Winter-like weather in East Tennessee is pretty in the mountains, but it also ushers in trouble for road crews. Pesky potholes pop-up when the temperatures dip.
"Water gets into any little crack or crevice inside of the asphalt," said Bud Slaton, Region 1 Maitenance Engineer for the Tennessee Department of Transportation. "As the temperatures drop below freezing the water turns to ice, expands and ends up popping your asphalt loose."
The reoccurring problem could meet a dead end soon on the interstates and state roadways.
"This is a mini asphalt recycler. It's got infrared heating technology. It runs off propane," said Slaton.
Most asphalt plants stop producing hot asphalt mix during cold months. So, many road agencies use cold patch instead.
"It's more or less a sticky rock," Slaton explained. "So, it's a temporary solution."
That's why TDOT's Region 1 office in Knoxville recently purchased the mini asphalt recycler.
The machine reheats old hot mix and returns it to its original form.
"So therefore it will bond to itself, bonding to the hole much better than the cold substance ever could," the maintenance manager added.
The mini recycler cost less than $15,000. TDOT will test the machine out in different East Tennessee counties this Winter.
"We could pay for the machine in less than a month in just not having to go buy cold patch," Slaton said.
If the recycled hot mix sticks to the roadways properly, TDOT will look into purchasing more asphalt recyclers.
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