Materials used to build roads are some of the most recycled and reused materials worldwide. So, it’s no surprise that a process that reworks the asphalt and cement from an existing roadway is growing as a quick and low cost solution for improved pavements.
This process – full-depth reclamation (FDR) – pulverizes an existing pavement and base materials, mixing the resulting mass with water and cement, and then repaving it as a base that can be finished with a concrete or asphalt overlay. It’s a process that’s been around for about 30 years.
FDR was once a laborious task, involving multiple passes, but now a recycler or reclaimer can just make one pass and pulverize the roadbed down to about 18 inches, leaving a trail of what looks like dirt to a bystander.
“Most people describe it as a garden tiller,” says Mandy Alston, project manager for Atlanta Paving & Concrete Construction in Norcross, Georgia. “I chuckle about it because it’s the first description you can give somebody.”
