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2013R09EN
MONITORING OF INNOVATION
IN ROAD PAVEMENTS
Technical Committee D.2 Road Pavements
The World Road Association (PIARC) is a nonprofit organisation established in 1909 to improve
international co-operation and to foster progress in the field of roads and road transport.
The study that is the subject of this report was defined in the PIARC Strategic Plan 2008 2011
approved by the Council of the World Road Association, whose members are representatives of
the member national governments. The members of the Technical Committee responsible for
this report were nominated by the member national governments for their special competences.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions and recommendations expressed in this publication are
those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of their parent organizations or
agencies.
This report is available from the internet site of the World Road Association (PIARC)
http://www.piarc.org
Copyright by the World Road Association. All rights reserved.
World Road Association (PIARC)
La Grande Arche, Paroi nord, Niveau 2
92055 La Dfense cedex, FRANCE
International Standard Book Number 978-2-84060-325-2
Cover: CIMBTON
STATEMENTS
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This report has been prepared by Working Group 4 of Technical Committee D2 Road
Pavements and led by Sub-Committee D2b Flexible and Semi-Rigid Pavements of the World
Road Association (PIARC).
The contributors to the preparation of this report are:
Maria Azevedo (Portugal);
Sunil Bose (India);
Rudi Bull-Wasser (Germany);
Franois Chaignon (Canada);
Santiago Corro Caballero (Mexico);
Richard Elliott (United Kingdom);
Dimitris Evangelidis (Greece);
Marie-Thrse Goux (France);
Adolfo Guell (Spain);
Andras Guylas (Hungary);
David Hein (Canada);
Heikki Jamsa (Finland);
Primo Juravi (Slovenia);
Mali Keita (Malaysia);
Jozef Komacka (Slovakia);
Franois de Larrard (France);
Francis Letaudin (France);
Tony Lewis (South Africa);
Rafael Limon Limon (Mexico);
Aleksander Ljubi (Slovenia);
Sao Ljubi (Slovenia);
Andreas Loizos (Greece);
Renaldo Lorio (South Africa);
Rafeek Louw (South Africa);
Tim Morin (Canada);
Vaclav Neuvirt (Czech Republic);
Rajan Padavattan (South Africa);
Bryan Perrie (South Africa);
Zigmantas Perveneckas (Lituania);
Thierry Sedran (France);
Safwat Said (Sweden);
Saied Solomons (South Africa);
Mike Southern (Belgium);
Jean-Etienne Urbain (France);
Jan van der Zwan (Netherlands);
Mats Wendel (Sweden).
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The editors of this report are:
David Hein (Canada) for the English version;
Marie-Thrse Goux (France) and Francois Chaignon (Canada) for the French version.
Brian Ferne (United Kingdom) was responsible within the Technical Committee of the quality
control for the production of this report.
The Technical Sub-Committee D2b was chaired by David Hein (Canada). Marie-Thrse Goux
(France) and Rafael Limon Limon (Mexico) were the French and Spanish speaking secretaries,
respectively.
The French version is available under the reference 2013R09FR, ISBN: 978-2-84060-326-9.
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CONTENTS
SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................................7
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................9
1. BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................................10
2. INTEGRATION OF INNOVATION INTO ROAD CONSTRUCTION ........................................11
2.1. ADAPTATION/MODIFICATION OF EXISTING SPECIFICATIONS .......................................15
2.2. AGENCY LED INNOVATION .....................................................................................................17
2.3. SPECIAL ORGANIZATION PROCESSES ................................................................................18
2.4. TECHNICAL AGREEMENTS AND CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS ......................................23
2.5. VALUE ENGINEERING PROPOSALS BY CONTRACTOR BEFORE CONTRACT BID .....26
2.6. VALUE ENGINEERING PROPOSALS BY CONTRACTOR AFTER CONTRACT BID ........27
2.7. END PERFORMANCE AND LONG-TERM WARRANTY CONTRACTS ..............................28
2.8. PUBLIC/PRIVATE/PARTNERSHIPS AND CONCESSION AGREEMENTS ...........................29
2.9. SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................................30
3. EXISTING INNOVATION FACT SHEETS ......................................................................................31
4. INNOVATIONS CURRENTLY BEING IMPLEMENTED ............................................................32
4.1. BACKGROUND ...........................................................................................................................32
4.2. WARM MIX ASPHALT ................................................................................................................33
4.3. RECLAIMED ASPHALT PAVEMENT ........................................................................................33
4.4. WASTE AND BY-PRODUCT USE IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION .............................................33
5. INNOVATION NEEDS .........................................................................................................................43
5.1. POLICY ON INNOVATION .........................................................................................................44
5.2. NECESSITY TO FOSTER INNOVATION ...................................................................................45
6. CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................45
7. REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................47
8. TERMINOLOGY AND ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................47
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APPENDICES ...........................................................................................................................................49
APPENDIX A INNOVATION FACT SHEETS ..................................................................................49
ASPHALT RUBBER IN SWEDEN .....................................................................................................49
ASPHALT RUBBER IN SPAIN ..........................................................................................................50
HIGH MODULUS ASPHALT IN THE UNITED KINGDOM ...........................................................51
LENROB MODULE LEV, INTRODUCTION EN BELGIQUE ............................................52
IMPLEMENTING STONE MASTIC ASPHALT IN HUNGARY ......................................................53
STONE MASTIC ASPHALT IN SLOVENIA .....................................................................................54
FOAMED BITUMEN EMULSION IN SOUTH AFRICA ..................................................................56
LOW TEMPERATURE ASPHALT PAVING IN SLOVENIA ............................................................58
WARM MIX ASPHALT IN SOUTH AFRICA ....................................................................................60
WARM MIX ASPHALT IN SPAIN .....................................................................................................61
MICRO-SURFACING IN GREECE ....................................................................................................62
HOT ON HOT ASPHALT PAVING IN GERMANY (COMPACT ASPHALT)..................................63
HOT ON HOT ASPHALT PAVING IN LITHUANIA .........................................................................64
SELF-COMPACTING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL FOR WIDENING
OF LOW TRAFFIC ROADS IN FRANCE .........................................................................................66
REMOVABLE URBAN PAVEMENTS IN FRANCE .........................................................................68
ULTRA-THIN REINFORCED CONCRETE PAVEMENTS (UTRCP) IN SOUTH AFRICA ...........70
ULTRA-THIN CONTINUOUSLY REINFORCED CONCRETE PAVEMENTS (UTCRCP)
IN SOUTH AFRICA .............................................................................................................................71
MANAGING HIGHWAY NOISE IN QUBEC ..................................................................................72
LONG LIFE SURFACES FOR BUSY ROADS ..................................................................................74
APPENDIX B QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE USE OF WARM MIX ASPHALT,
RECYCLED ASPHALT CONCRETE AND BY-PRODUCTS ...........................................................77
Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) .............................................................................................................78
Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) ................................................................................................79
By-Products....................................................................................................................................81
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SUMMARY
In the 2008-2011 cycle of the World Road Association, the fostering, evaluation
and implementation of innovation in road design and construction was explored
by examining all of the innovation policies implemented by road administrations
and agencies with a focus on practical examples and experience in order to assist
others in the development of or their own innovation strategies. The purpose of
the monitoring of innovations strategy was to review the recent changes in
construction and maintenance of road pavements to identify where innovations
have been introduced towards improving roadway durability, recycling and re-use.
In addition an assessment of the developments taking place in road administrations
to foster innovation was completed.
A questionnaire on innovation needs was developed and circulated through the
committee members to their respective countries. The purpose of the questionnaire
was to develop an understanding of innovation needs that in the opinion of the
country representatives were not being adequately addressed.
A total of eight types of innovation policies were identified from the survey and
the basic principles of innovation policies along with their advantages and
disadvantages were summarized. It was found that innovation can pave the way
to making our engineers and contractors competitive on the world market while
cost-effectively extending the service life of our transportation infrastructure and
minimizing the impact of works on the road users. By fostering collaboration
between government agencies, industry and academia, it is possible to partner
to develop new policies, processes, and procedures to reduce time and cost and
improve the safety of our infrastructure. While innovation ultimately leads to a
benefit, which can include a reduction in cost, it is important to recognize that an
investment in innovation is necessary to achieve the ultimate benefits. This
typically requires some basic fundamental research and partners who are willing
to take risks to develop the innovation. These risks can be financial, technological
and commercial.
When evaluating an innovation, it should be recognized that there is a variety of
procedures for introducing an innovation and each may have its own benefits and
risks. The alternatives presented provide a basis evolution of the phases to
incorporate innovative policy, design and construction techniques and procedures
into an agencys procurement and delivery process for transportation infrastructure.
There are many lessons learned from the implementation of innovations. These
include:
The need to have committed project managers for the implementation of the
innovation;
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Care must be taken when implementation and innovation from another agency.
What works well in one location, may not work the same for other agencies;
Translation of design procedures and specifcations from one country to another
should be done with care particularly where test methods may not be the same;
Local expertise in implementing an innovation is very important and the lack of
experience of an agency or contractor can lead to signifcant challenges;
Public and private sector collaboration is important to achieve success;
Innovations should be gradually implemented with careful evaluation before
their widespread use;
It is critical to have a champion with standing in the industry and the resources
to drive the implementation of innovative technology until it is accepted by
industry;
It is important to carry out adequate research and testing prior to implementation
of new technologies;
Follow-up monitoring of the performance of innovations is critical to establishing
their success;
Establishing standards and specifcations for the implementation of innovations
will lead to more widespread use; and
Protection of patents and intellectual property is a key factor for fostering
innovation.
Finally, a series of innovation fact sheets was developed describing the specific
innovation, why it was developed, how the innovation was developed or adapted,
information on the implementation plan, progress and success, lessons learned
and contact details for more information.
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INTRODUCTION
In the 2004-2007 cycle, a working group of Technical Committee 4.3 Road
Pavements was tasked with synthesizing information on techniques to reduce
the impact of pavement construction, rehabilitation and maintenance activities on
road users (driving public and construction workers) and the adjacent land use
(homeowners, businesses, etc.).
Information collected as a part of the study included solutions to improve user or
construction worker safety, regulations (e.g. requirements for construction work
to take place during weekends or nights), environmental considerations (e.g. dust
control), quality/performance (contractor incentives to complete a project earlier
to reduce the impact on road users) or special treatments to ensure that local
traffic is not adversely impacted by construction activities, etc.
In the 2008-2011 cycle, the fostering, evaluation and implementation of innovation
in the road design and construction industry was further explored by examining
all of the innovation policies implemented by agencies with a focus on practical
examples and experience in order to assist others in the development of or their
own innovation strategies.
This technical report was developed by Technical Committee D.2 on Road
Pavements and addresses Issue D.2.4 on the monitoring of innovations from the
PIARC Strategic Plan for the period 2008 to 2011. The purpose of the monitoring
of innovations strategy was to review the recent changes in construction and
maintenance of road pavements to identify where innovations have been
introduced towards improving roadway durability, recycling and re-use. In
addition an assessment of the developments taking place in road administrations
to foster innovation was completed.
Information provided in this report was gathered through a survey of agency
practices and by case study contributions from a wide variety of members of the
working group and their member countries.
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1. BACKGROUND
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines innovation as the act of introducing
something new such as a new idea, method or device. Clearly, the introduction of
innovation in the transportation arena, whether in management methods or
construction techniques, can produce considerable benefits when it comes to
improving safety, reducing construction time and costs.
It should be recognized that an agency may have specific interests in the selection or
implementation of a particular innovation. For example, recycling or the use of a
particular by-product such as slag or waste tires in road construction may be of
national interest and therefore they may be implemented widely or even mandated by
law. While the social and environmental costs can be captured in a life-cycle cost
analysis, they are typically balanced against their impact on preserving natural
resources and their potential cost premium before they are widely used.
Prior to the implementation of a particular innovation, agencies/industry will
evaluate the technical, cost and environmental aspects of their potential
implementation. These evaluations may consist of performance based such as:
monitoring and evaluation of the experience of other agencies;
simulation and modelling of innovation performance;
laboratory testing and validation of material properties;
accelerated testing of laboratory or feld test sites or samples (may include test
sections, tracks, etc; and
full-scale construction and long-term monitoring of performance.
Each of the techniques above has costs, benefits and risks associated with them.
Market conditions may also dictate the speed and extent of the implementation of an
innovation. For example, if the implementation of an innovation is desired or
mandated by an agency and there is an expectation that a reasonable quantity of work
will be programmed from year to year, industry will readily invest in the equipment
and expertise to provide that innovation.
Once an innovation has been thoroughly mastered, it culminates in standardization.
Standards must not be perceived as obstacles to innovation, but rather as the outcome
of the process. Standards reflect the state of the art, as determined by consensus.
They enable the transportation agency to clearly state objectives in terms of expected
results. Contractors and suppliers can then refer to them in order to clearly define the
goal that the agency wishes to attain.
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A few specific methods can be considered in order to encourage innovation, such as
performance specifications. However, in meeting these specifications, innovations
must have reached a very advanced stage of development or evolution in order to be
used, due to the guarantees associated with this type of contract mechanism.
Competition, the competencies of each party, and sound risk-sharing are also
preconditions for the use of performance specifications.
Many other means of a more general nature can be adopted by agencies that are interested
in stimulating technological progress in pavements, regardless of the development stage
of a particular innovation. Examples of potential forms of action include:

properly manage commonly used techniques and tools, or in other words, tightly
control design standards and construction quality, with a view to building longer
lasting pavements and planning the reuse and recycling of materials from existing
pavements and existing structures; and
adopt laws, regulations, and contractual requirements that foster the emergence
of innovations and their market launch so that they remain competitive after
introduction.
The aim of technological progress is not simply to help reduce the direct costs of
pavement maintenance and rehabilitation but rather also to contribute to sustainable
development and to reduce the impact of construction work on the travelling public,
construction workers and to people living adjacent to the roadway.
2. INTEGRATION OF INNOVATION INTO ROAD CONSTRUCTION
This chapter deals with the basic principles of the policies set up by agencies in their
country to foster innovation by way of an example. In some situations, a road agency
may have special organizational processes or procedures that drive innovation. For
example, with a higher emphasis on sustainability agencies focus on recycling and
reuse of pavement materials. For obvious reasons the road industry, as a major user
of raw materials, is often seen as an option to utilize secondary or waste materials.
Taking into account the character of the market, it is quite clear that entrepreneurs
are looking for all opportunities to utilize these materials provided that there is a
financial gain. For a road owner other responsibilities apply. Their responsibility
goes far beyond the time frame of the contract. The choice of materials used now
could also affect maintenance and rehabilitation decisions during the life-cycle of
the contract as shown in figure 1, following page [Rijkswaterstaat 2009].
In the 1970s and 80s in Canada, steel slag, a by-product of steel production, was used
extensively as an aggregate for surface course asphalt mixes. After about 10 years of
service, asphalt mixes containing steel slag were found to have extensive cracking
which required removal and disposal of thousands of tonnes of materials. While the
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steel slag aggregate had excellent frictional properties, its lack of long-term durability
was questionable. While the technical issues with the performance were eventually
addressed, the financial cost of improving the aggregate made it more expensive
than conventional resources and it is no longer commonly used in Canada.
Choices made in the past might have high cost consequences in the future because
environmental and occupational conditions may have changed. Products such as tar
and asbestos that were used in the past as asphalt additives resulted in huge expenses
to agencies to remove them due to their health effects. The likeliness of changing
conditions should remind road owners on their responsibilities. As an example: in
the Netherlands a very severe environmental system of regulations applies regarding
the leaching of materials. For tar (containing asphalt), as a carcinogenic product, the
policy is to destroy the product by incineration. The Netherlands is the only country
in the world where this policy has been implemented. In Europe, the EC Regulation
No. 1907/200 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction
of Chemicals (REACH) will likely impact some recycling decisions.

Primary raw materials


Recycling waste materials
Production
Construction
Useful
application
Waste/emission
Energy
Use and maintenance
Demolition
Re-use materials
Supply of raw materials
materials
information
Use and
maintenance
FIGURE 1 RELATIONSHIP DIAGRAM FOR ROAD CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
For road maintenance activities, the road owner will have to provide information to
a contractor about the nature and composition of road materials. Contractors will
have to know this in order to know what the financial risks are if they incorporate
these materials into the road construction:
can materials be recycled again (not only technical); and
do they obey national environmental regulations etc.
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If an agency cannot provide this information, there may be enormous costs of
investigation or the management of for example, asphalt milled from the road surface.
Therefore a very good registration system knowing exactly where materials with
which properties have been applied is necessary. For example, in Canada, in the
1960s and 1970s, asbestos was added to asphalt concrete for road building. The
asbestos increased the thickness of the asphalt film around the aggregate by forming
a mastic. The use of asbestos extended the life of the asphalt concrete. Unfortunately,
the material was found to be a health hazard and now, it is required to test for asbestos
in the asphalt concrete and if found, special precautions must be used when removing
it and it is not permitted to use the recycled asphalt in new asphalt concrete and it is
considered hazardous waste and must be disposed of accordingly.
