High-RAP-Content Mixes

The recycle and reuse movement that has captured attention in recent years, has also created resurgence in campaigns to recycle asphalt pavements. Eighty percent of the recycled material from asphalt pavements gets reused in the construction of new pavements according to the Federal Highway Administration. This article describes efforts by the RAP Task Group to boost that number to 100 percent, to pull together information on what works best and to develop strategies for increasing the use of RAP in the U.S. The author describes the National Center for Asphalt Technology’s evaluation of high-RAP mixes as well as the obstacles to using higher RAP percentages that are prevalent among some transportation agencies.