Increasing density may be the answer to longer-lasting pavements On Feb. 16, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) hosted a workshop funded by a joint initiative between the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Asphalt Institute as industry groups look for ways to extend pavement life. Johnson and Mark Blow, also of the Asphalt Institute, led the workshop presentation. Blow is pictured at right. “There have been significant advancements in pavement design and construction techniques to enable better in-place compaction,” said FHWA Senior Asphalt Pavement Engineer, Tim Aschenbrener. “Many of these advancements are already in use, but standards for in-place density have, in many instances, remained unchanged. The partnerships with these workshops and demonstration projects reflects the enthusiastic willingness by state agencies and industry to make needed changes.” ITD is working with its partners, the Associated General Contractors and FHWA to restructure the department’s verification testing, “including incentivizing contractors to continue to innovate and improve,” said ITD Construction and Materials Engineer, John Bilderback. “Density will be a heavily weighted metric.” Published 02-24-17 |