For the outside world, the road industry sometimes is seen as a low-tech industry
where these kinds of products can be applied without any issue. A new philosophy
on the acceptance of recycling products is needed for the road industry. In the
Netherlands a decision model has been developed. The model can be applied to
determine to what extend the use of a (waste) material is a no-regret option. Normally,
with virgin raw materials, future recycling of these materials is not typically
considered to be an issue, although this might be untrue.
In Germany the use in the past of some natural aggregates now gives problems
because asbestos-like components were included which gives occupational problems
when milling asphalt. Although we cannot look in the future and by this do not know
what new conditions will arise, it is necessary to take into account present knowledge
and developments to avoid that we will later say we at that time made a wrong
decision. Experience is that decisions very rarely are made on an integral approach.
The Dutch model can be used in order to define whether a certain choice should be
avoided or to determine what measures should be taken in order to control possible
negative aspects [CROW 2007]. In the model, 5 themes have been defined to be
important to make the decision.
1. Social acceptance by the civilians and industry;
2. Health and security; this comprises all safety and health risks for employees,
adjacent living people and users;
3. Quality of the surroundings and environmental issues, the physical environment
is dealt with, direct and indirect environmental effects and long time effects;
4. Management and control: divided over risks of spreading, the possibility to trace
the materials and the possibility to reuse them; and
5. Economics in broadest sense: maintenance costs, removal costs, market,
willingness to invest, potential for innovation, and impact on employment.
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By using this model based on knowledge one can determine the impact for a certain
option. Especially in the case of potentially dangerous materials, this is recommended.
A comparison with other materials or (better) with other possible use of the specific
secondary (or waste) product a decision can be made if a (by the market) desired
product is based on an integral approach, acceptable.
For example, in the Netherlands, due to the governmental policy, a significant
amount of waste incineration bottom ash is produced. This material is being re-used
instead of landfill. It has been decided that using the material diminishes the use of
scarce raw building materials. Nevertheless, giving environmental reasons and the
controllability, only the use in large amount per project (100,000 t or more) is
accepted. In this way one really knows where the material is, (in fact a functional
dump) and in the future the material can be handled when it comes free. The market,
given the negative economic value of the bottom ash, is looking into possibilities to
use the material in asphalt and concrete and in doing so making money.
Applying the model makes it clear that there are significant risks related to this kind
of application. People for instance will not accept to have concrete in their house
with this material. A possibility would be to apply the material only in outdoor
applications, but the recycling system that has been created will mean that (unless a
very restrictive control system will be developed) recycled material will be used in
house concrete. Remember that in general, there is no registration and control on
where these materials will be applied. And even if such a system should be present,
the fact is that it still may fail. The consequences in the long run will be that waste
incineration bottom ash will be spread all over the country. Therefore it was decided
not to accept the use of any other application for bottom ash than the present one.
The recognition that the long-term effects have to be taken into account, also applies
to materials with no direct negative environmental impact. An example, in many
countries recycling of asphalt is a common procedure. In several European countries
almost all RAP is being recycled. To control the quality of the newly produced
asphalt, quality systems are in use; normally taking into account the viscosity of the
old binder to determine which new binder will have to be applied. The increasing use
of all kinds of polymer modifiers, additives, rejuvenators etc, means that the
variability of RAP will increase with possible effects on the recycling system. There
will be a growing possibility that contractors will refuse to accept certain streams
given high risks or impossibilities to recycle.
The best way to use the model is on a national level, not a contract level. One is not
obliged to use it, every country or road agency can use its own criteria and weighting
factors. Based on the outcome of such a process one can decide if a possible solution
is acceptable or what measures one has to take to counterbalance the risks.
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The following sections include a discussion on the basic principles of innovation
policies and outline their advantages and disadvantages. A total of eight types of
policies were identified.
The principal differences between these policies are:
the risk sharing between the agency and the contractor; and
the technical evaluation process put in place to qualify the behavior and the
performance of the innovation in order to foster its development and re use.
A list of the policies reviewed are as follows:
1. adaptation/modification of existing specifications;
2. agency led innovation;
3. special organizational processes;
4. technical agreements and certification programs;
5. value engineering proposals by a contractor before contract bid;
6. value engineering proposals by a contractor after contract award;
7. end performance and long-term warranty contracts; and
8. Public/Private/Partnerships.
The following sections provide a brief outline of each of the innovation practices
outlined above.
2.1. ADAPTATION/MODIFICATION OF EXISTING SPECIFICATIONS
In general, performance or functional specifications outline requirements based on
the functional properties of the pavement which describe the function of a product
that is important for traffic safety, accessibility, comfort, environment and life cycle
costs. The performance or functional specifications principle is to define requirements
in respect to the ultimate functionality of the pavement. For example, the Swedish,
performance specification for asphalt material properties [Said 2009] can be
classified as a combination of performance (performance over time), performance
based (fundamental mechanical properties) and end-result specification (end-product
properties) according to the definition of PIARC [PIARC 2000].
The present Swedish pavement specification enables the evaluation of the pavement
based on functional properties. Appropriate and practical test methods to specify
materials in terms of their structural properties are one of the essential factors to
bring about the performance-based specifications. The relevant structural or
functional properties will ensure bituminous materials mixes designed for the
purpose they are intended to serve. It is also essential that the test procedure takes
into consideration the effect of production, laying and compaction of asphalt
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mixtures, simply testing end-product. The testing procedures in the specification are
chosen based on their suitability for routine use and they should be sufficiently
reliable to be used in the quality control and specification for asphalt mixes as well
as in mechanistic design of pavement [Said 2009].
The concept in the Swedish asphalt specification in respect to performance or
function is to define requirements for each layer rather than for individual asphalt
mixes. For example, a base layer must fulfil some requirements in respect to traffic
loading and climate conditions, such as resistance to fatigue cracking. The Swedish
specification does not, however, emphasize which types of mixes have to be used in
base layers.
Based on the implementation of these specifications, the cost of construction has
increased slightly but the quality of work has also increased and it is estimated that
the life of the pavements have been increased by about 30 percent.
In Slovenia, stone mastic asphalt (SMA) was introduced for use on high volume
roadways as a wear resistant surface. As a part of this introduction, new technical
specifications were introduced by the Slovenian Asphalt Pavement Association
(ZAS) and in 1997 the Annex for SMA of Special Technical Conditions PTP SCS
1989 (similar to German ZTV Asphalt). This modified specification was prepared
by ZAS and in 2000 it was issued by DRSC (Slovenian Roads Agency). The next step
was the adoption of technical specifications TSC 06.412:2001 Bituminous wearing
courses: Stone Mastic Asphalt (Technical Specification for Roads) in 2001. All of
the SMA projects completed to date (approximately 500 km) were completed using
these specifications. Further details on this adaptation are provided in a technical
fact sheet in Appendix A.
In Spain, rubber asphalt has been mandated for use on all roadways. Initially,
specifications and test methods from other countries were adopted to build several
test sections. Following their success, the Spanish Road Authority adapted these
specifications and published suitable Spanish specifications for use in all projects.
These specifications were used for other major projects and are being modified
based on experience from these projects.
In Portugal, the use of asphalt rubber is not compulsory but there is interest in using
rubber asphalt for environmental reasons. As rubber asphalt is not covered under
European Standards, the Portuguese Standardization Body (IPQ) published a
national standard covering the terminal blend and in-situ production of rubber
asphalt. A non-compulsory regulation was developed in cooperation with national
laboratory, universities and industry. This regulation is followed for projects where
rubberized asphalt is used in the asphalt concrete. A survey program was established
to validate the performance and applicability of the specification.
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The Rijkswaterstaat in the Netherlands, which is responsible for infrastructure
management, has made a change in service delivery to performance contracts. Based
on system engineering, the government specifies a high performance level and gives
the contractor the choice to use construction techniques, materials and working
methods that should lead to fulfilling the functional requirements of the pavement.
Nevertheless, given the fact that the long term risks are always the responsibility of
the government, one has the policy that only validated materials and methods may
be applied. Any contractor innovations or special procedures must first be validated
before they are permitted to be used for a contract (see section 3.3).
As with the examples provided above for asbestos and steel slag aggregate, one must
be vigilant in only accepting waste and by-product materials if they have a very well
defined benefit and they do not lead to other problems in the future for potential
recycling or reuse of the road building materials [PIARC 2008].
2.2. AGENCY LED INNOVATION
Some agencies like the Canadian Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO),
sponsor innovation seminars where agency, consultant, university and contractor
personnel have reviewed and recommended specific promising innovations for
development and implementation.
Transport Qubec (MTQ) in Canada established the Centre Qubcois de Transfert
de Technologie Routire (CQTTR), now called the Centre Qubcois de Transfert
des Technologies des Transports (CQTTT) which was established to transfer
knowledge and promote transportation expertise. The MTQ also regularly sponsors
transportation innovation projects and contributes financially to demonstration and
technology advancement projects.
In Spain, a law of sustainable economy (Ley de Economa Sostenible), defines
specific goals including the mandatory use of recycled rubber from tires in asphalt.
This promotes the use of contractor innovation to meet the objectives of the law.
In South Africa, Ultra Thin Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (UTCRCP)
was introduced by the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) in 2005.
This was a technology developed in Scandinavia for concrete industrial pavements
and subsequently used for strengthening of steel bridge decks. The product is a
high-strength, heavily-reinforced, very thin (50 mm) concrete pavement containing
both steel and polypropylene fibres. In this case the UTCRCP was used on its own
as a pavement surface layer. This innovation was identified and funded by SANRAL,
with research by CSIR, specifications in conjunction with contractor input and then
implemented as a standard specification.
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In the United States, the National Highway Authorization Bill (SAFETEA-LU)
provides funding for research (Title V), that provides technology development,
innovation and transfer. This is used to fund and develop applied research technology,
complete technology demonstration projects, workshops, conferences, cooperative
agreements with stakeholder organizations, etc. through the Innovative Pavement
Research and Deployment Program which is funded at U.S. $26 million per year.
The surface transportation research program addresses fundamental, long-term
highway research aimed at significant research gaps, emerging issues with national
implications, and research related to policy and planning. All research activities
include a component of performance measurement and evaluation, are outcome-based,
and must be consistent with the research and technology development strategic plan.
Some specific features include strengthening and expanding the operations element
in research, including provisions addressing transportation system management and
operations, operational methodologies to reduce congestion, transportation security,
and asset management.
In Sweden, asphalt rubber from recycled tires, produced according to the Arizona
wet process, was introduced to the pavement industry in 2007 by the Swedish Road
Administration (SRA). The process was originally used in Arizona in the United
States. The reason for Sweden to adopt this technology is mainly to improve pavement
performance. Increased durability, reduced wear from studded tires and durable
noise reduction have been goals of the project.
After a thorough investigation and several visits to production sites in other countries,
SRA decided to rent equipment for producing the asphalt rubber binder. Several
laboratory studies were conducted to clarify the environmental effect of using
asphalt rubber. SRA provided the equipment, crumb rubber and knowledge to the
contractors in specific pavement projects. The risk of failures was shared between
contractor (workmanship) and SRA (design).
2.3. SPECIAL ORGANIZATION PROCESSES
Many agencies are very active in promoting innovation for transportation projects.
In general these programmes foster, through sponsoring research and development,
answers to special needs formulated by the road administration or agency. The
results of such processes are variable: from research results to the evaluation of new
materials or products with the definition of the field of application and the
determination of the technical characteristics to be taken into account in a pavement
design process.
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Netherlands
The Roads to the Future project sponsored by the Dutch Road Authority,
Rijkswaterstaat (RWS), includes key components to rapidly introducing new
pavement maintenance and rehabilitation techniques by minimizing or sharing the
risks and liabilities associated with the introduction of new innovations. The project
sponsors contractor competitions which are then ranked and funded by the RWS to
prototype and evaluate the benefits of the innovation.
Four possible sources of innovation and their validation are shown in figure 2.
Innovations ideas can be generated by the market on their own or from a response to
a request or challenge by the RWS. The innovation ideas are then reviewed to
determine their applicability and validity, i.e. does it comply with regulations, will
the targeted effect be long-lasting and is the risk acceptable? RWS has organized
itself into specific innovation groups including:
WNT Roads to the Future;
WINN Water as a Source for Innovation;
IPG Noise Innovation Programme; and
IPL Air Quality Innovation Programme.
Each of these groups plays an important part in the fostering and validation of
innovation proposals.
FIGURE 2 TWO LEVELS WITHIN INNOVATION PROJECTS (Rijkswaterstaat)
The life-cycle and evolution of an idea through its implementation is shown in
figure 3, following page.
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FIGURE 3 INNOVATION FROM IDEA TO PRODUCT (Rijkswaterstaat)
The process established in the Netherlands starts with the generation of ideas and
concepts based on a vision of the future and it is followed by an elimination stage to
identify the most promising ideas and concepts. This can lead to the development of
proof of concept or pilot projects to validate the ideas. Once validated, the concept is
moved into full production and long-term monitoring.
Finland
In Finland, the National Technology Agency (Tekes) established the Infra National
Programme which was designed to foster innovative procurement practices for new
markets and international competitiveness. The program sponsored numerous
projects completed by the government, universities and the private sector including:
the development of sustainable development guidelines, working methods, products
and materials;
ground penetrating radar data analysis and evaluation;
automated road maintenance equipment;
quiet road surfaces;
sensor technology for infrastructure condition monitoring;
performance requirements for maintenance contracts;
transportation project procurements and innovative contracting methods; and
new technologies for the management of underground infrastructure.
One of the goals of the project was to strengthen Finnish entrepreneurs, create new
business activities, enhance and expand Finnish research internationally and improve
cooperation between research and business entities.
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United States
In the United States, there are several transportation innovation programs sponsored
by the Federal Government and by individual state agencies. The Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) established the Highways for Life (HfL) program. The
purpose of the HfL program is to invest in innovation to extend the life of highway
infrastructure and to get in, get out and stay out by taking proven technologies
and promoting widespread adoption of these technologies or processes. The three
goals of HfL are:
improve safety during and after construction;
reduce congestion caused by construction; and
improve the quality of the highway infrastructure.
Ultimately, the FHWA believes that there are many currently available innovations
that if adopted, would result in significant benefits to the agency, contractors and
travelling public. Some of the topics addressed by HfL include:
innovative contracting;
intelligent compaction;
movable barriers in work zones;
prefabricated bridge elements and systems;
precast concrete pavement systems;
self-consolidating concrete;
silica fume in high-performance concrete;
self-propelled modular transporters;
whitetopping;
prefabricated bridge elements;
automated pavement marker placement system; and
intelligent asphalt compaction analyzer.
Additional details on the U.S. Highways for Life program can be found at http://
www.fhwa.dot.gov/hfl/map_description/map_description.cfm
Barriers to innovation may be financial and in many cases relate to agency
procurement processes. For example, until the 1990s, it was literally against the law
for many U.S. highway agencies to use the design/build procurement method to
deliver transportation projects. The U.S. Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)
clauses precluded the use of design/build.
Since 1990, the FHWA has allowed the State DOTs to evaluate non-traditional
contracting techniques under a program titled Special Experimental Project No. 14
(SEP-14) - Innovative Contracting. The ultimate goal of the SEP-14 was to allow
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transportation agencies the use of alternate contracting, enabling them to accelerate
construction projects in a cost-effective manner while maintaining product quality
and contractors profitability.
Originally, the contracting practices approved for evaluation were: cost-plus-time
bidding, lane rental, design-build contracting, and warranty clauses. After a period
of evaluation, the FHWA decided that all four practices were suitable for use as
operational practices (non-experimental).
Today, SEP-14 remains as a functional experimental program that may be used to
evaluate promising non-traditional contracting techniques. In fact, the term
alternative contracting may be a better descriptor than innovative contacting
as some of these techniques are widely used and are no longer considered to be
innovative by some contracting agencies. In 2002, the title of SEP-14 was changed
from Innovative Contracting to Alternative Contracting.
Canada
In Canada, transportation innovation can also be found at several levels of government
and industry. For example, the Canada Revenue Agency provides all Canadian
controlled corporations with access to the Scientific Research and Experimental
Development (SR&ED) program which is a federal tax incentive program to
encourage research and development that will lead to new, improved or technologically
advanced products or processes. The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), is a
Government of Canada crown corporation created in 1998 to fund research
infrastructure in Canada. The agency provides funding for universities, colleges and
non-profit research institutions to advance Canadian research and technology. Other
federal government agencies such as the National Research Council (NRC) complete
basic research through pooled fund studies, or in the case of Transport Canada,
though major federal programs such as the Canada/U.S. border initiative. The
Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) is a national association of Canadian
transportation agencies, consultants and contractors that is dedicated to improving
the transportation infrastructure in Canada. TAC members help to sponsor
transportation research and development that is typically carried out by universities
and consultants.
France
For many years, the French ministry responsible for the management of the national
roads and highways has always fostered innovation through special procedures to
facilitate the emergence and the evaluation of new product or material for road
construction, previously called Charte Innovation, and now called Committee for
Road Innovation.
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Since 2006 a new procedure was put in place with partnership with the main roads
owners, concessionaires and local authorities. The main aim of the program is to
sustain the development made by the contractors and their research departments
allowing their evaluation though specific test programmes.
Each year a committee chaired by the road director with the representatives of the
road owners express their needs and priorities in road construction, maintenance and
management. For example in 2010 priority was given to:
the optimization of the use of semi-urban road networks;
the durability of the bridges; and
long lasting materials.
