About this project:
A VRAM project took place on November 8th in Clinton County, Indiana.
This project on State Road 28 stretched from South Jackson Street to O’Neil Street in the city of Frankfort, Indiana. VRAM was applied with a targeted 18” wide band to the centerline joint, prior to HMA paving as seen below.
This was an Indiana Department of Transportation, (InDOT), project.
The VRAM application began in the early morning, beginning at S. Jackson Street and continuing to O’Neil Street. On the West end of the project, from Jackson Street to the bridge, there were 3 joints that received VRAM, while the rest of the project received 1 strip of VRAM. Once the process of applying VRAM was completed, HMA paving began!
The applicator for this project was Road Fabrics Inc. (RFI)
The prime paving contractor was E & B.
Paving Operation Process:
The paving of the road began early the next morning. There were multiple paving crews present, with the first crew starting at the bridge paving east towards O’Neil Street, while the second crew started at the bridge and paved west to Jackson Street.
The paving train for the first crew consisted of:
- A RoadTec RP190 paver
- A RoadTec SB2500D shuttle buggy
- A Ingersol Rand Dd-90 steel drum roller
- A CAT CB634C steel drum roller
The paving train for the second crew consisted of:
- A CAT AP655F paver
- A CAT CB54 steel drum roller
- A HAMM HD70 steel drum roller
- A CAT CB24 steel drum roller
All rollers were working in tandem in vibratory mode with the CAT CB24 working on the west section towards Jackson Street. Once the paving was completed, the project was complete.
VRAM Helps State and Local Agencies Achieve the DOT’s Strategic Objectives
Agencies are now being asked to build more resilient and sustainable transportation systems to benefit and protect communities. 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® is a VRAM product of Asphalt Materials, Inc. with a long 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.
An Indiana DOT life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) showed that an investment of $12.5M in J-Band would result in a $39M in savings (approximately 3:1 ROI).
Applying VRAM to centerline joint protects the most permeable part of the road from air and water intrusion, which damages the pavement as they work down into the pavement.
J-Band® is unlike other methods in that it is a materials approach to fixing the age-old problem of longitudinal joint issues. In contrast to mechanical approaches, J-Band is a highly polymer-modified asphalt cement that is placed along the location of the longitudinal joint before paving with HMA.
To learn more about some of our other products, like our mix application product line AMIBIND™, visit the products page of our website: https://asphalt-materials.com/products/
Editor’s Notes:
VRAM, Void Reducing Asphalt Membrane, is referred to in Illinois as LJS, Longitudinal Joint Sealant.
Centerline joints and longitudinal joints are often used interchangeably in describing the area of the pavement where two sections come together.
Depending on the situation VRAM can be sprayed at different width’s. It should be noted that 18” is a typical application width for centerline applications.
J-Band® and CCAP ® are registered trademarks of Asphalt Materials, Inc. AMIBIND™, AMIBOND™, AMICYCLE™, AMIGUARD™, AMISEAL™ are trademarks of Asphalt Materials, Inc.
