Saskatchewan RAP Optimization Study

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure (SMHI) recently commissioned a Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) Management and Application Study to identify and optimize areas of use for RAP materials.  With depleting aggregate sources across areas of the province, RAP is considered a valuable recycled material with surplus quantities generated from construction and maintenance activities across the province’s highway network. RAP materials generated from SMHI contracts typically are either:

• made available to contractors to reincorporate in new hot mix asphalt concrete (with an expectation, but no assurance, that bid prices will be lowered to reflect the value of the RAP; or
• used as an aggregate substitute within other aspects of the surfacing contract; or
• retained by SMHI and stockpiled for future maintenance or construction uses (with fluctuation of inventory levels likely depending on current demand).

One of the outcomes of the study was the generation of a RAP management plan.  The RAP management plan was developed by considering current uses of RAP in Saskatchewan at a consultant, contractor, and agency level; and best practices in other jurisdictions. This paper will present the RAP management and re-incorporation processes developed in the form of an optimization table, and decision flowcharts for use during the design, construction, and operations phases of the roadway.