Once the priorities have been established, a call for proposals is issued for interested
contractors. A board of examiners selects the most relevant and appropriate proposals
and defines an experimental plan in order to evaluate the product, materials or
process proposed by the contractor. This experimental plan is conceived to expand
the field of application and then to allow the dissemination of the innovation.
2.4. TECHNICAL AGREEMENTS AND CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS
A brief outline of a few innovation agreements/certification programs are described
below.
France
Technical agreements have been developed in France for road construction during
the 1990s by the French ministry of transport. The main aim is to evaluate the
behaviour and performance of a new material, product or equipment that are not
covered by a national standard and proposed by a contractor. Specific programmes
based on laboratory tests, accelerated field tests with visual survey and measurements
and mechanical models that are defined by the technical services of the French
administration (SETRA and LCPC). After the program is established, a technical
agreement is delivered which outlines:
the feld of application of the innovative techniques (type of road, traffc, climate,
etc.);
the technical performance that can be expected and specifed in a contract; and
recommendation for the application and monitoring of the application.
The technical agreement allows the contractor to put a product on the market when
it is not covered by a standard. Examples of the agreements can be found at:
http://www.setra.equipement.gouv.fr/Avis-techniques-en-cours-de.html
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and http://www.cftr.asso.fr. Recently a new national forum for the exchange of
technologies, Institute for Roads, Streets and Infrastructure for Mobility (IDRRIM)
has been established http://www.idrrim.org.
South Africa
The procedure adopted by the South African National Road Agency (SANRAL) for
the transfer of new technologies and new products, is the Agrment SA which is an
assessment and certification system. The word Agrment is French and it means
consent or approval. The board of the Agrment South Africa was established in 1969
as an objective, independent agency which evaluates the fitness-for-purposes of non
standardized construction products.
Agrment South Africa specialises in non-standard products and complements the
South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and has international links with the
World Federation of Technical Assessment Organization (WFTAO).
The assessment and certification procedure is undertaken in six stages:
Stage 1: assessment of applicants data
Stage 2: assessment of production control
Stage 3: laboratory testing
Stage 4: system Installation
Stage 5: system performance trial (if applicable)
Stage 6: certifcation
Stage 7: monitoring
Generally each stage shall be successfully completed and, where appropriate, a
report issued prior to the commencement of the next stage. However, stages 1 to 5
may, if all required data is available, at the request of the applicant be undertaken
concurrently. The applicant shall have the option of withdrawing from the programme
at any stage should the system submitted fail to comply with the requirements.
All systems shall be able to demonstrate satisfactory performance on at least 3 sites,
and under conditions representative for the Certificate class selected by the
application, over a period of at least two years. One of the sites shall have been
monitored during the two-year period by Agrment SA or their agent. Existing data
obtained during the road trial for departmental type approval will normally be
acceptable to Agrment SA. In the case of no data, or insufficient data from completed
trials being available, an appropriate monitoring plan needs to be developed for the
necessary trial applications for which the applicant will carry full responsibility and
risk during the evaluation period of 2 years. At the discretion of Agrment SA,
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temporary certificates may be provided, on the basis of laboratory test results and
other available data, pending the completion of all field tests.
Where systems already have type approval, or part approval, from an organisation or
client body recognized by Agrment SA, and based on rigorous evaluation of
information that can be substantiated to Agrment SA, the existing test data may be
used for assessment purposes under stages 3 to 5. The suitability of existing test data
will be assessed by Agrment SA.
Agrment SA, in consultation with the industry task team, reserves the right to amend
or supplement the tests required for Agrment SA assessment and certification at any
time, if required. The cost of all further testing is borne by the applicant. A certificate
is only awarded on the systems successful completion of the appropriate stages 1 to
6. Further details of this procedure can be found at: www.agrmentsa.co.za
United Kingdom
The Highways Authorities Product Approval Scheme (HAPAS) was introduced with
the objective of developing national approval arrangements for innovative products,
materials and systems for use in highways and related areas, removing the need for
individual authorities to carry out their own assessments and tests. It was set up by
the U.K. Highways Agency, CSS (now ADEPT) and the British Board of Agrment
(BBA), with other bodies represented on the Specialist Groups, whose members are
drawn from organisations with technical expertise in highways work.
HAPAS is administered by the BBA, overseen by the Highways Technical Advisory
Committee (HiTAC), with certificates issued by the BBA acting on recommendations
from HiTAC. Specialist groups are set up by HiTAC for each product type put
forward for consideration. Further details are available at: www.bbacerts.co.uk
Netherlands
As outlined in section 3.3, the Netherlands uses a validation process for new materials
which is in fact technical approval for their use. This allows the agency to gain
experience with the expected performance of the new material and to complete
life-cycle costing type analyses to permit comparison of the new materials to
conventional construction. Knowledge of the expected performance is also relevant
in order to compare bids based on life-cycle costing.
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2.5. VALUE ENGINEERING PROPOSALS BY CONTRACTOR BEFORE
CONTRACT BID
Value Engineering (VE) is a creative, organized approach whose objective is to
optimize cost and/or performance of a facility or system. Through a fairly rigorous
series of evaluation procedures, unnecessary expenditures are avoided, resulting in
improved value and economy. The Value Engineering approach is directed toward
analysis of functions. It is concerned with elimination or modification of anything
that adds costs to an item without contributing to its required functions. During this
process all expenditures relating to design, construction, maintenance, operation,
replacement, etc., are considered.
In most countries the calls for tender for road construction allow the contractors to
propose technical solutions either for the materials or products or construction
process. In such calls for tender, contractors can propose innovation. In this case the
contractor generally defines a period of guarantee during which they will take action
to address any performance issues of the innovation.
Alternative bid contracts are contract bids that are developed with two or more
equivalent alternatives for construction, e.g. asphalt concrete versus concrete
pavement types. Several countries have adopted this approach to promote competition
and reduce cost.
South Africa
In South Africa, a contractor can submit an alternative bid offer only if a main bid
offer, strictly in accordance with all the requirements of the bid documents, is also
submitted. The alternative bid offer is to be submitted with the main tender offer
together with a schedule that compares the requirements of the bid documents with
the alternative requirements the bidder proposes. The bidder must notify the agency
no less than two weeks before the closing time stated in the bid data when submitting
an alternative offer based on an alternative design (including modifications to a
design). The alternative offer must include sufficient supporting information in the
form of drawings, calculations and a priced alternative pricing schedule. A responsive
bid is one that conforms to all the terms, conditions and specifications of the bid
documents without material deviation or qualification. A material deviation or
qualification is one which, in the agencys opinion, would:
detrimentally affect the scope, quality, or performance of the works, services or
supply identifed in the scope of work;
change the agencys or the bidders risks and responsibilities under the contract; or
affect the competitive position of other bidders presenting responsive bids, if it
were to be rectifed.
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The modified Pricing Data must include an amount equal to 5 percent of the amount
bid for the alternative offer to cover the agencys costs of confirming the acceptability
of the detailed design before it is constructed.
United States
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) used VE for the I-10 Escambia
Bay Bridge Replacement project due to Hurricane Ivan in 2004. As a result of the VE
exercise, the project bids came in US $20 million under original estimates while still
providing the same level of quality and performance. Subsequently, FDOT has made
extensive use of Value Engineering and Design/Build procurement for transportation
infrastructure projects.
Many U.S. highway agencies are using constructability reviews to incorporate
construction expertise into the early design phases of a project, thus ensuring a
biddable, constructable and cost effective design. In addition to reductions in cost
and overall construction time, contracting agencies have found that a formal review
of constructability often discloses issues that might not become evident until the
physical work actually starts. For example, constructability reviews have been
successfully used to identify alternate material sources, additional construction
staging areas, different ways of addressing environmental mitigation and various
ways of staging the actual construction of the project.
The North Carolina DOT has determined that constructability reviews have been
effective on major rehabilitation and new construction contracts on high-volume,
urban freeways with environmental mitigation concerns. The NCDOT utilizes
representatives from the North Carolina Contractors Association for constructability
reviews. The NCDOT initially found that constructability reviews resulted in
significant decreases in contract time, as well as reductions in contract costs, road
user costs and improvements in the traffic control plan.
2.6. VALUE ENGINEERING PROPOSALS BY CONTRACTOR
AFTER CONTRACT BID
Some agencies permit value engineering change proposals (VECP) from the
contractor after the project is bid and awarded. Typically, value engineering change
proposals are made by a contractor to an agency. The agency then reviews the change
proposal to determine its validity and risk. An independent review of the potential
savings is completed and any cost savings are typically shared by the contractor and
owner. In some cases the designer may be included in the shared savings.
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2.7. END PERFORMANCE AND LONG-TERM WARRANTY CONTRACTS
In the past, the approach used by many agencies to deliver road construction and
maintenance contracts was through the use of empirically (method or recipe) based
specifications. From past experience, specifications were developed and materials
and construction procedures inspected and tested to ensure that the end product
would serve its intended purpose. These types of contracts do not lend themselves
very well to innovation. Designers and contractors simply follow the rules set
forth by the agency and the product is delivered. Many countries are moving towards
long-term warranty and performance based contracts.
The best opportunity for innovation is providing an entrepreneur with the freedom
to make choices. This is possible if the agency challenges the designer/contractor to
develop creative solutions by using end performance specifications which allows the
designer/contractor the ability to select a wide variety of solutions provided the end
performance requirements are met. For example, for Ohio Department of
Transportation (ODOT) concrete pavement construction projects, the contractor can
elect to saw and seal concrete transverse joints or simply to saw cut them. However,
if the joints do not perform adequately according to a strict performance requirement,
the contactor is required to repair or replace the affected concrete slabs. End
performance specifications provide an entrepreneur with the freedom to introduce
innovations. However, it is important for both parties to have certainty about the
price/performance ratio of an innovation. This means that the performance must be
a known factor by means of some form of validation.
Many agencies have been experimenting with extended warranty contracts. The
normal 1 year contract warranty is extended to periods of between 3 and 10 years.
These extended warranties balance risk of construction deficiencies and cost to both
the agency and contractor. This promotes high quality contractor performance and
staff training to ensure a quality product. For warranty periods of up to 3 years, most
contractors will simply ensure that their quality is sufficient to meet the warranty
requirements. Contractors bidding long term warranty contracts tend to assess the
risk of possible poor performance and increase their bids prices accordingly with
higher costs the longer the term of the warranty. The agency needs to assess the
amount of risk that is transferred to the contactor and the value of that risk.
Performance based specifications cannot completely capture all performance based
requirements and agencies are not able to perform sufficient quality assurance
testing to mitigate all risks due to design, materials and construction deficiencies.
Performance levels can either be set with not to exceed values at the end of the
contract or are set on a sliding scale with indicators such as cracking, smoothness,
surface frictional properties, etc. checked each year of the contract.
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Performance specifications also tend to promote contractor innovation in that the
method of construction is not specified and they are free to use materials and methods
to achieve the end performance requirements.
Long-term performance contracts are sometimes linked with longer than normal
bonding requirements which may be difficult to obtain for some contractors.
2.8. PUBLIC/PRIVATE/PARTNERSHIPS AND CONCESSION
AGREEMENTS
Public-private partnerships, or PPP projects, have received considerable attention as
a means of narrowing our infrastructure gap. Transportation PPPs were pioneered in
Europe and by the 1990s, two types of partnership approaches had evolved real toll
and shadow toll approaches. Under the more common real toll approach, private
concessionaires arrange financing, construct roadways, maintain them, service their
debt, and derive revenue from tolls collected directly from motorists. One of the
main benefits of the real toll concession approach is that it enables governments
to tap into sources of private capital and avoid using public monies to build highways.
The shadow toll, initially adopted in the United Kingdom and used in countries
such as Canada, Spain and Portugal involves governments awarding concessions to
build-operate-maintain toll-free highways and then compensating the investors
based on roadway usage and/or availability of those facilities.
In North America, the U.K., France, Australia, India and other countries, a number
of models have been used and reflect the varying degrees of risk transfer from the
public sector to the private sector. Design-Build models are at the lowest end of the
spectrum, with risk transfer largely associated with cost overruns. Privatization
models are at the highest end of the spectrum whereby the private sector assumes all
risk. In between there are a number of variations that reflect progressively more risk
transfer, including; Design-Build-Maintain (DBM) and Design-Build-Finance-
Maintain (DBFM).
What are the benefits of PPP projects? PPP projects move from conception to
commission much faster than the traditional design-bid-build procurement process.
Procurement is achieved through a single design-build process, rather than
procurement of a separate design team, construction team, and contract administration
team. PPP projects are schedule driven which fosters a cooperative working
relationship between the designer and the constructor. PPP projects encourage both
design and construction innovation that can be incorporated into the design phase.
As agencies build on the design-build model, they transfer more risk to the private
sector including the risks associated with operating, maintaining, and rehabilitation.
To ensure public safety and acceptable levels of service, agencies specify key
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performance indicators and maintenance trigger values, as well as financial penalties
to ensure compliance. The transfer of risk, especially cost-associated risk, permits
more effective budget planning.
While individually, each of the projects is somewhat unique in the delivery
mechanism and the challenges faced by the owners and the concessionaires, there
have been a number of common elements that helped to make the projects a success.
In virtually every case, the use of PPP allows for the owner to deliver the project
much more quickly than the traditional design-bid-build process. In several cases,
the use of PPP also allowed the owner to turn to the private financing to deliver a
project that may otherwise not been possible with agency funds. Another key feature
is the development of an Agreement that provides the owner with the ability to
deliver transportation projects in a cost-effective and timely manner and the private
sector with more participation in the delivery of the project which in term promotes
both design and construction innovation.
The Netherlands use a model, called the Public Private Comparator, to determine
cases where a DBFM project is to be preferred above a normal Design Build contract
delivery mechanism. This model is obligatory for all major new- and reconstruction
works above 35 million Euros. In a DBFM project, more degrees of freedom can be
given to the contractor who will be responsible for a longer period (15-25 years) and
will be paid on the basis of availability of the road. During the period where the road
is not available to the travelling public, e.g. during maintenance operations, the
contractor is not paid or in some cases receives a penalty. For DBFMs, the technical
risks for the agency are decreased and less validation of a new material or technology
is needed compared to conventional contracts. Nevertheless, in these types of
contracts it is noted that a contractor (or his financer) is reluctant to use innovations
that are not properly validated either.
2.9. SUMMARY
Innovation can pave the way to making our engineers and contractors competitive
on the world market while cost-effectively extending the service life of our
transportation infrastructure while minimizing the impact of construction on the
road users. By fostering collaboration between government agencies, industry and
academia, it is possible to partner to develop new policies, processes, and procedures
to reduce time and cost and improve the safety of our infrastructure.
While innovation ultimately leads to a benefit, which can include a reduction in cost,
it is important to recognize that an investment in innovation is necessary to achieve
the ultimate benefits. This typically requires some basic fundamental research and
partners who are willing to take risks to develop the innovation. These risks can be
financial, technological and commercial.
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When evaluating an innovation, it should be recognized that there is a variety of
procedures for introducing an innovation and each may have its own benefits and
risks. The alternatives presented in this chapter provide a basic evolution of the
phases to incorporate innovative policy, design and construction techniques and
procedures into an agencys procurement and delivery process for transportation
infrastructure. Similarly, it is necessary to determine the ability of the construction
industry to take the financial risk to complete the necessary research, and invest in
the resources and to share the associated risk. Each agency should evaluate the best
way to foster and promote innovation.
3. EXISTING INNOVATION FACT SHEETS
One of the benefits of organizations such as the World Road Association (PIARC) is
the transfer of knowledge from agency to agency and country to country. We can all
learn from the experiences of others and adapt innovations from others for use within
our own organizations. Several recent technical innovations are described in the
following format in Innovation Fact Sheets provided in appendix A:
What: what is the innovation?
Why: why did the agency use or adopt the innovation?
How: the process of the innovation and how it was used or adapted
Plan, Progress and Success: a description of the innovation implementation plan,
progress and success
Lessons Learned: what are the key lessons learned from the innovation
Additional Information: contact or source for additional information
Innovations described include:
asphalt rubber (Sweden and Spain);
high modulus asphalt (U.K and France);
stone mastic asphalt (Hungary and Slovenia);
foamed bitumen stabilized materials (South Africa);
warm mix asphalt (Slovenia, South Africa and Spain);
hot on hot asphalt paving (Germany and Lithuania);
micro-surfacing (Greece);
ultra-thin reinforced concrete pavements (South Africa);
ultra-thin continuously reinforced concrete pavements (South Africa);
highway noise abatement (Canada-Qubec);
pre-cast concrete slab (France);
removable urban pavement (France);
self compacting cementitious materials (France);
bitumen emulsion and foamed bitumen stabilized materials (South Africa); and
long life surfaces for busy roads (United Kingdom).
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The type and origin of the innovation fact sheets is presented at the beginning of the
appendix. As several innovations on the same subject were presented by several
countries, they are grouped by country.
As mentioned in the Fact Sheets, there are many lessons learned from the
implementation of these innovations including:
the need to have committed project managers for the implementation of the
innovation;
care must be taken when implementation and innovation from another agency.
