The introduction of work tents during rainy seasons are becoming more and more popular.
Work can often grind to a halt during these periods resulting in a loss of work for construction companies and also a lack of infrastructure development for communities.
These tents can cover a two-lane roadway allowing road construction in rainy season to continue and pavers, graders and other road machines to remain working under the protection of the shelters.
With a range of sizes available due to the design of the tents being connectable. Companies have used sections up to 200 meters long in length, 8 meters high and 12 meters wide. The use of light coloured materials such as yellow and white allows the greatest amount of light to get through.
Smaller sections are used to the side of the projects during road construction in rainy season to protect excess materials and machinery from the rain.
Although progress can be much slower during these conditions, the tents allow the development of road construction in rainy season to continue and companies to maintain work during this annual spell. During regular paving operations, crews work different sections of roadway simultaneously – preparing the road surface, laying the sub-base, laying the base and paving at different locations. Progress is limited to segments covered by the structure
The upshot is the ability to maximize productivity during a period formerly marked by minimal activity.. With the tent, it is expected to double production during that period.
The real savings of the strategy is by avoiding labor and equipment costs that would mount due to downtime and disuse throughout this period or, even worse, the cost of demobilizing the entire operation for months.
One company first used the paving tent strategy two years ago during the construction of a highway in the central jungle of Peru. Last-minute changes in the job specifications made it necessary to find a way to maximize work during the rainy season.
The experiment was very much trial and error. While the work under the tent could proceed it did little good if the fill material was sopping wet and unusable, so several hundred meters of tarps can be used to cover the dirt and protect it from the rain.
Companies affected by rainy seasons would benefit from investing in this very cost effective way of allowing a broader span of workable months.