ATLANTA (Oct. 4, 2011)—The Georgia Department of Transportation is collaborating with several companies and the National Center for Asphalt Technology to install rubber-modified asphalt on a stretch of State Route 247 in Bibb County, Ga., according to Tucker, Ga.-based Lehigh Technologies Inc.
According to Lehigh, the Bibb County project expands on previous Georgia DOT studies of rubberized asphalt, testing the material's performance against conventional asphalt in real-world conditions.
Liberty Tire Recycling, the largest scrap tire recycler in the U.S., will process about 20,000 scrap tires which Lehigh will transform into micronized rubber powders that will be added to asphalt, the company said.
Reeves Construction, a major asphalt paving company in Georgia, will install the rubberized asphalt. The Georgia DOT will oversee the project along with the NCAT, which will perform a study providing objective data on different asphalt rubber composites, Lehigh said.
Rubber-modified asphalt has long been used in California, Arizona, Florida and Texas, and other states are evaluating the material. Advocates of rubberized asphalt claim numerous benefits for the material, including longer life and reduced maintenance compared with conventional asphalt.