Development and Application of the Asphalt Rubber Three Layer Cape Seal Pavement Preservation System

Asphalt rubber binder has been used in chip seal applications for over 40 years and has proven to be very cost-effective. However, even asphalt rubber chip seals are limited to where they can be placed successfully. Asphalt rubber chip seals have proven to be very cost-effective in cape seal applications. In order to improve the smoothness and ride qualities in many applications a leveling course can be placed on the existing surface prior to placing the chip seal. By utilizing high quality slurry surfacing (microsurfacing) as a leveling material the cost and time can be significantly reduced in these types of applications. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the cost-effectiveness of three layer cape seal pavement preservation strategies using asphalt rubber binder in combination with slurry surfacing. The paper will illustrate how the strategy has become a viable preservation alternative when considering the rehabilitation of severely deteriorated hot mix asphalt pavements