Pavement Maintenance

The Town of Christiansburg partnered with Lanford Brothers Co. to implement a new paving maintenance project in 2013.

Two new methods of pavement maintenance were implemented on town streets, cold in-place recycling and pavement rejuvenation.

Pavement rejuvenation restores and strengthens paved asphalt surfaces. Over time, asphalt oxidizes and wears down due to a variety of factors that contribute to deterioration, including cracking and potholes.

The formula used in pavement rejuvenation penetrates below the surface of the asphalt and begins to reverse the oxidation process and strengthen the pavement mix. By using this method of rejuvenation, the life of town roads will be extended.

Learn more about cold in-place recycling with the following information.

What is Cold In-Place Recycling?

The Town of Christiansburg Pavement Maintenance Program aims to provide high quality, sustainable roads for the town by implementing a method called cold in-place recycling. The Town is one of the first localities in the state to use cold in-place recycling.

Cold in-place recycling is a reconstruction method meant to address structural problems in our roads. This method will not replace traditional street repaving. Instead, it offers the Town another method to maintain our streets.

This method consists of 3 stages: cold in-place recycling, chip/single sealing and micro-sealing.

Cold in-place recycling is the process in which the top 3-4 inches of the current road is taken up, recycled, mixed with a bonding agent (2% liquid asphalt), then laid down on the road and rolled.

Chip/single sealing places a layer of rock, mixed with asphalt, over the recycled layer.

The third and final process is the micro-seal, which is a thin coating of a modified latex emulsion.

What are the benefits?

Costs for services provided by the Town continue to increase, even as funding for resources decrease. By exploring new ways of providing services to its residents, the Town aims to spend taxpayer money responsibly and efficiently.

Cold in-place recycling extends the life of our roads, while minimizing disruption caused by construction. The process is also fiscally and environmentally prudent because it uses resources that are already available. By using these existing resources, the Town eliminates the need for purchasing and transporting new materials and disposing of older materials.

By recycling materials, the Town is able to produce roads that are cost-efficient and high in quality.

How is this different than standard repaving?

In-place pavement recycling reuses existing resources to create a newer, stronger surface that repairs the pavement structure. Instead of treating only the surface, the first 3-4 inches of the pavement are taken up, milled and mixed with a bonding agent and then laid onto the road. The process addresses deeper structural problems that may be caused by heavy traffic, weather conditions and aging.

Standard repaving addresses only the surface of roads, rather than addressing any deeper structural problems.

In addition,because in-place recycling uses materials already available, the costs associated with this method are lower than traditional repaving. There are no costs associated with transporting and storing new materials or disposing of old materials.

Another benefit is time savings. If a standard repaving project is estimated to take two weeks, this new process can be completed in four days.

Where has this been done before?

The Town of Christiansburg is one of the first localities and in the state of Virginia to implement cold in-place recycling.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) implemented the method during a project on Interstate 81 in Augusta County in 2011. Currently, localities in other states also use cold in-place recycling with great success.

Who do I contact with questions?

If you have any questions, please contact the Engineering Department at (540) 382-6120.