| ASPHALT IN-PLACE RECYCLING
A MESSAGE FROM THE ARRA: IT’S
THE RIGHT THING TO DO
Recycling is more than environmentally
sound —
it saves money and traffic delays, too.
by Mike Polak, ARRA President
 During
the past 27 years of active research to improve techniques, equipment, and
additive technology, the Asphalt
Recycling & Reclaiming Association and its members have created
many very attractive pavement rehabilitation alternatives for asphalt
pavement managers.
The recycling of asphalt pavements has progressed from an experimental
technology to a practical and efficient science covering six disciplines:
cold planing, hot recycling, hot in-place recycling, cold in-place
recycling, full-depth reclamation, and soil stabilization. Together, these
disciplines address just about every aspect of asphalt deterioration.
In addition to providing an environmentally accepted method of
rehabilitation, asphalt recycling offers significant economical savings
both in reduced cost of construction and in reduced user delays.
Early years
As with any emerging technology or process, the early years of the
recycling and reclaiming disciplines have provided the field-tested
guidelines for applications, techniques, and technologies for what is now
a mature, established industry. The Basic Asphalt Recycling Manual,
endorsed by the Federal Highway Administration in 2002, is a compilation
of those guidelines. This comprehensive, 270-page text guides pavement
managers through a wide range of technologies designed to stem the
deterioration of our infrastructure in a cost-effective, time-efficient
manner.
Asphalt recycling started in the early 1900s, but its popularity has
soared since the mid-1970s due to improved technology and equipment.
Today, pavement recycling technology cuts down on waste that might be
added to landfills or stockpiled for future use. It protects the
environment by reusing nonrenewable materials such as crude oil and
aggregate. The technology provides cost savings not only to highway
agencies but also to contractors doing the work. They use fewer virgin
materials, resulting in a cost savings from fuel not used for
transportation and manufacturing of those materials; this, in turn,
conserves natural resources and reduces emissions.
These virtues were cited by the Federal Highway Administration when it
issued its Recycled Materials Policy in February, 2002. After pointing out
the vast size and advancing age of the U.S. highway system, the FHWA said,
“Recycling and reuse can offer engineering, economic, and environmental
benefits. Recycling materials should get first consideration in material
selection. Determination of the use of recycled materials should include
an initial review of engineering and environmental suitability. An
assessment of economic benefits should follow in the selection process.
Restrictions that prohibit the use of recycled materials without technical
basis should be removed from specifications.”
The FHWA message was not a mandate to recycle, but it underscores what
we all know about recycling: it is logical and makes good common sense.
Both asphalt and aggregate are nonrenewable resources and, while asphalt
deteriorates with age, any aged asphalt pavement can be restored to its
original or near-original consistency.
On the road
In the pages that follow, the versatility and economy of recycling and
reclaiming are illustrated in real-world applications by real-world
pavement managers and contractors. These profiles demonstrate that
recycling is cheaper, faster, easier, and less disruptive than
conventional methods of reconstructing asphalt-based roadways. The cost
savings over conventional reconstruction methods can be large and they
allow local, state, and federal agencies to reconstruct more roadways each
year.
As highways continue to break down under the stress of age and higher
traffic counts, asphalt recycling remains the best method of
reconstruction. The members of the Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming
Association invite you to review the educational materials on our Web
site, www.arra.org,
or to contact us for more information about the techniques, technologies,
and applications of today’s asphalt recycling and reclaiming industry.
Mike Polak is President of the Asphalt
Recycling & Reclaiming Association.
Reprinted from Better Roads Magazine
July 2003 |
