The Pennsylvania Turnpike.
A Pennsylvania House panel this week took testimony from several experts on the reasons concrete and asphalt might be considered over one another for road reconstruction and resurfacing projects.
The state House Transportation Committee took testimony on the issue, which comes at a time when officials face future decisions on Pennsylvania’s road conditions. The state recently ranked toward the bottom of a nationwide study on road quality.
State Rep. Tim Hennessey, R-Pottstown, who chairs the Transportation Committee, said he wanted to hear from experts to gain a greater understanding on the rationale for using one material over another.
“There doesn’t seem to be any balance or consistency,” Hennessey said of the use of asphalt and concrete on highways and interstates throughout Pennsylvania.
Nearly a year ago, legislators adopted House Resolution 1003, which directed officials within the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to conduct a study of the specifications and materials used in agency-approved concrete and asphalt projects.
The study is due in several weeks. PennDOT official Melissa Batula, who was among the speakers offering up testimony at this week’s committee meeting, declined to speak to the study when asked to provide details.
“I’m not prepared to speak specifically to that study,” said Batula, acting director of PennDOT’s Bureau of Project Delivery.
But during testimony, Batula said PennDOT has historically relied on both material types as roadways under the agency’s auspices are repaved and resurfaced.
“PennDOT values both concrete and asphalt pavement industries,” Batula said. “We believe having two compatible industries is in the best interest for our taxpayers, and we look forward to working with both industries.”
Mike Schaak, assistant chief engineer of construction with the Pennsylvania Turnpike, also provided testimony at this week’s committee meeting.
When it was first constructed more than a half-century ago, the Turnpike system was laid out with concrete. More recently, as reconstruction work has taken place, Schaak said the concrete base is being treated with an asphalt overlay in a number of instances.
The technique, Schaak said, is designed to maintain quality, yet keep cost-effectiveness in mind.
“It really is a consideration of our paying customers,” Schaak said. “They’re paying our tolls. They expect a little more.”
Experts in the asphalt and concrete industries also spoke at the meeting.
In his testimony to the House panel, Charles Niederriter of the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Concrete Pavement Association spoke of the material’s deep history and use in the state.
“Last year, seven cement plants in Pennsylvania manufactured 3.7 million tons of the product,” Niederriter said. “That is enough cement to build a 12-inch thick, 2-lane highway from Philadelphia to San Francisco every year.”
Niederriter said about 25 percent of Pennsylvania’s freeways and expressways are made entirely of concrete. An additional 59 percent, he said, are a hybrid of concrete and asphalt.
Charlie Goodhart, executive director of the Pennsylvania Asphalt Pavement Association, said his industry is consistently working to innovate and improve the product. He also touted asphalt’s being 100 percent recyclable.
“It’s the most recycled material in the United States,” Goodhart said, pointing out most old material is ground up and repurposed into new asphalt mixes.
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