Bituminous Surface Treatment Protocol for the Washington State Department of Transportation

Abstract

To help the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) enhance its pavement preservation program through an improved understanding of the use of bituminous surface treatment (BST), the Highway Development and Management System was used as an analytical tool to test the average annual daily traffic and equivalent single-axle load levels appropriate as criteria for selecting the application of BST resurfacings to WSDOT pavements. It verified the feasibility of using BSTs to maintain pavements with higher traffic levels than have been applied in the past. Results also suggested that alternating the application of BST resurfacings and 45-mm hot-mix asphalt overlays is an effective rehabilitation strategy. Finally, the study results were used to estimate the impacts that increased use of BST surfaces would have on the performance of the state-owned route system.