Four Corners 22 November 2, 2025

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FNF Construction Finishes SR90 Pavement Rehab

By Irwin Rapoport

FNF Construction recently finished the repaving of 21 mi. of Arizona State Route 90 near the city of Sierra Vista in Cochise County, with crews completing the final striping along with other punchlist items.

The road has two lanes in each direction with shoulders. Approximately 15,000-18,000 cars and trucks travel on the road daily, with volumes varying across the area.

Work on the Arizona Department of Transportation’s (ADOT) $37 million pavement rehabilitation began in April 2024.

The work zone stretched from Moson Road on Sierra Vista’s east side (milepost 325) to the Border Patrol station north of Whetstone (milepost 304). The project is taking place in ADOT’s Southcentral District.

FNF deployed two crews at times to speed the pace of the project, with one focusing on bridge deck work and the other on paving.

The purpose of the project was to maintain the pavement’s structural integrity and to improve the ride and the safety of the existing roadway. Planning began in 2021, with contracts awarded on May 20, 2022.

“The pavement was very worn in areas, especially at the intersection of SR 90/92 in Sierra Vista,” said Garin Groff, an ADOT public information officer. “About 700-1,100 trucks travel this area of SR 90, with numbers varying for different sections of the route.”

The project also replaced guardrails; installed new sidewalks, sidewalk ramps and signage; repaired curbs and gutters; and placed rumble strips on shoulders and the center line.

Road to the Rockies Paved With Lower Fueling, Fleet Costs

By Niki Patterson SPECIAL TO CEG

Road construction — especially DOT (department of transportation) work — is more competitive and heavily regulated than ever.

Experienced contractors like Alyson and Brycen Buum, owners of AB Underground, know that being competitive in their bids, profitable in their work and compliant in their dayto-day operations requires a deliberate deployment of their people, equipment and resources.

Based in LaSalle, Colo., the contractor specializes in underground utilities, earthmoving and stream and creek restoration and has performed related work in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas and New Mexico.

The challenges of operating a decentralized fleet and business stretched across hundreds of miles and relying on preventive maintenance resources far from home is challenging at best, debilitating at worst.

Realizing that “there had to be a better way” than relying on employees with 100-gal. slip tanks in the back of their pickup truck for refueling, AB Underground invested in a 690-gal. Thunder Creek Multi-Tank Oil (MTO) preventive maintenance trailer.

The innovative design from Thunder Creek allows AB Underground’s employees to haul the trailers with bulk diesel and service fluids without requiring the drivers to hold HAZMAT or CDL endorsements.

With thousands of miles and more than 300,000 gal. of diesel and other fluids pumped through the trailer, the company has realized numerous benefits that lower their operating costs and make them more profitable in their field operations:

• More equipment uptime/less downtime waiting for diesel or service.

• Less labor (time) and mileage wasted on refueling trips with pickup trucks and smaller transfer tanks.

• Less money wasted on fuel taxes while also ensuring compliance by hauling both on- and off-road diesel.

• Less time spent on fueling equipment each day due to pump speed (up to 40 gal. per minute).

• Fewer equipment downtime events related to emissions systems failures caused by contaminated diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).

• Simplified daily PM activities with a dedicated reclaim system to handle waste oils.

• Lower labor costs and greater flexibility by hauling these bulk fluids and service elements in a trailer that does not require the driver to have a CDL or HAZMAT endorsement.

• Improved security and quality: the ability to lock and secure the fluids helps minimize theft and contamination.

Open Road Engineered

Thunder Creek was the first manufacturer to introduce non-HAZMAT, non-CDL bulk diesel transportation for offroad equipment, and has evolved that platform in numerous ways to include more PM and service-oriented operations. This includes the MTO 690 deployed by AB Underground. The trailer accomplishes the no HAZMAT, no CDL designations by storing all service fluids in capacities of 115 gal. or less and segmenting them in a way that their quantities never combine to exceed legal volumes. Tanks are configured in quantities of 115 gal., 55 gal. and 25 gal. and are capable of holding fresh oil (engine and hydraulic), coolant, reclaimed oils and diesel, and AB Underground has additionally config-

ured its trailer with a 100-gal. DEF tank that runs with Thunder Creek’s proprietary two-in-one closed loop pumping system.

Each tank/system is isolated and has to be intentionally engaged to make it available for use/connected to other tanks. All tanks can be automatically shut off and fully disconnected during travel.

One of the biggest advantages of the dedicated and controlled fueling and service trailer is the ability to control its own timing for fueling and service.

