AC Resurfacing of Four Locations in Tennessee Utilizing Intelligent Compaction Technology

Federal Highway Administration2015PDFTech ReportBledsoe, JamesApplied Research Associates, Inc.United States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of InfrastructureZirlin, JulieFlom, EwaUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUnited StatesTennesseeResurfacingDemonstration projectsCompactionEconomic analysisJulie Zirlin;Ewa FlomFinal ReportAs part of a national initiative sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration under the Highways for LIFE program, the Tennessee Department of Transportation was awarded a $1,445,600 grant to demonstrate the use of proven, innovative technologies for intelligent compaction. This report documents the use of intelligent compaction technology to accelerate the resurfacing of four locations in Tennessee. Innovations in these projects increased safety, enhanced quality, and will provide increased longevity and lower maintenance costs for the people of Tennessee. Using the intelligent compaction technology increased the initial construction cost on all four projects by a total of 2.5 percent. As all equipment used on the projects was the same, with or without intelligent compaction technology, the increase is assumed to be entirely due to the rental of intelligent compaction hardware and software installed on the standard compaction equipment. There was no time savings on these specific projects, but it is assumed that the experience gained will allow more routine use of this technology in the future where time savings may be realized. This is especially true in the area of reduced testing. However, it is assumed that the overall quality of the projects was improved, especially with regard to the consistency of the compaction effort. This is expected to reduce the likelihood of early failures and increase the likelihood of reduced maintenance and longer project life. Even a 1-year increase in project life more than offsets the cost of the innovation in after accounting for the present value of future maintenance and early rehabilitation. To promote further interest and use of the innovations included in this project, TDOT, in conjunction with the FHWA, sponsored a 1-day showcase. The general consensus is that IC is a promising technology for the future of paving in Tennessee104