Development of an Alaska Specification for Palliative Applications on Unpaved Roads and Runways

For the past seven years, Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) Northern Region has been applying different palliatives to runways at rural airports in Alaska's northern region. As of summer 2008 approximately 33 runways had been treated with palliatives. In addition, Kawerak, Incorporated has applied palliatives to roadways in several northwest Alaskan villages. The only guidance in applying these palliatives has come from the manufactures of the palliatives. According to the ADOT&PF, specifications provided to the contractors applying these palliatives have been very loose. Specifically, the specification calls for an "effective and evident dust palliative effect (diminishment of fugitive dust release to a negligible level) for at least two full years after application." Further, the specification instructs that the "dust palliative effect must be available when the dust control product is applied to a wide range of normal and common surfacing aggregates…" In the specification as written, the requirement of effective and evident dust palliative effect is not quantifiable. Thus if the palliative does not perform, the ADOT&PF would have a difficult time arguing that the contractor did not satisfy the terms of the contract. In addition the specification does not provide any specification on dust palliative placement. The objective of this proposed project is to write a set of performance based specifications that cover the application of dust control palliatives to unpaved transportation surfaces in Alaska. To meet this project objective we will assess the effectiveness of palliatives to reduce loftable dust using our newly developed portable dust instrument UAF Dust Monitor (UAF - DUSTM developed by Barnes, Johnson, T. Marsik, and R. Wies). With these results, we will compare the effectiveness of newly laid palliative and palliative that has been applied one to three years prior. From these results we will develop a reasonable performance based specification. We anticipate that the specification will include measurement of palliative performance using UAF-DUSTM or a comparable instrument.

• Record URL:
  http://www.alaska.edu/uaf/cem/ine/autc/projects.xml

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $75080.00
• Contract Numbers:

  DTRT06-G-0011

  309015 / G00003238

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities

  2301 Peger Road
  Fairbanks, AK  United States  99701

  Alaska University Transportation Center

  University of Alaska, Fairbanks
  P.O. Box 755900
  Fairbanks, AK  United States  99775-5900
• Project Managers:

  Barnes, Dave

• Performing Organizations:

  Alaska University Transportation Center

  University of Alaska, Fairbanks
  P.O. Box 755900
  Fairbanks, AK  United States  99775-5900
• Principal Investigators:

  Johnson, Ron

  Barnes, Dave

• Start Date: 20090801
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20130531
• Source Data: RiP Project 22597

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Airport runways; Dust; Research projects; Rural areas; Unpaved roads
• Uncontrolled Terms: Dust palliatives
• Geographic Terms: Alaska
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Data and Information Technology; Highways; Pavements; I30: Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01474993
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Alaska University Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: DTRT06-G-0011, 309015 / G00003238
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Mar 9 2013 1:01AM