Effect of Using of Reclaimed Asphalt and/or Lower Temperature Asphalt on the Availability of the Road Network

There is currently a need for a method that assesses the results from changes in the potential durability of road materials due to the inclusion of reclaimed and secondary component materials in the manufacture of new road materials. Such changes will have an effect on the cost of the construction maintenance, both financially to the client and environmentally to society in general, and any savings may be transitory. A site trial has been laid of mixtures with and without reclaimed asphalt and work has started to assess their durability from early-life properties. The trials are being monitored for their initial performance, whereas laboratory trials are concentrating on the combined effect of aging and moisture damage on the performance of asphalt mixtures on the trial. All three strands are being used to develop lifecycle analysis models to customize them for the effect of using alternative component materials on the availability of the network and their overall financial and environmental cost, both initial and whole life. The costs will be identified as being direct (of the construction and maintenance) and indirect (on society in general, such as congestion).