What works well in one location, may not work the same for other agencies;
translation of design procedures and specifcations from one country to another
should be done with care particularly where test methods may not be the same;
local expertise in implementing an innovation is very important and the lack of
experience of an agency or contractor can lead to signifcant challenges;
public and private sector collaboration is important to achieve success;
innovations should be gradually implemented with careful evaluation before their
widespread use;
it is critical to have a champion with standing in the industry and the resources to
drive the implementation of innovative technology until it is accepted by industry;
it is important to carry out adequate research and testing prior to implementation
of new technologies;
follow-up monitoring of the performance of innovations is critical to establishing
their success;
establishing standards and specifcations for the implementation of innovations
will lead to more widespread use; and
protection of patents and intellectual property is a key factor for fostering innovation.
4. INNOVATIONS CURRENTLY BEING IMPLEMENTED
4.1. BACKGROUND
In order to assist others and to disseminate knowledge, three areas of interest to road
designers were selected for more detailed description. The information was gathered
though the use of a questionnaire. The three techniques selected were:
warm mix asphalt;
reclaimed asphalt pavement; and
use of waste and by-products in road construction.
The questionnaire used to assemble the information in examples of innovations
currently being implemented is given in appendix B.
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The techniques above were selected as examples of innovations that have been
widely implemented as a part of their sustainable road construction practices and
their contribution toward a green environment.
4.2. WARM MIX ASPHALT
Warm mix asphalt typically refers to procedures and additives that permit the
production and placement of asphalt concrete at lower temperatures than have
traditionally been used. In general, many countries have tried or are planning to try
the use of warm mix asphalt concrete. In most cases, the agency is expecting similar
performance to that of hot mix asphalt which achieving potential energy savings,
reduced green house gas emissions and improved safety for workers both at the
asphalt plant and at the job site. General barriers to implementation are the lack of
long term performance data and specifications. A summary of the findings of the
survey are provided in table 1, page 34 to 37.
4.3. RECLAIMED ASPHALT PAVEMENT
Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has gained significant popularity with the
widespread use of milling machines to profile and remove asphalt from the surface
of the roadway and the asphalt industry associations now claim that asphalt is one of
the most highly recycled products on earth. A survey on RAP was completed to gain
further understanding on the current state-of-the-art of RAP use. The survey found
that RAP is extensively used throughout the world both for re-use in hot mix asphalt
and in cold and hot in-place recycling and mixed with road aggregate base. The
state-of-the-art in the specification and use of RAP is well advanced and many
agencies make use of RAP to promote environmental sustainability and recycling. In
Europe, Committee TC227/WG1 has standardized the specifications for RAP. A
summary of the findings of the survey are provided in table 2, page 38 to 41.
4.4. WASTE AND BY-PRODUCT USE IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION
Many agencies permit the use of waste materials and by-products in pavement
construction. The waste and by-products are either used to enhance the properties of
the pavement layers or to reduce their cost through the savings in the use of new
materials and the promotion of sustainable construction. The survey on the use of
waste and by-products in pavement construction found that their use varies
significantly around the world. Many agencies are experimenting with waste and
by-product use but there is concern regarding the potential future impact of the use
of the waste and by-products and the long-term pavement performance. A summary
of the findings of the survey are provided in table 3, page 42-43.
MONITORING OF INNOVATION IN ROAD PAVEMENTS 34
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It is noted that, in Europe, there is a move to standardize the use of waste and
by-products in pavement construction. For example, within TC 154/WG12
Aggregates from Secondary Source, which is tasked with the evaluation of road
building aggregates, a task group is reviewing the use, application and technical and
environmental requirements for waste and by-product materials.
TABLE 1 - WARM MIX ASPHALT IMPLEMENTATION
Country/
Question
Canada
Canada-
Quebec
Denmark Finland France Hungary
1. Use WMA Yes Yes No No Yes No
2. Procedures
used
Zeolite,
Evotherm,
Sasobit, Sasoflex,
Advera,
Aspha-Min, Foam
Zeolite, CMW,
Evotherm and
Sasobit
Various additives
including Zeolite
3. Fields of
application
Wide variety,
typically lower
volume roads
Moderate volume
roads,
AADT<10,000
All road types and
levels of traffic
4. Quantity used >100,000 t (2009) 25,000 t (2009) >500,000 t (2009)
5. Experimental
or widely used
Experimental Experimental Common
6. Potential for
use (High, Med,
Low)
High
High if costs
reduced
High
7. Documentation
available
Some No Some
8. Reasons for
use
Environmental
and energy
savings
Environmental
and energy
savings
Environmental
and energy
savings
9. Barriers to use
Cost and
contractor
experience
Cost
Performance
information on the
products
Contractors not
ready to produce
and place yet
10.Typical
temperature
(production and
placement
120-160C
110-125C
130-160C
115-135C
120-140C
100-120C
11.How are
temperatures
achieved
Additives Additives Additives
12.Plant or
process of
production
modified
With some types
of products yes
Only if additive at
the plant
With some types
of products yes
13.Behaviour
(Good, Fair,
Poor)
Monitoring Monitoring Good
14.Limitations
of use
Generally
restricted to lower
volume roadways
Currently not for
highways, not
beyond Ctober
due to
temperature
concerns
Has to perform as
good as
conventional or it
has to be replaced

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TABLE 1 - WARM MIX ASPHALT IMPLEMENTATION (CONTINUED)
Country/
Question
Japan Lithuania Norway
South
Africa
Switzerland
United
States
1. Use WMA Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes
2. Procedures
used
Foaming agent Zeolite
WAM Foam,
Cecabase RT945
Sasobit, Rediset
Zeolite,
Evotherm,
Sasobit, Sasoflex,
Advera, Foam
3. Fields of
application
All roads, traffic
up to 20,000
vehicles/day
Experimental test
sites only
Experimental
All roads,
moderate to heavy
traffic loading
All roads and
traffic from
interstate to local
4. Quantity used >3 M m
2
Experimental 6,000 t (2009) 4,000 t (2009) >500,000 t
5. Experimental
(E) or widely (W)
used
Widely used Experimental Experimental Experimental Widely used
6. Potential for
use (High, Med,
Low)
High
High if cost
reasonable
High Medium Interest High
7. Documentation
available
Yes (Japanese) No
Yes, 2009
(Norwegian)
www.sabita.co.za
www.hotmix.org
www.
warmmixasphalt.
org
8. Reasons
for use
Cost savings
(10-20%), lower
CO2 (10-20%)
Environmental
and energy
savings
Contractor fuel
savings
Cost savings and
environmental
Environmental
Environmental
and energy
savings
9. Barriers to use
Cost and recycle
use
Cost and
performance
Proven cost
effectiveness and
performance
Lack of
knowledge
Small cost
savings and lack
of specifications
Experience
Cost and
experience
10.Typical
temperature
(production and
placement
130C
100C
140C
120C
110-120C
80-110C
120-140C
120-140C
120-160C
110-125C
11.How are
temperatures
achieved
Foaming agent Zeolite Foaming agent Sasobit, Rediset Many
12.Plant or
process of
production
modified
No Yes Yes Yes Yes
13.Behaviour
(Good, Fair,
Poor)
Good Monitoring
Monitoring, initial
rutting higher,
possible reduced
life of 2 to 5 years
Good, quality
requirements
same as for
conventional
Good
14.Limitations of
use
None Experimental Experimental Experimental None
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TABLE 1 -. WARM MIX ASPHALT IMPLEMENTATION (CONTINUED)
Country/
Question
Belgium Sweden Portugal Spain
Saudi
Arabia
Slovenia
1. Use WMA Yes. Very limited Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes as a modifier Yes.
2. Procedures
used
Sasobit and
Zeolite, Foaming
planned
Soft binders or
steam added
Cecabase, Zeolite,
Foamed and
Special Emulsions
Sasobit, wax Sasobit
Zeolite, Sasobit,
various wax
alternatives
3. Fields of
application
Two experimental
roads
Widely used,
increased season
All roadways Major highways Major highways All roadways
4. Quantity used Few km Widely used <10,000 t Few km > 250 km Few km
5. Experimental
(E) or widely (W)
used
Experimental Production Experimental Experimental Experimental Experimental
6. Potential for
use (High, Med,
Low)
High, expected to
stimulate use
High High High Low
High, depends on
costs
7. Documentation
available
Energy use and
CO2 savings
calculated
Technical papers
available in
Swedish
Limited Limited Laboratory results
Several technical
papers available
8. Reasons for
use
Energy and CO2
savings
Reduce
environmental
impact
Reduce
environmental
impact
CO2 savings,
reduce
environmental
impact
As a modifier for
the asphalt
To reduce
environmental
impact, special
uses docks
9. Barriers to use
Unsure of
long-term
performance,
additional cost,
contractor
experience
None substantial.
Higher cost, lack
of technical
guidelines
Higher cost Higher cost Higher cost
10.Typical
temperature
(production and
placement
130C
110 to 90C
Temperature
reduction of 40C
resulted in 8 x
reduction in
fumes
50 80C
60 80C
(emulsion)
Additives
120 140C
100 120C
Emulsion
80 110C
60 120C
-35C to
conventional
-35C to
conventional
120 140C
100 120C
120 140C
120 140C
11.How are
temperatures
achieved
Sasobit, Zeolite Steam Zeolite Sasobit Sasobit Zeolite, waxes
12.Plant or
process of
production
modified
Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
13.Behaviour
(Good, Fair,
Poor)
Unknown yet Good Good Good Good Good
14.Limitations
of use
Specifications
needed
None
Subject to
monitoring
None
Subject to
availability
Specifications
MONITORING OF INNOVATION IN ROAD PAVEMENTS 37
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TABLE 1 - WARM MIX ASPHALT IMPLEMENTATION (CONTINUED)
Country/ Question Germany Netherlands United Kingdom
1. Use WMA Yes Yes Yes
2. Procedures used
Many including Fischer-Tropsch
waxes, fatty acid amides and
Montan waxes
Waxes, foaming techniques
Foam, sulphur, wax (sasobit),
zeolite and other proprietary
additives
3. Fields of application All road types and levels of traffic All road types
All types, particularly short
possession roads
4. Quantity used Significant
1
>10,000 t (2009) Not known
5. Experimental (E) or widely
(W) used
Widely used Experimental
Reasonable use for some products,
but mainly experimental
6. Potential for use (High, Med,
Low)
High High High
7. Documentation available See Note 1 Some
Some including energy and CO2
savings
8. Reasons for use Reduce environmental impact Environmental and energy savings
Environmental and energy savings
and extending working window
9. Barriers to use Higher cost Performance information
Confidence in long term
performance and cost
10.Typical temperature
(production and placement
130 150C
90 120oC 90 120C >20C below conventional
11.How are temperatures
achieved
Additives Foamed bitumen Additives
12.Plant or process of production
modified
Yes
Foaming technology to be applied
in plants
Depends on additive and quantity
used
13.Behaviour (Good, Fair, Poor) Good Monitoring, but to date it is good
Some good results to date but
being monitored
14.Limitations of use None
Has to perform similar to normal
hot mix asphalt. No limitations
Small scale use
1
See German Warm Mix Asphalt Reference for additional information [DAV 2009]
MONITORING OF INNOVATION IN ROAD PAVEMENTS 38
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TABLE 2 - USE OF RECLAIMED ASPHALT PAVEMENT
Country/
Question
Canada
Canada-
Quebec
Denmark Finland France Hungary
1. Use RAP Yes Yes Yes since 1980 Yes Yes Yes
2. Types of RAP
and uses
All mixes, road
base
All mixes, road
base
All mixes, road
base
Asphalt mixes
All mixes, road
base
Secondary roads
with low traffic
3. Where is RAP
used
All mixes, some
restriction on
surface course for
high volume roads
All mixes, some
restriction on
surface course for
high volume roads
Some restriction
on surface course
use, no traffic
limits
Used in asphalt
surface up to 20%
Can be used up to
50 % but typically
it is 20 to 30%
In-place recycling
both cold and hot
4. Quantity used Extensive Extensive Extensive Extensive Extensive 100 km/year
5. Experimental
or extensively
used
Extensive Extensive Extensive Extensive Extensive Extensive
6. Future
potential of RAP
High High High High High High
7. Technical
information
available
Extensive Extensive Extensive Available Extensive Available
8. Main reason
for using RAP
Environmental
savings, recycling
Environmental
savings, recycling
Environmental
savings, recycling
Environmental
savings, recycling
Environmental
savings, recycling
Environmental
savings, recycling
9. Road
authorities
interested in
using RAP and
why/why not
Yes, recycling Yes, recycling
Yes, recycling,
cost savings
Yes, required Yes, mandated Yes, cost savings
10.Barriers to
more widespread
use
None
Some quantity
restriction at some
asphalt plants
None None
Cost to process,
transport and
analyze mix
requirements
Lack of contractor
capabilities
11.Comments/
issues
No major issues,
stockpile
segregation and
processing higher
Many contractors
prefer virgin
materials and less
complexity
Restrictions in EN
12108X series
give contractors
problem with type
tests
No issues
No major
technical issues
Some restriction
on percent RAP
due to traffic
volume
12.Standards
Yes, same as
conventional
Yes, same as
conventional
Yes, same as
conventional
Yes, same as
conventional
NF EN 13108-8
NF EN 12697-42
Yes, through
MAUT Roads
13.Performance Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent
14.Restrictions
on use
Some agencies do
not allow in
surface course
Not in surface
course,
experimenting
with 10 percent
Not in surface
course
None
Limitations based
on the quality of
the RAP
None other than
some traffic levels
MONITORING OF INNOVATION IN ROAD PAVEMENTS 39
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TABLE 2 - USE OF RECLAIMED ASPHALT PAVEMENT (CONTINUED)
Country/
Question
Japan Lithuania Norway
South
Africa
Switzerland
United
States
1. Use RAP Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
2. Types of RAP
and uses
All mixes, road
base
All mixes, road
base
All mixes, road
base
All mixes, road
base
All mixes, road
base
All mixes, road
base
3. Where is RAP
used
No limitation
except porous
asphalt
20% surface
20% base
35% aggregate
base
5 to 11% for
asphalt mixes
63% for aggregate
base
15% surface
25% base
35% aggregate
base
SN 670 062
SN 640
431-1b-NA
Percent depends
on traffic
Varies with
agency but
typically up to
35%
4. Quantity used 30 M t (2002)
Extensive, all
RAP recycled
720,000 t (2008) Extensive Extensive Extensive
5. Experimental
or extensively
used
Extensive Extensive Extensive Extensive Extensive Extensive
6. Future
potential of RAP
High High High High High High
7. Technical
information
available
Extensive Extensive Extensive www.nra.co.za Extensive Extensive
8. Main reason
for using RAP
Environmental
savings, recycling
Environmental
savings, recycling
Environmental
savings, recycling
Environmental
savings, recycling
Environmental
savings, recycling
Environmental
savings, recycling
9. Road
authorities
interested in
using RAP and
why/why not
Yes, mandated Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
10.Barriers to
more widespread
use
None None None None None None
11.Comments/
issues
RAP use
monitored by
KFA who
promotes
recycling
Perception that
RAP mixes are
inferior to
conventional
asphalt
Availability of
RAP and ability
of plants to
process
12.Standards Yes
Yes, European,
German and
Swedish
Yes
Yes
www.nra.co.za
SN 670 141-144
SN 640 431-8a
Yes
www.asphalt.org
13.Performance Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent
14.Restrictions
on use
Not permitted in
porous asphalt
Must meet mix
requirements
Depends on
municipality, KFA
promotes
recycling,
transport and
stockpile
sometimes an
issue
Must meet mix
requirements
Must meet mix
requirements
Must meet mix
requirements
MONITORING OF INNOVATION IN ROAD PAVEMENTS 40
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TABLE 2 - USE OF RECLAIMED ASPHALT PAVEMENT (CONTINUED)
Country/
Question
Belgium Sweden Portugal Spain Slovenia Germany
1. Use RAP Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
2. Types of RAP
and uses
Both warm and
cold
Both warm and
cold
Many uses,
percent limits
Both warm and
cold
All mixes, road
base
All mixes except
SMA and Porous
3. Where is RAP
used
Everywhere Everywhere Everywhere Everywhere
Some restrictions
on surface course
for high volume
roads
Everywhere
4. Quantity used 4,500,000 t/yr 1,000,000 t/yr Extensively 1,000,000 t total 150,000 t/yr >12,000,000 t/yr
5. Experimental
or extensively
used
Extensively since
1990
Extensively Extensively Extensively Extensively Extensively
6. Future
potential of RAP
Same as current Same as current Same as current High High High
7. Technical
information
available
Extensive Extensive Extensive Extensive Extensive Extensive
8. Main reason
for using RAP
Cost savings,
reduce waste
Cost savings,
reduce waste
Cost savings,
reduce waste
Reducing waste
Cost savings,
reduce waste
Cost savings,
reduce waste
9. Road
authorities
interested in
using RAP and
why/why not
Yes, cost savings,
reduce waste
Yes, cost savings Yes, cost savings Reduce waste
Yes, cost savings,
reduce waste
Cost savings,
reduce waste
10.Barriers to
more widespread
use
Low penetration
of recycled binder,
quality
Quality control,
sometimes cost
Characterize for
performance
Quality control
procedure issues
Quality control,
sometimes cost
Not enough high
quality RAP
available
11.Comments/
issues
Nothing major
Prefer separate
stockpiles
Not for porous
mixes
None
It takes time and
space to create
separate
stockpiles
None
12.Standards EN 13108-8
EN 13108-8
VV Publication
2000:93
Yes, in Portuguese Yes, available EN 12108-8
EN 12108-8.
