Infrastructure strengthens prosperity and growth in the Permian Basin

• The Texas Department of Transportation invests $424 million to rehabilitate an 18 km section of Interstate 20 in the Permian Basin, aiming to reduce congestion and improve connectivity between Midland and Odessa.

• Pulice Construction, part of Dragados S.A., was awarded the contract and chose advanced Wirtgen slipform paving technology for the project.

• The Wirtgen equipment includes the WPS 102i placer/spreader, SP 94i modular slipform paver, and TCM 180i texture curing machine, all designed for high performance and adaptability.

• Comprehensive operator training and close collaboration between Pulice and Wirtgen have been key to maximizing machine efficiency and project success.

• The infrastructure upgrade is expected to strengthen the oil and gas industry by enhancing transportation safety and mobility in the region.

Highway rehabilitation in the heartland of the Texas oil belt

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In the Permian Basin, the most productive oil field in the USA, the focus is on the rehabilitation of the badly deteriorated Interstate 20 between the most important oil production centres with Wirtgen slipform paving technology.

The Permian Basin covers a vast area of 220,000 km² through the states of Texas and New Mexico. This is where one of the most productive oilfields in the USA is located, producing 4.2 million barrels (approx. 670 million litres) of crude oil per day. The most important highway, and the fastest connection, between the urban centres of San Angelo, Midland and Odessa is the Interstate 20. Due to constantly heavy traffic, the highway infrastructure has suffered extreme deterioration in recent decades – traffic congestion is a common occurrence and inhibits the region’s economic performance.

Traffic relief and regional connectivity

With the investment of USD 424 million in the rehabilitation of the 18 km section of highway between Midland and Odessa, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is sending a strong signal in support of the infrastructure for the oil and gas industry in the Permian Basin. The construction work includes widening the existing traffic lanes, adding new interchanges, reconfiguring ramps and the conversion of two-way roads into one-way roads. With the expansion of the I 20, the Texans aim to relieve traffic congestion and establish better regional connectivity.

Successful collaboration

Pulice Construction was awarded the contract for the slipform paving project. The company, part of the Dragados S.A. group of companies from Madrid, was founded in 1956, has regional offices in Arizona and Texas, and operates primarily in the southwestern US states. The Spanish concern, one of the world’s largest building and civil engineering companies, has already built more than 7,200 kilometres of motorways, 3,500 kilometres of roads, 1,500 bridges, and 1,400 kilometres of tunnels around the globe and is a long-standing partner of the Wirtgen Group. In view of this, Pulice turned to the specialists from Germany to put together the necessary equipment for the project.

‘We picked the Wirtgen machines because our parent company uses them a lot overseas,’ explains Rod Roglin, Equipment Superintendent at Pulice Construction. The newly purchased machines include a high-performance concrete paving train consisting of a placer/spreader WPS 102i, an inset slipform paver SP 94i, and a texture curing machine TCM 180i. ‘We feel these are superior machines and have a lot more options and stuff we can use,’ says the experienced equipment superintendent.

WPS 102i – high-performance and homogeneous concrete spreading

The 2-track placer/spreader places and spreads concrete at widths of 4 to 12 m and a thickness of 500 mm in front of the paver. Its hydraulically telescoping machine frame and modular concrete strike-off unit enable rapid changing of the working width. The WPS 102i features a smart operating concept that enables intuitive control of workflows. The folding belt conveyor makes it easier for concrete mixers to manoeuvre into place and thus contributes to safeguarding a constant supply of sufficient concrete to the machine.

SP 94i – fully-modular, 9-metre class inset slipform paver

The SP 94i stands out on account of its enormous versatility for a wide range of major road construction projects and can realise paving widths from 3.5 m to 9.5 m with thicknesses of up to 45 cm. The cost-efficient 4-track slipform paver features concrete equipment developed especially for the North American market. The concrete equipment, consisting of the spreading plough, the paving mould with automatic crown adjustment and edge slump control inserts, hydraulic vibrators, split side plates, and the super smoother, can be adapted for all paving requirements. Interfaces allow the seamless integration of 3D systems into the machine control system and thus enable stringless paving with absolute precision.

Thanks to the modular machine concept, the simple reconfiguration and extendibility, the hydraulic swing legs and the 90° steering lock, the machine can be quickly adapted to the respective situation on each construction site. This means that the machine can switch from transport mode to working mode in just a couple of minutes without having to detach the concrete equipment for road paving or the super smoother. The SP 94i can also be equipped with a self-loading dowel bar inserter, a side tie-bar inserter or a central tie-bar inserter. The systems enable machine-integrated insertion of reinforcement during the ongoing paving process.

TCM 180i – ideal texture and protection for concrete surfaces with widths of up to 18 metres

The modular machine concept of the TCM 180i enables adaptation to working widths from 4 m to 18 m. The self-propelled texture curing machine produces the desired surface textures on the freshly paved concrete surface. The automated spray system with a high-capacity storage tank protects the concrete surface against premature drying.

Consulting and training were key success factors

Even before the construction project began, the experts from Pulice and Wirtgen got together and determined what personnel and machines would be required. All machine operators were familiarised with their new workplaces to ensure optimal results. ‘Paving at the beginning was kinda hard to learn – like you have to know all the controls and everything,” said Alejandro Guevara, who was the first at the controls of the WPS 102i on the construction site. ‘But now I feel kinda comfortable driving this machine.’ Marcial Loa III added: ‘It’s pretty exciting to know we have new toys. We’re ready to go ahead and show off what we can do with them.’

Under the keen eye of Tim Nash, Director of Concrete Products for Wirtgen America since January 2013, the new machines revealed their full potential from the first day on. Nash’s first impression: ‘On their first run with live concrete you don’t have a lot of margin for error. At the end of today’s work, Pulice will have paved 305 cubic metres of concrete on the first day alone. So far it’s been a really good day.’ The paving crews on the site were also impressed by the Wirtgen slipform paving technology. ‘It’s a learning experience,’ says Romero Benavides, concrete finisher at Pulice Construction, and adds: ‘I mean the next time we go to another job we’ll already know how to use it. Everybody’s got their position, everybody knows what they got to do, so it makes it a lot faster and better.’

The way to a successful future has been mapped out by the Texan Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Odessa District engineers. ‘Delivering these safety and mobility improvement projects goes a long way to helping to strengthen the industry in this area and helping it to deliver its products to the rest of the world,’ says Regional Engineer Eric Lykins, summing up.