traditional asphalt paving and binders: rutting. The nation’ s highways were deteriorating to crisis levels. This problem, along with water sensitivity in asphalt mixtures, transverse cracking and aging, led to the formation of the Strategic Transportation Research Study Committee in 1983. After years of development, Superpave, a performancebased asphalt mix design method, was introduced in 1993 as part of the Strategic Highway Research Program. By implementing three mechanisms— asphalt binder specifications, a volume mix design and analysis system and a mix analysis testing procedure— the program dramatically increased highway longevity. Superpave is still in use today and continues to be refined.
Here and Now The industry continues to develop ever-improving iterations of perpetual pavement, a type of asphalt pavement designed to last 50 years or longer without major repairs. In addition to advancements in hot mix materials, the equipment used to lay it has vastly improved, with many innovations filtering down from highway projects to commercial applications.
One example is the screed paver. Though used since the 1930s, screed pavers traditionally depended on diesel or propane for heat, making uninterrupted matlaying impossible. Electrically heated screed pavers, in use since the early 1990s, produce continuous heat via an onboard generator powered by the paver itself. Eliminating the downtime spent refueling has increased productivity and improved quality.
The digital revolution has also transformed the asphalt
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