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One reason is it provides a more permanent solution to road repairs. "FDR is going to take a little more time [than mill and fill], but it is going to fix a lot more problems," says Tom Johnson, Mid-State Reclamation and Trucking, Lakeville, MN. "When you do a mill and fill, you have done nothing to take the pothole out, get rid of the crack or homogenize the mix."

John Edwards, Site-Prep of NC, Monroe, NC, adds, "If you are getting to the point where you see roads where more than 15% requires patching, it is not economically feasible to go out and patch it and overlay it. You are going to be back within a year to patch adjoining sections."

On average, a mill and fill job may last three to five years, he notes, while FDR can increase the lifespan to 15 to 20 years. "When you look at it with a life-cycle analysis, it just makes sense to do FDR," he says.

Lower material costs

Mid-State Reclamation and Trucking has been involved in FDR since 1992. "I was the first contractor in Minnesota to put a machine into service for FDR," says Johnson. "Now I have six machines and there are probably 20 machines in the state.

"FDR is one of the easiest ways to widen a road," he continues. "If the road was 22 ft. and there is room for the shoulders, we can just incorporate the shoulders and all of the mix together and put back a 24-ft. lane."