FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE for More Information, Contact s10

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information, contact: April 7, 2006 At NAPA: Tracie Christie, 888-468-6499 [email protected] At the State of Connecticut Department of Transportation: Terri L. Thompson, 860-594-2667

CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WINS 2005 PERPETUAL PAVEMENT AWARD

The Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA) announced today that the State of

Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) has won a 2005 Perpetual

Pavement Award for a section of I-95 from Greenwich to North Stonington. The award will be presented at a special ceremony during the International Conference on

Perpetual Pavement in Columbus, Ohio, on September 14, 2006. ConnDOT will receive an engraved crystal obelisk and a plaque and will have its name and project added to a permanent plaque, which is kept at the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT).

To qualify for this prestigious award, a pavement must meet strict criteria and demonstrate hot-mix asphalt’s (HMA’s) long-life characteristics, excellence in design, quality in construction, and value to the traveling public. It also must have been constructed at least 35 years ago. Engineers at NCAT evaluated the nominations and a panel of industry experts validated the winners.

Connecticut’s award-winning pavement is a 10.4-mile stretch of I-95 from milepost 101.1 to 111.5. It carries motorists traveling between Maine and Florida as well as visitors interested in viewing the local tourist sites, including Mystic Seaport and two major gaming facilities located just off the interstate.

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The road was built with 6 inches of broken stone base, 3 inches of macadam base and 4 inches of HMA on the surface. It was opened to traffic in 1964. Over the years, ConnDOT has performed some routine maintenance and overlaid the road just twice, the first time in 1989-1990 and the second time in 2003-2004. ConnDOT does not expect that any significant reconstruction will be required for several years, although the road now carries five times the traffic it did when originally built.

“Despite heavy increases in usage since opening to traffic in 1964, the durability, performance, and longevity of this section of Interstate 95 is a tribute to Perpetual

Pavement,” said Arthur W. Gruhn, ConnDot’s chief engineer. “ConnDot takes great pride in its engineering, construction and maintenance practices and is fortunate to have ample resources of durable aggregates such as trap rock, the primary coarse aggregate used in hot-mix asphalts that are produced and placed in Connecticut.

“The combination of a good pavement structure design, quality materials and proper construction and maintenance techniques provides a sound, smooth and long- lasting pavement. Perpetual Pavements are an integral element in a well-rounded transportation infrastructure, helping to promote economic growth and tourism, and facilitating the smooth flow of commerce in our state.”

“Even though this pavement has been punished by more than 40 years of use, motorists are still using the original pavement structure,” said Alden Bailey, APA Co-

Chairman. “The extraordinary performance of this pavement is worthy of attention.”

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“Perpetual Pavement is an industry standard which is extremely well represented by this highway,” added Laurence O'Donnell, APA Co-Chairman. “Long life, durability, and exceptional performance are hallmarks of hot-mix asphalt. This pavement is testimony to high-performance asphalt as a marriage of excellent design and quality construction.”

The Asphalt Pavement Alliance is a coalition of the National Asphalt Pavement

Association, the Asphalt Institute, and the State Asphalt Pavement Associations. The

Asphalt Pavement Alliance's mission is to further the use and quality of hot-mix asphalt pavements. The Alliance will accomplish this through research, technology transfer, engineering, education, and innovation.