SEDL / STP / STP1016-EB / STP24559S

Rutting, Asphalt Mix-Design, and Proposed Test Road in Saudi Arabia

Lee, KW
Associate professor, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI

Al-Dhalaan, MA
Director general, Ministry of Communications, Riyadh,

Pages: 17    Published: Jan 1989

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Abstract

The drastic change in traffic characteristics due to a crash development program in Saudi Arabia has introduced new forms of pavement distresses. Rutting, which was virtually absent ten years ago, became the principal distress mode. A feasibility study was performed on the Dhahran-Abqaiq road, which is experiencing a severe rutting problem, to formulate rehabilitation alternatives. The comparative study indicates that the Hveem mix-design method gives relatively lower optimum binder content than the Marshall mix-design method and that some of the potential reasons for the rutting at the Dhahran-Abqaiq road were overasphalting, fine-graded mix, and poor quality control. In addition, test results indicate that a sulfur-extended-asphalt mixture can be utilized for reducing the rutting problem, since it provided higher stability values. Finally, to help solve the widespread rutting problem in Saudi Arabia, a decision was made to include test sections in the rehabilitation program of this road.