12697-42, TL
AG-StB 09 and
StB-42
13.Performance Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Good Excellent
14.Restrictions
on use
None None None None
Must meet mix
requirements
None
MONITORING OF INNOVATION IN ROAD PAVEMENTS 41
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TABLE 2 - USE OF RECLAIMED ASPHALT PAVEMENT (CONTINUED)
Country/ Question Netherlands United Kingdom
1. Use RAP Yes Yes
2. Types of RAP and uses Both warm and cold All mixes
3. Where is RAP used Everywhere Everywhere
4. Quantity used All old asphalt is recycled, > 4,500,000 t/yr Extensively
5. Experimental or extensively used Extensively since 1970 Extensively
6. Future potential of RAP High High
7. Technical information available Extensive Extensive
8. Main reason for using RAP
Cost savings, reduce waste, reduce use of
natural materials
Cost savings, reduce waste
9. Road authorities interested in using RAP
and why/why not
Yes, but has been standardized for a long time Separation at source, quality, availability
10.Barriers to more widespread use None None
11.Comments/issues
Tar containing asphalt is separately removed
and incinerated
Plant capability, increased testing
12.Standards EN 13108-8 EN 12108-8, 12697-42, MCHW Clause 902
13.Performance The same as virgin materials Excellent
12.Restrictions on use None
<10%: none
>10%-<25%:binder tests
>25%: mix stiffness
MONITORING OF INNOVATION IN ROAD PAVEMENTS 42
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TABLE 3 - USE OF WASTE AND BY-PRODUCTS FOR ROAD BUILDING MATERIALS
Country/
Question
Canada
Canada-
Quebec
Denmark Finland France Hungary
1. Use of waste
and by-products
in road
construction
Yes Yes Yes Unknown Yes Yes
2. Types of waste
and by-products
used
Shingles, glass,
foundry sand,
rubber, RAP
Shingles, steel
slag, RAP
RAP, steel slag,
crushed tiles and
bricks, bottom
ash, fly ash
Shingles, crushed
concrete, RAP,
bottom ash, fly
ash
Steel slag and
fly-ash
3. Fields of
application
Wide variety of
specifications and
use across Canada
Steel slag for
surface courses,
3% shingles in
surface, 5% in
base asphalt
Asphalt mixes,
aggregate base
and embankments
Asphalt mixes,
aggregate base
and embankments
Steel slag for
surface and
fly-ash in base
course
4. Regulations Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
5. Future
potential of
by-product use
Moderate
Moderate, fibres
in asphalt
High
High depends on
quality
Moderate, some
recent research
from Institute for
Transport
Sciences
Country/
Question
Japan Lithuania Norway
South
Africa
Switzerland
United
States
1. Use of waste
and by-products
in road
construction
Yes Yes Yes (limited) Yes No Yes
2. Types of waste
and by-products
used
Steel slag, rubber,
porous elastic
rubber
Crushed concrete
Crushed concrete,
glass, rubber
Steel slag, rubber,
mine waste,
phosphor gypsum,
fly and bottom
ash, demolition
waste, crushed
concrete,
lignosulfate
Steel slag, rubber,
shingles, crushed
concrete, fly and
bottom ash
3. Fields of
application
Not in
expressways or
national highways
Road shoulders Varies
Wide variety of
construction and
maintenance uses
Varies
4. Regulations
Must provide
same life as
conventional,
meet
environmental
requirements
EN 13242 and
13285
Must provide
similar
performance to
conventional
Variety of
technical
guidelines and
specifications
Must provide
similar
performance to
conventional
5. Future
potential of
by-product use
Advancing Advancing Advancing Advancing Advancing
MONITORING OF INNOVATION IN ROAD PAVEMENTS 43
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TABLE 3 - USE OF WASTE AND BY-PRODUCTS FOR ROAD BUILDING MATERIALS
(CONTINUED)
Country/
Question
Belgium Sweden Portugal Spain
Saudi
Arabia
Slovenia
1. Use of waste
and by-products
in road
construction
N/A Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
2. Types of waste
and by-products
used
Steel slag, asphalt
and aggregate,
bottom ash
Rubber, fly ash,
bottom ash, steel
slag
Rubber
Steel slag, crumb
rubber
Steel Slag
3. Fields of
application
Gravel roads,
flexible roads
All roads All roads Major roads All roads
4. Regulations
VV Publ 2009:160
VV Publ 2001:34
Yes Yes Yes
The same
requirements as
usual
5. Future
potential of
by-product use
High, especially
for environmental
issues
Extensive
Mandatory for
asphalt rubber
Limited based on
availability
Advancing
TABLE 3 - USE OF WASTE AND BY-PRODUCTS FOR ROAD BUILDING MATERIALS
(CONTINUED)
Country/ Question Netherlands United Kingdom
1. Use of waste and by-products in road
construction
Yes Yes
2. Types of waste and by-products used
Steel slag, blast furnace slag, bottom ash, fly
ash, mine stone, contaminated soil, crushed
concrete and masonry, rubble, RAP, sieve sand,
copper slag, phosphorus slag, dredge soil
Blast furnace slag, colliery spoil, china clay
sand/ stent, fly ash, foundry sand, bottom ash,
incinerator bottom ash, phosphoric slag,
recycled aggregate/asphalt/ concrete/glass,
slate, spent oil shale, steel slag
3. Fields of application All roads Wide variety of uses
4. Regulations Yes
EN 12620,13043,13242 and 13285, DMRB
Volume 7 HD 35/04; must comply with relevant
specification
5. Future potential of by-product use High but consider issues described in Section 3 High
5. INNOVATION NEEDS
A questionnaire on innovation needs was developed and circulated through the
committee members to their respective countries. The purpose of the questionnaire
was to develop an understanding of innovation needs that in the opinion of the
country representatives were not being adequately addressed. The key questions
asked in the survey were:
1. Does your country have a particular policy on innovation?
2. How are innovation needs defined and by whom?
3. Do you believe that it is necessary to foster innovation to address the following
issues:
a. Reducing availability of raw road building materials.
b. Substitute products for bituminous binders.
MONITORING OF INNOVATION IN ROAD PAVEMENTS 44
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c. Adaptation to climate change.
d. Environmental concerns and changing regulations.
e. Reduction of traffic disruption during road work.
f. Performance levels.
g. Innovation in calls for tender.
h. Technology transfer.
A summary of the information provided in the responses is as follows.
5.1. POLICY ON INNOVATION
Agency policies on innovation varied significantly from several that indicated that
they had no formal policies to those that had well established multi-year programs.
In some cases formal research and development strategies were in place including
both annual requests for innovation proposals and full-scale experimental
construction and evaluation. For example, in South Africa research and development
policies include:
DST 2002. South Africas National Research and Development Strategy.
Department of Science and Technology, Pretoria, South Africa.
DST 2007. Innovation towards a knowledge-based economy: Ten-Year Plan for
South Africa (2008 2018). Department of Science and Technology, Pretoria,
South Africa, June 2007.
General innovation needs are determined by the Department of Science and
Technology using tools such as foresight studies and strategic planning processes.
Roads-related research and development and innovation needs are determined in the
following structures:
the road pavements forum that is attended twice a year by more than 100 delegates
from government and industry;
the Pavement Research Advisory Committee under the auspices of the National
Roads Agency; and
the Council for Scientifc and Industrial Researchs Research Advisory Panel for
infrastructure.
In Switzerland, the specialists of the Swiss Federal Roads Office, ASTRA identify the
specific innovation needs for national roads. They announce the research projects and
supervise them. The results of these projects are used to update the guidelines for the
construction of the national motorways. The Swiss Association of Road and
Transportation Experts, VSS includes experts delegated from public administration
and companies. All experts have a specific background and technical knowledge about
road design and construction, planning and realization and road maintenance. The
MONITORING OF INNOVATION IN ROAD PAVEMENTS 45
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VSS is advancing and executing the Swiss-Standards for road design and road planning
including agreement with European-Standards. Expert committees define innovation
needs, supervise innovation projects, design new and adapt existing standards.
The Portuguese Institute for Road Infrastructure (InIR) has created an Innovation
and Standardization Forum to identify and manage the issues of innovation needs.
Currently, innovation needs for roads are defined by the road concessionaries with
the material producers, the contractors, the universities, the laboratories, the service
companies, etc. All stakeholders (principals, owner of infrastructure equipment,
engineers, construction companies, test laboratories, producers of construction
materials, research institutes, universities) who are involved in road planning,
construction and realization are working together to find optimum solutions and
define the standards based on the state of the technology (www.inir.pt).
The Dutch Rijkswaterstaat has an extensive policy on innovation which was
described in detail in section 2.3.
Other countries allow private companies to propose their own innovation ideas on a
wide variety of subjects of particular interest to the road agency.
5.2. NECESSITY TO FOSTER INNOVATION
Virtually all of the respondent countries indicated the need to foster innovation.
There was unanimous agreement in the need to innovate to reduce the reliance on
virgin building materials and to reduce the impact of climate change through the
reduction in CO
2
emissions. Several countries are looking at ways to improve
pavement performance and be environmentally friendly by using cool and heat
resistant pavement and water retention permeable pavements. It was also felt that
innovation would be necessary to address future changes in regulations related to
carbon taxes and stormwater management. In order to minimize the impact on
traffic, there is a need for more durable products and for faster execution of
maintenance and rehabilitation. It is also expected that climate change will be a
driver for innovation in the transportation field. Several also commented that the
current world-wide recession has reduced the ability for technology transfer through
reduced attendance at technical conferences and other technical exchange forums.
6. CONCLUSIONS
Some of the key lessons learned and drivers of innovation identified during the
development of this report include:
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the success of the implementation of innovative procedures and technologies
depends on the desire for change, experience of the agency, engineering and
contracting experience;
it is important to have the ability to modify fnancing and contracting mechanisms
to successfully create an appropriate contracting model to implement innovation;
it is important to understand and incorporate local social, environmental and
economical drivers for innovation;
a strong technical evaluation process must put in place to monitor and qualify the
behaviour and the performance of the innovation in order to foster its development
and continued use;
innovation is essential to actively solve challenging problems and avoid industry
stagnation;
it is important to determine the conditions under which innovation is fostered;
the implementation of innovation depends on the strength of the agency and desire
for innovation and willingness to take risk;
successful innovation implementation depends on the ability of an agency to
understand the risks associated with the adoption of an innovation;
agencies and industry must be willing accept and share risk; and
it is important to consider the adoption of performance based specifcations
including the ability to measure and predict performance to equitably share risk.
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7. REFERENCES
CROW. Integraal ketenbeheer: beleid zonder spijt Model voor een verantwoorde
inzet van bouwstoffen in de gww-sector (Integral Chain Control Policy without
Regret, Model for Responsible use of Building Materials. Ede, The Netherlands:
CROW Rapport D07-01, 2007.
DAV. Warm Mix Asphalts. Bonn, Germany: German Asphalt Paving Association,
2009.
RIJKSWATERSTAAT. Rijkswaterstaat innovationos: The Gudielines, Description
of the current procedures. Netherlands: Dutch Ministry of Transport, Rijkswaterstaat,
December 2010.
SAID, S. Swedish Pavement Performance Specifcation. Cancun, Mexico:
PIARC International Seminar on Pavement Maintenance, 2009.
WORLD ROAD ASSOCIATION. Flexible Pavement, Evoluation of Specifcations
and Quality Systems to Deliver Performance. Paris, France: PIARC Report
08.08.B, 2000.
WORLD ROAD ASSOCIATION. Review of the Growth and Development of
Recycling in Pavement Construction. Paris, France: PIARC, 2008R05EN, 2008.
8. TERMINOLOGY AND ABBREVIATIONS
Terminology (within the context of this document)
Value Engineering: Value engineering (VE) is a systematic method to improve
the value of goods or products and services by using an examination of function
Warm Mix Asphalt: Hot mix asphalt that is modifed in order for it to be produced
and placed at lower temperatures
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ABBREVIATIONS
ASTRA Swiss Federal Roads Office
CFI Canada Foundation for Innovation
CQTTT Centre Qubcois de Transfert des Technologies des Transports
DBM Design-Build-Maintain
DBFM Design-Build-Finance-Maintain
DOT Department of Transportation
FAR U.S. Federal Acquisition Regulations
FDOT Florida Department of Transportation
FHWA U.S. Federal Highway Agency
HfL Highways for Life
IDRRIM French Institute for Roads, Streets and Infrastructure for Mobility
InIR Portuguese Institute for Road Infrastructure
IPQ Portuguese Standardization Body
LCPC Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chausses
MTQ Transport Qubec
NCDOT North Carolina Department of Transportation
NRC National Research Council of Canada
PPP Public/Private/Partnership
RAP Recycled Asphalt Pavement
RWS Dutch Road Authority, Rijkswaterstaat
S&RD Scientific Research and Experimental Development
SABS South African Bureau of Standards
SAFETEA-LU United States National Highway Authorization Bill
SANRAL South African National Roads Agency
SEPT-14 U.S. FHWA Special Experimental Project 14
SETRA Service DEtudes Techniques des Routes et Autoroutes
SMA Stone Mastic Asphalt
SRA Swedish Road Administration
TAC Transportation Association of Canada
Tekes Finnish National Technology Agency
U.S. United States of America
UTCRCP Ultra Thin Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement
VE Value Engineering
VECP Value Engineering Change Proposals
VSS Swiss Association of Road and Transportation Experts
WMA Warm Mix Asphalt
WFTAO World Federation of Technical Assessment Organization
ZAS Slovenian Asphalt Pavement Association
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX A INNOVATION FACT SHEETS
ASPHALT RUBBER IN SWEDEN
What
Asphalt Rubber, produced according to the Arizona wet process, was introduced to
the Swedish pavement industry in 2007 by the Swedish Road Administration (SRA).
The process has been used for more than 25 years in Arizona. In the process, asphalt
binder and granulated crumb rubber from old tires are mixed together in special
equipment. After a reaction time, the slurry-binder is added to the asphalt plant.
Why
The reason for Sweden to adopt this technology is mainly to improve pavement
performance. Increased durability, reduced wear from studded tires and durable
noise reduction has been goals of the project.
How
After a thorough investigation and several visits to production sites in other countries,
SRA decided to rent equipment for producing the asphalt rubber binder. Several
laboratory studies were conducted to clarify the environmental effect of using
asphalt rubber. SRA provided the equipment, crumb rubber and knowledge to the
contractors in specific pavement projects. The risk of failures was shared between
contractor (workmanship) and SRA (design).
Plan, progress and success
So far, the project has produced more than 50,000 tons of asphalt mix. Main mix
design has been a gap graded gradation similar to the Swedish SMA specification.
Several contractors and asphalt plants have used the equipment. The project was
completed in 2010. SRA has achieved a lot of good results that indicate improved
performance. The project is considered to be a success.
Lessons learned
To have committed project managers and key personnel is important.
Durable noise reduction has not been achieved so far (due to cold climate and
studded tires).
Do not underestimate the odour for the workers. SRA has had some complaints,
which need to be taken into consideration seriously. Although, our investigations
show that the odour is not from any hazardous material and that information for the
workers is necessary. Several work sites have not had any complaints.
Contact information
Mats Wendel, mats.wendel@vv.se
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ASPHALT RUBBER IN SPAIN
What
Rubber asphalt is fabricated with the rubber of old vehicle tyres added to the bitumen
which modifies the behaviour properties of the hot-mix asphalt.
Why
The rubber of old tyres modifies the behaviour properties of the bitumen after a digestive
process made in the fabrication plant. This technique is known as the wet process.
How
In Spain specifications have been established which must be satisfied by the rubber
of the old tyres and three types of bitumen depending on the percentage of crumb
rubber modifier (CRM) and the behaviour properties which are obtained in the
digestive process.
Plan and Progress
In Spain, significant research and development work in collaboration with
universities, research centres and private companies resulted in the approval of a
Standard for asphalt rubber which defines the uses and specifications which must be
performed by the bituminous binders and hot-mix asphalts with rubber from tyres.
The performance of several experimental sections is being studied along with
production on a much larger scale.
Success
re-use of old tyres.
environmental benefts.
what was a waste material is now being successfully used.
Lessons learned
the rubber asphalt improves the durability of a layer.
improves the elastic recovery and resilience.
we allow the use of this bitumen in intermediate and base layers.
the thickness of the layers is the same as the layers built with hot-mix asphalt.
reduces the risk of cracks appearing in the surface.
reduces maintenance.
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HIGH MODULUS ASPHALT IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
What
High modulus road base, known as enrob a module lev (EME), was introduced
in France in the early 1980s as a measure to reduce the usage of oil-derived products.
The high stiffness of this material enabled the road base thickness to be reduced by
up to 40 percent compared with conventional French materials. EME is designed
using a suite of laboratory tests. It has excellent load-spreading properties due to its
high elastic stiffness, which is mainly achieved by using low penetration grade
binders in the range 10 to 35. The designed material is considered to be very stable
and consequently very heavy pneumatic tire rollers, weighing up to 45 t, are regarded
as essential for compaction.
