Field Implementation of Quarry By-Product based Otta Seal for Low-Volume Roads

An Otta seal is a cost-effective surface treatment that is formed by adding graded aggregate to a thick application of soft binder. It is worked into the aggregate as traffic rolls over it. This effort expands on Illinois Center for Transportation and Illinois Department of Transportation project R27-268, which successfully designed and tested Otta seal mixes in the lab using underutilized quarry materials, a leftover material from crushed rock extraction. Researchers will test the lab-developed Otta seal design on a real-world roadway section and assess its performance over time. Successful use of Otta seal treatments made with underutilized quarry materials will reduce operational costs and maintenance needs on local roads as well as provide environmental benefits from utilizing existing materials.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $564,121.00
• Contract Numbers:

  R27-298

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Illinois Department of Transportation

  Bureau of Research
  2420 South Dirksen Parkway
  Springfield, IL  United States  62764
• Managing Organizations:

  University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

  Illinois Center for Transportation
  1611 Titan Drive
  Rantoul, IL  United States  61866
• Performing Organizations:

  University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory
  Urbana, IL  United States  61801-2352
• Principal Investigators:

  Tutumluer, Erol

  Hajj, Ramez

• Start Date: 20260816
• Expected Completion Date: 20280815
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: Research and Development

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Pavement performance; Sealing compounds; Waste products
• Geographic Terms: Illinois
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Materials; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01999443
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Illinois Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: R27-298
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Aug 17 2026 11:01AM