MnROAD | NCAT/MnROAD Partnership
Pavement preservation (PG3)
The Minnesota DOT Road Research Project (MnROAD) and National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT), and the National Center for Pavement Preservation have formed a partnership to evaluate Pavement Preservation treatments. The objective of the Preservation Group (PG) experiment is to quantify the life-extending benefits of pavement preservation on both low- and high-volume roadways. Over twenty agencies have and supporting three pooled fund studies along with Foundation of Pavement Preservation PF2 and FHWA. In 2019, cold recycle sections were constructed near MnROAD to compliment the suite of cold recycling sections on US 280 in Opelika, Alabama with the support from the Pavement Preservation & Recycling Alliance (PPRA). The latest pooled fund is focused on the development and support of test sections with the participating agencies.
PG3 current efforts (2024-2029)
The current pooled fund is open for participation till 2029. Contact us if you are interested in participating. The goal of this pooled fund is to provide technical assistance to the agencies to build and monitor test sections in their own states with a focus on implementation of current specifications and practices.
- PG3 – Pooled Fund TPF-5(522): 2024-2029:
- National Partnership to Improve the Quality of Pavement Preservation Treatment Construction & Data Collection Practices
- NCAT Study link to PG3 pavement preservation resources
- PG1 and PG2 Construction, performance, reporting
- NCPP Study link to PG3 pavement preservation resources
- PG3 Project Nominations, Project Process, Participating States, Meetings, Resources
PG1 and PG2 (2015-2023)
History
Test sections for both the southern and northern test sections were built by one contractor, same treatments, and similar designs with locally found materials.
- PG1 Pooled Fund – TPF-5(267), 2015-2018: Accelerated Performance Testing for the NCAT Pavement Test Track
- PG2 Pooled Fund – TPF-5(375), 2019-2023: National Partnership to Determine the Life Extending Benefit Curves of Pavement Preservation Techniques (MnROAD/NCAT) Joint Study
- TPF-5(522): 2024-2029: National Partnership to Improve the Quality of Pavement Preservation Treatment Construction & Data Collection Practices (PG3)
- Current pooled fund open for participation anytime till 2029. Contact us if you have interest. The goals of this pooled fund is to provide technical assistance to the agencies to build and monitor test sections. Focus on implementation of current specifications and practices.
- Detailed Study information will be contained on a website being developed under NCAT
Test sections
Test sections for both the southern and northern test sections were built by one contractor, same treatments, and similar designs with locally found materials. Test sections were built outside of the MnROAD and NCAT test tracks. Great care was taken to reduce variables.
- 2012: Lee Road 159 (Alabama low volume)
- 2015: US-280 (Alabama high volume road)
- 2016: US-169 (Minnesota high volume road) and County State Aid Highway-8 (Minnesota low volume road)
- Test Section Layout (PDF)
- Google Earth Viewer (KMZ)
- Construction Applications (PDF)
- Thinlays Delta-S and Virgin 2021 (DOC)
- Nov 2016 Test Section Picture History (PDF)
- 2017 US-169 Observations (PDF)
- 2017 CSAH-8 Observations (PDF)
- Manual Distress Surveys (PDF)
- 2016: MnROAD Low Volume Road cells 55-58 Open Graded Friction Course (PDF)
- 2019: 70th Street Cold Recycle (Albertville/Otsego, Minnesota)
Study contacts
Minnesota contact
Joel Ulring, P.E., joel.ulring@state.mn.us
MnDOT Materials and Road Research
MnDOT Pavement Preservation
NCAT contact
Adriana Vargas Nordcbeck, Ph.D., vargaad@auburn.edu
National Center for Asphalt Technology
NCPP contact
Bouzid Choubane, PhD., choubane@egr.msu.edu
National Center for Pavement Preservation