AASHTO Journal, 3 May 2013
Illinois Department of Transportation announced this week it will soon begin using a new environmentally friendly Hot Mix Asphalt that will cut down on paving costs for the department. IDOT will first test this HMA on a few demonstration projects to help it determine the overall cost of the new mix as well as evaluate its performance over time.
IDOT expects the new mix, which IDOT calls Total Recycle Asphalt, will produce a 20 percent savings in comparison to traditional HMA mixes.
The mixture relies on more than 97 percent reclaimed and recycled materials. The components included in this new mix include Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement from pavement millings, crushed concrete, steel slag (a by-product from steel production), and Reclaimed Asphalt Shingles that come from re-roofing houses. Only a small amount of new liquid asphalt was needed for the mix (for durability purposes).
“We recycle and use over a million tons of reclaimed materials on our highways annually as a matter of everyday practice,” said Illinois Department of Transportation secretary Ann Schneider in a statement. “We believe Total Recycle Asphalt will take Illinois to a new level of environmental sustainability, and we hope it will inspire others to follow our lead.”
