I noticed today what appears to be a patch job on the ramp leading to I-540 from WB I-40 at Van Buren. Seems a bit soon to be making repairs to a project that ended just a month or two ago.
Is it hot mix or PCC?
Wow! They had a hot mix called "super pave" at one time. I think it was first put down in Pine Bluff while building the I-530 interchange with US 65 at I-530's terminus. As with any kind of pavement, if it's not mixed correctly and put down properly, it will fail miserably.
Superpave is a mix design guide. It is the result of much research and uses a much more sophisticated approach than a Marshall mix
All AHTD HMA is designed using Superpave nowadays
As for the section needing repair, I'm sure AHTD will respond to our question in a timely manner! This is disturbing news, especially considering some of the historical material gaffes in the region (I-540 median barrier, I-40 near Mulberry, XNA runway). All of AHTDs suppliers have to be registered and approved by AHTD, I believe
Quote from: bjrush on September 29, 2014, 11:38:04 PM
Superpave is a mix design guide. It is the result of much research and uses a much more sophisticated approach than a Marshall mix
All AHTD HMA is designed using Superpave nowadays
As for the section needing repair, I'm sure AHTD will respond to our question in a timely manner! This is disturbing news, especially considering some of the historical material gaffes in the region (I-540 median barrier, I-40 near Mulberry, XNA runway). All of AHTDs suppliers have to be registered and approved by AHTD, I believe
...and those who work quality control samples of all kinds, both contractors and AHTD employees, have to take a week-long course at Univ. of Ark.-Fayetteville on the proper procedures of sample taking and sample testing.
A friend of mine contacted AHTD and received a response from the District Engineer
Quote
The repaving on the ramp was corrective work. A small section of asphalt moved away from where it was originally placed, resulting in a crack in the pavement. It appears that this particular area of the asphalt did not bond properly with the underlying layer. Although rare, asphalt will occasionally "slip" out of place. The contractor removed and replaced the asphalt at no cost to the Department or taxpayers
There also appear to future plans for fixing the rest of I-540
US 71 to the OK Line in 2015
AR 22 to US 71 in 2017