Talking Asphalt: CONEXPO recap - April 2014

The latest CONEXPO show has ended, and it was a big deal. I did not attend this one but followed it closely and talked with my colleagues who worked the Asphalt Institute (AI) booth.

CONEXPO calls itself “… the international gathering place … for the construction industries.” It’s held every three years in Las Vegas and it is a showcase for the latest in construction equipment, products, services and technologies.

As I said to begin, it’s a big deal. There were more than 2,000 exhibitors...

The benefits of modified asphalts

By Dwight Walker, P.E

Highway agencies have recognized the benefits of using modified asphalts to reduce the amount and severity of pavement distresses and to increase service life.

The primary benefit of using these high-performance asphalts is improved rutting resistance, with less thermal (cold-temperature) cracking and overall improved mixture durability being secondary benefits. Additionally, some modified binders provide improved stripping (moisture damage) resistance.

Narratively, many agencies estimate that an additional four to six ...