Most people driving over a new tarmac road are unlikely to think about where the old asphalt material went. For the state of Colorado, the answer was surprisingly good news for the budget. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, in 2011, contractors reconstructing the highway used reclaimed asphalt pavement, a mixture of old material pulverized during excavation and new asphalt binder. Specifically, they incorporated 134,000 tons of reclaimed asphalt pavement into asphalt mixes on paving projects statewide, saving an estimated $1.6 million in asphalt binder costs alone. This efficiency-driven initiative offers insight into modern American infrastructure spending practices.
For transportation agencies, the state's road construction case provides an example of how reusing existing pavement materials can reduce material costs. By reusing existing material instead of excavating new aggregates, the contractors reduced the need for new aggregate and asphalt binder.
