FAE Stories - Italy

The construction of the bicycle and pedestrian path between Bologna and Verona, in Italy

A disused railroad track is transformed into the new “Ciclovia del Sole” – The Sunshine Bicycle Path

Slurry is a small/medium-sized Italian enterprise specializing in special road surfacing, dust suppression and eco-friendly road paving. Founded in Friuli by the Lavia family, it currently has 12 employees, and its machine fleet includes three FAEs

In 2006, we bought the first FAE stone crusher model STC/R 200,” Nicola Lavia recalls. “We have used it for years, above all, to restore dirt roads. We have always kept it in good condition and used original parts, and after almost 15 years in use, the machine is still as good as new. " Slurry’s machine fleet grew with the addition of an FAE UMM/DT 200 (in 2010) and an FAE MTL 225 (in 2020).

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In 2019, Slurry accepted an order for the Bologna-Verona bicycle and pedestrian path construction site: a 35 km pathway between the provinces of Bologna and Modena, along the old railroad line. When the railroad line was upgraded, the rails were moved to a new route and the old track was converted into the Ciclovia del Sole, the Sunshine Bicycle Path in English, a cycling route linked with the European EuroVelo that goes from Malta up to the North Cape.

The construction site occupies an area of sediment left by the Italian Railroad Network of over 90,000 square meters, and we worked there starting in November 2019 and throughout 2020” said Nicola. “We took care of crushing the track ballast, stabilized the soil and did an eco-friendly triple-layer treatment. We used our FAEs for all of this work

The most complex job? Probably crushing the ballast up to a depth of 15 cm—involving a very abrasive material that was crushed very finely using the STC/R 200, compacted with a stabilizing liquid and then milled again.

On top of this layer, another 10-cm layer of material that was recycled with a Vibro Finishing machine was laid.

The eco-friendly triple-layer treatment is one of our specialities,” said Nicola Lavia. “As the name implies, this treatment has three layers. The first layer is laid by spreading an impregnating bituminous emulsion simultaneously with washed and split 8-12 mm crushed stone. The second and third layers are made by spreading a modified bituminous emulsion simultaneously with 4-8mm and 3-6mm crushed stone. Each layer is compacted”.

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This is how, day after day and kilometer after kilometer, the Ciclovia del Sole became a reality.

We are really satisfied with our FAEs. The STC/R 200 was working six hours a day. We changed the crushing teeth three times over 7 km of processed terrain! We worked well with the MTL 225 on wet ground. We stabilized the base in part with lime, and we mixed the recycled stabilized material with an eco-compatible liquid stabilizer, which permanently improves the geotechnical characteristics of the ground, increasing load capacity and resistance to compression. We liked the MTL 225's working depth and water system, really valuable on dusty terrain to achieve the right uniformity and moisture for the processed material.”

Nicola has no doubts for the future. “After the positive experience with the STC/R 200, we believe that the MTL 225 will also be appreciated for many years to come”.

For more information: slurrysrl.com

For more information: UMM/DT - MTL

For information on the Eco-Friendly Triple-Layer Treatment: slurrysrl.com/triplo-strato