Frankfort Street Superintendent Jason Forsythe says he has been wanting a demonstration on the asphalt rejuvenator Reclamite to see if the product can improve streets and roads as much as advertised.
That wish came to fruition Thursday morning as he along with city officials watched as RejuvTec came to town and did a couple of demonstration sections on Maiden Lane and Hoke Avenue.
“We want to see what happens when this is laid down,” said Forsythe. “Then, at a later date, we’ll be able to look at the PASER ratings from one side of the street versus the other side of the street to compare. Basically what it does is extend the PASER ratings another five to seven years down the road.”
Reclamite asphalt rejuvenator restores and preserves the durability of asphalt by restoring the reactive components that asphalt pavements lose due to hot-plant operations and the subsequent field aging process by penetrating the surface deeply to protect against air and water intrusion.
“It actually improves the durability and the densification of the asphalt,” said RejuvTec Vice President of Business Development MeMe Crislip. “It slows the deterioration process of asphalt. It goes down as a preservative steel. It’s a top of the curve preventative maintenance application and it takes about 30 to 45 minutes for it to penetrate the asphalt.”
When the product is put down, it comes out pinkish in color. As the road dries, the color changes back to its original state. Crews then spread sand on the road which allows motorists to begin to drive on the road.
Crislip said reclamite works better on roads that are rated a seven or better.
“Roads are rated here in the state based on their condition,” said Crislip. “It’s those roads that are three or four years old who are showing the initial signs of cracking. Sometimes we can use it if we need to to buy some time.”
Crislip added reclamite costs are between $1.08 and $1.10 per square yard and that more and more people are using the product.
“The state has provided additional funding through Community Crossings and reclamite is pre-approved for that,” she said. “Preventative maintenance is huge in Indiana because we want to break that cycle of just new asphalt. We’ve got to be smart how we spend our money and we need to spread it out as long as we possibly can.”
Forsythe agreed.
“This is a much cheaper process than mill and resurface,” said Forsythe. “I think it’s almost $15,000 a mile versus $120,000 a mile in mill and resurface. We’ve got a ways to go but we have to start somewhere.
“The whole idea is to try to get to where you don’t have to mill and resurface any more or very little,” he continued. “Avon does about $200,000 in mill and resurface where we just did $700,000.”