Project Profile: IN 28 – US 35

IN 28 and US 35 are located in east central Indiana. Parts of the road had been milled and some had not. J-Band was applied full-width (18”) on portions of the road that were milled. It was applied half-width (9”) for areas adjacent to an unmilled section. Rates were also adjusted to accommodate for this.

The INDOT inspector and foreman on this job had worked with J-Band before. Todd Thomas and Jim Cunningham, the Asphalt Materials field support engineers on this job, gave the inspector and foreman copies of the J-Band checklist as a refresher.
J-Band was applied at 18” wide at a rate of 1.80 lb./ft. or 9” wide at a rate if 0.90 lb./ft. on this project. Due to the high temperature that day, a light mist was sprayed on J-Band to help it cool down faster.

The surface course was paved with a 12.5 mm PG 70 compacted to 2” deep.

After paving the surface course, J-Band migrated 7/8” up into the overlay height. The total migration height after compaction is between 50-75% of the overlay height and will can be measured directly from core samples. The mix directly over the J-Band was soft and spongy for a short time after paving, a characteristic sign of upwards migration. There was also a visible shadow in the final pavement, another sign that indicates J-Band migrating. These signs indicate that the material is working exactly as designed.

With the longitudinal joints on these roads reinforced by J-Band, INDOT can expect 15+ years of life out of the pavement at the joint. Compared to the average joint, which typically starts having issues in less than five years, INDOT expects to save a lot of stress and money. The J-Band team will check in on these roads to evaluate performance.