Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has approved the use of Evotherm, a warm mix asphalt technology from MeadWestvaco (MWV), in all paving projects across the state.
The Evotherm warm mix asphalt section is in the center lane going east on I-70 just before the Johnson tunnel.
The Evotherm technology can be utilized in all conventional hot-mix asphalt applications. But, the application needs to be done at considerably low temperatures. This makes the technology handy in complex paving projects in Colorado.
MWV has started a demonstration project in August 2007 along with CDOT. Paving was carried out on a part of I-70 roadway located close to the Eisenhower and Johnson Tunnels. This test area had been a great challenge to MWV’s warm mix asphalt technology, as the average annual traffic rate is around 30,000 vehicles per year. But the performance of the paving solution had been extremely good. It was shown that even the 11,000 feet highway covered with Evotherm performs well.
The demo paving project enabled CDOT to answer some concerns related to warm mix asphalt’s moisture susceptibility. The National Center for Asphalt Testing (NCAT) and the CDOT have released a 3-year assessment report, which shows that the performance of MWV’s Evotherm warm mix technology matches with traditional hot-mix asphalt.