From Tech Transfer Newsletter, Spring 2009 » printer-friendly

Highlights from the 2009 California Pavement Preservation Conference

By Larry Santucci, Pavement Specialist, University of California Pavement Research Center

The Fourth Annual California Pavement Preservation Conference was held in Oakland, California on April 8 and 9, 2009. Major topics included strategy selection, new technologies, and funding pavement preservation programs. Many speakers stressed the importance of partnered efforts between industry, academia, and user agencies in convincing elected officials to fund pavement preservation practices. Several presentations also discussed the use of environmentally friendly technologies such as hot and cold recycling, the incorporation of waste rubber tires into asphalt pavements, warm mix technology for energy and emission reductions, and porous pavements to regenerate ground water tables.

Opening Sessions

In the opening session, Randy Iwasaki, then Chief Deputy Director for Caltrans, noted $206 million is now spent on pavement preservation by Caltrans, up from $90 million. He mentioned the I-710 perpetual pavement project in southern California, the importance of developing a pavement management system, and the role of California Pavement Preservation Center at California State University, Chico in getting the word out about pavement preservation. Mr. Iwasaki also discussed the need to push pavement preservation as a major part of the next transportation bill, the university involvement in research at the University of California, Davis, and the need to attract students into the field of pavement preservation. He also noted that $2.7 billion in stimulus money will be available for highways and streets in California with about 67% of it headed to cities, counties, and local agencies and 33% going to Caltrans.

In a session on economic stimulus and funding issues, Walter "Butch" Waidelich, California Division Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, discussed the future direction of the nation's transportation program and the emphasis on pavement preservation.

Larry Patterson from the City of San Mateo described his agency's experience with pavement management. Mr. Patterson noted that San Mateo has 189 centerline miles of streets (126 miles of local streets) with an estimated investment of $196 million. San Mateo initiated a pavement management program using The Metropolitan Transportation Commission's StreetSaver software in 1995 and had it fully implemented in 2001. They went from rehabilitating five-to-10 miles of street per year to more than 50 miles per year.

The pavement management program provided San Mateo with an accurate and complete condition assessment, offered information for education of the public and elected officials, and led to more pavement preservation treatments such as slurry seals and chip seals.

A Discussion Of More Environmentally-Friendly Pavements

Sessions describing more environmentally beneficial pavement preservation treatments included a presentation by Francois Chaignon of COLAS on the energy and emission issues associated with road construction. The discussion covered new and existing technologies such as Warm Mix Asphalt and the use of emulsified asphalts as ways to reduce energy consumption and emissions in an increasingly environmentally sensitive world. Sohila Bemanian, a consultant formerly with the Nevada Department of Transportation described various hot and cold in-place recycling strategies.

John Harvey of the University of California Pavement Research Center discussed quiet pavement research. Dr. Harvey described the equipment that researchers use to monitor pavement noise from passing vehicles on various types of pavement surfaces including modified open graded friction courses. Selection of certain pavement surfaces to reduce pavement noise may be a viable substitute for the construction of expensive sound wall barriers.

Innovations, Technologies, And Strategies

In a session on innovations, new technologies, and strategies in the pavement preservation arena, Mary Stroup-Gardiner of the California Pavement Preservation Center identified some new materials and pavement systems that are not yet fully integrated with California's pavement preservation program. Examples include RAC-O-HB field projects that appear to be performing well, various interlayer systems, fog and rejuvenating seals, European quiet pavement systems, and cold and hot in-place recycling.

Conference sponsors included the American Concrete Pavement Association-Southwest, California Chip Seal Association, Caltrans, California Pavement Preservation Center, and the Technology Transfer Program.

To view conference presentations, visit www.techtransfer.berkeley.edu/pavementpres09.

In 2010, the California Pavement Preservation Conference will take a year off, and the 1st Annual International Conference on Pavement Preservation will be held in its place. The conference will be held April 13-15 in Newport Beach, and it will bring together researchers and experts working in pavement preservation worldwide to exchange ideas and discuss critical issues. Register at www.pavementpreservation.org/icpp.

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