
The Perpetual Pavement concept was first articulated in 2000 and the concept has rapidly gained acceptance. The APA’s newest technical document on the subject is Perpetual Asphalt Pavements: A Synthesis. This comprehensive publication captures the activities that have taken place over the last decade, synthesizes the information in way that is useful to providing guidance for Perpetual Pavement design and construction, and provides a vision for further research and development to refine Perpetual Pavements.
Since the inception of the Perpetual Pavement Awards program, the Washington State Dept. of Transportation has been awarded multiple awards for highways that have 30+ years of service and for new pavements that meet PerRoad perpetual pavement design standards.
Long Life Pavement Renewal resources are also available via the SHRP2Solutions rePave website.
An Article on the Basics of Pavement Design and Perpetual Pavements
Assuming an entirely new road where there has been no pavement before, the process begins with an examination of the right of way and the projected mix of traffic and the expected loading. Then, the soil is prepped, in some cases amended, compacted, and graded (F in the figure). During this stage, drains, sewers, and other features are placed. Next comes the pavement foundation, usually gravel that is placed and compacted (E).