Topeka Distribution Center Parking Lot Upgrade
The newly repaired lot looks great and will provide safe and attractive parking for the employees for years to come.

Kansas Asphalt recently wrapped up rehabilitation of a large distribution center parking lot in Topeka, KS.  The job included 33,000 square feet of concrete removal and replacement as well as 11,000 tons of asphalt patching. 

The Challenge

This busy retail distribution center is at 110% maximum production due to incredible consumer demand for products.  We faced a few challenges with this project, including: 

• Crews had to operate without disrupting the workflow of the center which needed to remain operational at all times.
• Ongoing re-racking projects were taking place inside the facility which increased traffic.  
• A portion of the work was in areas around the center’s rapid distribution doors giving the crew a 4-hour window from 2:00 am to 6:00 am to complete the work.  
• Extreme temperatures in the Midwest also posed challenges for the team. They beat the heat using cooling neck wraps, sunshades and a 4:00 am loadout.  
• 16 trucks and 3 milling machines were used to mill and pave the project so downtime was not an option. 
• The crews worked hard to wrap up by 11:00 am each day with an average of 1000 tons completed daily.

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For this project, the following steps had to be taken for the new parking lot:

• Concrete had to be removed and reinforcement installed and then plated for trailers to get back in position by 6:00 am. 
• The process was repeated the second night as the crew removed the plates and poured and plated again in the time allowed.
• Next, the asphalt crew took over milling 32 separate areas. Patches ranged from 500 sf to 55,000 sf.  

At one point, the client added a phase to the plan that included a drive lane which changed the traffic control pattern in place for the repairs in the employee parking area. The change was needed because of the company’s addition of another 130 employees who were starting work for back-to-school fulfillment of stores.

“Adaptability is the name of the game. Smoothly switching gears during a change order keeps the job progressing on schedule and on budget.”

Shawn Jeffries, head of asphalt operations
 

The Result

As the job came to a close, the KAI team was pleased with the results.  “With the size and complexity of the job, we had to be fluid with the facility and ensure a safe project for both the client and KAI. Both of my operation managers, Colt Krahwinkel and Shawn Jeffries did an excellent job providing communication and support for the onsite client team.  We performed work at the location in 2016 and we thought we knew what to expect, but the increased volume definitely required us to adapt and change the game plan to get the project done on time with minimal disruption,” said Andy Jeffries, president of Kansas Asphalt. 

The job was completed on time and within budget despite a few additional change orders from our client and some extreme heat conditions.  The newly repaired lot looks great and will provide safe and attractive parking for the employees for years to come.

For more Kansas Asphalt case studies, visit our Project Spotlights page.