WisDOT NW Region Earns Road Building Award

For work on crack relief interlayer project in partnership with the City of Rice Lake

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: November 27, 2018
Contact: Brandon Strand (608) 609-8024

Madison – The Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association (WAPA) announced today that the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Northwest Region and the City of Rice Lake were the recipients of the 2018 State Asphalt Award for advancing innovation in asphalt pavements. The winners were recognized today (November 27) at a ceremony during the association’s 59th Annual Conference in Madison, WI.

When State Highway 48 and Knapp Street was under construction, the plans originally called for standard road construction techniques to be used; however, the concrete underneath the roadway surface was badly deteriorated and there was worry the rehabilitation wouldn’t last very long.

The concern with reflective (or bottom up) cracking lead to a discussion of innovative paving techniques to ensure long life of the roadway. The decision was made to build an inch thick asphalt interlayer section between the cracked concrete and the driving surface. Constructed with fine graded aggregates and rich in asphalt content, the interlayer is designed to delay cracks from reflecting up from the bottom of the roadway. A two-inch overlay capped the interlayer.

“Interlayers are a flexible membrane so the pavement structure can act as a system together,” said Brandon Strand, Executive Director for WAPA. “The effectiveness of asphalt interlayers has been validated for years around the country. We commend WisDOT and Rice Lake for incorporating proven innovations into the program to ensure long-term pavement performance.”

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“Asphalt. Wisconsin rides on us.” Established in 1948, WAPA is a statewide, non-profit organization representing the interests of the asphalt industry on a wide range of issues related to pavement design, construction, maintenance, specifications, costs, marketing, and policy at the local, state, and federal levels. WAPA’s mission is to promote quality asphalt pavements that are safe, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective.

For more information, please visit www.wispave.org or contact Brandon at strand@wispave.org.