Bid-Well 2450 Roller Paver

This isn't a car, or even a vehicle, but there is an interesting story behind this piece of construction equipment. This is a Bid-Well 2450 Roller Paver. In 1961, Seymour P. "Tex" Bidwell was a construction foreman for Burton Jensen Construction, a bridge contractor based out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Tex had an idea for a machine with on oscillating bull float on a moving carriage riding a truss frame that would allow concrete bridge decks to be paved transversely instead of longitudinally, making the installation higher quality and more efficient. With his employer's backing, Tex began selling his machine to other contractors in South Dakota. In 1962, Tex met Murray Rowe, a machine shop operator from Canton, South Dakota, and shared his idea. They partnered to further develop Tex's idea, but only three weeks later, Tex passed away at the age of 44. Murray Rowe bought the business from Tex's widow Irene, offering her royalties for the rest of her life, and he grew the Bid-Well Corporation into an international business with Tex's idea becoming a new industry standard. The Bid-Well Corporation was purchased by the CMI Corporation of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 1969, with Murray Rowe remaining Bid-Well's president. CMI was purchased by the Terex Corporation in 2001, and Terex continues to produce paving machines under the Bid-Well name.

The Bid-Well 2450 Roller Paver can span up to 60 feet with a light weight and small profile that allow it to be used in tight spaces. It can be used not only for bridges, but also for roads, warehouse slabs, airport runways, and canals. This one was being used to repave the Liberty Street bridge over Pringle Creek in Salem, Oregon, on September 17, 2006.