Performance of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement on Unpaved Roads

As the volume of traffic on unpaved roads in Wyoming increases with increased drilling activities, dust loss and surface distresses will continue to rise. It would make sense to pave some of these roads, but many counties cannot afford these expensive operations especially when future traffic volumes on these roads are unknown. An alternative option needs to be explored that will reduce dust loss and associated surface distresses. Recycled or reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has been used as a surfacing additive on Wyoming’s unpaved roads, streets, and alleys for many years. Recent state legislation compensates the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) for RAP donated to Wyoming counties. WYDOT and local agencies need to evaluate the performance of blended RAP and virgin aggregate as a surfacing material for unpaved roads. Therefore, it is the intent of this research project to determine the feasibility of using RAP blends as surfacing material with a particular emphasis on its ability to reduce dust loss while maintaining road serviceability. Section 1 of this report describes the reasons this project was undertaken and how it will satisfy the problems laid out. Section 2 describes the use of reclaimed and RAP. It also describes issues involving gravel roads and dust control. Section 3 describes the procedures used to meet this study’s objectives, including descriptions of the test sites and construction procedures. Section 4 describes the performance of the test sections, focusing on fugitive dust emissions and roadway surface conditions as evaluated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) unsurfaced road condition index (URCI) evaluation procedure (Eaton and Beaucham 1992). Section 5 compares the cost effectiveness of using RAP as a surfacing additive for unpaved roads with RAP’s use in hot mix asphalt pavement and as road base. Section 6 briefly summarizes the discussions presented in sections 3, 4, and 5, presenting an overall view of this study’s findings. Section 7 provides advice as to how the findings of this study should be implemented. The appendices provide additional information and data that support the descriptions and conclusions presented in the body of this report, along with a list of abbreviations used in this report and their meanings.

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