The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials currently has two volunteer slots open for hosting National Transportation Product Evaluation Program or NTPEP multi-year field test deck projects.
[Above photo by the Ohio DOT]
Those two opportunities are for the Rapid Set Concrete Patching Materials or RSCP technical committee and Snow Plowable Raised Pavement Markers or SPRPM technical committee. Details for each test deck follows, with work plans for each of those evaluation programs available by logging in the NTPEP website.
RSCP – Field Test Deck Process:
- State DOT selects a concrete bridge deck that is in good condition with no expectations for any surface maintenance within the next five to 10 years. Patch locations for testing that are free from surface distress, cracking, and debonding. Note: A bridge deck will require a sounding inspection to participate in this testing process.
- State DOT marks out patch locations – three feet by nine feet, with the nine foot width centered across a travel lane.
- State DOT saw cuts the perimeter of the patch to a depth of about an inch.
- State DOT uses jackhammers to remove the concrete in the patch area to the top of the rebar mat, which is typically three to four inches.
- State DOT washes patch area with water and blows out with clean compressed air to remove any fines/debris.
- Manufacturer does all work to install their patch, with state DOT providing water, generator, and concrete mixer – if available – along with all traffic control.
- State DOT monitors installation to verify that product placement complies with manufacturer recommendations, with photographs documenting the installation process.
- Each patch undergoes one and two-year evaluations that look for cracking, spalling, and delamination.
SPRPM – Field Test Deck Process
- State DOT selects a concrete pavement and an asphalt pavement meeting work plan criteria, with no pavement maintenance expected over the next three years. To avoid traffic control issues, avoid locating the test deck near ramps/exits.
- State DOT sends pavement samples to Florida and Georgia for laboratory testing, with Ohio performing hardness testing if needed.
- State DOT provides traffic control for product installation, making out the installation location for each sample. Manufacturer pays for/installs their own product.
- State DOT provides traffic control for evaluations every six months for two years, which includes photographs of the evaluation areas. Photos are evaluated in the office and each casting/ and lens is given a subjective rating.
- The Florida laboratory receives lens samples taken from the road at the one and two-year evaluation test marks for retro-reflectivity testing.