State Transportation Board awards contract for next round of rubberized asphalt paving on Valley freeways

Quieter rubberized asphalt will be added to another 23 miles of Valley freeways next spring under a contract awarded today (Dec. 17) by the State Transportation Board.

The board, which held its monthly meeting in Tucson, awarded the $7.3 million contract to Meadow Valley Contractors, Inc., of Phoenix. The quieter pavement will be added to the following freeways:

• Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) from Union Hills Drive to I-10 in the West Valley (14 miles)
• Interstate 17 from Thomas Road to the Buckeye Curve in Phoenix (3 miles)
• The I-10/SR 51/Loop 202 Interchange in Phoenix (6 miles)

Initial work on the project is expected to begin in late February, with weekend paving starting in March, depending on favorable weather. The one-inch layer of rubberized asphalt is applied to concrete freeways when the temperature of the concrete pavement is at least 75 degrees.

Before the rubberized asphalt paving occurs, crews will make advance repairs to the existing concrete pavement and replace bridge deck joints. After the resurfacing, temporary lane striping will be replaced by permanent striping and raised pavement markers.

In an effort to reduce traffic noise in adjacent neighborhoods, ADOT has added the quieter pavement to more than 100 miles of Phoenix area freeways.