One of the more obnoxious sounds and sensations for me as a driver is the thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump experience of driving along a jointed concrete pavement. Crossing county lines onto a smooth asphalt roadway brings an audible sigh of relief.
One way to ensure an asphalt roadway remains smooth along the entire lane is to avoid transverse joints. If you can’t avoid them, you can build them to be smooth as butter and bonus worthy. The trick is to check and double-check what you’re building. I’ll list below a couple of articles that dive into best practices for building the joint, but here’s one quick tip.
Quick Tip: Use a four-foot (or longer) straight edge parallel to the long joint to double-check the transverse joint you’re building. With fluff factor compacted down, the straight edge should not wobble and tilt and act like a seesaw. It should indicate a flat surface worthy of a bonus from the agency.
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