First job saves 29% fuel costs

Journagan Construction began their first Evotherm run in central Missouri, between Joplin and Springfield, along MO Highway 174.  The SP190 mix was a dense-graded, 2" overlay on concrete (covering up concrete…an asphalt favorite!), PG 64-22 binder with 20% RAP content.  This layer will be covered by a second 1 3/4" lift of SP125.

The plant was started up hot, around 325F, and then the temperature was brought down to 280F after the first 100T.  By noon the temperature was reduced to 260F, and initial mix testing warranted a reduction of 0.3% in the binder, to 5.0% total, in part due to the absorptive limestone aggregate from the quarry.  Daytime highs were in the 90's with a light breeze on the roadway.

Brandon Finn, QC/QA manager, and Terry Slack, plant supterintendant, both commented on how easy the Evotherm was to use and apply.  They connected their liquid anti-strip system to a tote, and that was it. After optimizing the roller pattern, the compaction foreman got 93-95% density.  Back at plant, Journagan consumed about 1.42 gal/T of burner fuel, vs. 2 gal/T normally. A tidy fuel savings of 29%!