Indiana, PA – The Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA) recently announced that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's (PennDOT), District 10, has won a 2022 Perpetual Pavement Award: By Performance (PPA) for a 3.33-mile section of two-lane State Route 210 in Armstrong County originally constructed in 1971. PennDOT has earned consecutive 12 PPAs since the program began in 2001.
"We're honored that the Asphalt Pavement Association has recognized the Route 210 project for its Perpetual Pavement Award," said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. "Together with our industry partners, PennDOT continues to deliver quality projects that will stand the test of time and improve the reliability of our infrastructure."
To qualify for this award, a pavement must be at least 35 years old and never experienced a structural failure. The average interval between the resurfacing of the winning pavement must be no less than 13 years. The pavement must demonstrate the characteristics expected from long-life asphalt pavements: excellence in design, quality in construction and value for the traveling public. Engineers at the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) evaluated the nominations and validated the winners.
The award-winning section of State Route 210 was opened to traffic in 1971. The original construction consisted of an 11-inch unknown base course, 5 inches of bituminous concrete base course, and 1.5 inches of bituminous wearing course. With only two resurfacings, the total thickness on this project has increased by only 2.5 inches in over 51 years.
This two-lane roadway is the primary roadway to access Keystone Lake, a popular recreation spot in the western part of the state currently. It has a current daily traffic of 2,425 vehicles totaling approximately 13.3 million equivalent single-axle loads (ESALs) over its life.
As the years between resurfacing have averaged 18.5 years, this section of State Route 210 easily meets the criteria for a PPA will continue to serve the travelers in Pennsylvania well into the future requiring little maintenance. PennDOT will be honored by the Pennsylvania Asphalt Pavement Association (PAPA) and presented with an engraved crystal obelisk.
"One key indicator of quality in construction is a smooth, long-life pavement," said Amy Miller, P.E., National Director of the APA. "Long-life asphalt pavements serve the community, reduce the money needed for maintenance, and conserve raw materials, ultimately leading to a truly sustainable structure that exemplifies the triple bottom line. Asphalt roads can be engineered to last indefinitely with only routine maintenance and periodic surface renewal. Perpetual Pavements use fewer natural resources and offer road owners and users what they want most – an economical, smooth pavement that serves the community for decades."
The Asphalt Pavement Alliance is a coalition of the National Asphalt Pavement Association, the Asphalt Institute, and the State Asphalt Pavement Associations. The Asphalt Pavement Alliance's mission is to establish asphalt as the preferred choice for quality, performance and the environment.
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