Evaluation of Factors Affecting Long-Term Performance of Cold In-Place Recycled Pavements in New York State

In New York State, cold in-place recycling (CIPR) is one of a series of asphalt pavement rehabilitation options designed to extend the pavement service life. Recycling pavements with CIPR can decrease energy consumption and can reduce the environmental burden and cost associated with asphalt pavement rehabilitation. However, one drawback to increased use of CIPR has been uncertainty about expected service life and factors that affect long-term CIPR performance. These uncertainties generally limit the use of CIPR to low-volume pavements to minimize the exposure of CIPR-rehabilitated pavements to aggressive traffic conditions. A study examined the effect on service life of CIPR pavements in New York State of daily traffic, truck traffic, base thickness, base-plus-subbase thickness (total pavement thickness), geographical pavement location (environment and climate), and the condition of the pavement before CIPR rehabilitation. Data used in the analysis were compiled from the 2008 New York State Department of Transportation Pavement Management Group Highway Sufficiency Ratings Database, which represented 163 CIPR projects covering a pavement distance of 756 mi. CIPR rehabilitation can be expected to increase the service life of pavements, on average, by approximately 11 years. When CIPR is used on higher-trafficked (better-designed) pavements that have thicker supporting bases and subbases, its performance will benefit from thicker bases and the service life of the pavement will be extended.