After successfully bidding on an asphalt job of significant size in Muscatine County, the project was cancelled and prospects for the upcoming season were uncertain.  Fortunately, our carryover work for the City of Muscatine kept us busy until our HMA workload developed.  We ended the year nearly reaching the 30k ton mark.

     Highlights for the year include an outstanding HMA project through the downtown area of Muscatine on Iowa Ave.  We also completed a project for HON Allsteel in Muscatine; placing nearly 10k tons of HMA on three full-depth truck parking lots and an overlay of one-half of their employee parking lot.

     The crackfill crews began the season early with a night job on I-80.  Safety was a prominent concern throughout the entirety of this project.  Lights were added to our crackfill equipment, our employees wore retro-reflective pants and vests, and the traffic control set-up was strictly monitored.  Even with these measures in place, close calls were a frequent occurrence.  Our Superintendents made certain that their employees remained alert and maintained a close eye on the oncoming traffic.

     This Fall, Larry Senger’s crackfill/seal crew traveled to O’Brien County to finish a CRS-2 project they began in the Spring.  He and his men spent five weeks sealing cracks near Cherokee, IA with infrequent extremely long trips back to Blue Grass.

     The crackfill crew(s) finished the year with a major PCC crackfill job in the City of West Des Moines.  Larry Sammon and his crew(s) spent a total of seven weeks on the streets of West Des Moines.  Special thanks to Curt Manatt and his staff for their support on this project. 

     Our worst nightmare occurred this year as one of our employees was struck by a vehicle while he was flagging on a crackfill project at the Belle Plaine / What Cheer exit just south of I-80.  The collision resulted in a fractured hip and some bad bruising.  Surgery was required to stabilize and repair the fracture with a stainless steel plate.  Following two and one-half months of recovery and treatment, our employee returned to work with no restrictions.

     We know now that the person driving the vehicle that struck our employee had just finished an extended work shift and was extremely sleep-deprived.  There are people on the road that should not be driving for one reason or another.  However, we do not know when and where we are going to encounter those individuals.  It is imperative that we take every step necessary to make certain that we are seen, we are alert, and we are prepared to take immediate action should someone enter the workzone.