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CSDA Member Hits the Curbs
A Curb Cutting Saw Does the Job
There are many tool options available to concrete cutting contractors today, and CSDA member Interstate Curb & Concrete Cutting has found the KotKurb horizontal curb cutting truck to be a real asset. Recently, Interstate performed several jobs from cutting a bridge wall to lowering the height of a curb and although they had other tools that could have successfully completed these tasks, they found that the curb saw saved them time and money.
The Kotkurb VH15S-VH15SF truck powers a hydraulic wall saw that travels on a 20-foot rail that can rotate 180 degrees and the track can be adjusted to achieve different blade heights and angles. The truck is self-contained, carrying its own water supply, hydraulic fluid, hydraulic powered electric generator and a side dump built on the truck to haul concrete curbs off the construction site to recycling plants. The curb cutting saw works by parking the truck alongside the cutting area, unfolding the track from its folded travel position on the truck bed, this is done hydraulically, and setting the blade to the required cutting angle. The saw blade is then easily maneuvered along the track from the hydraulic controls located on the side of the truck to give the operator the best vantage point for the cutting procedure. But this truck can do more than just cut curbs and some of the jobs that Interstate Curb & Concrete Cutting have done just that.
Removing a Bridge Wall
Several bridges throughout Terra Haute, Ind. were being renovated and as part of this rehabilitation the style of the bridges was being reconfigured. This reconfiguration required part of the walls of the bridge to be removed. Interstate Curb & Concrete Cutting was chosen for this project because their curb-cutting truck allowed them to offer the general contractor a fast and cost-effective method to cut these reinforced bridge walls. Alternative demolition methods, such as a power hammer, were ruled out for this project because most of the bridges covered small creeks where debris would have precipitated a difficult clean up. Concrete cutting eliminated the debris problem while maintaining the structural integrity of the bridges. A wall saw could have been used for this job, but the set-up time for anchoring and mounting the rails was much greater than that of the curb cutting machine. Time was of the essence to eliminate traffic delays.
Another benefit of the curb cutting truck in this project was the fact that it contained a 300-gallon water tank for cooling the blade during cutting. Water for this project would be supplied from a nearby town’s fire hydrants and with some of the bridges measuring 125 feet long, that could have been a problem. Since the truck carried its own water supply, this problem was eliminated.
This project required each bridge wall to be sawed twice. The first cut needed to be made at the base of the wall as close to the bridge deck as possible. This nine-inch-deep cut went through the first mat of rebar and left the second mat intact to tie in to the new wall. The second cut was eight inches up on the ledge and was eight or 12 inches deep, depending on the particular bridge. A 36-inch blade was used to meet the required cutting depth of 12 inches.
The speed of using the curb-cutting truck was a real advantage. The portions of the bridge walls were cut full depth and shimmed, allowing the general contractor to pick large pieces of the bridge wall up in one piece and load them on to trucks for removal.
There were eight bridges in total ranging in length from 30 to 125 feet. Using the curb-cutting machine on a 30-foot bridge for this project took approximately two to three hours and 12 to 16 hours for the 125-foot bridge. Interstate completed each bridge in a day with some overtime and completed the project in phases. This quick timetable was just what the general contractor required and the curb cutting truck supplied.
Cutting Down a Parapet Wall
Another job where Interstate utilized their curb-cutting saw took place at the Lake Shore Harley Davidson store in Lake Bluff, Ill. A new parking lot was being poured at the Harley Davidson store and a curb needed to be put in with landscaping decorating the scenery behind the curb. But an existing parapet wall was in the way of this plan. Interstate was called in to tackle this problem as well as to enlarge several windows and doors using a wall saw. The time and cost savings that the horizontal curb cutter could offer won Interstate the contract.
The parapet wall needed to be lowered by six inches across its entire 170-foot length and 10-inch thick width. The general contractor wanted a smooth finish, and that is why concrete cutting was specified. Interstate was able to remove the top six inches of the parapet wall in approximately four hours and haul the removed concrete off-site for recycling. Using any other method would have taken quite a bit longer.
Fixing Bumper Problems
Interstate was able to come to the rescue of a family in Northbrook and Bartlett, Ill. whose cars were taking a beating every time they pulled into their driveway. There was a curb at the base of the driveway eliminating a smooth transition from the street into the drive. This caused the front bumper of the family's cars to scrape the curb every time they pulled into the driveway. Concrete cutting was the fastest and most cost effective solution to this problem. Breaking up the curb and driveway and repouring it would have been very costly. Interstate was able to remove the troublesome curb along the 25-foot wide driveway in approximately one hour, cutting it flush with the driveway and saving wear and tear on the vehicles.
