City of Austin – Chip Retention – Terra Fog
Background On Thursday, March 6, 2014, Cox Paving Co. performed preventative maintenance on traffic lanes on 1st Street near Slaughter Lane in Austin, Texas with Terra Fog from Terra Pave International. Terra Fog is a special water based eco- friendly polymer compound. Application Area Terra Fog was applied to sections of 1st Street for a distance of about one mile south from the intersection with Slaughter Lane. The road surface was originally covered with a grade #5 chipseal, and substantial amounts of loose aggregate rock from the failing sections of the old seal where visible along the curbs of the street. Loose chips were also visible on the road surface itself, in addition to holes and gashes in the chipseal. Daren Duncan, P. E. City of Austin “We have a test section [of Terra Fog] in the backyard of the Streets and Bridges Department, and we wanted to use that to see how the material held up under heavy equipment and lots of turning movements. And that test section held up pretty well, with all the heavy equipment and turning. The most interesting thing is how quick it set up––about 15 minutes. Also, we were very interested in the tire tracking, because of how hard it is to keep people from driving over and tracking.” Advantages of Terra Fog The advantages of Terra Fog are multi fold: Environmentally Safe – Terra Fog includes no VOC’s and evaporates only water. Surface Strength – Terra Fog will do an excellent job of locking down all of the aggregate and additional aggregate loss is unlikely. Curing Time – When placed with good drying conditions, Terra Fog could be crossed with no tracking in less than 10 minutes and was ready for traffic in approximately an hour. Continued curing will occur for 24-48 hours. Impermeability – The surface is completely impermeable, very effectively shedding water. It will penetrate into pavement cracks and will do an excellent job at sealing minor cracking. Aging – Terra Fog includes carbon black and has excellent ageing characteristics. By sealing air and water out of the asphalt pavement, it will substantially reduce oxidation of the asphalt and extend pavement life. Here is the video of the application. ...
Read MoreCity of Pflugerville Chooses Terra Pave Products
Article by Christina Peña, Austin Community Newspapers Staff: Pflugerville has recently prided itself in cutting the city tax rate for 10 years in a row and with recent construction projects, city staff is showcasing how the city cuts spending while maintaining quality of life. The Pflugerville City Council awarded a construction contract at its Jan. 14 meeting to Terra Pave International, which will construct 37 new parking spaces at Lake Pflugerville. The company specializes in a water-based polymer alternative to asphalt, which saved the city $20,000. The $129,000 project will begin Feb. 3 and is funded by the General Capital Reserve budget. The company, sponsored by the University of Texas, has sold its product to multiple Texas municipalities, including Austin, which is testing the product in a parking lot. The Texas Department of Transportation is also testing the product on a section of state Highway 195 in Florence. Pflugerville Assistant City Manager Trey Fletcher said the lake parking lot was an ideal location for the new product because of the parking lot’s predictable traffic pattern without high traffic or heavy loads. “There’s always a risk in trying something new, but we are working regionally to look at innovative ways to construct,” he said. “The city maintains many parking lots and this provided an opportunity to use a more innovative product in a lower-risk environment.” Pflugerville Engineer Dan Franz learned about the product through a presentation by Terra Pave at a Capital Area Pavement Engineering Council meeting. While the product is still fairly new, he said testing out new developments in engineering is an effective way to save money and stay in-the-know with engineering trends. “It is important to use and explore new products because engineering, development and construction are forever evolving,” he said. “Building methods used today are different than in years past. Private development has been using this type of product for years while government agencies like Pflugerville, TxDOT, Travis County and Austin are exploring its use with samples and test sections.” According to Terra Pave International, the product is non-petroleum-based and eco-friendly by “evaporating only water during the curing process and emitting no volatile organic compounds.” “(It) provides many of the same qualities of asphalt with less material and therefore a lower cost,” Franz said. “The polymer is water-based, which has many environmental benefits, compared to oil-based primers and asphalt.” The product also comes in multiple colors, which could be used by various organizations or schools. But the Lake Pflugerville parking lot will be a traditional black and white to mesh with the current theme in the area. View full article...
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