Iowa Department of Transportation wins 2022 Perpetual Pavement Award
WASHINGTON, DC - June 22, 2023 -The Asphalt Pavement Alliance announced today that the Iowa Department of Transportation has won a 2022 Perpetual Pavement Award: By Performance (PPA) for a 4.23-mile section of Interstate 80 in Jasper County. This is Iowa DOT’s fourth PPA: By Performance since the program began in 2001, having won its last PPA: By Performance in 2012. Iowa DOT previously earned a PPA: By Design in 2021.
To qualify for this prestigious award, a pavement must be at least 35 years old and never experience a structural failure. The average interval between the resurfacing of the winning pavement must be no less than 13 years. In addition, the pavement must demonstrate the characteristics expected from long-life asphalt pavements: excellence in design, quality in construction, and value for the traveling public. Engineers at the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) evaluated the nominations and validated the winners.
Although this roadway was originally opened to traffic in 1968, the staged construction, from when the project was evaluated as meeting Perpetual Pavement criteria, was completed in 1984. At that time the project was milled 2.25 inches and overlaid with 1.75 inches of Type A binder course and 1.5 inches of Type A surface course.
This four-lane roadway currently has a current daily traffic count of approximately 31,000 vehicles of which 36% are trucks. The estimated loading since the original construction is approximately 30.8 million equivalent single-axle loads (ESALs).
As the years between resurfacing have averaged 18 years with an increased thickness of only 4 inches, this section of Interstate 80 easily meets the criteria for a PPA: By Performance and will continue to serve the travelers in Iowa well into the future requiring little maintenance. As a result, Iowa DOT will be honored by the Asphalt Paving Association of Iowa (APAI) and presented with an engraved crystal obelisk.
“The Iowa DOT is honored to be awarded our fourth perpetual pavement award by performance from the Asphalt Pavement Alliance,” said Iowa DOT’s Chief Engineer, Mitch Dillavou. “This section of Interstate 80 used perpetual pavement concepts in the original design and is an excellent example of how Iowa’s long-lasting asphalt pavements provide reliable and efficient transportation.”
“One key indicator of quality in construction is a smooth, long-life pavement,” said Amy Miller, P.E., National Director of the APA. “Long-life asphalt pavements serve the community, reduce the money needed for maintenance, and conserve raw materials, ultimately leading to a truly sustainable structure that exemplifies the triple bottom line. Asphalt roads can be engineered to last indefinitely with only routine maintenance and periodic surface renewal. Perpetual Pavements use fewer natural resources and offer road owners and users what they want most – an economical, smooth pavement that serves the community for decades.”
The Asphalt Pavement Alliance (www.driveasphalt.org) is a coalition of the National Asphalt Pavement Association, the Asphalt Institute, and the State Asphalt Pavement Associations. The Asphalt Pavement Alliance’s mission is to establish asphalt as the preferred choice for quality, performance, and the environment.
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The Asphalt Institute (www.asphaltinstitute.org) is the international trade association of petroleum asphalt producers, manufacturers, and affiliated businesses. AI promotes the use, benefits, and quality performance of petroleum asphalt, through engineering, research, marketing, and educational activities.
The National Asphalt Pavement Association (www.asphaltpavement.org) represents the interests of U.S. asphalt producers/contractors before Congress, federal agencies, and other national trade and business organizations. NAPA supports an active research program designed to improve the quality of asphalt pavements and paving techniques used in the construction of roads, streets, highways, parking lots, airports, and environmental and recreational facilities.
The State Asphalt Pavement Associations (www.sapainc.org) represent the interests of asphalt pavement producers and paving companies at the state and local level across the United States.
For more information, contact:
Asphalt Pavement Alliance: Amy Miller, P.E., 904-591-3333 or [email protected]
Iowa DOT: Andrea Henry, 515-239-1730 or [email protected]