Jim Weston

Comparison of performance and cost between superpave and conventional hot-mix asphalt in Washington State

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) began using Superpave® in 1996 and has increased the number of projects each year, totaling approximately 1.9 million tonnes (2.1 million tons) and covering 1,753 lane kilometers (1,089 lane miles). After the Superpave projects had been in place for a maximum of 6 years, an evaluation of the field performance, unit prices, and costs per lane kilometer were compared with WSDOTs conventional hot-mix asphalt (HMA). Although none of the Superpave projects have reached the end of their performance life, the purpose of this limited study is to answer the question, Is Superpave performing as well as conventional HMA in Washington State? The data presented show that, in most cases, Superpave is performing as well as, or better than, conventional HMA and the cost is approximately the same.