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Friday, 09 March 2007 00:00
STEVENS POINT, Wis. (March 9, 2007) – They reach toward the sky like concrete trees. And in just a few weeks, the 30 piers that dot the path of the emerging U.S. Highway 10 that traverses the Wisconsin River and other low-lying areas north of the city will be connected by massive concrete bridge girders.
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But first, workers are braving winter winds and temperatures to measure, pour and test some of the roughly 3,600 cubic yards of County Materials ready-mix concrete that will comprise the footings, piers and pier caps that will support the bridge. County Materials will supply more than 15,000 cubic yards of ready-mix for the entire project. That’s more than twice the 6,000 cubic yards the company supplied for the McCleary Bridge connecting Wausau and Rib Mountain, and it would cover the playing surface of Green Bay’s Lambeau Field to a depth of more than 7 feet.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is expanding 31 miles of U.S. 10 between Highway 13 near Marshfield to Interstate 39, north of Stevens Point. The new four-lane highway will bypass several small communities, as well as downtown Stevens Point, where U.S. 10 currently runs. Construction began in 2006 and is scheduled to wrap in 2012.
Making workers’ jobs a little easier is an alternate technology employed by County Materials on the project. Maturity testing loggers, computer chips embedded in the concrete, allow testers to hook up a handheld unit to measure the structure’s internal temperature. This helps workers gauge the rate at which the concrete cures, allowing them to accurately measure the pounds per square inch (psi) the concrete can support at any given time. At 2,500 psi, workers can remove the forms, and at 3,500 psi, they can remove the cold-weather protection. For the U.S. 10 project, the final psi will be 4,000.Ü
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A tester for County Materials checks the readings of some concrete poured for one of the piers at the new U.S. 10 north of Stevens Point. Embedded microchips help workers more accurately monitor the concrete during the curing process. |
“It’s an additional tool to determine concrete’s strength,” said Mike Hammitt of County Materials. “It reduces the time contractors need to wait to remove their forms from 10 days to three and a half days. So that benefits the contractors – and ultimately the taxpayer, in that they save so much on time and labor – and the DOT benefits by getting a more accurate record of temperature readings as the concrete cures.”
Maturity testing technology is now being utilized by Lunda Construction and Zenith Tech, Inc., the contractors doing the current Stevens Point and Wausau area bridge projects.
County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American company is an industry leader in the manufacture and distribution of concrete block, brick, stone, ready-mix, hollowcore, pipe, pavers, retaining walls and Aggregate Finish products for residential, commercial and municipal construction and landscaping.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569 and ask for a product guide.
Wednesday, 07 February 2007 00:00
MILLADORE, Wis. (Feb. 7, 2007) – The Stanton W. Mead Education & Visitor Center at the Mead Wildlife Area has reaped praise both documented and spoken for its innovative use of concrete.
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| The Stanton W. Mead Education and Visitor Center at the George W. Mead Wildlife Area in Milladore is a triumph in sustainable design. The primarily concrete facility, supplied by nearby County Materials, recently received a state honor for its environmentally friendly design. |
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| The Stanton W. Mead Education and Visitor Center at the George W. Mead Wildlife Area in Milladore is a triumph in sustainable design. County Stone® Old World Tumbled concrete masonry (shown in pillars and supplied by nearby County Materials) helped the facility earn state recognition for its environmentally friendly design. |
On Jan. 17, Gov. Jim Doyle presented project architect Tom Brown with the 2006 Excellence in Sustainable Design & Construction Award for his work on the facility. Brown has called it “probably the greenest building the state owns right now.”
The center utilizes a combination of wind, solar and geothermal energy to greatly minimize the amount of energy required to light, heat and cool the building. It employs 35,000 donated County Pavers® from County Materials, as well as 600 units of County Block® Retaining Wall system. The Marathon-based company also provided 4,500 units of County Stone® Old World Tumbled CMUs and 177 cubic yards of ready-mix concrete.
“Concrete construction products can contribute toward our goal,” Brown said. He added that he’s hoping the 6,208-square-foot facility will earn a Gold certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® and the LEED Green Building Rating System™.
County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American company is an industry leader in the manufacture and distribution of concrete block, brick, stone, ready-mix, hollowcore, pipe, pavers, retaining walls and Aggregate Finish products for residential, commercial and municipal construction and landscaping.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569 and ask for a product guide.
Friday, 05 January 2007 00:00
 MENOMONIE, Wis. (Jan. 5, 2007) – The University of Wisconsin-Stout’s newest residence hall has earned some high marks. American School and University magazine has honored Red Cedar Hall with a special design citation.County Materials supplied all of the nearly 110,000 square feet of 8-inch hollowcore plank that forms the flooring and ceilings in the structure. About 1,000 square feet of the plank is 6-inch solid hollowcore. “There were a lot of irregularities in the plan,” said Roger Davis, structural designer with SDS Architects in Eau Claire. “Precast doesn’t always lend itself to a lot of irregularity. But County Materials’ hollowcore has worked out well for this use. Inside, there is a very low floor-to-floor height. It would’ve been very difficult, if not impossible, to do this without precast hollowcore.”  The hall utilizes 19 concrete columns (used primarily for external corners with windows on both sides) and 233 lintels, all from County Materials. The hall also utilizes 75,000 units each of Sahara- and Navajo-colored GlenGery clay brick.“The design really focuses on getting students together,” said one judge from the magazine, “which can be a problem with suite/apartment living.” Red Cedar Hall is showcased in the November issue of the magazine as one of 228 featured projects and one of just 20 citation winners. The issue is online at http://asumag.com, and a list of project winners with jury comments is at www.schooldesigns.com. County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American company is an industry leader in the manufacture and distribution of concrete block, brick, stone, ready-mix, hollowcore, pipe, pavers, retaining walls and Aggregate Finish products for residential, commercial and municipal construction and landscaping. For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569 and ask for a product guide. |
Wednesday, 23 August 2006 00:00
KITCHENER, Ontario (Aug. 23, 2006) – The County Materials men’s fastpitch softball team won its second consecutive International Softball Congress (ISC) World Championship late Saturday night.