“Being a DOT highway contractor, we don’t have the opportunity for large fuelers to come in off shift,” Brycen Buum said. “All our work is done primarily in lane closures, so a fueler is not able to come in after shift because he has to reach our equipment in a lane closure. So, if we can get in there during the day, during the working hours, fuel something, get the trailer back in the staging area, then the superintendent can perform the rest of their duties that day.”

The trailer also offers a significant advantage in time savings.

Ease of Compliance

Speed is not the only advantage as it relates to diesel, and the multi-tank design allows for other benefits beyond not requiring a HAZMAT. AB Underground hauls both on-road (clear) and off-road (red-dyed) diesel in separate tanks on the trailer. The operator can activate only the tanks with the clear diesel — or only the tanks with the dyed diesel — and pump into the appropriate machines or vehicles.

Why is this such a big deal?

On-road diesel is subject to the federal excise tax on fuel. Off-road diesel is not. The ability to separate the fuels and pump them independently from the same trailer eliminates any costly errors where an operator might put a taxed fuel into a machine or put a non-taxed fuel into a highway haul truck.

“One of the biggest benefits that we have of the Thunder Creek is being able to shut one tank off and run 100 gallons

clear diesel,” Brycen Buum said. “Some of our projects on the highway entail water trucks and on-highway tandem dump trucks. They need fuel as well.”

Another advantage that the multi-tank trailer provided AB Underground was the ability to store and dispense diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). While DEF is not a new topic/resource, as engine emissions standards that require DEF have been enacted for more than a decade now, the handling of DEF still proves problematic for many contractors. DEF also is a chemically volatile substance in that even the most minor contaminants can alter its effectiveness and damage equipment.

Preventive Maintenance Made Simple

Daily preventive maintenance activities also have been streamlined by providing the AB Underground team with storage tanks for both engine and hydraulic oils, as well as a reclaim system that gives them a powerful tool for disposing of service oils in the field, as well as addressing unplanned failures in the field.

“We can run two different types of oil — motor oil and hydraulic oil — [and also have] the reclaim system,” Brycen Buum said. “We were not sure that we would use [the reclaim system] as much as we do. But it comes more into play when you’ve got a hydraulic line that’s leaking, or a failure and you need to contain the oil.”

All of this functionality is great, but it means nothing if it can’t stand up to the rigors of travel and working effectively off-road when it gets there.

Each trailer is built strong in Pella, Iowa. Thunder Creek has built its foundation on ASME and DOT-compliant tank fabrication and designed the business end of the trailer around that capability. This includes thick-gauge steel and a baffling system that allows for smooth towing. 

Niki Patterson is the western regional sales manager of Thunder Creek Equipment.

(All photos courtesy of Thunder Creek Equipment.)

Project Upgrades 21 Mi. Stretch of Ariz. Cochise County Highway

The initiative was financed, in part, by a special legislative appropriation supporting ADOT’s program to maintain pavements and bridges.

“Most pavement and bridge rehabilitation and replacement projects are scheduled through annual updates to ADOT’s fiveyear construction program and receive federal funding,” states an ADOT press release. “and funding generated by users of transportation services, primarily through gasoline and diesel fuel taxes and the Arizona vehicle license tax.”

The project was designed in-house by ADOT.

There were a few engineering and design challenges for the asphalt replacement project.

The traffic management plan was based on one lane being open to traffic in each direction as the work progressed. Parts of SR 90 passed through an inhabited section of Sierra Vista, where crosswalks were located.

The repaving began at the northwest end of the project area and worked toward the southeast.

“The crews utilized both day shift and night shift crews for various reasons, including weather and traffic impacts, throughout the duration of the project,” Groff said.

Arizona’s hot temperatures dictated how much of the repaving could occur at any point.

“Temperature was a core component of when the asphalt could be placed,” Groff said. “The crews experienced temperatures that were both too hot and too cold throughout the duration of the project, which is one of the reasons the project utilized both dayand night-shift crews.”

The guardrail was replaced toward the end of the project. The placement of rumble strips on the shoulders and the centerline also occurred near the end.

Peak days had a full complement of FNF and subcontractor personnel on site.

FNF has a large fleet of equipment, which it strived to keep well-maintained. The firm said it buys and rents equipment from local and regional dealerships.  CEG

(All photos courtesy of the Arizona Department of Transportation.)

I-40/US 93 Interchange Work in Kingman Hits Halfway Mark

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has reached the halfway mark on a $106 million project to construct a free-flowing interchange that will reduce delays on the main route between Las Vegas and Arizona.

This milestone comes just 15 months into

building a new connection between Interstate 40 and U.S. 93 in west Kingman. Instead of traffic stopping for a signal on Beale Street at I-40, one mile of new ramps will allow traffic to flow freely between I-40 and U.S. 93.

