State Route 101 in Woodburn, Indiana was a narrow 22-foot pavement at the end of its life and was in need of complete reconstruction.  The pavement was experiencing fatigue cracking, potholes, and other pavement deformation and was too far gone for any pavement maintenance treatment. The problem INDOT faced was not only how to repair and widen this important stretch of roadway, but how to do so in the most cost effective and efficient way.  After years of collaboration with contractors, material suppliers, and consultants including Heritage Research Group, INDOT issued new construction specifications for pavement recycling in May of 2017.  Utilizing these specifications, INDOT decided to reconstruct SR101 using both Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) and Cold Central Plant Recycling (CCPR) in April 2018.

Three Heritage Group companies were involved in the design, supply, and production of the project for Brooks Construction Co, Inc., the prime contractor.  Heritage Research Group was responsible for the mix design and Just-In-Time Training (JITT), Asphalt Materials, Inc. supplied the engineered asphalt emulsion, and Pavement Maintenance Systems produced the CCPR mix.

Through INDOT’s vision, the existing 22-foot wide hot mix asphalt pavement was milled and transported to a nearby location for later processing.  The remaining pavement structure along with each shoulder then underwent a cement FDR treatment to widen the roadway to 26 feet. In this process, the remaining pavement, aggregate base, and subgrade were pulverized and mixed with cement to stabilize and create a foundation for the remainder of the pavement structure.  Using a specialized mobile mixing plant, owned and operated by Pavement Maintenance Systems, the existing pavement millings were mixed with an engineered asphalt emulsion produced by Asphalt Materials, Inc.’s Oregon, OH terminal.  The CCPR mix was then transported back to the roadway where Brooks Construction Co, Inc. laid the CCPR mix using conventional paving equipment.   In total, 37,000 CCPR tons across 17 days of production completed the project.  After final curing of the CCPR mix, Brooks Construction Co, Inc. paved 2 inches of hot mix asphalt (HMA) to serve as a surface course for the roadway.

The pavement structure that INDOT selected for SR101 could be described as a green pavement. The newly constructed pavement consists of approximately 90% recycled materials from the existing roadway. In addition to the use of recycled material, the in-place construction of the FDR, and the close proximity of the mobile mixing plant allowed for efficient use of transportation resources.  Reusing the existing materials for reconstruction in lieu of virgin material and limiting transportation costs allowed INDOT to reconstruct 9 miles of a state highway that was beyond traditional repair in an innovative, value-added way.

The reconstruction of SR101 was a unique project made possible by the creativity of INDOT, technical support provided by Heritage Research Group, and construction materials supplied by Asphalt Materials, Inc. and Pavement Maintenance Systems.  This is just another example of how The Heritage Group continues to be a leader in road construction projects, building roadways, providing value to agencies, and forever improving the performance of pavements in an environmentally and economically friendly way.