Groundbreaking technology keeps traffic moving on Fürfeld highway during renovation

German road construction company Matthäi deployed Topcon technology for the repaving of the busy B420 highway near Fürfeld in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The SmoothRide solution helped Matthäi -despite challenging working conditions- meet tight deadlines. One of the biggest challenges: avoiding long traffic jams due to road closures.

In order to avoid traffic jams as much as possible, a timely decision was made to work a total of three weekends, with one kilometer of road surface to be renewed each time. About 40,000 square meters of asphalt and binders were used on this project, and 9,000 tons of material had to be milled, moved and re-laid. SmoothRide helped Matthäi, among other things, with the optimal capture and use of data during the work, which ensured that execution went quickly and smoothly.

Reducing weeks to days

In road resurfacing, the surveying process is normally time-consuming with a high probability of costly errors. With the regular method, designing the complete road would have taken about two weeks. Instead, the Topcon team placed an RD-M1 scanner on the roof of a car and drove over the entire stretch of road to be renovated, capturing millions of points in just 50 minutes.

Planning phase completed in two days

"Based on a thinned-out 30-centimeter point interval, we mapped the entire road," said Frank Pohl, team leader of land surveying at Matthäi. "Then we discussed the critical points. We came up with solutions to the challenges and optimized the planning model. We did the same for the geometry, so that the slope of the new road surface became a constant 1.5%. A perfect end result was the result. Even the curves in the road received perfectly smooth slopes. Thus we completed the planning phase-which is normally enormously time-consuming-in just two days."

Fast results through data

Now the finished model could be loaded into the milling machines. The milling machines were easily equipped with SmoothRide's 3D components. SmoothRide uses GNSS for positioning, allowing users to machine only those road sections where milling is required. As a result, the difference between the existing road surface and the design can be milled to millimeter accuracy. Raimo Vollstädt, support engineer at Topcon: "With SmoothRide's components, everything is automated, so the milling machine always knows the exact location on the road. This saves a lot of time and means that the machine never has to be adjusted, which is super convenient for night work. It also allows us to use multiple machines at the same time. This makes the process even more efficient, which is essential when working under high time pressure."

Next level precision milling

Four times a night, the milling machines were sent over the six-meter-wide and one-kilometer-long section as planned. Sixteen trucks were on site to transport the milled asphalt away to the mixing plant, where it was processed for reuse in the binder. Says Vollstädt, "The team had to complete all the milling work up to the exit to Fürfeld before the road could be reopened. Thanks to the efficient process, the work was completed an hour ahead of schedule. Matthäi was able to asphalt the road the same day, with the asphalt paver being able to lay the binding layer exactly five centimeters thick everywhere."

Open earlier than expected

The technology used allowed local residents to use the road again as quickly as possible, even in the weeks between road closures. As a result, daily life was disrupted as little as possible. The B420 was able to reopen even earlier than expected. Klaus Korman, site manager at milling company GMS, is impressed with the result. "Thanks to SmoothRide, every part of the process went smoothly, without complications. The technology did exactly what it promised. We have only had good experiences with SmoothRide and fully believe in Topcon's solutions. This part of the B420 is like new again and therefore much safer and more comfortable for all road users."