Timing of paving work is sometimes decided by Mother Nature

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

We all know weather can affect the roads. Ice makes highways slippery and wind can make it difficult to keep your vehicle in its lane. But did you know weather affects paving operations too? ADOT needs Mother Nature to cooperate when paving our highways.

That was the case this week with our project on approximately 17 miles of Interstate 10 between Tucson and Benson, which includes paving as well as replacing the westbound bridge at Davidson Canyon. Final paving was set to begin earlier this week, but the lower-than-expected temperature forced us to postpone it.

It’s fairly obvious why you can’t pave during the rain, but the temperature of the air and the temperature of the road surface also have to be right to get best results with rubberized asphalt. The air temperature should be in the low 70s, and the road surface should be at least 85 degrees.

While rubberized asphalt may be temperature-sensitive, it offers many benefits:

• It's environmentally friendly: About 1,500 rubber tires are recycled for every mile of every lane paved with rubberized asphalt.
• It's quiet: Rubberized asphalt reduces traffic noise by at least four decibels.
• It's durable: A surface paved with rubberized asphalt will last about 10 years, meaning less money is spent no repairs and replacement. replacing and repairing the rubberized asphalt roads.

Please watch ADOT’s video to learn a few quick facts about turning tires into rubberized asphalt.