Some of the most visible progress on the interchange includes building new structures.

On I-40 above Clack Canyon, part of a bridge is taking shape that will carry traffic from southbound U.S. 93 to eastbound I-40. Along U.S. 93, tunnels are now in place that will allow future U.S. 93 traffic to pass over Beale Street and Fort Beale Drive.

The future Beale Street underpass, which will enable drivers to access Beale Street and downtown Kingman, is being constructed just east of the current U.S. 93 alignment. Crews are placing rebar and forms and pouring concrete to form the structure’s walls. The beginning of the underpass structure is now visible.

Heavy earthwork is taking place on the south side of U.S. 93, where the widening is taking place. Tall cuts of earth and rock are being removed and hauled to other areas of the project, where the material will be used on the widening of I-40 and near the Fort Beale Drive underpass.

Two miles of new sound walls along both sides of I-40 are being constructed. The walls are being installed between Stockton Hill Road and approximately 3⁄4 mi. west to the White Cliffs area. The westbound wall is under construction. The sound wall construction is expected to last 18 months.

Work is under way on the new continuous freeway-to-freeway connection between U.S. 93 and I-40. Crews are cutting a path through the bluffs north of the existing U.S. 93 approach to I-40, as well as constructing the new bridge foundation.

Construction will continue to involve daytime and nighttime work, including nighttime closures of U.S. 93 for rock blasting.

The closures, when needed, will only be scheduled from 8 to 9 p.m. on weeknights. This involves a section of U.S. 93 between the I-40/U.S. 93 interchange and the U.S. 93/State Route 68 interchange, starting this week and continuing through October.

ADOPT is maintaining two lanes of travel in each direction during peak travel times, with lane restrictions limited to off-peak hours. Drivers may continue exiting both U.S. 93 and I-40 at Beale Street to access businesses, Route 66 and downtown Kingman.

Construction is expected to continue into 2027, when the interchange will open with 6 mi. of widened or newly constructed roadway. The project includes five new bridges, two bridge widenings, four bridge rehabilitations and 2 mi. of sound walls.

The project is creating a mile of new highway carrying traffic northwest of the existing interchange at I-40 and Beale Street. Other features include:

• widening more than a mile of I-40 in both directions between the new interchange and Stockton Hill Road;

• adding a merge lane on US 93 northbound;

• widening and/or rehabilitating four bridges on I-40;

• building sound walls along a portion of I-40 to the west of Stockton Hill Road; and

• constructing drainage features

The interchange is designed to handle projected traffic growth for the next 25 years.  (All photos courtesy of Arizona Department of Transportation.)

4Rivers Equipment Named Newest Trimble Technology Outlet

Trimble announced on Oct. 2, 2025, Greeley, Colo.-based 4Rivers Equipment as the newest Trimble Technology Outlet.

4Rivers will now sell Trimble grade control, site positioning systems and correction services technology directly to customers using John Deere construction equipment. Trimble technology from 4Rivers includes the Trimble Works Subscription bundles, offering contractors simple, low-risk ways to scale operations, providing flexibility in selecting and using the right civil construction technology, hardware coverage and price point for their business needs.

Trimble Technology Outlets are a new and important part of Trimble’s civil construction distribution strategy. By adding authorized resellers representing a wide variety of manufacturers to the Trimble distribution channel,

it is easier for users of a wide range of machine types to purchase, install and use Trimble technology for improved jobsite productivity and profitability.

“4Rivers has earned a reputation for integrity, respect and a commitment to finding solutions to their customers’ challenges for nearly 100 years, and we are excited to announce that those solutions now include Trimble technology,” said Ron Bisio, senior vice president, field systems of Trimble. “The goal of our expanded distribution network is to make it easier for customers of all machine types to integrate Trimble technology into their workflows, and we look forward to working with 4Rivers to make this vision a reality for their customers.”

As an authorized Trimble Technology Outlet, 4Rivers will offer Trimble grade control solutions — including site positioning systems and

correction services — to customers in Colorado, New Mexico and the El Paso, Texas area. 4Rivers customers can expect to receive the same superior level of support, including installation, service and training, of which the Trimble dealer channel is known to deliver.

“Our John Deere customers have been wanting easier access to Trimble technology, and we are pleased that we can finally meet this demand,” said Danny Bratton, general manager of 4Rivers Equipment. “We know that grade control, site positioning and correction services technology helps improve accuracy, productivity and profitability on construction job sites, and we are excited to offer these benefits to our customers through the use of Trimble solutions.”

For more information, visit 4riversequipment.com. 