City of Colorado Springs / City Engineering / News

The City of Colorado Springs to Test Paving Materials on Voyager Parkway

On Tuesday (July 20, 2010) the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) and the City of Colorado Springs Street Division will be placing a one-inch layer (about 390 tons) of "Permeable Friction Course Terminal Blend Tire Rubber Asphalt" (TBTRA) on Voyager Parkway as part of a comparison test of the durability and ride characteristics of two kinds of 3/8-inch aggregate.           

The two kinds of aggregate to be tested are slag, produced as by-product from steel production in Pueblo, Colo; and traditional granite, produced by Front Range Aggregate near Canyon City, Colo.

The test sections will extend along Voyager Parkway from the south side of the Ridgeline Drive intersection (extending south 1,000 feet) and from the north side of the Jet Stream Drive intersection (extending north 890 feet).           

Slag is an extremely hard aggregate that is a 100-percent recycled material.  Combined with TBTRA, which uses recycled tires blended into the asphalt oil, the material uses 96 percent recycled components overall.  Slag is a reasonably priced alternative to traditional rock.  Slag may also have the potential benefit of a longer life cycle due to its durability.

Since 2005, the City of Colorado Springs has used a total of 226 tons of liquid tire rubber from approximately 45,500 waste tires in its various paving programs.           

The overlay contractor for this project is LaFarge North America. This will be their second season working with TBTRA for the PPRTA.  The PPRTA Street Division program manager is Bob Syme.