PERFORMANCE OF STONE MATRIX ASPHALT PAVEMENTS IN MARYLAND

Abstract

The Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA) has constructed over 85 stone matrix asphalt (SMA) projects totalling over 1300 lane miles since 1992. The SMA mixes have been placed exclusively on high volume, high speed highway segments. Analyses of nearly 1000 sets of construction quality control test data and approximately 300 sets of pavement performance measurements for up to 10 years of service life conclusively demonstrate the superior performance of SMA mixes in Maryland. Correlations between Maryland SMA mix volumetric and gradation properties and pavement performance were found to be weak and inconclusive. This is largely because the Maryland SMA mixes have been so well controlled and the performance of the projects has been so uniformly excellent that there simply is too little variation in either to define robust correlations. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E210251.