Why
Since the mid 1990s, there had been a general trend in the UK to use progressively
stiffer base materials, due to their expected long life performance. However,
recent concern over the durability of these materials has led to the introduction of
high modulus asphalt with higher binder content from France, EME2. Although the
performance of EME had been documented in France, there was little UK experience
of the material, in particular relating to its constructability and durability; its initial
introduction was therefore closely monitored.
Anticipated benefits included reduced pavement thickness and/or increased life for
equivalent thickness. Nationally, better value for money and more sustainable use of
resources should result. Any extension of the life of asphalt roads will increase the
time intervals between maintenance, with benefits to the road user in terms of
reduced congestion, and improved safety.
How
Since 2005, the UK has been investigating the potential advantages of using high
modulus asphalt materials (specifically EME2) by monitored trials on UK pavements.
EME2 has been introduced into the UK on a site-by-site basis, and the early sites
(seven in total) have been monitored in order to ensure that the anticipated benefits
are actually being achieved. The key objective of this work was to provide an
overview of workmanship, performance and potential serviceability of EME2
manufactured and laid on construction projects in the UK.
Plan, progress and success
The overall objective was to support the wider use of EME2 for base and binder
course layers on the UK road network. A framework was established for monitoring
the EME2 sites in order to store construction and performance data in a consistent
manner, and information relating to the first seven sites (predominantly inlays) was
recorded in this framework. The monitoring project ended in 2009 and is considered
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to be a success so far. A national specification document has been prepared for
EME2 (Clause 930 of the UK Specification for Highway Works) and continued use
of the material is anticipated.
Lessons learned
There are several key items that need to be considered when implementing/
transferring new technology of this kind:
1. translation of the imported mixture design parameters from the existing country to
the new, particularly where the test methods in the two countries are not directly
comparable
2. the ability of local asphalt contractors to manufacture and lay the new material,
including storage facilities for binder, maintenance of appropriate asphalt
temperatures and appropriate compaction equipment
3. integration of the new material into the pavement design philosophy in the new
country
4. the availability of suitable materials, in this case particularly the ability of local
suppliers to provide the quality of hard grade binder required.
Particularly where the new technology may be cost neutral or negative at construction
but with improved whole life cost and sustainability, there may also be a need for
marketing to ensure the technology is widely adopted. One particular lesson from
the UK experience is the importance of ensuring any new technology is fully
embedded before other changes are implemented. Finally, the importance of
continued monitoring of newly introduced materials cannot be overstated, since it is
only by verification in the field that long term durability can be ensured.
Contact information
Richard Elliott, richard.elliott@scottwilson.com
HIGH MODULUS ASPHALT CONCRETE, INTRODUCTION IN BELGIUM
What
If one refers to experiences beyond our borders, and especially in France, the cradle
of this technology, and where it has since been widely applied, the high modulus
asphalt concrete(HMAC) is a good compromise for the average duration of service
life (rutting, cracking, etc.) of binder layers of heavily trafficked roads. However, its
use in Belgium has so far been limited, among other things due to a lack of experience
and lack of provisions in our specifications.
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How
A research project was therefore established. The main objectives of this study were
the viability of HMAC in Belgium and to acquire the necessary know-how for the
mix design, preparation and implementation of these new types of mixtures. It was
also intended to establish requirements for performance based specifications. The
project received financial support from the IWT-Vlaanderen (Institute for the
Promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders) and was followed
by the technical committee of bituminous materials of the Belgian Road Research
Center (BRRC) and by an ad-hoc group, consisting of representatives of the BRRC
and AWV (Flemish Roads and Traffic Agency), and of an observer of the MET
(Ministry of Equipment and Transport).
Plan and progress
A large-scale laboratory study has established the choice of nine variants of HMAC
to be tested on an experimental section of the motorway E19 at Kontich. After almost
two years of traffic, the experimental sections have an excellent performance.
Success
Requirements have been established based on the results that have been collected
during the laboratory study and with the experimental test sections. These
prescriptions were written in the form of performance specifications (instead of the
usual formulation of recipes), which is a novelty in Belgium. This is in the European
context, which encourages this kind of specifications. They can now be included in
the standard specifications. The knowledge gained has also served as a starting point
for the development of recommendations to various parties wishing to use this
technology: consulting firms, contractors, road managers, laboratories, etc.
Source:
Bulletin CRR 74 - 1/2008
IMPLEMENTING STONE MASTIC ASPHALT IN HUNGARY
What
Stone mastic asphalt (SMA) is a tough, stable, rut-resistant, gap-graded European
technology mixture, originally known as Split Mastic Asphalt (www.asphaltisbest.
com). Developed in Germany in the 1990s it has been used in several European
countries as well as in the United States, Canada and Japan. Hungary has had
traditional relationship with Germany and Austria therefore the innovation has found
its way easily and at an early stage. Currently SMA is a widely used European
standardised product (EN 13108-5).
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Brief chronology of innovation, implementation and standardisation process of SMA:
1994 - German technical specifcation ZTV Asphalt-StB-94 defning Split mastic
asphalt,
1997 - Hungarian technical specifcation for SMA (ZMA in Hungarian),
1998 - German modifcation of SMA requirements in a stricter way for better
quality,
1999 - test sections constructed on Hungarian motorways applying SMA,
2000 - research at the Budapest Technical University to compare properties of and
requirements for German and Hungarian SMA and French BBM,
2002 - Hungarian modifcation of SMA requirements based on research results,
2003 - test sections constructed in Hungary for comparison of asphalt (with SMA
wearing course), concrete and composite pavement structures,
2005 - preliminary European standard on asphalt products including SMA
(CEN TC 227),
2006 - Hungarian modifcation of SMA requirements in technical specifcation,
2007 - European standard EN 13108-5 and its Hungarian equivalent
MSZ EN 13108-5,
2008 - Hungarian technical specifcation for SMA based on European standard.
Plan, progress and success
SMA wearing courses have been constructed in Hungary since 1990s. Before 2000
only some test sections were constructed. Between 2000 and 2005 almost 600 km
and since 2005 about 1100 km have been constructed mainly on motorways and
high-speed roads.
STONE MASTIC ASPHALT IN SLOVENIA
What
Asphalt mix called Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) was conceived in the 1960s as a
wearing course resistant to wear because of the use of studded tires (spikes) during
winter time. In the beginning it was made in kettles and laid by hand or with a use of
a spreading frame and then scattered with chippings and compacted. Because of the
hand-work it was a costly procedure and the production at asphalt plants started. SMA
combines the advantages of mastic asphalt and of bituminous concrete in terms of
durability it has similar characteristics as mastic asphalt but is produced, transported
and laid down with the same equipment and machinery as bituminous concrete.
Why
SMA has become a popular asphalt for the surfacing of heavily trafficked roads,
airfields and harbour areas in Europe and its use is spreading across the world. The
even surface that can be obtained using SMA provides comfortable riding
characteristics whilst its texture gives good skid resistance with relatively low traffic
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noise. The strong aggregate structure provided by the coarse aggregate particles
gives excellent resistance to permanent deformation and the rich mastic, which fills
the voids between those particles, makes SMA highly durable. Due to the high binder
content a drainage inhibitor is needed to prevent binder drainage. Modified bitumen
can be used to further enhance the mechanical properties of SMA and also to reduce
the use of a drainage inhibitor. The specific mixture composition allows thin layer
application, which means that less of this high quality asphalt needs to be used in the
surface course of pavement construction. As a result SMA has proved to be cost
effective even though it requires a high binder content and the use of high quality
aggregates. A well designed SMA requires extremely low maintenance when applied
in a properly designed construction. The additional advantages of quick application,
and ease of use in maintenance operations can contribute to lower pavement
whole-life costs.
How
In Slovenia the experts started evaluating the use of SMA in the end of 1970s and
the last doubts about it were blown away by the German standardisation in 1984 with
the ZTV Asphalt - StB 84. The first SMA (SMA 0-11 mm) was applied in April of
1990 on a section of the state road in the town of Vrhnika. Next important section
came only in 1995 with the reconstruction work on motorway A 10 (length of 4 km)
and the first SMA on a new motorway section on the 7 km stretch of northern
motorway bypass of the capital city Ljubljana in both cases SMA 0-8 mm was
used. The use of SMA came in full swing by tendering the works for all new
motorways by DARS (Motorway Company in the Republic of Slovenia) since 1997
and for reconstruction works on existing motorways.
Simultaneously to the effort of producing the SMA the activities for implementation
of technical specifications were led by newly established Slovenian Asphalt Pavement
Association (ZAS) and in 1997 the Annex for SMA of Special Technical Conditions
PTP SCS 1989 (similar to German ZTV Asphalt) was prepared by ZAS and in 2000
it was issued by DRSC (Slovenian Roads Agency). Next step was the adoption of
technical specifications TSC 06.412:2001 Bituminous wearing courses: Stone
Mastic Asphalt (Technical Specification for Roads) in 2001. According to this
specification the majority of all SMA in Slovenia was built till nowadays, that means
approximately 500 km of motorways and expressways.
Plan, progress and success
The use of SMA in Slovenia can generally be considered as successful with good
durability and high deformation resistance achieved - with some recommendations
and remarks arising from problems in some cases of cracks due to excessive
hardening and also too low content of bitumen and some early skid resistance
problems that were dealt with chipping the surface in the process of compaction
(chip spreaders on rollers). For dealing with that problems the Recommendations for
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production and laydown of SMA were issued in 2005 by ZAS (Slovenian Asphalt
Pavement Association).
Recently an asphalt mix, where natural aggregate was partially substituted with
black steel aggregate for asphalt wearing courses, was installed by Group of Primorje
(Primorje d.d.) for the first time in Slovenia history. Altogether there were around
11.000 t of SMA 11 PmB 45/80-65 A2 S with steel slag aggregate (in the depth of 4
cm) installed on three major highway sections (A1 Vrhnika Logatec, HC H4
empeter Vrtojba and A1 Divaa Kozina) by now. These reconstruction sections
are relatively young, but already show great results regarding resistance to wheel
tracking, low temperature, skid resistance and texture measurement. Considering
both, highway and G+R network (main and regional roads) there was over 20.000 t
of black steel aggregate as a substitution for natural aggregate used for asphalt
wearing courses (mainly SMA).
http://www.primorje.si/index.php?vie=cnt&id=2008022807463306&lng=eng
http://spens.fehrl.org/?m=42&a=content&id=267
Lessons learned
Several individual countries now have a national standard for SMA, and CEN has
issued a European product standard EN 13108-5:2006. In the USA, where SMA is
called Stone Matrix Asphalt, and elsewhere in the world, its use is increasing in
popularity amongst road authorities and the asphalt industry.
References
Posebni tehnini pogoji spremembe in dopolnitve (Vezane obrabne in zaporne
plasti-drobir z bitumenskim mastiksom) III. Knjiga; Ljubljana, 2000
TSC 06.300/06.400:2009 Smernice in technini pogoji az graditev asfaltnih plasti
SIST 1038-5 Bituminizirane zmesi Spedifkacje materialov 5.del: Drobir z
bitumenskim mastikson Zahtev Pravila za uporabo (Bituminous mixtures
Material specifcations Part 5: Stone Mastic Asphalt Requirements Rules for
implementation of SIST EN 13108-5)
ZTV Asphalt StB 84: Splittmastixasphalt, FGSV, 1984
Heavy duty surfaces, The arguments for SMA; EAPA 1998
Priporoila za proizvodnjo in vgrajevanje asfaltne zmesi DBM, ZAS 2005
FOAMED BITUMEN EMULSION IN SOUTH AFRICA
What
In May 2009 the Asphalt Academy (a Sabita - CSIR joint venture) published a revised
document on bitumen stabilized materials entitled Technical Guideline: Bitumen
Stabilized Materials (BSM) A guideline for the design and construction of bitumen
emulsion and foamed bitumen stabilized materials TG2. This document superseded
the previous edition of TG2 and was based on extensive research into the behaviour
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and performance of BSMs over the last five years. Much of this work has focused on
mix design, classifying materials for design and structural design. Observations of
the performance of in-service pavements also contributed to the knowledge base of
BSM pavements. All this research has been incorporated into this new guideline.
Particularly noteworthy are the following features of the guideline document:
the introduction of a simple triaxial shear test (STT) (at level 3 design) to rate the
BSM materials in term of cohesion and angle of friction;
the application of fuzzy logic, and certainty theory to all available material
information to provide a rational, albeit less exact means of material classifcation
for the purpose of structural design;
the introduction of a pavement number (PN) structural design method for BSM
pavements carrying up to 30 MESA. The method relies on basic rules of thumb
which refect well established principles of pavement behaviour and benefts from
the performance history of in-service pavements;
an extensive section on the construction of BSM covering the requirements to be
complied with to ensure that the performance of resulting layer is not compromised.
Why
Cold recycling using Bitumen Stabilized Materials (BSM) with either bitumen
emulsion or foamed bitumen is now an accepted method of rehabilitating roads, the
need for which now far exceeds the demand for new roads. This situation has driven
the adoption of in situ recycling as the preferred procedure for addressing the
enormous backlog of rehabilitation. Some important benefits of recycling using
BSMs in support of sustainable practice are:
signifcant advantages in terms of environmental considerations through
conservation of natural aggregates and energy savings arising from reduced heating
requirements.
reduced traffc disruption and time delays through in-place milling, stabilisation
and placement.
lower quality aggregates can often be successfully used.
the potential for signifcant cost and time savings under favourable circumstances.
How
Given the many similarities in the behaviour of BSM-emulsion and BSM-foam, it
was felt that it would be appropriate to publish a single guideline document on
bitumen stabilisation that incorporates both modes of stabilisation. Apart from an
introduction, the guideline consists of four parts:
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the mix design process for BSMs;
a method for material classifcation of granular, cemented and bitumen stabilised
materials;
a structural design method and design catalogues; and
the construction of BSMs.
Where there are differences in the design or construction of BSM-foam and
BSM-emulsion, these are clearly highlighted in the text.
Plan progress and success
The new edition of TG2 was launched through regional seminars during 2009 and
can be deemed to have been entrenched in practice. I would also be advantageous if
the PN method of structural design could be incorporated in the review of the
national pavement design method currently underway and lead by the South African
National Roads Agency Ltd (SANRAL).
Lessons learned
The advantage of the combined guideline is that attention can be drawn to the similarities
and dissimilarities of BSM-emulsion and BSM-foam, thereby promoting the proper
application of the technologies for a given set of conditions and encouraging equitable
competition. Also the project was a model for public and private sector cooperation to
innovate, develop and implement new technology that will be advantageous to all.
Contact information
Saied Solomons, Saied@sabita.co.za
LOW TEMPERATURE ASPHALT PAVING IN SLOVENIA
What
Low Temperature Asphalt (LTA) or Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) represents asphalt
mixes produced and laid down at lower temperatures than usual EN standards for
hot mix asphalts define that temperature range between 140C and 190C. Warm
Mix Asphalt is usually described as asphalt mix produced at the temperature range
between 100C and 140C and Low Temperature Asphalt being produced at
temperatures below 100C.
Why
Low Temperature Asphalt (LTA) or Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) was at first meant
as the answer of asphalt industry around the world to protect our environment.
Reduction of the so-called greenhouse effect producing emissions represents a
significant contribution to preserve the environment and the temperature reduction
resulting in reduced emissions also provides better working conditions on site.
Reducing the production temperatures should also lead to potential energy savings.
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How
Low Temperature Asphalt (LTA) or Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) asphalt mixes can
be produced in various different ways. In principle, there are three methods for the
production of low temperature asphalt. In detail, these are based on:
1. process engineering,
2. aerogenous agents and
3. special bitumen and additives.
All methods have in common that the mixing temperature of the asphalt can be
reduced by at least 20C to 30C. Here, process engineering uses different effects in
order to reduce the mixing temperature of the asphalt. The method with the
aerogenous agents is based on chemically bound water that is released during asphalt
mixing. The additives added to the asphalt mixture during mixing or to the basic
bitumen for the production of special bitumen generally concern paraffins.
Plan, progress and success
So far, in Slovenia there were several tests with WMA on laboratory scale and in the
field. The first tests were done in 2004 with several different types of additives in the
laboratory and more tests in an asphalt plant have been tried out with both organic
and mineral additives. The experiences have been positive but the projects are
considered to be commercially not so successful because of the overall higher costs
involved from the producers viewpoint.
The need for some specifications for WMA and LTA still exists, probably the path
taken in Germany for example with issuing of Merkblatt fr Temperaturabsenkung
von Asphalt: FGSV, 2006 will be followed but it is not decided yet.
Until the government or the public investors dont recognize the broader benefits of
environmentally friendlier solution with WMA which needs to be quantified, there
is little chance of successful implementation on a large scale.
Lessons learned
It is important to differentiate between Low Temperature Asphalt (or even Cold
Mixes) and Warm Mix Asphalt. There are a lot of possibilities to achieve the desired
effect of producing asphalt at lower temperatures than usual, but there are also
different effects we achieve by doing that. All this should be considered together and
also separately for some special cases or applications. We should not underestimate
the cost benefit question, it has not been answered completely yet.
