Contractors and public works officials at the National Pavement Expo were introduced to an innovative new system developed to improve ride quality and extend the life of asphalt roads and highways, without repaving.
The Roadmaster Ride Quality Improvement System was demonstrated at the nearby Music City Motorplex (Nashville Raceway) by Champion Motor Graders and its development partners.
The flagship of the system is Champion’s new Roadmaster RP626 Asphalt Profiler, a unique piece of road finishing equipment that mounts a 6’ grinder cutting head under the front frame of a Champion C60 Motor Grader. The RP626 Asphalt Profiler smooths asphalt surfaces by grinding away any bumps and irregularities within tolerances of 1/8th inch or less.
The complete 3-step Roadmaster system follows up the smoothing process with a sealer to fill any remaining cracks in the surface and then applies a rejuvenator that restores life and resiliency to old asphalt.
Bryan Abernathy, Vice President Sales & Marketing at Champion Motor Graders, says, "They had done their homework on how the smoothing, sealing and rejuvenating process could save millions of dollars for municipalities and counties every year.
Maintaining ride quality at a reasonable cost has become a key challenge for planners and contractors in recent years, too. Our graders have been a valuable tool for safe and affordable road maintenance for 25 years. Now we can offer a new solution that goes even further to reduce costs for taxpayers."
With a background in maintaining asphalt runways for military airports, Jim Wasson collaborated on developing the Roadmaster concept with Charlie Freeburn, a specialist in finishing the paved surfaces for drag strips and race tracks. The pair first built their own version of the RP626 profiler before showing the idea to Champion.
Wasson says that customers in the motorsport market have been more than impressed by test results on their tracks. At 200 mph, he says, "small bumps in the road make a pretty big difference in performance and safety!' But for public roads and highways, the practical value of the Roadmaster system is in the cost savings in the restoration of paved roads and in extending their useful life. "Refinishing the existing road surface with the Roadmaster system is significantly faster and lower in cost than resurfacing or rebuilding the road. We have been completing 2 lane/miles of roadway in a single 8-hour shift, including the sealer and rejuvenator applications. Contractors and maintenance crews can do the job with less equipment, less material and, compared to other methods of road improvement, there’s almost no disruption to traffic."
According to Wasson, improved ride quality is a major factor in the lifecycle of a road surface. A smoother road results in reduced wear and less impact from the vehicles that drive on it. Meanwhile, taxpayers get the added value of a safer, more comfortable ride that reduces fatigue, improves fuel efficiency and minimizes wear on their vehicle.