Accelerated Performance Testing on the 2024 NCAT Pavement Test Track with MnROAD Research Partnership
The National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) Pavement Test Track was originally constructed as a result of interest and support from state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) who shared a concern for building and preserving safe, sustainable, resilient, and cost-effective pavement infrastructure. Track research operations began in the summer of 2000. Forty-six 200-ft test sections were subjected to 10 million equivalent single axle loadings (ESALs) of heavy truck traffic through December of 2002. Test sections were rebuilt in 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, and 2021 with 10 million ESALs applied within each 3-year research cycle. NCAT began formally partnering with the Minnesota Road Research Project (MnROAD) in 2015 to execute nationally relevant research in both mix performance testing and pavement preservation. Positive experiences with implementable findings that reduce the life cycle cost of flexible pavements and facilitate rapid deployment of sustainable technologies have made this research an outstanding investment for numerous state DOTs, who pool their resources to share the cost of construction, operations, and research in a cooperative manner. The summer 2024 rebuild is the starting point for the nineth research cycle, with many high reward research options available for potential sponsors. NCAT is again partnering with MnROAD in the 2024 research cycle to execute a pavement performance experiment with nationwide implementation impact. The primary objectives of the pooled fund project described herein will be: (1) Constructing, maintaining, and/or rebuilding experimental pavements on the existing 1.7-mile NCAT test oval and the MnROAD mainline bypass that are representative of in-service roadways on the open transportation infrastructure; (2) Applying accelerated performance truck traffic after construction for the duration of the 3-year research cycle; (3) Assessing/comparing the functional and structural field performance of trafficked sections on a regular basis via surface and subsurface measures; (4) Validating/calibrating new and existing methodologies for analysis and design using pavement surface condition, pavement load response, precise traffic and environmental logging, and cumulative damage; (5) Correlating field results with laboratory data for both mix and structural performance; and (6) Answering practical questions posed by research sponsors through formal (i.e., reports and technical papers) and informal (e.g., one-on-one responses to sponsor inquiries) technology transfer. For example, can pavement thickness be reduced as a result of the addition of mix additives, and if so does the thickness reduction offset any additional cost of construction?
- Record URL:
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Programmed
- Funding: $10500001
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Contract Numbers:
TPF-5(531)
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Sponsor Organizations:
Georgia Department of Transportation
600 West Peachtree St
Atlanta, GA United States 30308Mississippi Department of Transportation
P.O. Box 1850
Jackson, MS United States 39215-1850Missouri Department of Transportation
1617 Missouri Blvd.
P.O. Box 270
Jefferson City, MO United States 65102Texas Department of Transportation
125 E. 11th Street
Austin, TX United States 78701-2483Virginia Department of Transportation
1408 E Broad Street
Richmond, VA United States 23219West Virginia Department of Transportation
Division of Highways
Building 5, Room A-110
Charleston, WV United States 25305-0430South Carolina Department of Transportation
955 Park Street
P.O. Box 191
Columbia, SC United States 29202-0191 200 NE 21st Street
Oklahoma City, OK United States 73105North Carolina Department of Transportation
P.O. Box 25201
1 South Wilmington Street
Raleigh, NC United States 27611New York State Department of Transportation
50 Wolf Road
Albany, NY United States 12232Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
200 Mero Street
Frankfort, KY United States 40622Florida Department of Transportation
Research Center
605 Suwannee Street MS-30
Tallahassee, FL United States 32399-0450Alabama Department of Transportation
1409 Coliseum Blvd.
Montgomery, AL United States 36130 -
Managing Organizations:
Alabama Department of Transportation
1409 Coliseum Boulevard
Montgomery, AL United States 36130-3050 -
Project Managers:
Dixon, Kidada
- Start Date: 20240516
- Expected Completion Date: 0
- Actual Completion Date: 0
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Pavement design; Pavements; Paving; Performance tests; Test tracks; Traffic loads
- Subject Areas: Construction; Design; Highways; Pavements;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01915271
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
- Contract Numbers: TPF-5(531)
- Files: RIP, USDOT, STATEDOT
- Created Date: Apr 16 2024 7:25PM