board of public works city of los angeles members … · 3/11/2020 · rubber materials and pavers...

City of Los AngelesBOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS MEMBERS

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS

CALIFORNIA BUREAU OF ENGINEERINGKEVIN JAMES

PRESIDENT

>AURA GARCIAVICE PRESIDENT

GARY LEE MOORE, PE, ENV SP CITY ENGINEERm4k ¥■Li

%1149 S. BROADWAY, SUITE 700 LOS ANGELES, CA 90015-2213

DR. MICHAEL R. DAVISiiPRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE

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JESSICA M. CALOZACOMMISSIONER http://eng.lacity.org

ERIC GARCETTIMAYORM. TERESA VILLEGAS

COMMISSIONER

DR. FERNANDO CAMPOSEXECUTIVE OFFICER

March 10, 2020

The Honorable Bob Blumenfield, Chair Public Works and Gang Reduction Committee Los Angeles City Council

c/o Keyonna Kidd Office of the City Clerk City Hall, Room 350 Los Angeles, CA 90012

COUNCIL FILE NO. 19-0600-S80: THE STATUS OF TESTING ALTERNATIVE CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND DESIGNS FOR SIDEWALK REPAIR

On May 28, 2019, the City Council, during its deliberations on the 2019-20 Proposed Budget, instructed the Bureau of Engineering (BOE) to report back to the Public Works and Gang Reduction Committee on the status of testing alternative construction materials and designs for sidewalk repair, including testing results (C.F. 19-0600-S80).

BACKGROUND

On March 21,2017, the City Council approved the establishment of the Sidewalk Repair Program Alternative Materials Pilot Testing Program (C.F. 14-0163-S14). The goal of the Pilot Program is to install alternative sidewalk materials at City facilities which will then be inspected, monitored and assessed. Based on the materials performance as well as cost, availability, installation requirements and maintenance, the Pilot Program will provide recommendations for use on sidewalk repairs.

DISCUSSION

The BOE implemented and tested three categories of alternative materials: rubber materials and pavers; cementitious pavers; and alternatives to Portland Cement Concrete. Testing of plastic sidewalk panels was infeasible due to the material being unavailable.

http://eng.lacity.org

Council File 19-0600-S80March 10, 2020 of 10

Fifteen (15) sites of sidewalks adjacent to City facilities were selected for installation of the alternative materials throughout the City. Construction commenced in Fall 2017 and the final site was completed in Spring 2019. The sites were monitored and inspected on a preset schedule to document and evaluate the overall performance of the alternative materials, including but not limited to factors such as surface deformation, horizontal/vertical shifting, material settlement, permeability, and maintenance. The first round of inspections was conducted in Fall 2019.

FINDINGS

The three categories of alternative materials installed had varying degrees of performance. At this time, it is recommended monitoring continues on some of the alternative construction materials to further evaluate their use for sidewalk repairs.

The rubber materials and pavers installations did not perform as expected and are recommended for removal from the test sites. Generally, the testing materials had problems with deformation and failed to maintain a smooth and level walking surface. Product performance varied by manufacturer, which would create difficulties for the purchasing of uniform construction material from different sources. Other issues included development of a 2-feet by 3-feet hole in the poured-in-place rubber material, panel deformation that created sidewalk uplifts, and panels shifting out of position. Additionally, the rubber pavers were susceptible to theft.

The cementitious pavers performed similarly to standard Portland Cement Concrete sidewalks, with the added benefit of water infiltration. During the test period, they maintained a smooth, level surface and solid integrity without the need for any maintenance or repair. Further monitoring is recommended to determine its use as an alternative construction material for sidewalk repair.

The alternative to Portland Cement Concrete, also known as slag cement concrete, also performed similarly to Portland Cement Concrete sidewalks. The surface finish and color were indistinguishable to a standard sidewalk. Its cost effectiveness is equal to Portland Cement Concrete. However, only one site was constructed with this testing material. Installation of additional test sites is recommended for further evaluation of its use as an alternative construction material for sidewalk repair.

Table 1 summarizes the testing performance and status of the alternative materials installed. Expanded details can be found in Attachment A.


If there is any additional information required, please contact me at (213) 485-4935 or Robert Vega at (213) 485-1459.

