Santa Barbara County Public Works Department received the Outstanding Local Streets and Roads Award for the Hollister Avenue Cold In-Place Pavement Recycle Project. The County Engineers Association of California (CEAC), the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) and the League of California Cities presented the award at the annual spring meeting in Newport Beach.
The awards program recognizes projects that serve as best practices and can be replicated by other jurisdictions. The awards also acknowledge the cities and counties that promote sustainability in the local transportation system.
The Hollister Avenue Cold In-Place Pavement Recycle Project was a pilot project to improve 1.2 miles of Hollister Avenue using environmentally friendly construction methods. The project removed the top 1.5 inches of asphalt and recycled 3 inches of the remaining asphalt using the Cold In- place Recycling (CIR) strategy. The technique saved money by reusing the existing aggregate. This is significant because reusing existing aggregate does not require transporting in new gravel from over 40 miles away. To expedite re-opening the road to cross-traffic at the intersections and minimize inconvenience to drivers, a thin layer of oil and sand was placed on the CIR pavement layer, which accelerated drying time and acted as a buffer under vehicle wheels.
"The county has been a leader in pavement preservation since 1999, which means selecting the right road at the right time for the right treatment," says Public Works Director Scott McGolpin. "This award recognizes the county's continued leadership in this field across California as we have selected the most cost effective and sustainable technology to treat Hollister Avenue for the traveling public's use."
