Talking Asphalt: Preservation progress - May 2013

I’ve been working with asphalt for about 35 years. Most of that time was spent working with construction and rehabilitation efforts. But in the last few years, there has been a very significant shift to preservation activities.

This emphasis on pavement preservation makes sense. We simply have to protect our investment. We cannot afford to keep building new roads – the money isn’t there. Time and traffic is winning the battle.

Even with the clear-cut need, there has been one situation holding preservation...

Long lasting asphalt roads honored

The Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA) announced the winners of their 2012 Perpetual Pavement Awards in April.

The award is given to the state transportation department owners of asphalt pavements that are at least 35 years old and have never had a structural failure. The average interval between resurfacing of each winning pavement must be no less than 13 years. The road must demonstrate the characteristics expected from long-life asphalt pavements: excellence in design, quality in construction and value for the traveling public.

Engineers at the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) evaluated the nominations for the Perpetual...