Respectfully submitted

GCity Engineer

GLM/JS:rmv:mt

Q:\GLM\City EngineerVGLM Signed Documents\2020 Documents\ SRP Report Back 19- 0600-S80 Status of Testing Alternative Construction Materials and Designs.pdf

Attachments

Barbara Romero, Office of the MayorCarol Armstrong, Office of the MayorLiz Crosson, Office of the MayorJennifer McDowell, Office of the MayorKevin James, Board of Public WorksJessica M. Caloza, Board of Public WorksSharon Tso, Office of the Chief Legislative AnalystRichard H. Llewellyn, Jr., Office of the City Administrative OfficerJulie Sauter, Bureau of EngineeringRobert Vega, Bureau of Engineering

cc:


Table 1 - Alternative Material Summary

City Facility Status Next StepsAlternative Material

Installed: April 2018Current condition: Even surface withgaps and uplifted panels

Rubber Materials and PaversEco-Flex Recycled Rubber Pavers (2'x3'

Brown)

Chase Park (CD 12), 22525 W. Chase Street

Remove and Replace with concrete

Installed: April 2018Current condition: Uneven surfacewith gaps and uplifted panels

Rubber Materials and PaversEco-Flex Recycled Rubber Pavers (5'x4'Terra

Cotta [red-ish])

Devonshire Arleta Park (CD 6), 14215 Devonshire Street


Installed: May 2018Current condition: Uneven surfacewith gaps and uplifted panels

Robertson Library (CD 5), 1719 S. Robertson Blvd.


Rubber Materials and PaversEco-Flex Recycled Rubber Pavers (2'x3' Gray)

Installed: June 2018 Current condition: 2'x3' hole in material

Parthenia Park (CD 3), 21444 Parthenia Street


Installed: August 2018 Current condition: Sag down centerline

Rubber Materials and PaversPorous Pave XL Pour-in-Place Permeable Recycled Rubber & Aggregate Pavement

Baldwin Hills Recreation Center (CD 10) 5401 Highlight Place


Installed: August 2018, Current condition: Sag down centerline

Fountain Community Gardens (CD 13) 5620 Fountain Ave.




Victory-Vineland Recreation Center (CD 2) 11117 W. Victory Blvd.

Installed: October 2018 Current condition: Missing pavers


Rubber Materials and PaversTerrecon Rubbersidewalks Recycled Rubber

Pavers (2'x2.5' Gray and Terra Cotta [red-ish])

Hoover-Gage Park (CD 8), 814 W. Gage Ave.

Installed: May 2019Current condition: Uneven surfaces


Battalion 1 - Fire Station 9 (CD 14), 430 E. 7th Street

Installed: January 2019 Current condition: Uneven surfaces


Rubber Materials and PaversTerrecon Rubbersidewalks Recycled Rubber

Pavers (2'x2.5' Terra Cotta [red-ish])

Vernon Branch Library (CD 9) 4504 S. Central Ave.

Installed: October 2018 Current condition: Uneven surfaces


Drum Barracks Civil War Museum (CD 15) 1052 N. Banning Blvd.

Installed: September 2018 Current condition: Good condition Continue Monitoring

Cementitious PaversStormcrete Precast Porous Concrete Pavers

Valencia Triangle (CD 1), 777 Valencia Street

Installed: July 2018Current condition: Good condition Continue Monitoring

Cementitious PaversHydro-Flo Holland Series Pavers (8"x 4

[red/brown])

Andres Pico Adobe (CD 7), 10940 Sepulveda Blvd

Installed: Dec 2017Current condition: Good condition Continue Monitoring



Cementitious PaversHydro-Flo Estate Series Pavers (6"x 12'

[red/charcoal])

Battalion 5 - Fire Station 35 (CD 4), 1601 N. Hillhurst Ave.

Installed: April 2018Current condition: Good condition Continue Monitoring

Alternatives to Portland Cement Concrete

Slag Cement Concrete

Drum Barracks Park (CD 15), 1041 N. Banning Blvd.

Installed: July 2018Current condition: Good condition Continue Monitoring

City of Los Angeles Public Works West LA (CD 11),1828 S. Sawtelle Blvd.


Slag Cement ConcreteN/AScheduled for Installation Fall 2020


Attachment A

Rubber Materials and Pavers

Two types of systems were used, a pour-in-place material, Porous Pave XL, and preformed rubber paver, Terrecon Rubbersidewalk and Eco-Flex Recycled Rubber Pavers. The pour-in-place material settled along the centerline and was susceptible to damage as shown at Parthenia Park. The Terrecon Rubbersidewalk had problems with maintaining a smooth, level surface and was susceptible to damage and theft. The EcoFlex Recycled Rubber Pavers showed warping over a year and requires repairs to restore it to a flat/stable surface. It is recommended to remove the Rubber Materials and Pavers.

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The pavers are a pre-cast brick type system made from a Portland Cement type material. Both the Hydro-Flo and Stormcrete Precast pavers performed well maintaining a firm/stable surface, showing no signs of maintenance needs except for some small pitting. It is recommended to continue monitoring.

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Slag Cement is a direct alternative to Portland Cement. It uses the furnace by-product (slag) from steel manufacturing in the mix. This alternative performed the same as Portland Cement Concrete with no signs of wear nor needs for maintenance. It is recommended to continue monitoring and add one more location for the pilot program.

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