Dive Brief:

• As the concrete contractor on the two-company team for an $85 million project to expand the portion of Marine Corps Air Station Miramnar in California, where MV-22 Osprey aircraft are based, Granite Construction had to place concrete mixed to withstand high temperatures.
• Granite used a mix that had trap rock as the aggregate because it is firm, but can deform under pressure rather than break and is fire resistant.
• The company also used steel forms rather than slipforming because the military's specs called for zero slump and vertical edges.

Dive Insight:

Granite was able to use its conventional equipment in laying the special mix. It did, however, get a Speed Screed Heavy duty machine designed for projects with the kind of specs Miramar had.