Yesterday on a trip to The Woodlands with my girlfriend, we noticed that HCTRA has resurfaced the Sam Houston Tollway with asphalt (something you NEVER see in Houston, especially on newer roads). The new pavement spans about three or four miles from U.S. 290, northward to about TX-249. I am a huge fan because it's dramatically quieter and smoother than the noisy scored concrete the Houston area loves to lay. However, the concrete it was placed on top of was in decent condition and residents in the area were scratching their heads.
Here is an article and video posted on KHOU CBS 11's website explaining why. I figured y'all might find it interesting.
http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou090610_tnt_pfc-pavement-toll-road.698724dc.html (http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou090610_tnt_pfc-pavement-toll-road.698724dc.html)
My understanding is that the concrete used on a few stretches of the Beltway (mainly 59 to IH10) was of poor quality and this stretch was recently rebuilt with new concrete. Certain parts of the Beltway are approaching 20-25 years old so it is time for maintainance. With the heavy downpours that can occur in this area, this will make driving much safer during these times.
This type of asphalt is used extensively in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida on interstates. It is wonderful to drive on during wet weather versus normal asphalt or concrete.
Quote from: codyg1985 on July 28, 2009, 02:05:16 PM
This type of asphalt is used extensively in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida on interstates. It is wonderful to drive on during wet weather versus normal asphalt or concrete.
Sure is. South Carolina has been making good use of it too for several years too. The past three or four years, Texas has caught on too.
So, that's what that type of asphalt is called. I know some state I've been to, like Mississippi, have a brownish-black asphalt. Looks weird. Seems like Mississippi uses a custom "traffic merges from left-to-right" and vice versa warning sign.
Be well,
Bryant
Yep, Mississippi and Tennessee have brownish asphalt probably due to the reddish hue of the soil/clay in that region. I've also noticed that older Florida roads have a very light tannish/white color to them (I guess they used a sand mixture?).