Citation

Couret C. Am. City Cty. 2000; 115(5): 2 p..

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, Penton Media)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

By using asphalt-rubber repair techniques and other "thin" resurfacing treatments, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) has been able to add life to existing pavement and expects to save money on repairs and labor. Preservation activities usually take place on roads that are 5-10 years old. RIDOT regularly examines roads to determine if they are cracking or showing signs of other minor deterioration. When treatment is deemed necessary, one of the first options is to put in a crack seal. If damage is more severe, crews apply an asphalt-rubber chip seal, which can be used on large resurfacing jobs in hot mixes or as spray-applied membranes. Thin treatments that do not involve a lot of time or effort, such as crack seals, asphalt-rubber chip seals, slurry seals, and microsurfacing, are encouraged by the Federal Highway Administration. Preventive maintenance techniques can extend pavement life by 5-6 years and make highway funding stretch further. In addition to saving money for materials, asphalt-rubber treatments save labor costs, because they do not take long to apply.