Completion of the H-31 Highway

Completion of the H-31 Highway: Laying the Base and Binder Asphalt Courses Using the Vögele Super 2100-3 Paver and Vögele MT 3000-2 Material Feeder

Last week, we showed the construction of the final base layer—cement-treated crushed stone aggregate—on the first 800-metre section adjacent to the tunnel-type underpass designed for agricultural vehicles.

Now it’s time for asphalt paving.

The asphalt mix is supplied from the company’s MARINI TOP TOWER 3000 asphalt plant, with a production capacity of 240 tonnes per hour.

For paving operations, we are using the flagship Vögele Super 2100-3 asphalt paver together with the Vögele MT 3000-2 PowerFeeder. The material feeder ensures a continuous supply of asphalt mix to the paver, preventing material segregation, temperature fluctuations, and pavement defects. It also significantly increases paving efficiency—a 25-tonne dump truck is unloaded in just 60 seconds. This technology delivers a perfectly smooth pavement surface without construction joints or surface irregularities.

The first section will be completed this week. Work on the cement-treated crushed stone base and asphalt pavement will then begin on the next three sections, covering a total length of 2.8 km.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

In 2022, traffic was opened on the first section of the newly built N-31 Dnipro – Tsarychanka – Kobeliaky – Reshetylivka highway within Dnipropetrovsk Region. This modern Category I expressway was built by our company in accordance with international standards.

Construction of the second phase of the project – a 30-kilometre section extending from the Dnipro–Donbas Canal to the border with Poltava Region – was suspended after the outbreak of the full-scale war.

As a result, traffic has continued to use the existing route – a narrow, deteriorated road passing through local communities.

Heavy freight traffic continues to accelerate pavement deterioration while creating inconvenience and safety risks for local residents.

The condition of the existing road has become critical and it has long required complete reconstruction.

In 2021, our company completed a substantial portion of the works on the second construction phase:

topsoil stripped;

cuttings excavated to depths of up to 12 metres;

more than 1.4 million cubic metres of embankments constructed;

27 out of 28 reinforced concrete culverts of various diameters installed;

three monolithic overpasses completed to 90%;

the tunnel-type monolithic underpass for agricultural vehicles fully completed, while the remaining tunnel structures are currently at the retaining wall concreting stage;

four corrugated steel structures installed;

supports for a 600-metre viaduct completed;

6.9 km of pavement foundation layers constructed, together with 5.2 km of the lower and binder asphalt concrete courses.

Considering the substantial amount of work already completed, it is now possible to make every effort to partially open the second construction phase of the N-31 highway to traffic before the end of the year, although certain traffic restrictions will remain in place.

Construction activities have therefore resumed. The company is currently:

constructing embankments, grading slag aggregate, and placing the cement-treated crushed stone–sand mixture base layer using equipment equipped with automated machine control systems;

completing one of the monolithic tunnel structures connecting local communities;

carrying out waterproofing works on reinforced concrete drainage culverts;

installing kerbstones along the section where the asphalt pavement has already been completed.

PROJECT INFORMATION

The new construction of the N-31 expressway between the Dnipro–Donbas Canal and the border with Poltava Region includes:

• construction of 14 engineering structures, including agricultural underpasses, monolithic tunnels connecting local communities, grade-separated interchanges, and overpasses;

• relocation of existing utility networks;

• construction of two pavement foundation layers using slag aggregate;

• construction of a crushed stone–sand mixture (CSM) base layer;

• construction of a cement-treated crushed stone–sand mixture (CTCSM) base layer;

• construction of a three-layer asphalt concrete pavement;

• construction of stormwater treatment facilities;

• installation of stormwater drainage systems;

• installation of variable message signs and weather monitoring stations;

• installation of lighting at interchanges;

• construction of access roads and junctions;

• installation of safety barriers;

• installation of road signs;

• application of road markings;

• landscaping of adjacent areas, including the planting of approximately 5,500 trees.

• installation of Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) systems on both carriageways;

• installation of noise barriers.

The pavement structure will incorporate nearly half a million tonnes of slag supplied by metallurgical plants in Dnipropetrovsk Region.

The most technically challenging element of the project is the construction of an almost 600-metre viaduct crossing the meandering Oril River within a protected nature reserve.