Contact information
Aleksander Ljubi, saso.ljubic@igmat.eu
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WARM MIX ASPHALT IN SOUTH AFRICA
What
The first trial section of Warm Mix Asphalt was constructed in South Africa in
November 2008. The aim of this trial was to verify the results obtained by other
countries in producing, paving and compacting asphalt mixes at temperatures at
least 20C below those of conventional hot-mixed asphalt. The trials, in which a
specialized WMA technology enabled the mixes to meet this goal, included warm
mixes containing 10 percent reclaimed asphalt (RA). A second trial, in which two
WMA technologies and 10 percent RA were used, confirmed the findings of the
original trial.
Why
The main reasons for the trials were to prove the benefits of warm asphalt mixes
being produced in other countries. These benefits include environmental issues such
as lower emissions at the mixing plant and better working conditions at the paving
site, as well as reduced consumption of burner fuel. The addition of RA goes
hand-in-hand with WMA in improvements to sustainability.
How
The trials each used a quantity of approximately 2,000 tons of mix, the mix for the
first trial being produced using a continuous drum type mixing plant and the second
using a batch-type mixing plant. A template was developed after the first trials
incorporating all the lessons learnt. The template was strictly applied through the
second trial, from initial laboratory mix design, through full-scale plant and paving
designs, to the trials themselves.
Temperature limits of maximum 140C, minimum 120C after manufacture at the
mixing plant and on arrival at the paving site were implemented. Useful information
was obtained from the extensive use of thermal imagery. Compaction versus
temperature as well as number of roller passes required to achieve density was
monitored along the full extent of the trials.
Both trials include control sections where asphalt with similar gradations and using
unmodified bitumen was manufactured and paved at conventional temperatures.

Plan, progress and success
The trials show that warm asphalt mixes can be successfully produced using the
local aggregates and reclaimed asphalt, as well as bitumen modified with either
SASOBIT or REDISET WMA technologies. The full array of tests undertaken in
these trials shows the quality of the WMA to be at least as good as that of the
conventional asphalt mixes, while monitoring of compaction shows that WMA
requires similar or even slightly less energy to compaction to the required density
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compared to the conventional asphalt mix. The trials also give indications of
significant reductions in burner fuel consumption.
With the success for these trials, further trials using other WMA technologies are
being planned. In the meantime draft specifications have been prepared and it is
planned to utilise WMA in projects within the Durban Metro to gain more experience
before rolling it out on a national basis in 2010.
Lessons learned
the template especially developed for the manufacture, paving and compaction of
WMA proved invaluable, and is used as a yardstick in drawing up specifcations for
the full implementation of this process;
with a number of different WMA technologies available, careful evaluation is
necessary to gain experience with their individual characteristics before they can
be used in wide-scale production.
Contact information
Tony Lewis, tonylcons@telkomsa.net
WARM MIX ASPHALT IN SPAIN
What
Warm mix is manufactured and placed with a lower temperature (35C lower) than
other hot asphalt mixes.
Why
Warm mix asphalt is used to reduce the energy consumption in its fabrication and
also reduce the gas emissions with greenhouse effect. Also it is possible to enhance
the work conditions due to the reduction of fumes, odour and temperature compared
to hot mix asphalt.
How
Bitumen is used with additives to modify its viscosity. This bitumen allows the
manufacture and application of the warm mix asphalt with a lower temperature than
other asphalt mixes.
Plan and Progress
Several test sections have been constructed to study the behaviour of this bitumen
with different mixes.
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Success
reduction of temperature in the manufacture of the warm mix asphalt;
reduction of gas emissions with greenhouse effect;
enhancement of the work conditions.
Lessons learned
the binder used for warm mix asphalt can improve the resistance to strain and
fatigue at low temperatures;
warm mix asphalt can be used in all types of asphalt bitumen grades either in
wearing, base or intermediate layers;
the thickness of the layers are the same as the layers built with hot-mix asphalt
MICRO-SURFACING IN GREECE
What
Micro-surfacing (MS) is a 10 mm approx. thick course constructed by slurry seal
cold-laid asphalt mixture with very good surface characteristics. Micro-surfacing is
a mixture of polymer-modified asphalt emulsion, aggregates for anti-skid courses,
filler, and water and chemical additives, properly proportioned. In certain cases, a
small quantity of fibres is also added to the cold asphalt mixture. In Greece
micro-surfacing was introduced approximately in 1985 as slurry-seal and as
micro-surfacing later years.
Why
Initially in Greece micro-surfacing was applied to improve skid resistance for road
sections with low skid resistance. More recently, micro-surfacing is used as a
pavement preservation treatment to extend the life of existing pavements.
How
The start of slurry surfacing and micro-surfacing in Greece was based on the
availability of the technology and equipment from private companies. These
companies wanted to introduce this innovation to Greece and public road agencies.
Plan, progress and success
Initially, test sections were constructed by the Greek road agencies to investigate the
behaviour with traffic and climate. Recently, micro-surfacing is more widely used in
road sections with low skid resistance and for airport runways. Micro-surfacing is
desirable because of the limited quantities of good quality aggregates (slag has been
used in recent years), their rapid application and cost-effectiveness and finally because
their low thickness does not require other shoulder and drainage improvements.
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Lessons learned
a good choice for road agencies, if there are limited budgets to preserve the
pavements;
agencies must carefully examine the road surface before the application of
micro-surfacing because the presence of structural defects may require other more
extensive rehabilitation.
Contact information
Dimitris Evangelidis, devan@egnatia.gr
HOT ON HOT ASPHALT PAVING IN GERMANY (COMPACT ASPHALT)
What
Compact asphalt pavements are pavements consisting of surface and binder courses
laid in one operation one after another and compacted together. The development of
the compact asphalt (hot on hot) pavement technology started in Germany back in
1996. Hot on hot paving results in better interlocking of the courses, a saving on the
thickness of the wearing course, and a reduction of the paving time. The heat of
binder course ensures better compactability of the thin surface course. In this case
well-bonded package of two courses is produced, without using bituminous binders
for a tack coat.
There are two variations of that paving method. One method is the simultaneously
laying of both upper asphalt layers (surface and binder course or surface and base
course) in a single pass, with both layers being laid hot on hot without driving the
paver on the binder course. This can only be done with a special paver. This method
is now part of the German standards. The second method is the laying with two
pavers driving in line. Here the paver for the surface course drives on the highly
pre-compacted binder course. Compaction is completed for both layers simultaneously.
Why
By using compact asphalt pavements the following objectives are achieved:
better compaction conditions;
high bonding and interlocking of two courses, which also guarantees the resistance
of surface course to shear stresses and deformations;
reduced thickness of surface course saves the high quality and expensive aggregates,
which have a high polished stone value (PSV).
How
Compact asphalt is used in Germany and there are many examples where this
technology is used.
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Lessons learned
It has shown that the use of hot on hot asphalt paving required more:
preliminary work,
planning,
logistics and
well trained workers at the construction site
due to the high amount of asphalt mix per hour (mixing capacity, transport, paving)
and more technical equipment at the machines (paver and feeder).
Plan, progress and success
Modify the method and develop German standards to permit a second paver to drive
on the binder course.
Contact Information
Rudi Bull-Wasser
BASt Federal Highway Research Institute
E-mail: bull-wasser@bast.de
HOT ON HOT ASPHALT PAVING IN LITHUANIA
What
The development of hot on hot (compact asphalt) pavement technology was started
in Germany back in 1996. Compact asphalt pavements are pavements consisting of
surface and binder courses laid in one operation one after another and compacted
together. The heat of binder course ensures better compactability of the surface
course. In this case well-bonded package of two courses is produced, without using
bituminous binders for a tack coat.
Why
By using compact asphalt pavements the following objectives are achieved:
better compaction conditions;
high bonding and interlocking of two courses, which also guarantees the resistance
of surface course to shear stresses and deformations;
Reduced thickness of surface course saves the high quality and expensive
aggregates, which have high polished stone value (PSV) and high retro-refection
characteristics.
To implement this technology, specially modified equipment, qualified staff,
specially designed asphalt mixes are needed.
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How
Two pilot sections were planned and constructed in 2008. Contractors were
responsible for the design and were allowed to use hot on hot technology.
Lessons learned
The economical advantages of technology are as follows:
Direct cost reduction
due to a thinner surface course layer, which is substituted by a less expensive
binder course with better resistance to deformation;
due to less compaction efforts and equipment;
due to elimination of a bituminous tack coat;
due to much shorter paving time, in many cases it can be halved.
Higher durability of the pavement which is guaranteed by:
optimal interlocking between surface and binder courses; high compaction degree
and low but suffcient air voids resulting in a long life span;
high resistance to permanent and shear deformations, which brings compact
asphalt pavements close to concrete pavements, with less expensive maintenance.
Much easier paving works at low temperatures:
due to high heat energy of all courses, temperature goes down much slower and
there is a longer time span for compaction.
Plan, progress and success
the pilot section projects were successful due to perfectly developed paving
equipment and highly skilled staff of contactors;
paving time was halved, which resulted in the reduction of user costs caused by the
interruption of traffc and direct contractors and clients savings;
very good properties of the pavement were achieved; however, more attention
should be paid to the compaction of a surface course as well as to testing the
amount of compaction;
to facilitate the measuring of course thickness, the non-destructive electromagnetic
method should be applied.
Contact Information
Zigmantas Perveneckas
Lithuanian Road Administration
E-mail: zigmantas.perveneckas@lra.lt
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SELF-COMPACTING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL FOR WIDENING
OF LOW TRAFFIC ROADS IN FRANCE
What
The material was developed in France since 1999. It is a generic self compacting
cementitious material which belongs to the family of products known as Controlled
Low Strength Material in USA (ACI 229R-99) or trench filling cementitious materials
in France. But unlike these products, its mechanical properties in the hardened state
are the same as a classical cement-treated well graded aggregate (as described in EN
14227-1). It can then have a structural role in road construction. That is why this new
family of material was entitled MACES (acronym of structural self compacting
material for road structure, in French). It is used to build edge beam for widening of
low traffic roads.
Why
In France, an important part of the low traffic interurban roads network needs to be
widened at least up to 6 meters, to ensure safe crossing conditions for vehicles. The
traditional method to do so generally consists in the construction of a 0.5 to 1 m large
edge beam made of a well graded aggregate covered by a bituminous wearing course.
Yet, this method generally gives disappointing results in terms of durability. In fact,
compaction in such narrow conditions is not easy and often leads to under-compaction
and then to rapid degradation of the road side. The maintenance cost of such
structures is then increased.
The use of a self compacting cementitious material (MACES) the self compacting
cementitious material MACES has the following advantages when used for road
widening with the edge-beam technique:
it is not necessary to provide for extra width to ensure a good compaction as it is the
case with untreated well graded aggregate. This limits the need for land acquisition
along the road;
rapidity of casting and low noise nuisance;
the relative important tolerance towards water content, the insurance of a good
compaction and of the in-place quality of the product makes the technique safe,
durable and economically interesting
How
The development of this generic material was first made within the scope of a
partnership involving a public laboratory and a cement supplier. Once the feasibility
of the material was proven, publicity on the research was made during a technical
day where road constructor scientific directors were invited and a call was made to
involve a road constructor in the previous partnership. Once this done, a value
engineering proposal was made by the contractor to a departmental road owner
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before contract bid to use it for road widening with the technical support of the public
laboratory and the cement supplier. Different experimental sections were then made
in that context (300 m in 2003 and 4 km in 2005 in the north west of France)
Plan, progress and success
The results of these experimental sections were presented through papers in technical
professional reviews, a film relating the second experimental test and through
different presentation to owners and constructors by the three partners.
Since 2003, several tens of kilometres of widening were completed with this
technique (in the Vienne and Mayenne French regions for example) and they perform
well (no longitudinal cracks visible on the wearing course between the old structure
and the edge beam, no settlement).
Lessons learned
The public-private partnership was here very interesting. The cement supplier and
the contractor have facilitated the experimentation of the concept due to their
production capacity, their knowledge of construction sites and departmental owners,
while the public laboratory offered its knowledge on the material and acted as an
expert to give confidence to the public owners to try the technique.
Technically speaking the lessons are the following:
the material can be produced using conventional concrete ready mix plants;
two types of placement can be used: directly from truck mixers but also with
tipping lorry followed by an in-situ water addition using a road widening machine
equipped with a mixer. These two methods can be adapted for small works sites as
well as for large ones;
the self compacting material MACES should be at least of class T3 according to
EN 14227-1;
thickness of the edge beam should be greater than 35 cm; and
the traffc must be low (<50 heavy vehicle/day).
Contact information
Thierry Sedran
IFSTTAR, France
thierry.sedran@ifsttar.fr
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REMOVABLE URBAN PAVEMENTS IN FRANCE
What
A new concept of removable urban pavement (RUP) was developed in France by the
technical network of road ministry since 2003. The concept consists in precast
hexagonal concrete slabs placed on a thin gravel bed laid on an easy-to-excavate base
material:
an hexagonal shape is selected since the risk of angle failure is greatly reduced
compared to a rectangular shape. The size of the slabs is limited to permit easy
removal of the slabs with light equipment;
a gravel bed is used to level the concrete slabs and also facilitate water drainage;
a specifc compacted cement-treated material was developed as a base material
and called Structural Excavatable Cement Treated Material (SECTM). Treatment
is used to give a good cohesion to the material and ensure vertical borders during
excavation. The binder is pure Portland cement because quick strength development
is desirable, to allow a rapid opening to traffc and to avoid long term strength
gain which would make future excavation diffcult. The cement content (generally
around 25 kg/m3) is adapted to reach a compressive strength at 28 days lower than
2.5 MPa to ensure excavation and a tensile splitting strength at 28 days higher than
0.16 MPa to ensure the bearing capacity of the base.
Why
Urban pavements have many functions, and incorporate many different types of
utility networks (telecommunications, water, power electricity, etc.). As coordination
between all operators is very difficult to achieve, these pavements are subject to
frequent works, sometimes soon after construction or maintenance. These works are
disruptive, causing noise, air pollution and traffic jams and also degradation of the
aesthetical aspect of the urban roads.
Preliminary to the project, about 40 city authorities were interviewed to identify the
potential advantages of a RUP technology, according to the average customer
opinion. The result of this investigation confirmed the interest of developing a RUP
concept. The three most significant were:
reduction of user and neighbour annoyance caused by maintenance work operations
thanks to the reduction of construction time;
easy access to underground networks; and
sustainable management of the pavement (possibility to repair or to change the
functions of the pavement, with an easy recycling of the modular elements).
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How
A preliminary concept was first developed within the technical network of the
French road ministry. Several cities authorities were contacted to test such a concept.
Two finally accepted: Saint Aubin-ls-Elbeuf near Rouen and Nantes, both in the
West region of France. Then a technical group, composed of laboratories of the
technical network of French road ministry, the city authority and utilities
representatives, was formed for each project. This group was in charge to define a set
of requirements for such RUP which was used by the city authority in a classical call
for construction contract. A particular survey of the two experimental RUP allows
to write a technical guide which gives tables elements to prescript RUP and to design
such pavements on the basis of the traffic and the size of the slabs.

Plan, progress and success
The Saint Aubin project was completed in summer 2007. It consisted in a 90m long
street in an industrial area. In order to facilitate their removal, independent slabs
were selected as well as 70cm border length for the slabs, which gives a weight less
than 800kg for each slab. This weight was low enough for easy handling but high
enough to avoid unauthorized removing and slab faulting under trucks wheels.
The Nantes project was completed in summer 2008. It consisted of a 12 x 7 m,
corresponding to approximately 155 slabs, in an industrial zone near a material stocking
area, submitted to significant lorry traffic. Because the owner had a vacuum tool with a
limited capacity, a maximum weight of 250kg per slab was needed in this project. It
leads to select slabs with a border length of 46cm. With smaller slabs, the effect of stress
distribution from the truck wheels to the base course is minimized and risk of slab
faulting is increased. That is why the slabs were equipped with keys to connect them to
each others. To avoid failure of these keys, steel fibers were added to slab concrete.
Since their construction both section are performing well. Results were published
through technical papers, web site (http://heberge.lcpc.fr/cud/), a technical guide
and various presentations. New projects are under study in different cities based on
the published guide.
Lessons learned
Different technical specifications have been established and summarized in a guide.
They concern the precast concrete slabs (geometry, concrete performance, etc.), the
gravel bed (curve grading), the structural excavatable cement treated material
properties, the thickness of the different layers on the basis of the traffic and the size
of the slabs, etc.
The removability of the proposed pavement was tested and should enables opening/
closing operation within a half day compared to two and a half days for classical
urban pavement.
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Contact information
Thierry Sedran
IFSTTAR, France
thierry.sedran@ifsttar.fr
ULTRA-THIN REINFORCED CONCRETE PAVEMENTS (UTRCP)
IN SOUTH AFRICA
What
Ultra-thin reinforced concrete pavements (UTRCP) were introduced into South
Africa by the CSIR in 2002. This technology was developed as a result of attendance
of a low volume roads conference in Iowa in the USA in 1979, where attendees were
shown a thin concrete road (4/100 mm thick), un-reinforced and lightly reinforced.
The performance of the mesh reinforced pavement after 15 years of traffic (1,100
v.p.d with 4% - 5% heavy vehicles) was impressive.

