ForConstructionPros.com

California motorists and taxpayers were big winners when the cutting-edge cold-in-place (CIP) pavement recycling was used to rehabilitate a major portion of busy I-80 from Auburn to Colfax, north of Sacramento.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Teichert Construction and Valentine Surfacing — with the participation of Wirtgen America Inc. — reconstructed I-80 this past summer using the unique CIP foamed asphalt recycling process. A massive 1,280-hp Wirtgen WR 4200 milled up the existing pavement, mixed it with asphalt foam, then mixed it with a cement-water slurry from an accompanying Wirtgen WM 1000. This new innovative material was placed and compacted on the roadway, all in one pass.

The recycling process resulted in direct savings to California taxpayers of well over $1 million compared to conventional reconstruction.

This project combined the asphalt reclaiming and foamed mix capabilities of the WR 4200 with the cement slurry capabilities of the WM 1000 to recycle in-place nearly 27 miles of traffic lanes (approximately 188,950 square yards), and nearly 49 miles of shoulders, (approximately 315,525 square yards). It represents the first use of the WR 4200 in the United States and one of the largest such projects in the world to date.

“We thought it was a great success,” says Larry Rhoden, vice president and manager, Teichert Construction’s Heavy & Highway Division. “More importantly, because it was Caltrans, it’s really encouraging for the recycling industry as a whole. It’s really the tip of the iceberg of what can be done. It’s the future, without a doubt.