The invention of the automobile in the 19th century transformed the career of Connecticut railroad engineer John S. Lane into a road paver.
More than a century later, Cheshire-based Lane Construction is still paving its way, only now its multi-million dollar runway projects, major highways and NASCAR racetracks.
The privately-held company, with almost $1 billion in annual revenue, is considered a leader in the heavy civil construction and transportation industry. Lane’s list of federal and private projects includes the fourth runway at Washington Dulles International Airport and the I-495 Capital Beltway High Occupancy Toll Lane.
Its latest award is a $20 million contract to repave the Daytona International Speedway, the iconic 2.5-mile NASCAR race track in Florida. Work begins this month.
“We’ve built a reputation of quality work,” said Lane President and CEO Robert E. Alger.
Ranked as the second largest highway contractor and seventh largest transportation contractor, according to the trade publication Record Engineering News, Lane also operates several quarries around the United States and has a huge inventory of construction and paving equipment.
Lane is so esteemed that earlier this year when potholes in turns 1 and 2 twice halted the Daytona 500 last Valentine’s Day, race officials called Lane engineers for advice on how to quickly patch the holes so the race could resume.
“They were on the phone with our guys asking how do we fix this?” Alger said. “How do we patch it?”
Daytona Speedway President, Robin Braig said Lane’s knowledge and expertise in repaving racetracks made it the obvious choice to smooth the surface of Daytona.
Lane has previously repaved the Talladega Superspeedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Darlington Raceway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.
“We’re looking forward to seeing them put new asphalt on our storied 31-degree high banks,” said Braig in an email.
With 3,750 workers in more than 20 states — 90 in its Cheshire office — the company is respected by many Connecticut contractors, many of whom got their start with Lane decades ago.
One was Timothy Arborio’s grandfather Joseph Arborio, who began as a laborer at Lane after he arrived in America from Italy in the early 20th century. Arborio said his grandfather worked his way up to foreman and eventually left to start Arborio Construction in Cromwell.
“Their reputation and innovation is unsurpassed. They do it all, and they are a class operation,” Arborio said.
Algers said the construction industry has been slow since the economic downturn. Last year, revenues were down 8 percent, but losses were offset by construction road projects funded by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 in Maine, Massachusetts and South Carolina.
The company’s strategic plans involve growing by 50 percent in the coming years by acquiring asphalt plants and expanding into new markets, Algers said.
Lane, which has had only seven presidents in its 120 year-old history, has stayed the course in the unsteady construction industry by diversifying its business. It owns and operates 70 asphalt plants, 11 quarries, and aggregate plants throughout the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and southern states. It also performs 75 percent of its asphalt paving work, which saves customers time and money.
Lane will continue to operate on the business and teamwork principles that its founder set in 1890 and grow its business through acquisitions, said Alger.
Raymond R. Oneglia, the vice president of Torrington-based O & G Industries, said Lane’s ability to work in different markets gives it a competitive edge against other contractors.
“This is a difficult business,’’ Oneglia said. “Sometimes it is feast or famine. In order to prosper in boom times or down times, you need to be diversified. So, if you lose a bid on a construction job, you can always bid on the materials needed for the job.”
