The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Asphalt or concrete: How are materials chosen for freeway paving?
QJan Mack of Colton asked how the materials used for freeway paving are chosen. “While driving on the freeway I have noticed that the asphalt pavement is much smoother than concrete (cement) pavement,” Mack said. “How is the decision made for one or the other?”
AWe asked Caltrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga to address these questions and here’s what she said. “Caltrans recognizes the importance of pavement smoothness for public comfort/safety and long-term performance. As a result, it is our goal to ensure that every paving project improves the road’s smoothness.”
Caltrans engineering teams consider smoothness from the design stage all the way through construction, she said, explaining that pavement smoothness is typically measured using special equipment known as a high speed inertial profiler. One of the requirements for accepting any paving project is that it meet smoothness criteria, Kasinga said.
“Smoothness specifications are used on nearly all of our major projects to ensure that hot-mix asphalt (HMA) and Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements are built to high levels of smoothness; the smoother a pavement is built, the smoother it stays over time,” Kasinga said. Since PCC and HMA are different materials and have construction methods, they react differently to the environment, “they may achieve different smoothness levels at the start and throughout the pavement life.”
In addition, a study called a Life Cycle Cost Analysis, or LCCA, is conducted for all projects that include pavement work with the exception of some maintenance projects or minor widening projects, Kasinga said. The outcome of the LCCA determines the most cost-effective pavement for new construction, major widening or reconstruction and rehabilitation projects.
“This process takes into account the initial cost, commuter delays, and overall maintenance over the life of the pavement,” Kasinga said.
We hope this explanation helps.
QBrenda Archuleta of Hemet asked why people “get away with” not having a license plate on the front of their vehicle, why drivers are not ticketed for driving without registration tags or with outdated tags and why people “get away” with having different color headlights on at night.
AWe can address all three questions with one general answer. On the Road receives questions like this from readers occasionally who ask why the police or California Highway Patrol do not enforce various vehicle code violations.
First, many people are indeed cited for these offenses, but you don’t know unless you are there. Secondly, in all fairness to law enforcement, officers are vastly outnumbered by drivers and police cars can’t be everywhere all the time. The Inland Empire covers more than 27,000 square miles in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. On freeways, CHP officers have to prioritize more serious incidents and moving violations, like speeding, responding to accidents and clearing disabled vehicles from roadways because they are a hazard. Thirdly, to enforce minor vehicle code violations, many law enforcement agencies will conduct mass special enforcement operations from time to time, targeting a certain area, finding this to be more effective and a more efficient use of time.
People who see vehicles without tags or front license plates may call the non-emergency number of their local law enforcement agency to report these vehicles and ask if an officer can come and issue a ticket. Note also that law enforcement generally waits a few months before pulling over or ticketing a driver with an expired registration tag because the California Vehicle Code authorizes people to drive their vehicles with expired tags while they wait for the DMV to process registration renewals, which can take time. So if you see a vehicle and the registration tags are expired by a few months, it’s likely that driver wouldn’t be cited anyway, at least not until more time passes.
Do you commute to work in the Inland Empire? Spend a lot of time in your vehicle? Have questions about driving, freeways, toll roads or parking? If so, write or call On the Road and we'll try to answer your questions. Please include your question or issue, name, city of residence, phone number and email address. Write ontheroad@pe.com or call 951-368-9670.