Longitudinal joint deterioration has posed a continual issue for engineers, applicators, and the communities we live in. When longitudinal joints fail, the rest of the pavement is soon to follow, leading to unplanned road maintenance at significant cost and risk to agencies and the public.
Void Reducing Asphalt Membrane (VRAM) was created to help build longer-lasting, safer roads, and was developed by state transportation agencies, industry experts and the laboratories at the Heritage Research Group.
This innovative product has taken the asphalt paving industry by storm, offering road managers a new way to safeguard their investments for years to come. In Kalamazoo County, Michigan, the Road Commission department has embraced this opportunity through yet another J-band ® project after their initial adoption in 2020.
Project Details
- Prime Paving Contractor: Rieth Riley
- Applicator: Pavement Maintenance System (PMS)
- Location: Douglas Ave., Kalamazoo County, Michigan
- Date Constructed: August 10 & 12, 2024
VRAM Application
On a beautiful 69°F day in August, Douglas Avenue was reinforced with VRAM. Starting just after noon, PMS applied the VRAM, J-Band, on the centerline covering 0.65 miles, from Barney Road down to Kaaf Drive. The first part of the application was placed on top of a binder surface until the Business 131 off-ramp where there was a freshly milled surface.
On two small sections of Douglas Avenue, VRAM was placed directly on plain cement concrete.
Personnel present at the job site were Stewart and Chris from PMS along with J-Band Field Support Engineer, Chad Crosby, from Asphalt Materials Inc.
As the VRAM was sprayed in a targeted 18” wide band at a rate of 0.95 lb./ft, its temperature was 340°F, but it cooled to a traversable temperature of 130°F in just 10 minutes. Totals for this day were 462 gallons (3,940 lbs.) applied over 3400 feet.
Paving Observations
Two days later, on sunny 78°F August 12, Rieth Riley paved over the VRAM beginning at 10 am. Using a CAT AP1055 paver and a CAT AP 55E paver, they laid a planned 2-inch 36A modified fine-graded mix.
For the rolling operation, a CAT CB68B steel drum roller and a CAT CB13 steel drum roller were used. The breakdown roller worked low to high in vibratory mode in 9 passes, and the finish roller worked across the mat in vibratory mode.
Paving over the VRAM band 2 days later
Kalamazoo County was able to successfully incorporate J-Band in its recent work on Douglas Road with the help of Rieth Riley and Pavement Maintenance Systems. Counties like Kalamazoo are continuing to adopt VRAM in their road management plans, extending their pavement’s service life at a lower life-cycle cost!
Explore the hundreds of J-Band projects across America with our interactive map here.
Editor’s Notes:
J-Band®, the premier VRAM, was created in the labs of the Heritage Research Group (HRG) and is a product of Asphalt Materials, Inc. (AMI).
