Sharpe Bros. -- News & Photos

Recycled Asphalt Flies at Greensboro Airport Job
(3rd Quarter 2008)

FAA Approves Re-Using 40,000 Tons Of Material

Recycled Asphalt Flies at Greensboro Airport Job

Something new has been added to Sharpe Bros.' paving projects at Piedmont Triad International Airport – old asphalt. Runways and taxiways at the Greensboro, N.C., facility are incorporating recycled asphalt from nearby Smith Reynolds Airport in Winston-Salem.

“Recycled asphalt has proven its worth in roadway applications, so it made sense to look into it for our airport work,” says Ivan Clayton, Vice President and General Manager of the V&G division.

Clayton contacted a friend in the National Center for Asphalt Technology, who referred him to Monte Symons at Auburn University.

“We are very interested in getting the word out that recycled asphalt is acceptable,” says Symons, who runs the research wing of the university’s Airport Asphalt Pavement Technology Program.

While the Federal Aviation Administration allows the use of recycled material, the final decision is up to airport management, so Symons shared with PTI authorities data verifying how well the product holds up under airport use. Lower costs helped seal the deal, as asphalt mix containing recycled material is substantially cheaper than virgin mix.

Symons characterizes Sharpe’s work at the airport as “a nice looking job. They have good equipment and seem to be handling the stockpiles real well, which is important in recycling.”

Some 40,000 tons of old asphalt, milled in April from the Smith Reynolds runway, is being reused in the base layer at PTI, comprising 15 percent of the mix, with none going into the final two-inch lift.

Jim Smith, V&G airport Project Manager, reports that wet soil issues have hampered the project’s earthwork, with runway segments being laid piecemeal rather than sequentially. However, Ben Lindsey, Sharpe Project Manager, says the innovative system has “worked very well for us. We can do a whole lot more coordinating when we are working with our own company.”

Other V&G airport projects are winding down. Paving of the Honda Aircraft factory parking lot and FedEx area, as well as the final relocation of Bryan Boulevard, should be completed in October.

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