The longitudinal joint is the first part of the pavement to fail. As a road’s most permeable part, this joint is susceptible to the elements, such as air and water that work down through this gap, causing the joint to deteriorate, crack and pothole. When the longitudinal joint fails, the rest of the road soon follows—triggering the need for even more maintenance, which is expensive and more dangerous for workers and drivers.
J-Band, a VRAM product of Asphalt Materials, Inc. has been successfully used in states across the United States to optimize tax dollars, reduce maintenance, and save lives.
About this project:
An (ODOT) Ohio Department of Transportation project that utilized a Void Reducing Asphalt Membrane (VRAM) took place this summer on Killian Road in Summit County, Ohio on August 10th.
This County project was 1.4 miles long on a heavily traveled two lane road in Akron, Ohio that started at SR-241, including Massillon Road, and finished on Myersville Road. The Summit County inspector was very familiar with VRAM, as the County has successfully used this method on other projects in the past 4 years.
The VRAM applicator for this project was Specialized Construction, Inc. (SCI).
The prime paving contractor for this project was Barbicus Construction.
The target application width of the VRAM for this project was 18” wide. The project began in the early morning, beginning at the SR-241 intersection continuing west. The lane closure was kept to minimum distance for the duration of the VRAM application, allowing SCI to apply VRAM in 500 ft. increments.
The paving of the road followed the completion of the VRAM application. The Barbicus paving train consisted of a Vogele 2000i track paver, a 12-ton Dynapac steel drum roller, and a Hypac 8-ton steel drum roller.
The Dynapac roller operator worked in static mode from low to high, across the mat for the majority of this portion of the project. He paid particular attention to the temperature of the mix and performed his work when the surface mat was between the appropriate temperatures. The finish roller worked in static mode the entire time, rolling from high side to low side of the mat. This project came to a successful close in the early afternoon.
VRAM Can Help State & Local Agencies Achieve Strategic Objectives
Agencies are now being asked to build more resilient and sustainable infrastructure to benefit and protect communities, and VRAM can help achieve these objectives. VRAM can help improve the resilience of at-risk infrastructure by helping build longer-lasting, safer roads. Historical data from previous VRAM projects shows that an investment in protecting the longitudinal joint helps roads last up to 5 years longer and delivers a return on investment of 3 to 5 times its cost.
J-Band®, Asphalt Material’s, Inc. VRAM product has a performance track record, dating back to 2002. J-Band was created in the labs of The Heritage Research Group in collaboration with state and local agencies and industry experts. In fact, an Indiana DOT life cycle analysis (LCCA) showed that an investment of $12.5M in J-Band would result in a $39M in savings (approximately 3:1 ROI).
Learn more about how longer-lasting roads save time, money, and lives by reading the several studies about VRAM that we have posted on our website. You can access them by clicking this link: https://thejointsolution.com/resource/studies/
Editor’s Notes:
Centerline joints and longitudinal joints are often used interchangeably in describing the area of the pavement where two paved sections come together.
VRAM, Void Reducing Asphalt Membrane is referred to in Illinois as LJS, Longitudinal Joint Sealant.
Depending on the situation VRAM can be sprayed at different widths. It should be noted that 18” is a typical application width for centerline applications.
J-Band® is a VRAM product of Asphalt Materials, Inc. that was created in the labs of The Heritage Research Group.
J-Band®, CCAP® and T-Bond® are registered trademarks of Asphalt Materials, Inc.
AMIBIND™, AMIBOND™, AMICYCLE™, AMIGUARD™ and AMISEAL™ are trademarks of Asphalt Materials, Inc.
