In recent years, pavement preservation has become the main goal
of preventive maintenance work for the Rhode Island Department
of Transportation (RIDOT). By using asphalt-rubber repair techniques
and other "thin" resurfacing treatments, RIDOT has been able
to add life to existing pavement and expects to save money on
repairs and labor.
"Rather than having major 'surgery'
later on, we're doing this minor preservation work," says Colin
Franco, managing engineer for research, technology and development.
Preservation activities usually take place on roads that are
five to 10 years old, he explains. RIDOT regularly examines
roads to determine if they are cracking or showing signs of
other minor deterioration. When treatment is deemed necessary,
one of the first options is to put in a crack seal, Franco says.
Workers dry the area and remove particles, then apply a soft
rubber sealant.
If damage is more severe, crews
apply an asphalt rubber chip seal, which can be used on large
resurfacing jobs in hot mixes or as spray-applied membranes.
RIDOT is using the asphalt rubber primarily in heavily trafficked
urban areas and in very rural areas.
Thin treatments that do not involve
a lot of time or effort, such as crack seals, asphalt rubber
chip seals, slurry seals and microsurfacing, are encouraged
by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Washington, D.C.,
according to Jim Sorenson, senior construction and preservation
engineer for FHWA. "We have got to start doing more preventive
maintenance," he says. "Preservation techniques help to extend
the life of roads."
FHWA has been working with state
DOTs for the past five years to educate them about preventive
maintenance techniques. Those methods can extend pavement life
by five to six years and make highway funding stretch further,
Sorenson says.
"States, cities and counties
spend $120 billion on highway work each year," he notes. "If
we dedicate more funds to preservation, we could double the
money (for other projects)." In addition to saving money for
materials, asphalt rubber treatments save labor costs because
they do not take long to apply. "Thin treatments can go down
quickly, often overnight," Sorenson explains.
RIDOT started using asphalt rubber
products from All States Asphalt, Sunderland, MA last year.
Franco says it will take two or three years to fully evaluate
areas where the material has been used, but the technique is
working well so far.
This article was written by
Christina Couret, Associate Editor, American Cities & County
Magazine .
