had a great experience with the hands-on activities that enhanced our lessons in Colorado history, specifically mining. The students saw firsthand the value of reclaiming land, as well as the effects it has on our/their future. I also appreciated the use of vocabulary and the real world application of the rock materials. Although mining for gold in Colorado’s history is thing of the past, mining is so very important to our current Colorado industry.”

United Companies plans to teach the program to other fourth graders when school starts next fall.

Read more about this exciting and challenging project in the article below as featured in ASPIRE’s Spring 2012 publication.

29 Rd I70B Article Aspire Mag 2012
29 Rd I70B Article Aspire Mag.pdf

Date:

May 9, 2012

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The Grand Junction Sentinel speaks with Rich Umbel in this interview where he discusses concrete, paving roads, his love for the Pittsburgh Steelers and building up his employees. Umbel is president of Oldcastle’s Southwest Group, Inc., comprised of B&B Excavating, Four Corners Materials, Telluride Gravel, United Companies and Waycor Materials. Umbel says his goal as president aligns with the company’s statement: “To champion the safety, empowerment and development of our employees.”

Read the full article here: Helping Building Businesses