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Asphalt Night Works

HiQA recently completed an asphalt project for the NT Government Department of Infrastructure, Planning & Logistics (DIPL). This included approximately 1,300 tonne of asphalt laid on sections of Elrundie Avenue in Palmerston NT.

The requirements of the project were to mill off the existing wearing course and replace with a new wearing course. Replacing the wearing courses extends the life of the pavement. HiQA were the preferred choice testing authority to deliver this time sensitive project and were engaged to carry out the conformance testing requirements. The project was conducted over four consecutive nights to minimize disruption to traffic and the nearby suburbs in Palmerston.

There was a challenge associated with keeping the project to four nights only. Undertaking all the coring on the last night asphalt was laid was the goal for the client. Typically coring is completed 24 hours after the asphalt is laid allowing it to cool. Extending over a further night would be costly to the client with traffic control and a further inconvenience to the public.

HiQA came up with a solution proposing to conduct the coring on the final night by using dry ice to cool the pavement down to an acceptable temperature. Asphalt cores should not be recovered at high temperatures due to the warping effect this could have on specimens.

This method saved the client approximately $15,000 in traffic control and an extra night of coring/testing. In addition to the money saved the client received their test results a day earlier.