The current VT 30 project is not a repaving project such as the ones we have seen over the past several years. Repaving projects typically involve milling (scarifying) sections of pavement and applying approximately 2 inches of new asphalt to help prolong the life of the road. This project is a reclamation project. Reclamation projects involve full-depth reclamation, the process of milling the existing asphalt surface, pulverizing the remaining asphalt pavement and a portion of the underlying base, subbase, and/or subgrade, grading the roadway and adding gravel. Then, a second reclaim pass is made, uniformly blending the roadway subbase and the added gravel with additional stabilizing material (such as emulsified asphalt and cement) to provide an upgraded, homogeneous material. Finally, the stabilized material is compacted in place with rollers, and then the new roadway subbase is paved with one base layer of recycled asphalt pavement, an intermediate layer of asphalt pavement and a final (wearing course) layer.

To maintain the integrity of the subbase of the roadway, the entire width, and often the entire length of the roadway must be done at the same time. Reclaiming only one half of the roadway at a time can compromise the subbase at the longitudinal joint. Segmenting the roadway is possible, but can pose logistical issues, oftentimes leading to longer project durations and higher costs. Various operations take longer than others to complete and are difficult to stagger.

Below, you can find a fact sheet providing more information on how roadway reclamation projects are completed and other frequently asked questions. We plan to include this information in this week’s Construction Update to provide more clarification surrounding this type of project to the community.