While one comparison review in north central Ohio has yet to reach its midpoint, another comparative study of Ohio’s asphalt and concrete pavement has been completed.
Concluding findings in the 50-year-long U.S. Route 30 Pavement Research Project (WAY-30) are still nearly 30 years away (see page 16), but the “Ohio DOT Pavement Selection Process Analysis” was finalized this summer.
During the Ohio Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) most-recent biennial transportation budget process in 2025, the 136th Ohio General Assembly, as part of House Bill 54, legislatively mandated the state DOT to conduct a study of its pavement selection process. HB54, signed by Gov. Mike DeWine on March 31, 2025, allocated, among other initiatives, funding for Ohio’s transportation projects for Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027.
HB54’s Section 755.20 required ODOT to contract with a neutral third party (NTP) to examine the Department’s pavement selection process by looking at pavement life-cycle costs and user delay analysis, pavement constructability, relevant environmental factors and other considerations. In addition, the analysis would include the NTP to compare ODOT’s pavement selection process to other states as well as to national practices.
A seven-member Pavement Selection Advisory Council, chaired by ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn, was assembled to select the NTP as well as take recommendations from the analysis to issue a final report to state legislature members – which was released in May. Along with Director Boratyn, the Pavement Selection Advisory Council included a member of the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants; the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers; a statewide business organization member recommended by the Ohio House Speaker; a business organization member representing small or independent businesses recommended by the Ohio Senate President; and representatives from the Ohio Concrete and Flexible Pavements of Ohio associations.
Pavement Selection Advisory Council members included:
- Pamela Boratyn, ODOT Director, Chair
- Robyn Pollina, Palmer Donavin
- Jerrod Ronyak, All Ways Construction, ABC Ohio
- Curtis Roupe, P.E., Verdantes
- Rick Carfagna, Ohio Chamber of Commerce
- Tom Rozsits, P.E., Ohio Concrete
- Andrew Gall, Flexible Pavements of Ohio
Applied Pavement Technology (APTech) was selected through a competitive process as the NTP. A more than 30-year-old company, APTech is headquartered in Champaign, Ill., and is recognized for its knowledge and experience in pavement management and analysis. (For more information on APTech, visit www.appliedpavement.com).
Serving as the NTP for a similar analysis of ODOT’s pavement selection process in 2003, APTech performed seven tasks in providing information for the recent study:
- Task 1 for APTech was providing updates and findings throughout the study. These regular updates took place at the Pavement Selection Advisory Council’s monthly meetings. A presentation of the final report’s draft took place at the Council’s meeting – in March from which the final report was based.
- For Tasks 2 & 3, APTech assessed pavement-type selection practices at state DOTs throughout the U.S. and reviews and recommendations from 10. The transportation agencies used to baseline Ohio’s practices were the state DOTs in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
- Based on reviews of the 10 DOTs, APTech noted potential improvements areas for ODOT being pavement-type selection philosophy & policies; pavement design methods & details; concrete pavement costs; pavement design life; life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA); user costs; and discount rates.
- Task 4 involved APTech studying Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) documents and practices.
- Task 5 entailed APTech examining pavement foundation practices in Ohio and other states, and providing examples of how other state DOTs account for subgrade improvements and base stabilizations in their pavement design.
- Task 6 had APTech study durable/low-maintenance pavement materials and balanced mix design (BMD).
- Task 7 required the NTP to provide recommendations to the Pavement Selection Advisory Council – which is detailed in the final report.
Prior to the Ohio DOT Pavement Selection Process Analysis’ final report being submitted, a 30-day comment period mandated in HB54 was conducted – with no comments received.
Several recommendations made in the report include:
- Review and update ODOT’s pavement-type selection philosophy and considering factors
- Examine subbase design methods, including stabilized bases in pavement design
- Investigate state of the practice of durable and low-maintenance asphalt and concrete materials
- Continue working toward balanced mix design to achieve asphalt durability
- Adopt a broader Performance-Engineered Mixtures (PEM) framework for concrete mixture design
- Continue to investigate the use of “premium” mixtures for high-priority and high-traffic locations
- Continue Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) usage at present level as well as continue in-place recycling to achieve 100% recycling
- Evaluate the use of alternative concrete pavement technologies and admixtures
ODOT Director Boratyn thanked both APTech and the Pavement Selection Advisory Council for their work in preparing the report and wrote:
“ODOT is eager to maintain our partnership with Ohio’s concrete and flexible pavement industries to ensure a transparent and predictable operational process for their members and the cost effective, safe pavement for the traveling public. The report highlights ODOT’s strong performance compared to other states and points out areas where we can further improve.”
LONGER-LASTING COMPARISON OF ASPHALT & CONCRETE ENTERS 21ST YEAR
A literal side-by-side comparison of asphalt and concrete is entering its 21st year of a 50-year study on U.S. Route 30 east of Wooster.
The U.S. Route 30 Pavement Research Project, known as WAY-30, is in Wayne County near Wooster, between the U.S. 83 interchange and Kansas Road near State Route 57. The 8-mile, four-lane, $54-million project, constructed in 2004, features the two westbound lanes constructed of Perpetual Pavement and the two eastbound lanes built with Portland Cement Concrete.
Construction specifications included:
- Westbound Lanes (Perpetual Pavement): 6-inch base of dense-graded aggregate; 4-inch fatigue-resistant asphalt layer; 9-inch asphalt-treated base; 1.75-inch Superpave intermediate layer; 1.5-inch final wearing course
- Eastbound Lanes (Concrete Rigid Pavement): 4-inch base of dense-graded aggregate with specialized underdrains; 3-inch asphalt concrete base layer; 10-inch layer of Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement (note: concrete mixture substituted cement with industrial byproducts – fly ash or ground granular blast furnace slag – to boost long-term strength.)
(Source: Ohio Research Institute for Transportation and the Environment [ORITE])
The comparison study is being done to learn how the long-life asphalt and concrete surfaces perform under “real-world” weather and heavy-commercial truck traffic. In addition to weather and traffic wear, the research project is evaluating the pavements’ construction, rehabilitation and maintenance – including salt usage and pavement marking – costs; safety in form of accident experience and skid resistance; construction and subsequent rehabilitation time/user delay; pavement smoothness, condition and response to travel loads; sub-grade moisture/weather data; and tire noise.