Caltrans Honored as Pavement Pioneer for Long-Life Asphalt

LANHAM, MD--Oct. 25, 2013: The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has been recognized with a national Pavement Pioneer Award for the innovative long-life asphalt pavement projects recently constructed on Interstate 5 in Northern California.

The award was presented to Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty at the California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA) Fall Asphalt Pavement Conference in Sacramento. Mike Acott, president of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), presented the award on behalf of the Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA), a national organization supported by NAPA, the Asphalt Institute, and state asphalt pavement associations, including CalAPA.

"The Pavement Pioneer Award recognizes agencies that utilize innovative designs, materials, and methods to deliver durable asphalt roads that are high-quality, long-lasting, and an outstanding value for the taxpayer," Acott said.

The Pavement Pioneer Award recognizes the department's headquarters Pavement branch and the regional office in Redding for their work to deliver two long-life asphalt pavement projects. Long-life asphalt pavement, also known as Perpetual Pavement, is a special asphalt pavement design methodology characterized by a deeper base that has been shown to last for decades with only minimal maintenance to the surface layer.

"For the past 12 years, the Perpetual Pavement Award program has recognized agencies for existing pavements that have continued to perform well beyond 40, 50, 60 years. But Caltrans are building pavements today that will win a Perpetual Pavement Award in future decades," said Mike Kvach, Executive Director of the Asphalt Pavement Alliance.

Generally pavements must be in place for more than 30 years to receive an APA Perpetual Pavement Award, but CalAPA and the APA honored Caltrans for the way it moved forward aggressively with the durable pavement strategy not only on the Interstate 5 projects but also on Interstate 710 in Los Angeles County and Interstate 80 between San Francisco and Sacramento. Caltrans' pioneering work with durable, long-life pavements has received national attention.

"With the Pavement Pioneer Award," said Kvach, "we are recognizing agencies actively instituting the latest advancements in long-life pavement design."

The first project, valued at $17.5 million, spanned a stretch of I‑5 in Siskiyou County near the community of Weed. The second project, valued at $31 million, covered a 15.5 mile stretch of I‑5 near Red Bluff. The projects were constructed in 2012 and 2013.