PERPETUAL PAVEMENT BY DESIGN: EXCELLENCE IN VIRGINIA continues on page 20 △ PERPETUAL PAVEMENTS: these long-lasting pavement designs are one of the best investments a transportation department can make for its infrastructure program. As is said, “Build it right up front, and it will pay dividends for the life of the pavement.” Perpetual pavement is a concept for asphalt roads that are designed and built to last for decades without major repairs or reconstruction. The model is based on the belief that using a thick layer of asphalt over a strong foundation, with three distinct characteristics, builds a long-lasting pavement. A Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) base layer is designed to prevent fatigue cracking; an intermediate layer is then designed to support traffic load, and a wearing surface is designed to resist surface-level issues like rutting and top-down cracking. The FHWA, in its paper Improved Asphalt Pavement Sustainability Through Perpetual Pavement Design, states, “Even though the initial cost for the perpetual design was higher, the LCCA shows that its longer life offsets those higher initial costs. Regarding life-cycle costs, the perpetual pavement shows savings ranging from 17 to 28%…” (FHWA-HIF-19-080). A Perpetual Asphalt Pavement, properly designed and constructed, lasts over 50 years without requiring major structural rehabilitation or reconstruction; thus, it needs only periodic surface renewal in response to distresses confined to the top of the pavement (Newcomb, 2002). VAASPHALT.ORG 19
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