Use of Carbonate Aggregates in Pavement Preservation Treatments

About the project:

The rougher surfaces provided through pavement preservation treatments along with the observed performance in the Bristol district underscores that local carbonate aggregate sources, when properly evaluated, can meet safety performance requirements.  Furthermore, their use may offer notable benefits, including reduced transportation costs, strengthened local economies, and a lower environmental footprint due to decreased fuel consumption and emissions. The purpose of this project is to generate data-driven insights that may inform more flexible and performance-based criteria for the safe and effective use of carbonate aggregates in Virginia’s roadways, particularly in pavement preservation treatments. This purpose will be achieved through (I) further evaluating the performance of existing microsurfacing sites in the Bristol district to determine whether the conclusions drawn from short-term performance monitoring remain consistent over a longer observation period, and (II) implementing additional field trials with carbonate aggregates in pavement preservation treatments across multiple districts, including Salem, Lynchburg, and Staunton, on routes with traffic levels exceeding 750 average daily traffic (ADT).

Project Team

Principal Investigators