More than two dozen long-life asphalt pavements earn 2024 Perpetual Pavement Awards
Agencies across 16 U.S. states earned honors for long-life asphalt pavements that deliver sustainable performance. Awarded annually by the Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA), the 2024 Perpetual Pavement Awards recognize 27 unique projects, including a segment of historic Route 66.
The Perpetual Pavement Awards celebrate agencies whose roadways demonstrate the characteristics expected from long-life asphalt pavements: excellence in design, quality in construction, and value for the traveling public. To win, each project undergoes a meticulous evaluation by engineers from the National Center for Asphalt Technology at Auburn University.
By Conversion
Perpetual Pavement: By Conversion honors outstanding design and construction practices, specifically in constructing new asphalt roads over existing roads. Congratulations to these seven agencies:
- Arkansas Department of Transportation for Hwy. 104 – Hwy. 65B in Jefferson County, Interstate 530, Section 5.
- Christian County Highway Department for reconstruction and widening of Christian County Highway 1 in Illinois.
- City of Fort Collins for McClelland Street resurfacing in Larimer, Colorado.
- Monroe County Road Commission for Samaria Road Improvement Project in Michigan.
- Oklahoma Department of Transportation District 4 for pavement rehabilitation on I-40 in Canadian County.
- Washington State Department of Transportation for I-5 SB / E Fork Lewis River to N Fork Lewis River pavement rehabilitation, in Clark and Cowlitz.
- West Virginia Division of Highways for Kenna – Fairplain in Jackson.
By Design
Perpetual Pavement: By Design honors outstanding roadway network design practices that meet Perpetual Pavement design standards. Nine agencies earned this coveted award:
- Arkansas Department of Transportation for Illinois River – Hwy. 170 (S) in Washington County, Hwy. 62, Section 1.
- Illinois Tollway for Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) bridge and roadway reconstruction in Winnebago.
- Maryland Department of Transportation – State Highway Administration for US 29 in Howard County.
- Michigan Department of Transportation for I-96 WB from M-39 to Schaefer in Wayne.
- Oklahoma Department of Transportation District 1 for US-69 Reconstruction – McIntosh County in McIntosh County.
- South Carolina Department of Transportation for I-85 SB/NB in Cherokee.
- Washington State Department of Transportation for US 12 Nine Mile Hill to Frenchtown Vicinity in Walla Walla County.
- West Virginia Division of Highways for Powell Mountain, Youngs Monument-Birch River Road in Nicholas.
- Will County Highway Department for Intersection Improvements at Cedar Road (CH4) and Laraway Road (CH 74) in New Lenox, Illinois.
By Performance
Perpetual Pavement: By Performance is awarded to pavements that are at least 35 years old, never experienced a structural failure, and have an average resurfacing interval of no less than 13 years. Eleven pavements were recognized in 2024:
- Arkansas Department of Transportation for Highway 7, Section 1 in Union County.
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Engineering District 11 for SR 0168 Shippingport Hill Road in Beaver County.
- Florida Department of Transportation for Florida’s Turnpike (SR 91) located in Palm Beach County.
- Hawaii Department of Transportation for Route 37, Kula Highway in Maui County.
- Indiana Department of Transportation for US 31 added travel lanes from the Johnson/Marion County Line to Beechwood Lane.
- Maryland Department of Transportation – State Highway Administration for US-11.
- Mississippi Department of Transportation for US Highway 278 from the Panola County line near the Oxford City limits in Lafayette County.
- New Mexico Department of Transportation for reconstruction and rehabilitation of New Mexico Route 6, Original Route 66 in Valencia and McKinley Counties.
- Tennessee Department of Transportation for Washington County SR-107.
- Washington State Department of Transportation for SR 104.
- West Virginia Division of Highways for Herold Road in Braxton County.
“Asphalt roads can be designed, built, and maintained to indefinitely prevent deep distresses,” said Dr. Buzz Powell, P.E., Technical Director of the APA. “The resulting Perpetual Pavement structure is an excellent investment for taxpayers because it only requires periodic surface renewal, has the most preservation options, and never requires reconstruction. Advantages of Perpetual Pavements include durability, economics, sustainability, and smoothness. The smoothness advantage of asphalt pavements is indefinitely extended with Perpetual Pavement since deep distresses that cause roughness never occur.”
The Asphalt Pavement Alliance is a coalition of the National Asphalt Pavement Association, the Asphalt Institute, and the State Asphalt Pavement Associations. The Asphalt Pavement Alliance’s mission is to establish asphalt as the preferred choice for quality, performance, and the environment.
The Asphalt Institute is the international trade association of petroleum asphalt producers, manufacturers, and affiliated businesses. AI promotes the use, benefits, and quality performance of petroleum asphalt, through engineering, research, marketing, and educational activities.
The National Asphalt Pavement Association represents the interests of U.S. asphalt producers/contractors before Congress, federal agencies, and other national trade and business organizations. NAPA supports an active research program designed to improve the quality of asphalt pavements and paving techniques used in the construction of roads, streets, highways, parking lots, airports, and environmental and recreational facilities.
The State Asphalt Pavement Associations represent the interests of asphalt pavement producers and paving companies at the state and local level across the United States.