Warm-mix asphalt is hot. Asphalt industry officials believe warm mix, porous asphalt pavement and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) will come to dominate paving in the next few years because the products offer lower costs and higher environmental benefits than traditional hot mixes.
“The warm-mix revolution is starting to spread,” said Matthew Corrigan, asphalt pavement engineer with the Federal Highway Administration, addressing attendees of the Asphalt Pavement Conference on March 9 in Orlando. He noted that the number of states conducting WMA trials has increased from about a dozen in 2007 to all but a dozen now. “WMA is taking off—it’s just exploded,” he said. “Now the focus is on its evolution: the correct implementation on big projects and in high traffic.”