UPM SUCCESS with Chelan County, WA concludes with UPM displacing Competitor as incumbent supplier
The demonstration compared UPM seasonal winter grade bag material to competitive bag material. Repairs during winter months in Washington State are typically performed during cold wet conditions. Trial temperatures were consistently below 40F. The superior workability of UPM impressed the road crews relative to ease of handling and superior compaction. The UPM repairs remained in place throughout the trial whereas the incumbent material failed in several locations. The picture shows deterioration of incumbent material from Cedar Street. Supervision was provided by Jim Hancock.
The picture shows deterioration of incumbent material from Cedar Street. Supervision was provided by Jim Hancock.
The county prioritized multiple parameters to evaluate materials; listed in order of priority:
- Ease of application
- Product performance
- Locally available
- Price
See graph for comparison of Performance, Workability and Storage Characteristics.
Traffic Conditions:
- Weather conditions were wet and demonstration areas were clean.
- Traffic volume was low with light loads.
- Surrounding asphalt was deteriorated.
- Trial conducted December 2009-March 2010
The incumbent cold mix material was used the previous year with some remaining in potholes. During the demonstration portion of newly installed incumbent material deteriorated; significant material loss and surface pitting were observed; reference highlighted section of photo.
UPM will replace incumbent for all future cold mix repairs. Chelan county will use both bag and bulk UPM year round.