COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — A different brand of asphalt, along with additives of fiberglass and Kevlar, are being used or tested by the city’s public works in an effort to improve paving efficiency and effectiveness.
Currently, workers are in the final stages of repaving a stretch of busy Woodmen Road, between the Academy Boulevard interchange and Rockrimmon Boulevard, by using stone matrix asphalt (SMA).
Corey Farkas, public works manager of operations and maintenance, described SMA as a material that is specifically designed for highways and other high-traffic roadways.
“It’s thicker and harder to work with, and it’s more expensive,” he explained. “But we went to Denver to look at it, and it seems to hold up well. We decided to try it on Woodmen.”
Farkas said that if the city is satisfied with how SMA performs, the material may be used for certain projects, but could become more widespread if improved durability leads to reduced maintenance costs…