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April 21, 2016
 
 

SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WINS 2015 PERPETUAL PAVEMENT AWARD

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 20, 2016

                                                                                   

For more information, contact:

At APA, Amy Miller,P.E., 301-918-8391

amiller@asphaltroads.org

                                                                                                                                                                      

At SCDOT, Jay Thompson, 803-737-6681

Thompson JU@scdot.org



SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

WINS 2015 PERPETUAL PAVEMENT AWARD


The Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA) announced today that the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has won a 2015 Perpetual Pavement Award for a 6.5 mile section of Interstate 20 in Lexington County. This is SCDOT’s fourth Perpetual Pavement award in 12 years.

To qualify for this prestigious award, a pavement must be at least 35 years old and never had a structural failure. The average interval between resurfacing of each winning pavement must be no less than 12 years. The pavement must demonstrate the characteristics expected from long-life asphalt pavements: excellence in design, quality in construction and value for the traveling public. 

Engineers at the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) evaluated the nominations and validated the winners.

The award-winning section of Interstate 20 runs from the Aiken County Line to SC 34 (MM 37 to MM 44).  SCDOT began work on the four-lane divided highway in October 1969. Construction included 10 inches of soil base, 7 inches sand asphalt base, 2.38 inches of asphalt binder course and 1.43 inches of an asphalt surface course. The road opened in 1971.

SCDOT resurfaced the road in 1983 with 2.14 inches of asphalt surface in two lifts. In 2005 contractors milled the pavement and replaced it with 1.9 inches of Superpave 12.mm surface course and 0.86 inches of open graded friction course. SCDOT plans a 3-inch mill and fill for the pavement in 2016, making the average time between resurfacing 17.5 years.

The average daily traffic volume for Interstate 20 is 30,400 vehicles with 20 percent truck traffic. From its opening, the road had a much higher volume of traffic than anticipated. It has carried an equivalent single axle load (ESAL) of 20.7 million in its 45 years of service, 23 times the initial designed traffic level.

"This section of interstate has exceeded our expectations and is a great representation of how attention to quality in construction and good designing can help in sustaining our interstate system," said Todd Steagall, SCDOT director of construction.

"Although the concepts of perpetual pavement were not known at the time that Interstate 20 was designed, this pavement was built with a 7-inch thick HMA sand asphalt base containing relatively high asphalt content," said Jay Thompson, PE, SCDOT pavement design engineer." This material resulted in a resilient, fatigue-resistant base that follows the perpetual pavement concept.

"The South Carolina Department of Transportation is pleased and honored to have been chosen by the Asphalt Pavement Alliance to receive the Perpetual Pavement Award," said Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall, PE. "This is a testament to SCDOT's long-standing commitment to provide quality roads for the citizens of South Carolina."

As a winner of a 2015 Perpetual Award, SCDOT will receive an engraved crystal obelisk, and its name and project will be added to a permanent plaque that is kept at NCAT. 

"One of the keys to sustainability is long life," said Amy Miller, P.E., executive director of the Asphalt Pavement Alliance. "Asphalt roads can be engineered to last indefinitely with only routine maintenance and periodic surface renewal. 

"The advantages of these perpetual pavements are significant. Life cycle costs are lower because deep pavement repairs and reconstruction are avoided. User delays are reduced because minor surface rehabilitation requires shorter work windows and can avoid peak traffic hours. And there are environment benefits because minimal rehabilitation, combined with recycling any materials that are removed from the pavement surface, reduces the amount of material resources required over the pavement’s life." 

The Asphalt Pavement Alliance is a coalition of the National Asphalt Pavement Association, the Asphalt Institute and the state asphalt pavement associations. The Asphalt Pavement Alliance's mission is to establish asphalt as the preferred choice for quality, performance and the environment. 

 

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