FEASIBILITY OF UTILIZING WASTE GLASS IN PAVEMENTS

A review was made of existing work performed on the use of waste glass as construction aggregate in bituminous pavements and Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements or structures. Some of the conclusions reached were: (1) Glass is not suitable for use in PCC pavements or structures in Connecticut; (2) Glasphalt was successfully mixed and placed on low-volume or low-speed sites in at least 45 locations in the U.S. and Canada between 1969 and 1988; (3) No high-speed highway applications of glasphalt currently exist; (4) Potential problems include loss of adhesion between asphalt and glass, maintenance of an adequate level of skid resistance, breakage of glass and subsequent raveling under studded tires, and the hazard of broken glass on the pavement surface to pedestrians, animals and bicyclists; (5) Long-term evaluation of skid resistance has not been performed; (6) The consensus of personnel from organizations contacted for the study is that glasphalt should not be used on high-volume, high-speed locations; (7) Loss of adhesion between asphalt and glass will likely occur if hydrated lime is not used; and (8) The cost of using glasphalt will probably be higher than that of the conventional mixes, but there is a potential savings to regional recycling centers in landfill costs. The results of the study indicate that although a limited number of glasphalt pavements have been successfully placed by other organizations, issues such as safety, performance, heavy traffic volume and economics must be carefully considered before the Connecticut Department of Transportation commits to such a program.

• Corporate Authors:

  Connecticut Department of Transportation

  Bureau of Planning and Research, 24 Wolcott Hill Road
  Wethersfield, CT  United States  06109
• Authors:
  • Larsen, D A
• Publication Date: 1989-6

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 27 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adhesion; Bituminous pavements; Concrete pavements; Costs; Feasibility analysis; Glass; Pavement stripping; Performance evaluations; Recommendations; Reviews; Skid resistance
• Uncontrolled Terms: Glasphalt
• Subject Areas: Design; Finance; Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; Pavements; Research; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways; I23: Properties of Road Surfaces; I35: Miscellaneous Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00603127
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Rept No. 343-21-89-6
• Files: TRIS, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jan 31 1991 12:00AM