As the nation drives towards more sustainable infrastructure and, towards net carbon
zero emissions targets, Rubber-Modified Asphalt (RMA) is gaining popularity for its
combined sustainability, performance, and economic benefits. Ideally, scaling up the
use of RMA across the United States would involve the inclusion of RMA in the material
specifications published by each of the 50 State Highway Agencies (SHAs). Without such
published specifications, RMA usage would be limited to smaller, isolated
demonstration projects involving special provisions and/or value engineering
applications. Furthermore, the majority of asphalt tonnage comes from cities, counties,
and municipal work. Since these agencies generally base their specifications on, or
directly allow the use of asphalt produced according to SHA specifications, the
expansion of SHA specifications to include RMA is critical in order to more fully reap the
aforementioned benefits of RMA.
Full report below.