Longitudinal joint cracking is a recurring problem that affects asphalt pavements. The resulting road deterioration causes issues for road construction engineers, applicators and the driving public in communities that surround the problematic roads.
J-Band®, Asphalt Materials’ void reducing asphalt membrane (VRAM) product helps mitigate this problem. VRAM significantly reduces air voids within the longitudinal joint from the bottom up, which prevents deterioration and preserves the pavement.
Together Milestone Contractors, Evergreen Roadworks and Asphalt Materials, a collection of Heritage Construction + Materials companies, were able to help preserve US-50 with the use of a VRAM in Daviess County, Indiana.
Project Details
- Owner: Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT)
- Prime Paving Contractor: Milestone Contractors LP
- Applicator: Evergreen Roadworks
- Location: US-50, Daviess County, Indiana
- Date Constructed: May 8, 2024
VRAM Application
Milestone Contractors began milling around 7:00 a.m. with an ambient temperature beginning at 68F. VRAM was then applied over the milled surface around 8:00 a.m. The existing surface temperature was 70F at the start of the morning, and 88F around 10:30 a.m.
A total of 10.95 miles of VRAM was applied on US-50 from east of I-69 to south of US-231. VRAM was applied in a consistent straight line by Evergreen Roadworks.
Personnel present on the project were members from Evergreen Roadworks, Milestone Contractors and Field Support Manager Cody Egan from Asphalt Materials, Inc.
Paving Observations
Milestone Contractors began paving at 7:30 a.m. with an existing surface temperature of 57F. The equipment that was used during this project was a Roadtec SB2500D shuttle buggy, CAT AP1055F paver and three CAT SB13 steel drum rollers.
The rolling pattern consisted of the two breakdown rollers, making seven total passes high to low in a vibratory mode with the finish roller working in a static mode.
With the help of Milestone Contractors and Evergreen Roadworks, VRAM was able to help protect the most vulnerable part of the pavement, the longitudinal joint.
For a closer look at projects that have incorporated a VRAM during construction and to discover the benefits of longer-lasting roads in terms of cost savings, time efficiency, and safety, you can explore our interactive map here.
