Chip Seal for Uniform Usages

Chip seals are one of the most popular pavement preservation treatments for asphalt pavements due to their ability to seal the existing road surface from moisture damage and oxidation, improve skid resistance, seal minor cracks, and delay deterioration. They consist of a uniform spray application of an asphalt binder followed by a uniform application of aggregate coat cover which is then rolled with pneumatic tire rollers to achieve the desired embedment. This simple process can be conducted using local maintenance personnel with minimal equipment requirements, making it a cost-effective option. The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) has not adopted a specific chip seal design procedure, and rather each district has independent methods to determine the material application rates, generally based on experience. The materials used vary throughout the state based on local availability. Recently, the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) as chip seal aggregate has been adopted as an alternative to virgin aggregate due to the sustainability benefits associated with it. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this research are to: Evaluate current NMDOT chip seal practices across the state of New Mexico, specifically materials and application rates. Assess the impact of these practices and/or factors on the performance based on the available pavement management system (PMS) database; Develop a chip seal design procedure, addressing both local materials and geographic conditions across the state of New Mexico; Develop statewide chip seal construction specifications; Develop project selection criteria for NMDOT to obtain optimum performance and treatment life from chip seal applications, such as skid resistance and minimum chip loss.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Extended for 6 month period.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $170,405.00
• Contract Numbers:

  R923030

• Sponsor Organizations:

  New Mexico Department of Transportation

  1120 Cerrillos Road
  P.O. Box 1149
  Sante Fe, NM  United States  87504-1149

  National Center for Asphalt Technology

  277 Technology Pkwy
  Auburn, AL  United States  36830
• Project Managers:

  Henderson, Tesha

• Performing Organizations:

  National Center for Asphalt Technology

  277 Technology Pkwy
  Auburn, AL  United States  36830
• Principal Investigators:

  Vargas, Adriana

• Start Date: 20230515
• Expected Completion Date: 20251115
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Chip seals; Mix design; Pavement maintenance; Pavement management systems; Reclaimed asphalt pavements
• Identifier Terms: New Mexico Department of Transportation
• Geographic Terms: New Mexico
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Materials; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01962500
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: New Mexico Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: R923030
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Aug 5 2025 12:00PM