Making the Roads a Safer Place to Drive
Along I-95 in Wilmington, Del., guardrails were being installed to prevent vehicles involved in accidents from rolling down the steep embankments into the marshes below. Another precaution that needed to be taken was lowering the curb beneath the guardrails three to four inches to prevent cars from hitting the curb and flipping over. If the curb is too high, when cars hit it there exists the possibility that they could jump the guardrail. But by lowering the curb, when a car hits it they would hit the guardrail rather than jumping the railing.
The curb could not be eliminated entirely because it was needed to help rain water flow to the sewers. Concrete cutting was specified for this project because a clean finish was required and the curb needed to remain intact.
The heavy traffic flow along the construction area necessitated that the work be done during the lighter traffic times of 6:00 PM to 5:00 AM for safety purposes. All of the equipment needed to be torn down every night. This made the curb-cutting saw a great advantage because the saw track could be retracted in minutes and the truck could drive away from the site.
Another issue with the project was that the guardrail was above the curb creating limited access. This made it difficult to set up the curb-cutting truck. If it was too close the supporting legs would land on top of the guardrail and if it was too far away operators could not get full penetration through the asphalt curb. Also, the railing system, saw and saw blade had to be retracted simultaneously before moving the truck in order to prevent the saw from hitting the guardrail causing damage to the blade.
18,000 lineal feet of eight-inch thick asphalt curb needed to be reduced in height by three to four inches for this project. Interstate operators could set the truck in place, cut 18 feet of curb at a time, retract the equipment and move the truck down to cut the next 18 feet in seven to eight minutes. An operator from Mattiola Construction, would then remove the 18-foot section of curb so that the Interstate operator could line-up the next cut. Mattiola was the contractor who hired Interstate for the project. Interstate and Mattiola worked on this project as a joint venture to utilize the specialized equipment needed for the job. The job was completed over a period of 30 working days, but only 20 actual days of cutting due to inclement weather. Interstate operators averaged 145 to 180 feet per hour using a 30-inch Diamond B saw blade.
Cutting a Piece of Graceland
Graceland condominiums in Chicago, Illi. were built on a site where a mausoleum once stood. The mausoleum was demolished to make room for the condos, but a piece of the wall that once surrounded it was still in place. This 300-foot-long section of wall needed to be removed without disturbing the concrete slab it rested on or the catacombs beneath the slab. The concrete slab needed to remain intact because it was going to be used as a parking lot for the condos. Concrete cutting enabled this wall to be removed without damaging the structural stability of the parking lot. Interstate’s curb-cutting truck offered the fastest and least expensive way to accomplish this task. A jackhammer would have damaged the concrete slab and a wall saw was difficult to mount because of the 10 to 15-foot drop along the backside of the parking lot where the mausoleum once stood.
Interstate operators set the curb-cutting truck in front of the wall and cut from the base to create a flush cut against the concrete slab. The job was done in three phases removing between 80 and 100 feet of wall each phase. Each phase took approximately two hours using a 36-inch blade to make a 12-inch deep cut.
The Daily Job of a Curb Cutting Truck
Interstate Curb & Concrete Cutting use their curb-cutting truck on a daily basis for such jobs as creating depressed curb cuts for commercial and residential driveways, creating handicap access sidewalk cuts and lowering curbs where guardrail systems are present. Jobs such as these vary from an average of 20 to 25 feet of cutting for residential projects and between 40 to 400 feet of cutting for commercial projects. A residential project can take as little as 30 minutes or less to complete, including removal. An average operator can cut and remove 50 feet of concrete per hour using the curb cutting truck. This method is much more economical and timely than breaking up and repouring curbs, sidewalks or driveways and the set up time for the truck makes it the most economical choice in many jobs. Interstate Curb & Concrete Cutting uses their Kotkurb curb-cutting truck for approximately half of their jobs and they are ready to hit the curbs anytime. Interstate Curb & Concrete Cutting was started in December 1991 as a horizontal concrete cutting company and has been a member of CSDA since 1992. They have grown to become a full service concrete cutting company offering electric and gas slab sawing, core drilling, wall sawing and chain sawing as well as the curb cutting. They have eight employees and service the Chicagoland area, Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois, sometimes working in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, Terra Haute, Indiana and Wilmington, Delaware.
Resources:
Method: Kotkurb VH15S-VH15SF Horizontal Curb Cutting Truck
Sawing and drilling contractor:
Interstate Curb & Concrete Cutting
Tel: 847-776-8030
Fax: 847-776-8031
E-mail: curbcut@attbi.com
Copyright 2002 Interstate Curb & Concrete Cutting, Inc.