Why
The CSIR considered this kind of construction to be ideal for urban streets, especially
in areas where the streets have been neglected and where surfaced streets received
very little maintenance. Streets with a concrete surface would have a number of
advantages, including the use of local materials and therefore less reliance on
imported bitumen. They are also ideal for construction using local labour with light
plant and equipment, thus creating employment opportunities (a priority of the South
African government). Such roads require minimal maintenance when compared to
other surfacing types.
How
The CSIR was afforded the opportunity to test three sections of continuously
reinforced concrete pavements - 100 mm, 75 mm and 50 mm thick - all reinforced
with a reference 193 mesh. The performance of the 50 mm thick section resulted in
the 50 mm UTRCP being constructed by the Eastern Cape Provincial Government
on an access road to a quarry in Mthatha as a demonstration project. The Gauteng
Provincial Government and Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality have also
undertaken a number of demonstration projects. The performance of these pavements
will be monitored in the future. A draft guideline document and construction
specifications were written based on experiences gained during these projects.
Plan, progress and success
Apart from the pavements mentioned earlier, the UTRCP technology is also
incorporated in the tender documents for the upgrading of streets in Gauteng and is
being considered in other areas of the country.
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Projects incorporating the UTRCP technology have been awarded the South African
Institute of Civil Engineers (SAICE) award for The most outstanding civil
engineering achievement in the community-based category - 2008 and been
commended in the 2009 Fulton Awards of the Concrete Society of South Africa for
Excellence and innovation in the use of concrete.
Lessons learned
it is important to conduct comprehensive research and testing to confrm the fndings
of the performance of the pavement to date. As a result testing is being undertaken
by the University of Pretoria and the heavy vehicle simulator to better understand
the performance of the pavement and prepare design data prior to extending the
technology to higher volume roads;
it is critical to have a champion with standing within the industry and the resources
to drive the implementation of innovative technology until it is accepted by the
industry.
Contact information
Rafeek Louw, rlouw@csir.co.za
ULTRA-THIN CONTINUOUSLY REINFORCED CONCRETE PAVEMENTS
(UTCRCP) IN SOUTH AFRICA
What
Ultra Thin Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (UTCRCP) was introduced
into South Africa by the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) in 2005.
This was a technology developed in Scandinavia for concrete industrial pavements
and subsequently used for strengthening of steel bridge decks. The product is a
high-strength, heavily-reinforced, very thin (50 mm) concrete pavement containing
both steel and polypropylene fibres.
Why
The network in South Africa is ageing and there was a need for strengthening
existing pavements in a cost effective manner in a short time. There is also
environmental legislation in place which restricts natural sources of construction
material. SANRAL saw this material as a solution to the above challenges particularly
with the speed of construction and early trafficking.
How
After an investigation SANRAL decided to experiment with the material as a
pavement layer and set about assessing its performance. Two trial sections were
constructed and extensively tested using the Heavy Vehicle Simulator. The results
from the HVS testing, along with further testing using local materials at the
University of Pretoria, and three-dimensional finite element modelling were used to
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optimize the UTCRCP design. The optimized UTCRCP design was used to construct
new trial sections that were subjected to further HVS testing. The outcomes of the
above process allowed for this pavement type to be incorporated in South Africas
mechanistic design program for concrete pavements. A specification was written
and included in projects for rehabilitation of heavily trafficked freeways around
Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town.
Plan, progress and success
The UTCRCP is currently being constructed on a number of projects in South Africa
on high volume roads. The pavement is constructed using labour-intensive methods
and only requires rudimentary paving equipment. The performance of these
pavements will be monitored in the future.
Lessons learned
it is important to carry out adequate research and testing prior to implementation
of new technologies;
contractors should be included in such research as they will ultimately have to
construct the pavements using this product;
it is critical to have a champion to drive the implementation.
Contact information
Bryan Perrie, bryan@cnci.org.za
MANAGING HIGHWAY NOISE IN QUBEC
What
Highway agencies around the world are facing an increase in noise from automobile
traffic. Noise pollution takes different forms (pavement/tire noise, motor noise,
speed, etc.) and has negative impacts on those living near highways. It can even
cause mental illness and cardiac disorders, and therefore has social costs. Highway
agencies and governments must deal with this problem, which pits economic
development against peoples quality of life.
Why
The level of noise pollution is influenced by several factors, such as traffic density,
vehicle speed, and the presence of heavy vehicles, as well as highway quality and
configuration. Other factors influence the perception of noise by those living near
highways, such as atmospheric conditions, the proximity of highways to houses,
topography or the type of environment (wooded area, industrial park, etc.) that the
highway goes through. Sound propagation is not the same along a body of water or
around a large parking lot compared with an environment with tall buildings or a
very heavily wooded area. The level of noise pollution also varies at different times
of the day and depending on traffic levels.
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How
There are two distinct approaches for reducing the problems caused by noise
pollution. First, governments can adopt an approach called integrated planning,
which consists in preventing noise pollution problems by an integrated planning
approach to transportation and land use. This approach requires concerted action at
all levels of government so that the measures taken meet community needs.
Second, a corrective approach can be used to correct the main problems through
abatement measures (anti-noise paving, anti-noise screens, berms, reconfiguration,
traffic management, etc.). This approach is well adapted to noise pollution problems
caused by an existing highway network. In the case of new developments near
existing highways, the corrective approach can also be relevant if all the interested
parties take steps to control noise sensitive areas.
In order to monitor the management of highway noise, transportation agencies must
adopt indicators and set limits that take into account community needs. Some
highway agencies limit themselves to corrective measures while many others adopt
noise management policies and regulations.
In the U.S., two laws cover highway noise management. The National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) empowers authorities to evaluate and mitigate negative
environmental effects, including highway noise. Procedure 23CFR772, Procedure
for Abatement of Highway Traffic Noise and Construction Noise, defines a
procedure for noise analysis and mitigation measures for the purpose of protecting
public health. It also sets criteria that authorities must respect in the planning and
development of highways.
In Canada (with the exception of Qubec), few provinces regulate highway noise.
Most provinces limit themselves to corrective measures for existing highways and
the use of anti-noise paving or anti-noise screens in situations where highway
planners think such steps are needed. Some cities (e.g., Edmonton, Alberta) have
developed a policy aimed at reducing the effects of highway noise.
Plan, progress and success
In Qubec, there are some rules that cover actions to be taken in the field of highway
noise management. In 1990, the Qubec government published its Politique sur le
bruit routier (policy on highway noise). In that policy, the government commits to
working with cities to reduce the level of noise pollution associated with highway
traffic. The policy refers to both the corrective and the integrated planning approaches
mentioned above. It also specifies that noise abatement measures (corrective
measures) will be implemented in noise sensitive areas throughout the highway
network under the purview of the Ministre des Transports where outdoor noise
levels have reached a threshold of B 5 dBA Leq (24h).
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In terms of integrated planning, the policy sets out the responsibilities of municipal
organizations and provides for a review of land-use plans in order to reduce the
impact of noise pollution.
In Europe, the European Union (E.U.) is greatly concerned about noise control. In
2002, it adopted a directive aimed at reducing and managing environmental noise
(DRMEN: Directive Relating to the Assessment and Management of Environmental
Noise). The directive refers to the corrective and integrated planning approaches.
A survey of the literature indicates that a similar trend can be observed in Asian
countries.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), steps must be taken to reduce
noise at its source whenever possible. Furthermore, a legal framework and national
standards are required to reduce the impact of noise on communities. The WHO
recommends the following steps to improve noise management:
monitor human exposure to noise;
obtain reductions in noise emissions and not just in the number of noise sources;
take into account the consequences of noise in the planning of transportation
networks and land use;
introduce systems to monitor the harmful effects of noise;
evaluate the effectiveness of noise policies in reducing harmful effects and exposure
as well as in improving soundscapes;
adapt WHO directives on noise in individual communities to create intermediate
objectives for the improvement of human health;
adapt precautionary measures to favour the sustainable development of soundscapes.
In summary, noise has harmful effects on human health, and governments must be
concerned about that. They must implement well-defined policies, regulations and
standards with short-, medium- and long-term objectives that will make it possible to
reduce noise levels and their impact on communities.
LONG LIFE SURFACES FOR BUSY ROADS
What
Long Life Surfaces are road surfacing materials with a service life in excess of
30 years. In principle, there are considerable economic benefits to be gained from
such developments, and two families of candidate materials were identified in OECD
research (initiated in 2001) that were potentially capable of offering the performance
required: (i) high performance cementitious material, and, (ii) epoxy asphalt.
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The epoxy asphalt (EA) material is based on a conventional stone mastic asphalt
product where the bituminous binder is replaced with an epoxy asphalt binder. The
resultant material displays similar workability to conventional material, with good
adhesion to an asphalt substrate and superior mechanical properties in index tests
and under accelerated loading. The innovative High Performance Cementitious
Material (HPCM) solution comprises an 8mm layer of ultra-high performance, fibre
reinforced fine mortar, in which hard, polish resistant aggregate particles are
embedded. Like epoxy asphalt, the HPCM material has superior mechanical
properties compared with conventional surfacing.
Why
National road networks are amongst the largest community assets and are
predominately government-owned in most countries. Road administrations are
increasingly adopting life cycle / asset management approaches and long service life
of road pavements on high traffic roads has long been a key goal for road professionals.
However, the surface layer or wearing course is the Achilles heel of the long life
pavement concept. A survey of member countries showed that pavements in use on
high-traffic roads are typically resurfaced every ten years, depending on local
conditions (OECD, 2005). Trends in traffic growth will lead to increasing proportions
of highly trafficked roads, where long service life is particularly desirable; prime
candidates for more durable pavements at higher construction costs.
How
Since 2001, an OECD/ECMT/ITF (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development/European Conference of Ministers of Transport/International
Transport Forum) joint research project has been ongoing, focused on the surface or
wearing course of road pavements, in 3 distinct phases:
phase I, Economic Evaluation, carried out between 2001-2003, identifed that there
were likely to be economic benefts from development of road surfacing materials
with a service life in excess of 30 years (Long Life Surfacing). This would involve
higher initial expense, but would aim to avoid major maintenance costs over the
lifetime of the pavement and thus generate overall savings and be environmentally
more sustainable;
phase II, carried out between 2004 and 2007, comprised laboratory and accelerated
load testing of the two materials (EA and HPCM) identifed as having the potential
to fulfll the requirement of Phase I;
phase III, involving planning, executing and monitoring full scale trials by
utilising the optimum mix design formulations developed, to demonstrate that
the performance envisaged on the basis of the laboratory tests and the accelerated
testing will hold within the period of the trial under real traffc and environmental
conditions, has been underway since 2008 and is due for completion in 2012.
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Plan, progress and success
Following demonstration of the economic justification, the overall objective was to
support the development and ultimate introduction of long life surfaces for busy
roads with a target service life at least twice as long as that typically expected from
surfacings generally used in road pavements. Phases I and II, involving an expert
Working Group with representatives from over 18 countries, including testing
undertaken in 8 national laboratories, can be considered a success in demonstrating
that the concept is both economically and technically feasible at laboratory and pilot
scale. It is too early to comment on the outcome of Phase III, but EA and HPCM field
trials have already been carried out in New Zealand and France, respectively, and
trials are planned in other member countries in the future.
Lessons learned
The collaborative nature of this project to support the development and introduction
of long life surfaces for busy roads enabled technological advancements to be shared
and thus reduce development costs and time. The timing of Phase III has coincided
with a global economic crisis with obvious implications for uptake by member
countries. The key lesson learnt from the progression to field trials is that, apart from
the obvious technical problems that need to be solved, political and procurement
issues also need to be resolved if trials are to be carried out on todays heavily
trafficked road network. With increasing focus on meeting the road users needs (for
example, maintaining traffic flow at all costs), such trials require commitment from
all sides if they are to be successfully carried out
Contact information
Richard Elliott, richard.elliott@scottwilson.com
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APPENDIX B QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE USE OF WARM MIX
ASPHALT, RECYCLED ASPHALT CONCRETE
AND BY-PRODUCTS
PIARC D-2 Innovation Group Questionnaire
Use of Warm Mix Asphalt, Recycled Asphalt Concrete and By-Products
Background: The PIARC D-2 Road Pavements Committee has established a
subgroup on innovation in road design and construction. The group is developing a
technical report outlining how innovation is being integrated into pavement design
and construction practices, summarizing case studies describing existing innovations,
describing more details on specific innovations that are currently being implemented
(the focus of this questionnaire on warm mix and recycled asphalt), and innovation
needs (subject of a complimentary questionnaire).
Purpose: This questionnaire has been established to develop overview of warm mix
asphalt, recycled asphalt concrete and by-product uses, and to summarize and
enhance the technical trends followed to develop good performance from theses
techniques.
One answer from each country is expected.
In order for the group to meet the report schedule, it is requested that this questionnaire
must be completed before the end of October 2009 and send back to Franois
Chaignon (email : Fchaignon@colasinc.com) and Marie-Thrse Goux (email:
Marie-Therese.Goux@developpement-durable.gouv.fr). A synthesis of the answers
will be provide in the report of the PIARC committee D2 Road pavements for the
PIARC World Congress in 2012.
If you are unable to provide answers to all of the questions, we request that you
consult others within your organization to provide answers or information that is
representative for your county. Many thanks for your participation and assistance.
Name: ____________________________________
Country: __________________________________
E-Mail: ___________________________________
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Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA)
Warm mix asphalt typically refers to procedures and additives that permit the
production and placement of asphalt concrete at lower temperatures that have
traditionally been used.
Use of WMA
1. In my country we use WMA: Yes / No
2. If no, why not:
No demand for it
Not ready to produce it
Too expensive
Other reasons: ____________________________________________________
If WMA is used:
3. Please provide a short description of the types of WMA procedures used.
4. Fields of application of (types of roads, traffic, courses, climate ...)
5. The quantity of WMA used per year (if available) or the frequency in the different
fields of application
6. Is it considered experimental or widely used?
7. What is the future potential of WMA? Do you see it being widely used in your
country?
8. Do you have any documentation on the advantages or experience of using WMA?
Cost savings ?
Environmental savings
Reduction in energy use?
Others ?
If so, please attach any documents or provide website addresses where this
information can be found.
9. What are the means reasons for using WMA in your country?
10. Are road authorities interested in using WMA? Yes / No.
11. Why are they (not) interested ?
12. What are the barriers to the more widespread use of WMA?
13. Other comments/issues that you would like to mention.
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Technical Data
1. What are the typical WMA temperatures for:
WMA production?
Placement?
2. How are lower temperatures for production and placement achieved?
Additives, which kind?
Binder (foamed bitumen)?
Different aggregates?
Wet sand?
3. Are the plant or process of production modified, if so, how?
4. Behavior
Is there any information on the performance of WMA in your country? If so, please
describe or attach additional documentation.
Could you indicate the trends of WMA performance compared to traditional
techniques:
Structural behavior?
Surface behavior?
5. Please indicate if there are any limits on the use of WMA techniques (traffic,
thickness, climate, etc.)
Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP)
Use of RAP
1. In my country we use RAP: Yes / No
2. If no, why not:
No demand for it
Not ready to produce it
Too expensive
Other reasons: .....
If it is used,
3. Please provide a short description of the types of RAP and how it is used (for
example percentage used in surface course, base courses, mixed with aggregate
base, etc.)?
4. Where is RAP used (types of roads, traffic, courses, climate, etc.)
5. Quantity of RAP used per year (if available) or the frequency of use.
6. Is the use of RAP experimental or well used?
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7. What is the future potential of RAP? Will it be widely used in the future?
8. Do you have some information on the advantages of using RAP?
Cost savings?
Environmental savings?
Reduction in energy use?
Others ?
9. What are the main reasons for using RAP in your country?
10. Are road authorities interested in using RAP? Yes / No.
11. Why are they (not) interested?
12. What are the barriers to the more widespread use of RAP?
13. Other comments/issues that you would like to mention.
Technical Data
1. Please indicate the main practices that are used to manage RAP?
Combine together ?
Mill each layer by layer and separate the material stockpiles?
Other?
2. Are there standards or recommendations to measure the different technical
characteristics of RAP ? If yes please describe or provide references?
3. If no, which measurements or tests are currently practiced
Bitumen content?
Others?
4. Does your agency, country, or owners provide some technical rules on the use of
RAP?
% of RAP depending on the course, traffc?
Use of different grade of bitumen for different RAP percentages?
Others?
5. Behavior
Is there a special survey of the behavior of the performance of RAP in your country?
Could you indicate the trends of RAP performance compared to traditional
techniques:
Structural behavior?
Surface behavior?
Please indicate if there are any limits on the use of RAP techniques (traffic, thickness,
climate, etc.)
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By-Products
Use of By-Products
1. In my country we use by-products for road building materials: Yes / No
2. If no, why not:
No demand for it
Not ready to produce it
Too expensive
Other reason: .....
If yes:
3. Provide a short description of the different kinds of by-products used and in what
materials in the pavement structure
4. Indicate the main reasons for their use
Improve performance?
Reduce the use of non-renewable natural materials?
Use of waste?
Cost savings, environmental savings, energy use reduction?
5. The fields of application (types of roads, traffic, courses, climate, etc.)
6. Regulations:
Is their use compulsory?
Are the contractors free to use them?
Are there standards, technical recommendations? References? If so, please
provide.
7. What is the future potential for the use of by-products in roads, will they be
developed further?

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