Work continuing on Stadium Blvd. with the use of plastic waste in road pavement mixtures
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Engineers at the University of Missouri have partnered with MoDOT to test mixing plastic waste into the asphalt pavement mixtures on Stadium Blvd. in efforts to make the pavement overlay last longer.
Professor of civil and environmental engineering at Mizzou, Bill Buttlar, says normal pavement mixtures are created from asphalt and other aggregates like stone, sand or gravel. Buttlar said the chemical makeup of plastic helps it become a good product for road pavement.
"Plastic is one of the new ingredients that we use in very high-quality asphalt for heavy traffic applications to get extra life out of the pavement," Buttlar said. Approximately 36,000 vehicles drive down Stadium Blvd. every day.
Buttlar says the road will get anywhere from 25-50% more life with this mixture. For example, if the previous pavement lasted 10 years, you can expect this one to last around 15 years.
This mixture is not just to make the pavement last longer, but it will also help with the amount of waste plastic in the year. "It's not like we're using small amounts of waste plastic, this project alone with just a few miles of paving, we're using about 1.36 million plastic bottles or 2.72 million plastic shopping bags," Buttlar said.
MoDOT will begin laying this mixture along Stadium Blvd. on Wednesday. Buttlar said people can expect to be riding on recycled rubber or plastic if you're anywhere on the two-mile stretch from College Ave. to U.S. Highway 63.
Kirsten Munck, Engineer for MoDOT, said the Stadium Blvd. project has had a few delays due to weather earlier in the summer, but soon everyone will be driving on a new surface.
Munck said MoDOT did receive many claims earlier this summer of people who had damage to their vehicle during the construction.
Columbia resident, Mel Wyatt, was driving home from work on Stadium in July when he hit a large pothole and blew out his tire. This happened while Stadium was being graded and waiting for new pavement.
Wyatt initially filed a claim to Capitol Paving who denied his request for reimbursement for the reason of "preexisting condition."
From here, Wyatt explained his situation to MoDOT that the pothole was not preexisting and that the pothole was present because the overlay on the road was removed.
Wyatt received a release form less than two weeks later for reimbursement for towing, a rental car, and the cost of a new tire.
Munck said this option is available because MoDOT does want to ensure safety in their work areas. Claims can be filed on the MoDOT website.
Work on Stadium takes place between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. The entire project is expected to be completed by September
