Road America

PROJECT SUMMARY

In the fall of 2017, P+D Engineering & General Contracting collaborated with NEA on the Road America Go-Cart Track project.

The project was a perfect fit for the Walbec Group due to the engineering services needed and special asphaltic material required to handle the stresses of the go-kart track. Our diverse capabilities allowed us to go from design to construction seamlessly and our technical expertise resulted in the selection of an appropriate asphaltic material specific for the application.

This was definitely a fun project for the Walbec Group but like every project, we excelled when tested with project challenges.

Because of their small wheel base and high travel speeds, making sure our material would withstand the stresses of the go-karts was key. The NEA team also had to work with a stiff oil (approx. 82-28) at low temperatures (40 degrees).

TEAMWORK = SUCCESS

Communication and coordination was essential throughout this project. Not only was the county paving our preferred truck route at the same time requiring trucks to be re-routed through the Road America complex, but we also had multiple projects taking place at Road America at the same time. With multiple pieces of equipment working at all times, effective communication as a team and with other contractors was essential to keeping everyone safe.

The board of directors at Road America had very high expectations and the team was determined to exceed them.

Partnering with Road America to have people ride the track between lower and upper layers to check the transitions before we paved the surface ensured that our material and process was successful.

We also utilized our best management practices to keep the joints hot to do our best to work with the stiff oil in low temps and also paved in echelon so that there was no center joint to catch tires on.

In order to achieve the strength required on the track, it was necessary for the team to make a specialty oil which was specified by the P+D Engineering & General Contracting Group.

Road America has been a beloved community attraction since 1955, challenging the best racers for over 60 years. Playing a part in keeping this track performing at it’s best was an honor.