Preservation

The concept of pavement preservation—in which the right treatment to the right pavement at the right time forestalls or eliminates future high costs of reconstruction—is hitting its stride, and the nation’s road agencies are benefiting from it.

Contractors performing winter pavement maintenance should be clamoring for the jobs that service porous asphalt pavements. It would be irresponsible to say merely “you get to leave it alone,” but the fact is porous asphalt pavements require fewer deicing chemicals and less work than do impervious pavements. Here’s why. First, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) […]

Judith Corley-Lay, Ph.D. in civil engineering, brings 40 years of experience and professional registration to her new role as the head of the National Center for Pavement Preservation (NCPP). After serving 25 of those years with the Pavement Management Unit of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT), Corley-Lay was looking forward to spending her […]

Like all equipment, when choosing a sealcoating machine, uptime, speed, efficiency and durable, high-quality results are on the line. To be successful the unit must deliver on all fronts. But not every sealcoat machine is right for every contractor. Follow these guidelines for optimal productivity and profits. The first thing to consider is the type […]

Getting a clean asphalt mat behind the paver is more likely to happen when the screed is in good repair. Let’s take a look at this screed in particular for some good ideas to help your crew achieve a better mat. As you can see by the 5-gallon bucket of release agent on the deck, […]

When it comes to minor surface distress, sometimes the best option is to perform an overlay. “Overlays have some distinct advantages compared to less costly surface maintenance treatments,” said Terry Humphrey, a training consultant at Caterpillar Paving Products, Peoria, Illinois. “In addition to sealing shallow fatigue cracks, overlays add strength to the existing structure and […]

Patching is an important process in any pavement maintenance program. We have the ability to significantly increase the life of our patches if we pay attention to industry best practices. As with any other maintenance procedure, it’s important to make these repairs early. “There are fortunes to be saved just by changing a philosophy to […]