County Materials (Marathon, Wis.) went 7-1 against the world’ s best, braving a 4-hour rain delay and a long trip back through the losers’ bracket before dominating Patsy’s (New York City) 7-1 in the championship final. It was the fourth straight finals appearance for County Materials, who avenged a 4-0 loss to Patsy’ s earlier in the tournament and now will hold the world No. 1 ranking for a second consecutive year.
In the final, Andrew Kirkpatrick went seven innings, allowing one earned run on three hits, improving his tournament record to 5-0 as he earned the Outstanding Pitcher honor. First baseman Jarrad Martin had a three-run home run in the finale to go with a tourney performance that netted him Most Valuable Player honors. Kirkpatrick and Martin also earned spots on the All World first team.
County Materials got all the runs it needed in the home half of the opening frame, scoring three on Martin’ s blast. Patsy’s answered with a run in the second before County Materials pulled away on an RBI single by shortstop Nathan Nukunuku and a three-run shot by catcher Patrick Shannon in the third.
For more tournament information, visit www.iscfastpitch.com.
Tuesday, 01 August 2006 00:00
EAU CLAIRE , Wis. (Aug. 1, 2006) – The biggest pieces are in place, but the finishing touches could take a few months on the Birch Street Bridge on the east side of Eau Claire.
In late June, crews from Zenith Tech of Rothschild and County Materials of Eau Claire deftly maneuvered 24 of County Materials’ massive 72W concrete girders into place down highways and through residential areas – in the dark of night to disrupt as little as possible – while guiding the 160-foot beams into place.
The bridge includes 60 of the 72W girders (five spans of 12), which measure 72 inches high and – for this project – reach 156 feet, 10 inches. Each beam contains 42 six-tenths-inch steel strands. If laid end to end, the girders would reach nearly 2 miles, and the steel strands would extend more than 74 miles, or well into Minnesota.
While the bottom flange of the 72W measures 30 inches wide, the top flange is 4 feet, reducing the amount of needed decking material. Its rounded edges are one more step taken to streamline the girder’s design and reduce incidental damage.
County Materials’ delivery drivers had to follow a carefully plotted course that took them about 12 miles and an hour and a half to make what normally would be roughly a 3-mile trip. But it took such care to ensure the 160,000-pound beams arrived safely.
Crews from Zenith Tech laid three of the bridge’s five spans from the south bank of the Eau Claire River but had to approach the final two from the Birch Street side because of logistical reasons; positioning cranes and moving equipment just so.
As it happened, it took three cranes – each with a capacity between 150 and 200 tons – to “hand off” the girders from one to another as County Materials’ delivery truck backed into place up the access road.
County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American company is an industry leader in the manufacture and distribution of concrete block, brick, stone, ready-mix, hollowcore, pipe, pavers, retaining walls and Aggregate Finish products for residential, commercial and municipal construction and landscaping.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569 and ask for a product guide.
Wednesday, 29 March 2006 00:00
MARATHON, Wis. (March 29, 2006) – Three landscaping contractors received recognition for award-winning projects when the Wisconsin Concrete Masonry Association honored them, and County Materials, at the WCMA Excellence in Hardscaping awards banquet held Saturday, March 25, at the Mitchell Park Domes in Milwaukee. County Materials supplied the concrete pavers and retaining wall units featured in the projects.
Two of the honors came from the residential categories, where Brian Breckheimer of Breck Landscape & Design in Sherwood earned a Finalist award for his work on one Appleton residence. And landscaper Joe Lowney of Lowney’s Brick Paving in Appleton saw the work he did at his own home earn Honorable Mention. Steve Fleming, of S.C. Fleming Landscape Architect in Little Chute, took home Finalist honors for his paver walkway at the Wollersheim Winery in Prairie du Sac.
Breckheimer used 500 square feet of tumbled Lexington Stone™ pavers – in two sizes – and 600 units of Summit Stone™ landscaping units – all in Desert Sand color – on his project, which featured a patio bordered by seat walls that even included a small alcove for a grill.
Lowney also used tumbled Lexington Stone™ - 700 square feet in Cedar Blend with a Driftwood border – for the two-tier patio area and walkways. Nearly 200 square feet of tumbled Country Manor® retaining wall units frame the patio that includes pillars and a planting bed. Lowney also used County Block® retaining wall units to border a 60- by 30-foot sandbox and play area not far from the patio.
Fleming replaced a 20-year-old asphalt walkway at the Wollersheim Winery with a durable yet attractive concrete paver path that is 10 feet wide and 310 linear feet. The new path utilized 3,500 square feet of Lexington Stone™ pavers in a custom color, tumbled to soften the natural red and brown hues and recall the Old World feel of a rural German road.
County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American-based company is an industry leader in the manufacture and distribution of concrete block, brick, ready-mix, hollowcore, pipe, pavers, retaining walls and Aggregate finish products for residential, commercial and municipal construction and landscaping.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569 and ask for a product guide.
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