Asphalt Pro Article (www.theasphaltpro.com)
By Tom Kuennen, Regular Contributor
Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) officials have high hopes for a mill-and-overlay of I-40 just west of Oklahoma City that incorporates highly modified asphalt (HiMA) pavement. ODOT is using HiMA on I-40 in Caddo County in the first commercial application of this new technology. Work on this project began with traffic crossover placements in February 2012, followed by mainline milling and paving through April.
Use of the HiMA mix should enable the DOT to obtain a durable asphalt pavement with a possible reduced pavement depth, saving money and permitting the DOT to pursue a larger resurfacing program with the same amount of funds. In Oklahoma, a single, highly modified PG76-28 E binder was used for three different asphalt mixes for I-40. The HiMA binder contained 7.5 percent SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene) polymer, more than twice as much as that used in conventional polymer-modified binders.