HOLMEN - County Materials' Holmen, Wis. pipe plant has earned a perfect score, for the second year in a row, in the state's annual Concrete Products Certification Program.

The plant inspection program is a joint effort between the Wisconsin Concrete Pipe Association (WCPA) and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WI DOT) for pre-cast concrete product manufacturers.

Under the extensive WCPA/WI DOT certification program, County Materials scored 100 percent in each of the 19 categories in both 2009 and 2010. Some inspection areas include Compressive Strength Tests, Quality Control Documents, Curing, Appearance, Handling & Storage, and Final Inspection & Loading.

County Materials' Rib Falls plant was the first pre-cast plant in Wisconsin to achieve this prestigious ranking in 2009.

The certification covers County Materials' full line of pre-cast reinforced concrete products, including storm sewer pipe, culvert pipe, elliptical pipe, cattle pass structures, manhole sections and structures, catch basins, box culverts, apron end walls and special structures.

Each plant is also inspected by an AASHTO certified engineer to check for compliance with applicable ASTM, AASHTO and WCPA standards and specifications. As certified plants, County Materials' Holmen and Rib Falls facilities are listed on the WI DOT approved product list.

The WI DOT recognizes the WCPA and two other national certification programs, including the National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA) and the American Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA). All three certification programs have similar requirements.

DeKALB – As the Illinois Department of Transportation improves its tollway, contractors have chosen County Materials’ reinforced concrete box culverts to lie at the heart of it all.

The project at Interstate 88 and Peace Road will entail adding liner-loop ramps and expanding two automatic toll plazas to two lanes. This included making the toll plazas I-PASS-ready, which meant placing 5 miles of fiber-optic cable and fiber-optic toll-collection equipment. Other features of this roadwork include widening of crossroad approach pavement, erosion and sedimentation control, and building ramp infields and detention ponds.

To those ends, Rockford Blacktop Construction Company, out of Loves Park, is installing 306 box culverts from County Materials, each 12 feet wide by 5 feet high and 6 feet long. These precast structures will help divert water through and around the project.

County Materials operates 30 locations serving the Midwest. The family-owned, American manufacturing company is an industry leader and a diversified supplier of construction and landscaping products for residential, commercial, industrial and municipal project applications.
For more information, call us at 1-800-289-2569.