When five Wisconsin highway commissioners recently gathered to talk pavement at the Wisconsin County Highway Association winter meeting, the conversation wasn’t small talk — it covered managing lane miles, overcoming air voids and understanding treatment options that can extend road life. Each leader carried the same mission: make roads last longer, cost less and perform better, despite stagnant budgets and growing challenges.
Pavements rarely decline from well-maintained to failing in performance overnight. They tend to deteriorate gradually through small cracks, small deformations, moisture intrusion and surface aging that can go unnoticed until the damage is unmistakable. Across the industry, this pattern raises a larger question: why wait to preserve pavements until deterioration is visible, costly and disruptive?
As road networks continue to age and maintenance budgets face increasing constraints, agencies are tasked with building both safe and long-lasting pavements that result in long-term budget health. Rumble strips are one example of a necessary, widely adopted safety countermeasure.
When a road looks and feels good, it’s rarely an accident. Pavement with a smooth ride and strong foundation is often the result of consistent assessment and strategic preservation that keeps good roads performing well year after year.
Helping agencies and contractors succeed starts with offering a toolbox of solutions, each addressing specific needs that may be encountered on roads throughout a network. The goal of every project is to select an optimal treatment to extend pavement life and budget. One of these innovative options is eFlex® highly modified micro surfacing, now part of the Asphalt Materials portfolio.
Asphalt pavements begin aging immediately after construction. Both physical and chemical changes to the pavement occur as a result of oxidation, UV exposure, presence of moisture, freeze and thaw cycles, and traffic wear. Early life aging can quickly lead to severe functional distresses such as raveling and cracking and set the stage for more costly downstream structural repairs. Early-life preservation treatments are critical to extending maintenance timelines and lowering life cycle costs of asphalt pavements.
Every road tells a story. Some roads have visible signs of structural distress while others show early signs of fatigue that can grow into costly failures if ignored. The challenge for any road manager is knowing when to act and how to make the most out of limited resources. That’s where pavement condition assessments come in.
In Monroe County, Michigan, a quiet revolution in road construction has turned deteriorated infrastructure into a national model of innovation, sustainability and community pride.
Building longer-lasting, safer roads starts with quality, reliable asphalt materials. Our portfolio of asphalt products offers an innovative solution at every pavement stage, from pre-preservation to full reconstruction, providing you with the right solution for your project, and your budget, every time.
The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announced a significant change in asphalt binder specifications in 2024, transitioning from PG 64-22 to PG 58-28. This change, effective for contracts let on or after September 1, 2024, affects all base grade liquid asphalt binder in Indiana as well as the testing requirements (from AASHTO M320 to AASHTO M332, incorporating AASHTO R92 requirements). In addition, the terminology of which liquid asphalt binders are referred to will be updated to align with these changes.
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