Several sections on the National Center for Asphalt Technology’s (NCAT) Pavement Test Track have been reconstructed in preparation for the track’s fifth research cycle, which will explore ways to stretch transportation dollars. Track sections are sponsored for three-year cycles by state highway agencies and private industries, which have both specific research objectives for their section and shared objectives for the track as a whole. Many sections from the fourth cycle also remained in place, allowing sponsors to continue evaluating the effects of live heavy trafficking on their special mix type or pavement construction technique. Fifth-cycle trafficking began at the end of September and will continue through 2015.

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