Magnolia Middle School
Magnolia Middle School Needed to Address Its Access Road
Located in the heart of Spring Branch, Magnolia Middle School is a private middle school that’s fenced in, with only a few ways in and out. One entrance is used as the primary thoroughfare for parents, and it was posing a safety risk to vehicles entering the property. Specifically, the driveway was not wide enough to accommodate approaching vehicles safely, increasing the likelihood of vehicles driving into the drainage ditch sitting adjacent to the entrance.
The American Paving team was called in to fix the problem and ensure vehicles could safely enter the property.
How American Paving Helped the School with Their Pavement
The existing driveway required extensive modification before it could be safely used by motorists. Here’s how the American Paving team handled the job:
- Sawcut transitions from the existing driveway. Part of the existing driveway needed to be removed to accommodate the new asphalt to be installed. This was done by sawcutting away the areas where the new radii would be placed.
- Demo the parts of the existing driveway to be removed. Once the cuts were made, the pavement team demolished and hauled away the parts of the driveway that were no longer needed.
- Backfill the area. To support the new base and asphalt, general backfill was installed in place of the removed driveway.
- Sawcut and dig out spots for new radii. The project’s focus was to curve the driveway’s edges, essentially widening the road and increasing drivers’ room for error. To establish this curve, sawcutters were used to make the necessary cuts and excess soil was hauled away.
- Stabilize the base and place new base material. With areas defined for the new asphalt, cement-stabilized sand was installed to a depth of 10 inches. On top of that, an additional 6 inches of crushed concrete were placed.
- Install new asphalt hotmix and compact. With the new base materials in place, all that remained was to lay the new hot asphalt mix and compact it using a roller. The new asphalt was installed to a depth of 2 inches.
With the existing asphalt driveway improved with new radii, Magnolia Middle School finally had an access road that parents and faculty could safely use. The project was completed without affecting the school’s operation or nearby drainage structures. While American Paving has handled much larger projects in the past, the Magnolia Middle School project was a clear demonstration of the team’s engineering-level precision.