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.

• Record URL:
  http://www.pooledfund.org/Details/Study/765

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Programmed
• Funding: $11949998
• Contract Numbers:

  TPF-5(531)

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Georgia Department of Transportation

  600 West Peachtree St
  Atlanta, GA  United States  30308

  Mississippi Department of Transportation

  P.O. Box 1850
  Jackson, MS  United States  39215-1850

  Missouri Department of Transportation

  1617 Missouri Blvd.
  P.O. Box 270
  Jefferson City, MO  United States  65102

  Texas Department of Transportation

  125 E. 11th Street
  Austin, TX  United States  78701-2483

  Virginia Department of Transportation

  1408 E Broad Street
  Richmond, VA  United States  23219

  Arkansas Department of Transportation

  Little Rock, AR  United States 

  West Virginia Department of Transportation

  Division of Highways
  Building 5, Room A-110
  Charleston, WV  United States  25305-0430

  South Carolina Department of Transportation

  955 Park Street
  P.O. Box 191
  Columbia, SC  United States  29202-0191

  Oklahoma Transportation

  200 NE 21st Street
  Oklahoma City, OK  United States  73105

  North Carolina Department of Transportation

  P.O. Box 25201
  1 South Wilmington Street
  Raleigh, NC  United States  27611

  New York State Department of Transportation

  50 Wolf Road
  Albany, NY  United States  12232

  Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

  200 Mero Street
  Frankfort, KY  United States  40622

  Florida Department of Transportation

  Research Center
  605 Suwannee Street MS-30
  Tallahassee, FL  United States  32399-0450

  Alabama 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; 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