The Michigan Department of Transportation (Michigan DOT) needed a 24.5 mile, 50-year-old section of Interstate 69 (I-69) to be reconstructed. The interstate was in disrepair caused by wear and tear due to its 91,000 daily motorists.
As one of the largest asphalt pavers in Michigan, MPM was up to the challenge, to design, engineer and manage the reconstruction of I-69 and its many interchanges and bridges. MPM worked directly with Michigan DOT, overlapping much of the design and construction phases, to expedite the project timeline, which was originally planned as four separate projects over 10 years. MPM completed the project in a third of the time originally planned by the Michigan DOT.
With intense planning, hard work and commitment from the MPM team, subcontractors and suppliers delivered the project in just over three years. Leveraging its three asphalt plants, all within 30 miles of the job site, the integration of MPM’s materials and construction services helped expedite the completion of work.
In total, 750,000 tons of asphalt was produced and placed. In addition, 425,000 tons of existing concrete pavement was recycled via a portable crushing plant on site, and repurposed as aggregate base material, resulting in significant cost savings for the Michigan DOT.
Using asphalt proved a successful option for the Michigan DOT, after conducting a Life Cycle Cost Analysis to determine the pavement’s cost-effectiveness over time. The speed of construction also proved advantageous, and the new asphalt paving is expected to last more than 25 years.
The highway opened to the public in November 2023. It has since been awarded a National Asphalt Paving Association (NAPA) Quality in Construction Award and named in the Roads & Bridges trade publication as a top road in America for 2024.
