Does anyone have any recent guidance on asphalt reduction best practices? I’ve been doing a deep dive on the latest NAPA, US DOT, CLF resources, and they point to recycled asphalt product (RAP), recycled asphalt shingle (RAS), and warm mix / half-warm mix asphalt production, but we’ve had trouble pushing these materials/methods on site. We’re often presented with concern about durability, with some of the experts suggesting that A1-A3 results in asphalt hide poor whole life impacts - the high RAP asphalt mixes supposedly require more rework and maintenance.
How are you all managing this? Has anyone developed a repeatable method to reduce the impact of asphalt paving? I’d love to hear ideas both inside and outside of the box.
Great question! I’d love to hear answers from CLF community members who have worked with Asphalt.
What applications will you be using the asphalt for? Although I typically focus on cement and concrete, I may be able to provide further insight.
While there are valid concerns about the performance of asphalt with recycled asphalt product (RAP) and recycled asphalt shingle (RAS), performance and durability can be comparable to virgin mixes IF the mixes are designed and produced properly. I know WSDOT has an approval process for recycled asphalt pavement (RAP).
I will reach out to my colleagues to see which levers you can pull to reduce GHG emissions from asphalt.
I’m working on large logistic facilities. Mix of heavy-duty asphalt for the tractor-trailers, and medium-duty asphalt for employee parking lots. Understanding how to design and produce a good mix would be helpful. There are several mentions in the NAPA guidance that states this can be the case, but I haven’t seen any rules of thumb for development, or suggestions on how to develop a performance based (not volume based) spec. Any threads to pull would be appreciated.
NAPA has a number of resources that you might want to look at. From a strict engineering perspective, their heavy-duty pavements guide should provide insight for the areas that will have large loads. I’d also recommend the Balanced Mix Design Resource Center for a plethora of reports and guides on performance based mixes.
One of the newer innovations that got a lot of attention at the TRB Annual Meeting for heavy-duty applications is the use of highly modified asphalt placed in thick lifts. Utah DOT has really pioneered the adoption of this material. FHWA also has a guide on highly modified asphalt mixtures.
I’d also recommend reaching out to Buzz Powell with the Asphalt Pavement Alliance. He is a wealth of information and always glad to share it. One last suggestion is tor reach out to the technical director for your local state asphalt pavement association.