A Performance Baseline for Stone Matrix Asphalt

About the report:

In 2003, Virginia launched an expanded commitment to stone matrix asphalt (SMA). By the end of 2004, contracts that encompassed nearly 400,000 tons of SMA had been awarded and most of the material produced and placed. During this 2-year timeframe, more construction districts and contractors were engaged in the design, production, and placement of SMA than at any time in the history of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Most were experiencing it for the first time. This report documents many aspects of the 2003/2004 SMA "implementation initiative." It summarizes and presents detailed information on costs and quantities, volumetric properties, compaction, permeability, aggregate quality, and initial functional character (ride and friction) for SMA pavements placed during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. SMA is a complex and expensive HMA material. Carefully documenting (or "baselining") today's experiences and understanding the consequences in terms of lifetime costing are important keys to the continued successful deployment of the best HMA technologies for Virginia. If the cost savings associated with SMA (as identified by the National Asphalt Pavement Association) continue and are applied to only the 14% of VDOT's annual program allotted to SMA in 2005, the fruits of this research can contribute to more than $14 million per year in savings.

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