Contractors often say the job has to be done perfectly. But in the case of the Sandwich High School running track in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, perfection took on a whole new meaning for the team at T.L. Edwards—and Cat® Connect Grade technology helped them achieve it.
Any running track project requires great precision. But T.L. Edwards was paving more than just a track. The company was also paving a base for a memorial to fallen veterans, in particular Captain Gerald F. DeConto, a 1974 graduate of the school who died in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. DeConto’s family, friends and the Sandwich community chose to honor him by building a new track and football field.
To pave the track, the project specified a cross slope of 0.75 percent for drainage, but allowed that slope to deviate to a maximum of 12 mm (0.4 inches). That tight margin convinced the company to use the Cat Grade and Slope system on its pavers.
“We weren’t afraid to go with that new technology because Caterpillar is very thorough when they put a product out,” says Rob Edwards, equipment manager at T.L. Edwards. “We know it will work.”
Accuracy was crucial. The slope at the track’s straightaway started at 0.5 percent and transitioned to 0.75 percent for the remaining three turns. The Grade and Slope system read off a previously placed and inspected concrete drain for grade. Members of the T.L. Edwards crew carefully monitored the results from the screed, using levels to double-check accuracy.
“We like the way operators on both sides of a screed can see what the other sees,” Edwards says. “That’s in addition to the accuracy it delivers.”
Using the Cat Grade and Slope System on both pavers eliminated the need for string lines for grade and elevation reference and led to single-pass precision. T.L. Edwards’ material estimate was 100 percent accurate, and the project required zero rework.
In other words, perfection.
