Specification Corner

Alabama DOT
ALDOT is in the process of adding a specification for an open-graded crack relief interlayer and adjusting our required tack rates for all surfaces.

Colorado DOT
Colorado has no significant changes this year.

Florida DOT
Florida will be expanding the upper density limit for the percent within limits (PWL) specification for normal production and also for the non-PWL small quantity production acceptance limit to encourage and not penalize higher density levels. We will also be requiring liquid anti-stripping agent as well as hydrated lime in all open graded friction course (OGFC) mixtures containing granite. If the granite is from Nova Scotia (which is used frequently in Florida) the hydrated lime dosage will increase from 1.0 to 1.5%. Georgia and Alabama granites will require 1.0% lime. This is based on FDOT funded research.

Hawaii DOT
Hawaii DOT will primarily be using stone matrix asphalt (SMA) and polymer-modified asphalt (PMA). We are also looking to do a pilot project on using recycled plastic in asphalt mixtures.

Illinois DOT
IDOT has updated Illinois Flexibility Index Test (I-FIT) criteria for 2021 construction. The minimum short-term aged flexibility index (FI) criteria for SMA, 4.75 mm NMAS mixtures, and all other HMA are 16.0, 12.0 and 8.0, respectively. In 2021, long-term aged (LTA) I-FIT surface mixture specimens will be tested for informational purposes. In 2022, the LTA FI minimum criteria for surface SMA and HMA mixtures in production will be 10.0 and 4.0, respectively.

Massachusetts DOT
We have not made and are not planning on making any significant specification changes. 

Minnesota DOT
We are moving forward with seven Superpave 5 pilot projects in 2021.

North Carolina DOT
There are none planned at this time.

Nevada DOT
We are currently in the middle of a rather significant revision of our cold in place recycling (CIR) specification. There are some minor materials changes, but most of the revision comes through mix design procedures (newly added from old recipe specifications), equipment requirements (to better control/limit added water as has been problematic on past projects) and density measures (to better achieve desired density following the field operations). Nearly all of these efforts have been undertaken to improve the consistency of our CIR projects. Previously, some projects would perform as expected, while others would exhibit early distresses with substantially reduced performance life.

South Carolina DOT
We have made changes to our Supplemental Specifications (SC-M-404 and SC-M-405) to require auto-Rice controllers for MSG (i.e. Gmm) determination in all mix design labs and in contractor-owned field labs starting in July 2021. We are currently working on revising our 2007 Standard Specifications.

Utah DOT
We are constructing a highly modified asphalt pavement this summer as a test section on our port of entry truck ramp on I-80 near Wendover, Nevada. The ramp mix will be placed in a single 6-inch lift using a 50 gyration mix design with a low air void target of 1.5% and a UDOT PG 76-34 grade binder. The binder will have about 7.5 percent SBS polymer in it. The mix has been tested against rutting by running the Hamburg rut test using a higher water temperature of 54oC for twice the normal number of passes (40k). Because we have a rich mix and low void target for the pavement, the Hamburg test slab is compacted to 3.5% air voids. The mix is still passing our 10 mm maximum rut depth requirement. We hope this mix will perform well for high traffic, urban interstate pavements. Because it can be placed in one lift, we will reduce acceptance testing and construction time. The tack coat is also eliminated.

Virginia DOT
Density bonus specification (5% bonus with core testing) is now applied to not only maintenance projects but also for construction projects.

West Virginia DOH
For Standard Specification 410, Percent Within Limits Asphalt Paving, we are moving the secondary roads to a "PWL-lite" due to uncertainty and inconsistency in these secondary roads. Standard Specification 405 (Chip Seals) and Special Provision 407 (SAMI Seal) have changed gradations to allow standard AASHTO gradings of 8s, 9s, and 67s. This aggregate is more available and should hopefully lower prices on chip seal aggregates. We have recently introduced a project-level crack seal special provision. Previously, we only had a large, statewide crack seal special provision. A void reducing asphalt membrane (VRAM) was recently introduced to the committee, but has not yet passed.