Our Newly Acquired Sumas Plant Doubles Our Asphalt Paving Production in the Fraser Valley

A year or so ago, when the initial idea of acquiring another asphalt plant farther east in the Fraser Valley was being discussed, the primary strategic goal was simple: reduce asphalt delivery times and trucking delays from our flagship Coquitlam plant, particularly those caused by congestion on Hwy 1.

For the first time, 1,600 tonnes of asphalt can be laid down in a record eight hours—a job that previously would have taken 14 to 16 hours.

Now that our second asphalt plant, located in the Sumas area of Abbotsford, is in full operation, we have the opportunity to see just how accurate that calculation was.

Currently, our paving crew is working on a massive 8,600-plus-square-metre corn silage pad for Jake’s Construction and Chilliwack Cattle Sales Ltd. We love Chilliwack, we love corn country, and there’s something especially rewarding about supporting our local farmers through the work we do. Doing it against a backdrop of endless cornfields and the blue mountains in the distance is equally gratifying.

Once completed, we will have laid down more than 1,600 tonnes of asphalt. And this time, the asphalt is being hauled from our Sumas plant, just over 28 kilometres away.

For Mario Kutle, our Project Foreman, the first thing he has noticed at paving sites in the Abbotsford area is how quickly trucks arrive, unload and return for their next loads compared with hauling asphalt from our Coquitlam plant, which is about 84 kilometres away.

"Our paving production has doubled because we no longer have to wait for delayed trucks coming from Coquitlam," says Mario. "From Coquitlam to the Chilliwack area, it can take close to an hour and a half—or, during the worst congestion, more than two and a half hours—to get through the bottlenecks around Port Mann and Surrey. From the Sumas plant, it takes less than 25 minutes.

"So when a truck arrives, it is immediately loaded onto the paver, and as soon as it leaves, another one is already here and ready to load."

The difference is substantial. For the first time, 1,600 tonnes of asphalt can be laid down in a record eight hours—a job that previously would have taken 14 to 16 hours.

And there is another benefit.

"Trucks arrive with much hotter mix in their beds, too," Mario says with a chuckle.

Having an asphalt supply plant farther east in the Fraser Valley extends our efficiency and reach even further toward Highway 5, Highway 3 and the surrounding communities.

Doing some quick math in his head, Mario estimates that 1,600 tonnes of asphalt represents roughly 40 to 42 truck and transfer-mix loads being delivered to the site in a single day.

"Imagine all that fuel being burned and all those truck emissions that can be avoided simply by reducing the distance and time those trucks have to travel."

For us, having our new Sumas plant operate in alignment with the environmental values we have built into our All Roads operation is non-negotiable. The increased market reach and new business opportunities that come with it are certainly welcome—but they are a handsome bonus to the primary goal of getting asphalt where it needs to go, faster and more efficiently.