The Colorado Dept. of Transportation has completed another project funded by the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act. The project, contracted to Elam Construction of Grand Junction for $2.1 million, has resurfaced a 3.3-mile stretch of U.S. 160 west of Del Norte, between mileposts 197.7 and 201.

Elam Construction has earned another top rating for highway smoothness on its asphalt resurfacing work—besting its past recognition for pavement smoothness on U.S. 160 Alamosa East, another ARRA project completed in early September.

The newly resurfaced highway west of Del Norte received the highest smoothness rating for its class, a “mill-and-fill” paving operation, since the Halfcar International Roughness Index was introduced for asphaltpavements in 2005. Not only does the pavement rank first in its class for smoothness but also is now the smoothest project ever built in Colorado under the HRI specification.

The contractor received 99.7% of the incentive available for smoothness, and no sections of the pavement required diamond grinding to remove bumps.