Evaluation of Eight Longitudinal Joint Construction Techniques for Asphalt Pavements in Pennsylvania

Premature deterioration of multilane hot-mix asphalt pavements can occur at the longitudinal joints in the form of cracking and raveling. The National Center for Asphalt Technology initiated a national study that evaluated various longitudinal joint construction techniques in 1992 in an effort to select the technique(s) that improves the performance of longitudinal joints. Test sections were constructed in Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The 6-year performance evaluation of eight different techniques used on a paving project in Pennsylvania in 1995 is provided. In Pennsylvania, longitudinal joint constructed with rubberized joint material gave the best performance, closely followed by the joint made with a cutting wheel. Test sections on which rolling from the hot side 152 mm away from the joint and the New Jersey wedge joint were used also performed reasonably well, with no significant cracking. The remaining four test sections on which the edgerestraining device, joint maker, rolling from the hot side, and rolling from the cold side were used developed cracking at the longitudinal joint to different extents. It has been recommended that the minimum compaction level at the longitudinal joint be specified to ensure its improved performance.