Six departments of transportation were named winners of the 2018 Perpetual Pavement Award by Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA).
The award celebrates long-life asphalt pavements that reflect the characteristics of a Perpetual Pavement design.
The award is presented to state transportation departments and local agency road owners for well-performing asphalt pavements that are at least 35-years-old with proven high-quality structural design.
To earn the award, the pavement must have not suffered a structural failure, and it should have an average interval between resurfacing of not less than 13 years.
Engineers at the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) at Auburn University, evaluated the nominations and validated the results for the six 2018 Perpetual Pavement Award winners. Since the Perpetual Pavement Award was first presented in 2001, 132 pavements in 30 U.S. states and one Canadian province have been honored with the award.
The 2018 winners are:
Alabama Department of Transportation, North Region for a 2.4-mile section of four-lane divided highway on U.S. Highway 72/State Route 2 in Jackson County. This is the tenth Perpetual Pavement Award for ALDOT.
Arkansas Department of Transportation for a 4.81-mile stretch of two-lane State Highway 92/Section 1 in Conway County. This is the ninth Perpetual Pavement Award for ARDOT.
Florida Department of Transportation for a 3.17-mile section of four-lane route on State Route 500 (U.S. 192) in Brevard County. This is the ninth Perpetual Pavement Award for FDOT.
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Engineering District 4-0 for a 2.5 section of two-lane route on State Route 0424 in Luzerne County. PennDOT has earned eight Perpetual Pavement Awards.
Tennessee Department of Transportation for a 2.77-mile stretch of two-lane highway on State Route 56 in Putnam County. This is the 14th Perpetual Pavement Award earned by TDOT.
Washington State Department of Transportation for a 5.88-mile section of two-lane State Route 195 in Spokane/Whitman Counties. This is the fifth Perpetual Pavement Award earned by WSDOT.
Winning agencies are honored by their local state asphalt pavement association and are presented with an engraved crystal obelisk. The names of the winning agencies and projects are added to a plaque on permanent display at the NCAT Research Center at Auburn University.
“One of the keys to sustainability is long life,” said Amy Miller, P.E., national director of the Asphalt Pavement Alliance. “Asphalt roads can be engineered to last indefinitely with only routine maintenance and periodic surface renewal.”
The Asphalt Pavement Alliance is a coalition of the Asphalt Institute, the National Asphalt Pavement Association and the State Asphalt Pavement Associations.
