Whitetopping 595 and 301

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Heavy traffc at the interchange of I-595 & US301 in Bowie, MD had cause significant damage to the asphalt roadway, more than 100,000 vehicles use the interchange daily and many of those are large heavy vehicles. The damaged roadway was causing a safety hazard for drivers, as they entered or exited the ramps, uneven pavement and serious rutting caused drivers to struggle with keeping their vehicles safely on the ramps.

State Highway Administration planned to repair the damage by resurfacing the existing asphalt. Chaney Enterprises and MRMCA successfully petitioned SHA to use a bonded concrete overlay called “Whitetopping” instead.

Whitetopping is a concrete overlay that covers damaged asphalt and is a long term solution that actually grows stronger over time. Whitetopping typically lasts twice as long as other resurfacing methods, reduces rutting caused by larger vehicles and its durability produces savings through less frequent road repairs, lane closures and construction zones.

Concrete reflects light making the pavement brighter reducing the need for lighting by up to 30%. Concrete is more rigid than asphalt which makes concrete roads 4% more fuel efficient for cars and up to 7% for large trucks. A Whitetopping overlay is more
cost efficient because its competitive in initial costs to asphalt and actually less once you compare total costs over time.

For this project, the existing  exible asphalt (HMA) was milled and replaced with 6” bonded concrete overlay with a curing compound and contraction joints. Over 500,000 yards of concrete was poured, finished with a truss screed and diamond grinded to provide a
smooth finished roadway. This interchange will typically not need sealing or any other maintenance for the next 30 years. All work was done over a few weekends to minimize traffic disruptions.