So, what color concrete do you want?
Sounds crazy, but it isn’t because of Color-Conditioned Concrete, which has gone from gray to gorgeous. Readily available in a wide range of colors — warm earth tones, variegated shadings, vivid hues and any shade of gray, ranging from warm to deep and dark — it presents limitless design possibilities.
Available since the late 1990s, colored concrete is gaining in popularity. An attractive and cost-effective alternative to other building materials, the versatile and durable concrete offers much promise for the future. Color combinations, textures, exposed aggregates, staining, sandblasting and imprinted patterns are being used to mimic natural materials, such as slate, tile, brick, limestone, cobblestone and even wood.
Concrete to Be
Showcased
Approximately one-third of a reconstruction project in upstate New York’s village of Altamont will feature the colored concrete.
“It is being used between the sidewalk and curb,” explained Ken Barth, project manager of Rifenburg Construction, the contractor on the project. “The concrete will have a cobblestone pattern stamped on it and will be showcased in the park in the center of the village along with ornamental lighting.”
That is just part of the $6.2- million project that begins at Route 146.
“The job extends for 2.1 kilometers. It goes through the village [of Altamont] on Route 146, then to Maple Avenue [Route 156] and ends at the next adjacent intersection, which is Route 397,” said Barth. “We are doing a full reconstruction with new water and sanitation throughout, all granite curb and a new sidewalk.”
That particular stretch of road is in rough shape, according to Barth. The existing concrete road is badly spalled so it will be excavated out and replaced with blacktop.
It is the New York State Department of Transportation’s (NYSDOT) intent to revitalize the entire area. So by job’s end, 39,239 cu. yds. (30,000 cu m) of excavation will have been performed and 22,222 tons (20,000 t) of blacktop, 10,499 ft. (3,200 m) of storm pipe, 4,593 ft. (1,400 m) of water line and 5,249 ft. (1,600 m) of sanitary sewer will have been installed.
Myriad Challenges
The project, which began in March, presents Barth and his crew with a variety of challenges.
“Any village or city job is challenging because of the number of utilities typically found in the ground, especially water and storm,” Barth said. “That is especially true in older villages, like Altamont, where as you are digging you come across things that nobody knows about. You aren’t sure what it is you’ve uncovered, how long it has been there or if it is active or not. In a job such as this, that can create a difficult, sometimes stressful, situation.”
Another challenge lies in the 10-ft. high by 20-ft. wide (3 by 6.1 m) boxed culvert located at the end of the project.
“The timeframe is what makes this [the culvert] challenging. The road will be closed for 13 days to allow us to remove the existing culvert and install the new one. Rock also has to be removed and then we have to deal with the water running through there and the tight quarters in which the culvert is situated,” Barth said.
Finally, because the project’s stretch of road is heavily traveled, a one-way traffic pattern has been set up for a majority of the job. Half of the road is closed for construction while traffic on the other half is restricted to traveling in one direction (east or west). When work begins on the other side the direction of travel will be reversed.
Some night work also has been scheduled. “One major intersection will require our workers to begin work on a Friday night and work 24/7 to reconstruct it, get it up to blacktop and have it reopened by Sunday night,” explained Barth.
The contract specifies a November 2004 completion date but Barth said Rifenburg is trying to get that date moved up. “We are reworking the construction sequence and shortening the duration of the timeframes and closures. We would prefer to only switch traffic twice instead of the six times listed. Since there are no financial incentive clauses in the contract, our motivation is simple. We would like to finish the project ahead of schedule.”
