Asphalt Pavement

2389 Gateway Oaks Suite# 200
Sacramento, CA 95833

The Office of Asphalt Pavements develops tools, standards, guidance, standard specifications, standard plans, and investigations for the following pavement engineering topics:

• Asphalt Pavements
• Economic Analysis for Pavements
• Traffic Impacts on Pavement
• Climate Impacts on Pavement

Asphalt Pavement Standards

• California Highway Design Manual (HDM): Chapter 630 - Flexible Pavement
• DIB 79-04: Design Guide and Standards for Roadway Rehabilitation Projects (PDF)
• DIB 81-02: Capital Preventive Maintenance (CAPM) Guidelines (PDF)
• Additional Manuals, Bulletins, and Memos
• Plans and Specifications
• Non-Standard Special Provisions (nSSP)

Asphalt Pavement Guidance

Common types of flexible pavement include hot mix asphalt (HMA), rubberized hot mix asphalt-gap graded (RHMA-G), and open-graded friction course (OGFC). There are also two types of rubberized OGFC mixes: rubberized hot mix asphalt-open graded (RHMA-O) and RHMA-O-high-binder (RHMA-O-HB).

The engineering design of flexible pavement structures is not an exact science. It is not possible to formulate one set of design criteria that could meet the requirements of every road everywhere. Traffic conditions, climate, geology, materials, construction, and economics are variables that demand the fullest application of professional engineering judgment and skills.

General

• Site Investigation Guide
• Guide to Partial Depth and Full Depth Recycling
• Guide for Flexible Pavement Rehabilitation Using Pulverization
• Guidelines for Identifying and Repairing Localized Areas of Distress in Asphalt Concrete Pavements Prior to Capital Preventive Maintenance or Rehabilitation Repairs
• Shoulder Backing Guidelines
• Paving over Existing Striping, Markings, and Pavement Markers

Rubberized Hot Mix Asphalt (RHMA)

• Asphalt Rubber Usage Guide (PDF)
• Resource Conservation
  • Use of Scrap Tire Rubber (PDF)
  • Feasibility of Recycling Rubber-Modified Paving Materials (PDF)

Open Graded Friction Course (OGFC)

• Open Graded Friction Course Usage Guidelines (available upon request) 

Preservation and Maintenance

• Maintenance Technical Advisory Guide
• Flexible Roadbed Maintenance Repairs ("A" Family) (PDF)*
• Pavement Tapers & Transitions (Interim) (PDF)
• Sealing over Existing Striping, Markings, and Pavement Markers (PDF)

Asphalt Pavement Materials

• Performance Graded (PG) Binders

Environment & Traffic

• Climate
• Traffic

Economic Analysis

• Life Cycle Cost Analysis
• Alternative Procedure to Estimate Flexible Pavement Rehabilitation Requirements for Project Scoping (PDF)*
  • Implementation Memorandum (PDF)*

Asphalt Pavement Construction

• Hot Mix Asphalt Construction

Best Practices

• Smoother Pavement
• Quieter Pavement

Additional Tools and Links

Design Tools

• Software
• Climate Map
• Traffic Information

Research

• RAP and RAS in HMA Pilot Project on ELD 49: Material Testing, Observations, and Findings (2022)
• Materials Testing
• Pavement Interactive
• RHMA Research
  • Synthesis of Caltrans RAC Projects (PDF)*

External Links

• FHWA
• AASHTO

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)