August 19, 2021
Innovation of the Month:
Targeted Overlay Pavement Solutions
Last week, we discussed a case study involving asphalt overlays, part of the Targeted Overlay Pavement Solutions (TOPS) toolbox. This week, we’ll shift our focus to the other half of the program, concrete overlays.
After more than two decades of applying asphalt treatments on I-70, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) switched to bonded concrete overlays in 2010. Ten years later, it has proven to be a good decision.
The predominant issue with the asphalt pavement on I-70 in the early 1990s was cracking. KDOT attempted a number of solutions during this period, but unfortunately, the cracking returned in each case.
This cycle continued until 2010 when KDOT learned that due to the thickness of the existing asphalt, a bonded concrete overlay fit was a potential solution. Based on this recommendation, KDOT placed nearly 1.5 million square yards of bonded concrete as part of four projects along I-70. As of 2021, nearly 10 years after construction, the concrete overlays are performing well, with minimal faulting and cracking. Minor maintenance has been required to date, consisting only of very small quantities of concrete patching.
To learn more about TOPS, contact Tim Aschenbrener (asphalt) and Sam Tyson (concrete), EDC-6 team co-leads. To stay connected with the TOPS team, join their mailing list to receive updates and new resources as they become available.
EDC Outtakes – TOPS
In EDC Outtakes–a series of short interview videos–State practitioners and FHWA personnel give insight into the current round of EDC innovations. In our latest edition, Angela Folkestad, Executive Director of the American Concrete Pavement Association, CO/WY Chapter, discusses the benefits of concrete overlays, which CO has successfully used for over two decades.
Keep reading EDC News for future editions of EDC Outtakes!
TOPS EDC Storyboard- Telling the Story of Targeted Overlays
EDC storyboards share innovation deployment stories in an interactive digital slideshow that incorporates images, video, and graphics to create a highly visual experience for our readers.
Our latest storyboard comes from the targeted overlay pavement solutions (TOPS) team and discusses benefits of targeted overlays and gives some case study facts that might surprise you. Targeted overlays can increase service life, reduce construction time, and add other properties such as skid resistance to roadways for safety.
For more information on using targeted overlay pavement solutions on your roadways, contact Tim Aschenbrener (asphalt) and Sam Tyson (concrete).
Utah Creates Reinvestment Zones
Value Capture strategies provide needed revenue to support long-term costs associated with housing and transportation projects. Transportation Reinvestment Zones are designed to generate revenue for road and transit projects, stimulate well-planned development coordinated with transportation, and encourage collaboration across city and county boundaries. To help address the financial challenges that accompany projected population growth, Utah passed two pieces of landmark legislation that allow for areas within the State where two or more public agencies can establish an interlocal agreement to capture increased property or sales tax revenue generated by a transportation infrastructure project. Utah aims to supply tools to help provide affordable housing as well as expanded transportation options. Read more about Utah’s reinvestment zones or contact Thay Bishop or Stephan Natzke for more information.
The A-GaME Teams Up with NDE Partners for Some FastTIMES!
The Advanced Geotechnical Methods in Exploration (A-GaME) initiative promotes improved site characterization using non-destructive geophysical methods, among other highly effective methods. In partnership with the Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society (EEGS), the A-GaME team worked with A-GaME champions and fellow non-destructive evaluation (NDE) champions from FHWA and around the country to produce a special issue of FastTIMES dedicated to the deployment of geophysical and non-destructive testing methods used for U.S. highway infrastructure applications. Learn how the A-GaME and FHWA NDE programs are minimizing transportation disruptions; accelerating project delivery for rehabilitation and new construction; providing safe and reliable performance from roads, bridges and drainage structures; and making effective use of limited resources in FastTIMES’s Vol. 26, No. 2 Geophysics and Non-destructive Evaluation in U.S. Transportation Infrastructure.
To learn more about geophysical methods and the A-GaME initiative, contact Ben Rivers or Derrick Dasenbrock of the FHWA Resource Center.
To learn more about the New FHWA InfoTechnology™ NDE application and NDE Laboratory efforts, contact Hoda Azari of the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center.
To learn more about NDE pavement applications, contact Monica Jurado or Steve Cooper of the FHWA Resource Center.
To learn more about NDE applications for utilities, contact Julie Johnston of the FHWA Utilities Program.
Stay Up to Date on the EDC Innovations That Interest You Most
EDC teams are always on the move! If you blink, you could miss out on important webinars, case studies, tools, videos, and more. To never miss information for the EDC innovations that interest you most, visit the subscription page and select the topics you’d like to receive updates on directly from the teams that coordinate them.
Recent bulletins:
NextGen TIM – 8/16/21
A-GaME – 8/10/21
Center for Local Aid Support – 8/9/21
Virtual Public Involvement – 8/4/21
About EDC
Every Day Counts, a state-based initiative of the Federal Highway Administration's Center for Accelerating Innovation, works with state, local and private sector partners to encourage the adoption of proven technologies and innovations to shorten and enhance project delivery.
EDC News is published weekly by the FHWA Center for Accelerating Innovation.
Recommended Citation:
U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration Every Day Counts: Innovation for a Nation on the Move
EDC News: August 19, 2021 Washington, DC:
https://doi.org/10.21949/1521803
