AASHTO Journal - Part Two of AASHTO Re:source Hawaii DOT Podcast

The second part of the AASHTO re:source two-part podcast about how the Hawaii Department of Transportation is testing the incorporation of recycled plastics into its road paving processes interviews Kristi Grilho and Mel Chung from the agency’s Materials Testing and Research Branch. To listen to the part one of this two-part podcast episode, which interviews Hawaii DOT Director Ed Sniffen, click here.

[Above image via Hawaii DOT]

AASHTO re:source – which launched this podcast series in September 2020 – is a major technical service program of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. It provides services and tools through three major programs: the Laboratory Assessment Program, the Proficiency Sample Program, and the AASHTO Accreditation Program.

When it comes to incorporating recycled plastics into roadway paving material mixes, Chung said on the podcast that Hawaii DOT has a team working to set up the best testing protocol to make such mixes “the better choice.” That teams includes not only Hawaii DOT personnel but industry partners, a highway contractor, the University of Hawaii for mechanical testing, and Hawaii Pacific University for micro-plastic testing.

“It’s mostly that we’re checking that nothing that we’re putting into the road comes out again,” noted Grilho. “And especially since our stormwater goes straight into the ocean, it would also be a bigger concern for us also because we know anything that goes into stormwater comes out into the ocean.”

To listen to the second part of the podcast, click here. To read about part one of this podcast, click here.