Shifting the Perpetual Mindset
This content first appeared in the Spring 2025 print edition of NAPA Quarterly. Subscribe here.
Constructing Perpetual Pavements has become more than just laying it down thick.
Constructing long-lasting pavements isn’t a new goal by any means, but NAPA Vice President for Engineering, Research, & Technology Richard Willis has said that the industry is beginning to change its approach to perpetual pavements. Whether by design, performance, or conversion, more road owners are beginning to understand the value of constructing pavements that can be maintained through regular thin overlays every other decade. Willis said the new interest in long-lasting pavements means it’s time for engineers and industry leaders to adapt.
“We have to start thinking differently,” he said during the 2024 Perpetual Pavement Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.”
Willis said in the past, he had described the rise of perpetual pavements as an evolution of pavement design, but he now sees that’s a misnomer.
“The way people think about evolution is that it’s a long, slow, arduous process. Little by little, things change, and that’s not what the industry needs because it’s not a small change in the way that we do things: It’s a radical difference in the way that we make and design pavements,” Willis said. “It takes the methods and the frameworks that we use and puts them on their head, shoving it to the side and saying let’s do something different and let’s do it intentionally.”
Willis said in the past, he would chide his Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA) colleagues about the By Performance category of the Perpetual Pavement Awards, jokingly noting that some of them could be considered perpetual by accident because they were overdesigned and just happened to last a long time.
Perpetual By Performance awards recognize projects that have been in place for at least 35 years with an average interval between resurfacing of no less than 13 years that have not suffered a structural failure.
“Then we started recognizing and awarding projects that were intentional in design,” he said. “Engineers that said ‘I’m going to make this last forever.’ It’s different.”
The APA accepts nominations for new roads that meet the qualifications for perpetual design. The nominations are reviewed and approved by the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) and qualified projects receive the Perpetual Pavement Award: By Design.
SAVE THE DATE: DECARBONIZATION CONFERENCE
Mark your calendar for the International Conference on the Decarbonization of Asphalt Pavements Sept. 29 – Oct. 1 in Chicago.
This in-person event aims to explore innovative solutions and best practices for reducing the carbon footprint associated with asphalt pavements. Be the first to know about registration, programming, and more by signing up to receive updates in your inbox.
