Abstract
The Wisconsin asphalt-paving industry is undertaking several initiatives to continually improve the construction of asphalt pavements through a quality management program and two piloted specifications. The quality management program provides contractors and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) with structured process control and quality assurance for hot-mix asphalt paving projects. A warranted pavement specification, piloted on three projects during 1995, warranties the pavement for 5 years and allows greater flexibility for contractors during construction. A statistically based nuclear-density specification will be piloted in 1996 to provide density-process control and quality assurance using nuclear density gauges. These initiatives are moving toward the goal of performance-based construction and are possible with a commitment to quality from WisDOT and contractors, including members of the Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association. Members of the industry are combining resources and restructuring to develop and implement methods to improve the quality and performance of hot-mix asphalt pavements. Focus is placed on mutual development of solutions to various problems encountered by the industry.
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