Educational Toolkit Inserts, Continued

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In my continuing series of articles on the TXAPA Educational Toolkit inserts I discussed "America Rides on Us" last month. It is another in a long line of very good Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA) inserts that TXAPA uses in our Educational Toolkit. This month I would like to introduce another helpful APA-produced insert which is actually an APA position paper entitled "Pavement Type Selection." This is also an insert I include in a TXAPA Alternate Pavement Toolkit that I use when I visit with public entities that wish to let alternate bid projects (flexible vs. rigid) or have an interest in switching from a flexible pavement history to letting a rigid pavement project. 

"Pavement Type Selection" discusses that basically "there are no greater investments made by a transportation agency than the construction or reconstruction of pavements."  It goes on to discuss that for this reason public entities should use pavement selection processes that "identify and select the most durable, cost-effective, highest performing pavement structure for a new roadway" and the processes should be "free of bias and provide an analytical review of environmental and performance factors such as soil type, climate, traffic volume, life cycle, constructability and cost." This insert explains the main items that should be considered when selecting a pavement type and it presents the advantages of asphalt pavement in meeting these considerations. What I find extremely helpful is that it is based on the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) 1993 Guide for the Design of Pavement Structures and the new AASHTO Guide for Mechanistic-Empirical Design of New and Rehabilitated Pavement Structures.   

To read the entire insert click on the picture below: