For our first action report we are taking you behind the scenes at 3001 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC, The Smithsonian National Zoo where we are halfway through removing asphalt for resurfacing as the overall project is for strengthening the column caps as a refurbishment to extend the life of the parking garages operational lifespan.
We began our work at the parking deck on May 26th, 2022 starting off with removals of the temporary office structures to allow for stockpiling of a special order lightweight structural blocking material imported from Belgium. Continuing with phase 1 of removing the asphalt topping coat, existing control joints, waterproof membrane and column caps to the existing elevated parking structure. To remove the asphalt we are using a cold planer attachment on our skid steer loader based on the parameters of equipment live loading during the removal process. Additionally we are chipping the control joints and column caps to allow for the preservation of the rebar. As we are just about halfway through our progress, on July 21st we started phase 2 of removing more asphalt topping, control joints, and column caps. Throughout the process of the removal phases documentation is being taken on the existing structure with a follow up evaluation to further evaluate of additional structural repairs would be needed.
FAQs on the project:
How much will be recycled?
We will be recycling around 2,146 tons of asphalt.
What machines are you using?
Skid Steers (less than 8,200 lbs)
Cold planer attachment
Ride on scrapers
Custom built skid steer scraper attachment
Mini Excavators (less than 7,500 lbs)
Two 185 CFM air compressors with busters and jackhammers
Issues you ran into?
During our work at the parking deck we found additional coats of waterproofing membrane in some areas not detailed on the as-built drawings.
How much have you salvaged?
No equipement will be salvaged on the project as it is not apart of the project scope.
What is exciting about this project?
Being within the Zoo property and knowing the importance of this parking lot is for all the staff maintaining operations at the Zoo.