High-Performance Sustainable Asphalt Mixtures for High-Volume Traffic Roads in Severe Climates

Abstract

This paper summarizes the work carried out in a research project whose main objective was to develop high-performance sustainable bituminous materials (using crumb rubber and additives to reduce their manufacturing temperature) to be used in roads that support high traffic volumes and/or severe environmental conditions. For this purpose, various studies were conducted both in a laboratory and in a real asphalt plant (at binder and mixture level). Later, these materials were used to construct a trial section in a highway at a mountain pass (at more than 1400 m above sea level) supporting more than 2600 heavy vehicles each day under severe environmental conditions (snow during winter, and high temperatures and many hours of solar radiation during the summer). The results indicate the viability of using these materials, since they provide a number of advantages such as improved workability at lower temperatures and an increase in the mechanical resistance against the main sources of distress that affect asphalt pavements.