Friday, Jan. 22, 2010

Crumbling asphalt takes toll on cars

Interstate repaving set for spring

Interstate 26 isn't the only highway in the state giving motorists fits (and dents). A botched resurfacing job last year on a stretch of the Mark Clark Expressway also has motorists feeling as if they're being pelted by miniature missiles.

On Tuesday, the Post and Courier Watchdog reported that the asphalt is coming apart on I-26 between Summerville and North Charleston. Motorists say chunks of the road are wrecking their cars' windshields and paint jobs.

But a stretch of the Mark Clark Expressway around the Citadel Mall also is coming apart, motorists such as Mike Furey and Ken Asaro told Watchdog.

"Lots of rocks come flying off there," Furey said, referring to an area near the intersection with Sam Rittenberg Boulevard. The front of his red truck is pitted with dents and missing paint, he said.

"We do know we have problems there," said J. Michael Black, district maintenance engineer with the state Department of Transportation.

Last year, as part of a $6.3 million resurfacing job, Banks Construction put down a new layer of asphalt on parts of I-526, but crews ran into a problem with a binder and other issues, and some of that new surface layer broke apart, Black said.

Crews have patched up several areas, but Banks plans to do a more permanent fix when the weather warms, Black said. "We want to take care of that as fast as we possibly can."

The source of the Mark Clark's problem is similar to what's causing I-26 to fall apart: About a decade ago, the state used what's known as "open graded friction" asphalt on these stretches, an asphalt mix that's more permeable and quieter to drive on than some other surface types. It's also designed to reduce splattering and spray in wet weather.

But open graded friction asphalt also is known to come apart quickly at the end of its life cycle, and that's exactly what happened the past year on the Mark Clark Expressway and on I-26 north of Ashley Phosphate Road.

Banks Construction plans to resurface I-26 between North Charleston and Summerville when the weather gets warmer, Black said.

Brian Jones, project manager for Banks Construction, said in an e-mail that the causes of the "premature failure" of the surface on I-526 are "currently under investigation by Banks Construction and S.C. Department of Transportation officials," and that repairs will be made as "soon as practical."

Temperatures need to be consistently above 60 degrees, and since paving is done at night, work may not begin until April, said Rickie Green, resident construction engineer with the Transportation Department. In the meantime, crews are trying to sweep the roadway on a regular basis.