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Federal Highway Administration / Publications / Focus / May 1998

Accelerating Infrastructure Innovations

Publication Number: FHWA-SA-98-022
Date: May 1998

Survey Finds a Nearly Fourfold Increase in Superpave Projects This Year

State highway agencies plan to build 1,339 Superpave pavements in 1998, a nearly fourfold increase from the 350 Superpave projects built last year, according to a new survey by the Superpave Lead States team.

The survey found that Superpave projects will make up about 16 percent of the asphalt pavement projects States build in 1998. These projects will represent 33 percent of the hot-mix asphalt that States place.

"This suggests that States are choosing Superpave for their larger, more significant projects," says Paul Mack of the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT), head of the Lead States team. In 1996, Superpave mixes made up just 2 percent of the hot-mix asphalt States placed.

The survey found that 37 States have already implemented the Superpave binder specification, and all but 4 States plan to do so by 2000. Thirty-nine States plan to implement the volumetric mix design procedures by 2000, the target date set by the Asphalt Technical Working Group.

Seventeen States say they are well on their way to beating the target date for implementation of the Superpave mix design procedures. Take Maine, for example. This year, Maine DOT will build some 100 projects-virtually every asphalt paving project done by the State-using mixes designed with the Superpave mix design procedures. In 1996, in comparison, Maine built just two Superpave projects.

"The real driving force to implement the Superpave system was our plan to adopt quality control/quality assurance procedures in 1998," says Bruce Yeaton of Maine DOT. "We needed a method for contractors to design mixes that used equipment that was more affordable than the Hveem equipment. There's been lots of cooperation between Maine and industry, and we've had good experiences so far."

In just a couple of years, States like Maine will be the rule, Mack says. "We project that by 2000, 88 percent of national tonnage awarded will be Superpave mixes."

For more information, contact Paul Mack of New York State DOT (phone: 518-457-4445; fax: 518-485-7074; email: pmack@gw.dot.state.ny.us).

Superpave Projects Awarded.

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Updated: 06/27/2017
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