Aaron's Summer

So what has Aaron been up to all summer long?  Well he's been busy working on lots of bridges and roadways in this area.  In fact, he just informed me that since working for the State, he's been involved in projects on 13 different bridges.  I just know the basics about the projects, so feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the blog if you would like more info from Aaron!

LAPWAI BRIDGES
Basically this project is 7 bridges right in a row that cross back and forth over the river.  The State decided to widen the bridges to make them safer.  This has been a 2-year project, Aaron was on it most of last summer and fall.  And something about girders.

 

 AARON'S LOOKING MISCHEVIOUS...

HMA: HOT-MIX ASPHALT

Doesn't that sound steamy?  Aaron got to arrange a field-trip to the HMA plant and got to see the process first hand.

POLYESTER POLYMER CONCRETE OVERLAY
Your guess is as good as mine... They put an overlay on the road that's made of polyester?  Sounds right to me.

WRITING THINGS DOWN & LOOKING BUSY

Can you spot the Beagle Bed & Breakfast in the background?  That's right, it's a B&B in Cottonwood!

BIG BEAR CREEK - KENDRICK
This is Aaron's 1st project for the State where's he's the Project Manager.  Unfortunately that meant he's had to work two different nights, one from 6PM to 4AM, and one from 8PM to 6AM - he got home in time to kiss me goodbye on my way to work!

The project is a pedestrian bridge on the side of a bridge right near the high school in Kendrick.  They had to work at night so they could stop traffic for a full 12 hours while they demo'd the original pedestrian bridge and installed girders for the new one.  Aaron's excited because the new bridge will have an orange and black guard rail to match Kendrick's school colors, (not as a tribute to ISU as Aaron would have you believe).

 HE'S COLD & SLEEPY!

Aaron's only lasting energy comes from the Mt. Dew bottle in the background.  Good thing he packed his beard to keep him warm... and his beanie.

And finally.... the finished result!  Aaron claims this was ITD's attempt at "Binging ISU to District 2!" But really, they painted the guard rail to match the high school colors since this pedestrian bridge is right next to the high school.

COLD IN-PLACE RECYCLING

Basically this huge machine picks up the old road, munches it up and spits it back out just like new :)

SILICA FUME OVERLAY - BORDER OF IDAHO & MONTANA
I don't have any idea what this huge contraption is- I'll have to get more of an explanation from Aaron...

Dana's guess:  It's a Transformer from a distant planet that changes from a yellow Camero into a giant bridge builder for the ITD.