What equipment do you need to build a road? Machines by phase

Road phases and their equipment

Whether it's a rural road, an urban street or a highway, the order repeats. The scale of the machines and the thickness of the layers change, not the logic.

1. Clearing and earthworks

The dozer opens the corridor, cuts and pushes; the excavator handles slope cuts, ditches and culverts; the loader and trucks move material to the fills. In the Komatsu catalog (all four countries) there are dozers from the D39EX-22 to the D275AX-5E0, excavators from the PC130-8 to the PC1250-11R, loaders from the WA150-5 to the WA500-6 and rigid and articulated trucks. The earthmoving guide explains which machine to use for each task and how to balance trucks and excavator.

2. Shaping: the motor grader

The motor grader spreads and shapes each layer with its center blade, sets the road crown and the ditch slope. It's the machine that most defines the road's geometric quality. In the catalog, from the GD535-5 to the GD705-5; with Komatsu Smart Construction it can work with 3D guidance. Its own guide explains how to choose the size by road width and type of work.

3. Compacting subgrade, subbase and base

Each layer is compacted before the next one goes down. The soil type decides the drum: smooth vibratory for granular material (sand, gravel, base) and padfoot for cohesive soil (clay, silt), which a smooth drum only smooths on top. According to BOMAG's datasheets, the BW 211 D-5 is a 10.6 t smooth roller with a 2,130 mm drum, and the BW 212 PD-5 carries 150 pads on 12.94 t.

The passes needed depend on the machine, the lift thickness and the material; the passes calculator and the pavement-layers tool help plan them, and density is confirmed with a field test. The compactor guide also covers light equipment for trenches and edges.

4. In-place stabilization and recycling

When the road's soil is weak or the old pavement is damaged, instead of removing everything and bringing new material you can recycle in place: a spreader lays powdered binder (cement, lime or fly ash) and the recycler mixes it with the existing material. It means less hauling, less new material and fewer days on site, a strong argument in public road work.

According to BOMAG, the BS 10-2 spreader has a 10 m³ hopper and a 2,400 mm working width, and the RS 460 and RS 500 recycler-stabilizers work at 2,440 and 2,250 mm wide.

5. Asphalt paving

The paver receives the mix from the truck and spreads it with uniform thickness and texture; how much the roller has to correct afterward depends on its screed. For streets and urban access, the BOMAG BF 300 C paves from 1.7 to 3.4 m (max. 5.0 m) with a 4.8 m³ hopper; for highways, the BF 800 C works from 2,500 to 9,000 mm, and the BMF 2500 S feeder keeps supply constant, according to BOMAG.

Behind it comes compaction of the surface, within its temperature window: double-drum tandem roller (like the BW 161 AD-4), combination drum-and-tire roller that seals the surface (BW 161 AC-50) or pneumatic roller (BW 24 RH, BW 27 RH, BW 28 RH) to knead and close pores.

6. Rehabilitation: milling and patching

To renew a worn surface without raising the road level, the cold planer removes the damaged layer and leaves a surface ready to pave. Width decides how many lane closures the project needs. According to BOMAG, the BM 500/15-2 mills 500 mm wide and up to 210 mm deep for spot repair, the BM 600/15-2 reaches 600 mm, and at the other end the BM 2200/65 mills 2,200 mm for highways.

Minor patching is handled with an asphalt saw, a vibratory plate and a walk-behind roller from the light line.

7. Work-zone signage and safety

A road job with open traffic needs to channel vehicles from day one. American Signal changeable message signs (in El Salvador) are trailer-mounted LED displays; according to the manufacturer, the CMS-GP432T has a full 28 × 50 matrix, solar power with batteries and 300 to 400 m legibility. The SIMAQ line (four countries) covers cones, channelizer drums, delineator posts, caution tape and reflective vests.

Layer compaction on video

This clip from the group's channel shows SIMAQ smooth-drum rollers at work: the light equipment that compacts edges, sidewalks and patches alongside the big rollers.

Where to get road-building equipment

Grupo ConstruMarket is Komatsu's authorized distributor in El Salvador, Guatemala (CMARKET), Nicaragua and Panama for earthworks and shaping. BOMAG—rollers, pavers, cold planers and recyclers—is offered in El Salvador and Guatemala, and American Signal in El Salvador. SIMAQ signage is in all four countries. For a one-off contract, RentaCentro rents group equipment. Tell us about the job—length, width, layers and schedule—in the quote and an advisor will contact you during business hours.