ASPHALTopics | Spring 2018 | VOL 31 | NO 1

This review is the first
step to developing the
roadmap to continuous
improvement.
| VINCE AURILIO, OAPC
the TTI team and the steering
committee to review the response
was held in October.
Testing on the asphalt binder
materials from samples continued
through November. However, in
November, the TTI laboratory shut
down for three months to be moved
to a new location. This posed yet
another challenge with the timeline
of the study. Several samples were
sent back to Canada to conclude
the Double Edge Notch Tension
(DENT) and Extended Bending
Beam Rheometer (eBBR) testing.
During this time, Newcomb
also spoke with contactors of
the identified projects to get their
perspective, and went through the
contract specifications, plans, reports,
and QA and QC records, which
helped the team to plumb the depths
of these projects to find answers.
According to Newcomb, this study
will not only help Ontario to achieve
better quality asphalt pavements,
but due to the scope and scale of the
review, provinces and states within
the northern tier of North America
will also benefit from the information
gleaned. “Certainly, the cold climate
in combination with heavy loads
poses similar challenges to the
northern United States and Canadian
provinces,” says Newcomb. “First,
the study needs to help Ontario,
and then methods and findings used
to develop better practices within
Ontario could benefit the greater
northern part of the continent.”
Now that the technical review is
complete, the next step in finalizing
the review is in the hands of KPMG