Wyoming Demonstration Project: Wyoming Hwy 196 – Buffalo South/WMA Overlay Project

The Buffalo project was both the Wyoming Department of Transportation's (WYDOT's) and the contractor’s first experience with additive based warm mix asphalt (WMA). Prior to this project, WYDOT had undertaken a WMA project (foaming based) near College Drive, Cheyenne, WY. On this project, WMA and hot mix asphalt (HMA) overlay of 4.79 miles of a secondary two-lane highway was carried out. The project, located south of Buffalo, Wyoming, involved pavement rehabilitation on Wyoming Highway 196 in Johnson County from milepost 294.63 to milepost 299.42. The last rehabilitation of this section of roadway, excluding the maintenance patching, was carried out in the late 1950s. This project received 80 percent Federal funding and 20 percent State funding. WYDOT undertook this project anticipating that the properties of WMA will allow for easier and better compaction, lower permeability, and reduced segregation, resulting in better long-term pavement performance.The innovative technologies deployed on this project were 1) WMA (additive and foaming methods), and 2) 6:1 taper. A suite of laboratory testing was conducted by WYDOT to evaluate the concerns related to WMA’s potential for increased rutting and moisture damage. The Hamburg Wheel Tracking (HWT) test results indicated that the WMA mixtures have the potential to exhibit higher initial rutting (i.e. consolidation during initial stages after construction); however, their rate of rutting accumulation stabilizes over time and is comparable to that of HMA at later years. The Highways for LIFE (HfL) performance goals on quality and safety aspects of this project were met. The user satisfaction survey conducted by the WYDOT indicated that a high percentage of the local residents and traveling public were satisfied with the project. The contractor received a net bonus of $32,621.98 for mat density, aggregate gradation, asphalt content, and smoothness. Cost comparison between WMA and HMA, based on the winning bid, indicated that the unit prices (i.e. $/ton) that the actual tonnage cost of WMA was 9.4 percent higher than HMA. Since the placement of HMA and WMA would have required the same construction time, there would be no differential user costs between the traditional and as-built scenarios. Hence, the computation of user costs was deemed not necessary. WYDOT had no cost associated with the Warm Mix aspect of the project except what is reflected in the bid prices. Also, the contractor received no incentive except for those related to Quality Assurance.

• Record URL:
  http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hfl/summary/pdf_2/Wyoming%20HfL%20Hwy%20196%20WMA%20and%20Safety%20Edge_10092014.pdf
• 
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/54205
• Corporate Authors:

  Applied Research Associates, Incorporated

  100 Trade Centre Drive, Suite 200
  Champaign, IL  United States  61820

  Federal Highway Administration

  Office of Infrastructure
  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Raghunathan, Deepak
  • Sadasivam, Suri
  • Mallela, Jagannath
• Publication Date: 2014-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; Photos; Tables;
• Pagination: 51p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Costs; Demonstration projects; Laboratory tests; Overlays (Pavements); Rehabilitation; Technological innovations; Two lane highways; Warm mix paving mixtures
• Identifier Terms: Highways for LIFE
• Geographic Terms: Buffalo (Wyoming)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Materials; Pavements; I31: Bituminous Binders and Materials; I61: Equipment and Maintenance Methods;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01580466
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Nov 7 2015 5:58PM