LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Engineers with the Nevada Department of Transportation say Las Vegas is one of the few cities in the entire country that has to use a special kind of asphalt called PG76, that can withstand extremely high temperatures on the roads.
“It’s thicker and more durable for the roads here in Las Vegas,” said Jesse Oakley III, Associate Engineer at the NDOT Materials Division.
At NDOT’s asphalt lab, engineers run a series of tests with strict parameters for viscosity, strength, and durability before the asphalt is poured onto our roads.
“The purpose is to see if the sample is too thick or too thin. We want to get it at the right requirements and the right specifications,” said Oakley, showing one of the testing machines.
The testing ensures the material is safe to drive on for years to come and can withstand the Las Vegas heat.
Oakley says if a sample did slip through the cracks, it would lead to big obstacles for drivers.
“It would cause it to be unstable, it would cause rutting, it could create potholes,” he said.
The asphalt material has to pass about ten tests before it can be used on our roads. One test simulates high temperatures while moving the material around to test its durability in the Las Vegas heat.
Another test simulates what those conditions could do to the asphalt long-term after 10 or 20 years. The sample sits inside the machine 20 hours, withstanding high heat temperatures and extreme pressure.
“Whether it be cars, whether it be trucks, we have lots of vehicles that travel our state roads, and this is a simulation of that,” said Oakley. “All these tests are combined to ensure that we have long road testing for people to safely drive on Nevada roads 10, 15, 20 years down the road.”
NDOT’s asphalt testing process usually takes one to two days to ensure a safe and smooth ride for Nevada drivers.
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