FB Paving on PA-993 in North Huntingdon Township, PA

North Huntingdon Township in Westmoreland County, PA, is a family-oriented community with a population of approximately 30,000. Its 160-mile road network is primarily suburban residential with some outlying rural roads making up less than 10% of the network. Taking the lead for the care of the network is Bob Robinson, P.E., Sr. Project Engineer.

The Challenge

A consulting engineer by trade, Robinson is very aware of the benefits of pavement preservation, having used a mixture of crack seal, FiberMat, fog seal, seal coating, and other treatments in his toolbox. But in 2016, it was time to address a severely failing road along PA-993. The road was rutted and had base failures resulting in a need for reconstruction. A Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) with 5% cement stabilization bid came in double the estimate due to the poor road conditions. 

Working with Russell Standard, Robison began to explore the option of Flexible Base (FB) Paving for the low volume road in order to meet the budgetary restrictions of the township. Coming in at 40% the cost of the FDR bid, it was a great solution. 

Resident Impact

The process was easy and very quick. Even the public took notice stopping to thank the workers.

After being neglected for so many years you could see the public driving by smiling ear to ear,” said Robinson. “One resident stopped and asked ‘Are you responsible for this? Thank you!’ All they knew was the road was very bad and two days later they had a great road.

Results

Four years after application, the road continues to perform. Because of the low traffic volume, seal coat may be pushed off two to three years before its needed.