Rehabilitating the Haleakalā Highway
Maui | Hawaii: The Haleakalā Highway is one of Maui’s largest highways. It connects the densely-populated valley with surrounding rural areas. The Maui team completely replaced the road surface over a distance of about 4.2 miles. The project was completed using the Wirtgen W 210 Fi and W 200 Fi cold milling machines as well as the Vögele SUPER 2000-3i paver.
The rehabilitation of the highway had been estimated to take 125 working days. The first two steps would have been to remove the surface layer and then the base layer with an excavator. By investing in these new machines, the team was able to remove both layers (a total of 8 inches) in a single pass while being able to reuse the milled material.
The Maui Paving team was impressed not only with power and speed of the Wirtgen milling machines, but also with the speed and precision of the Vögele 10-foot tracked Highway Class paver. With a 250-hp engine (186 kW) and an efficient material delivery design, the SUPER 2000-3i is well-equipped to handle large projects like this one in Maui. In combination with the VF 600 front-mounted paving screed, the paver was able to achieve optimal paving results across the entire width of the track. The machines were so effective and efficient that the highway was completed two weeks ahead of schedule.
“It was a great thing when Wirtgen came out and gave us training on the machines because it was the first Wirtgen here on Maui...From the mechanics side to the operators on the ground, they really showed us what we need to know so we could get out there and do that job on our own and be successful.”
Tyrone Pullman, Foreman of Maui Paving
Maui Paving was trying something new by investing in Wirtgen Group machines. Wirtgen machines had never before been used to mill on this Hawaiian island. The Vögele paver was a first for the company as well. Thanks to Wirtgen America's on-site machine operation training, the transition to the new machines went off without a hitch. The freshly-trained machine operators were impressed by the power, precision, and low noise levels of Wirtgen machines. "Originally, our thought was to make one pass with the mill for the UTW which is four inches of thick concrete. Then come back and take the ATV on the second pass. What we quickly figured out was the machine could handle taking all eight inches at one time. We can do 200 to 300 feet more of the demo portion of work per shift,” reports Zack Gonzales, General Manager of Maui Paving.
“Workers on site are now able to complete 2,000 feet per night in an 8 to 10 hour shift. Between the efficiency of the mill, the help from Pape to quickly receive parts, and the training provided by Wirtgen Group, the transition to the Wirtgen mills has been a seamless success.“
Zack Gonzales, General Manager of Maui Paving