The Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA) recently released a list of the 2013 Perpetual Pavement award winners.
The award is given to state transportation departments and local agency 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 12 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 award and validated the winners. They are:
The Alabama Department of Transportation for an eight-mile stretch of I-59 in St. Clair County. The pavement was constructed in 1963 and has had only two asphalt overlays, one in 1978 and one in 1994.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation for a 2.3-mile section of US 425 between Pine Bluff and Monticello in Lincoln County. The road was constructed in 1966 and received an asphalt seal in 1987 and an asphalt overlay in 2008.
The Florida Department of Transportation for a portion of State Route A1A in Brevard County from MP 27.89 to 30.13. The road was built in the 1930s or 1940s and completely reconstructed in 1959 to widen it. SR A1A had only one asphalt overlay in 1992.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation for five miles of SR 95 from MP 105 to 110 along the St. Croix River. The road was built in 1961 and received an asphalt overlay in 1992 and a 2-inch mill and fill in 2000.
The Ohio Department of Transportation for a 4.5-mile section of I-275 near Cincinnati in Clermont County. Constructed in 1972, the road received an asphalt overlay in 1985 and again in 2000.
The City of Tulsa, Oklahoma, for a number of streets in the Philcrest Subdivision. The pavements were built in 1977 and have received no maintenance since that time. This is the first project nominated under APA’s Municipal Roadway/Street category.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for a 4.2-mile stretch of State Road 29, the South Cross Valley Expressway, in Luzerne County. The road was built in 1972 and had its only resurfacing in 1996.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation for a section of SR 63 in Claiborne County east from the Campbell County line to MP 4.40.The road was opened to traffic in 1976 and was resurfaced with an overlay in 1990 and a .4-inch ultra-thin asphalt wearing course in 2009.
The winners will receive an engraved crystal obelisk, and have their names and projects added to a permanent plaque that is kept at NCAT.
“One of the keys to sustainability is long life,” said Michael J. Kvach, executive director of the Asphalt Pavement Alliance. “Asphalt roads can be engineered to last indefinitely with only routine maintenance and periodic surface renewal.
“The advantages of these perpetual pavements are significant. Life cycle costs are lower because deep pavement repairs and reconstruction are avoided. User delays are reduced because minor surface rehabilitation requires shorter work windows and can avoid peak traffic hours. And the environment benefits because minimal rehabilitation, combined with recycling any materials that are removed from the pavement surface, reduces the amount of material resources over the pavement’s life.”
Learn more about nominating roads in your area for an award.
