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MD 135 to get Upgrade

July 28th, 2015 by WCBC Radio

Using an innovative technique to recycle asphalt, the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) will improve the ride quality on MD 135 (Maryland Highway) between Mount Zion Road and Chestnut Grove Road in Swanton on Backbone Mountain. The $3.1 million project begins next week and should be complete by the end of the year, weather permitting. Crews will mill the top layer of asphalt from the road and use the material for the base layer of the new surface using a “Cold In Place (CIP)” recycling method. This process does not require heat to mix the material, which is combined with other aggregate (rocks) and compacted to obtain the right strength to bear traffic loads.

“This is the first use of this method of recycling on a state road,” said Acting SHA Administrator Douglas Simmons.  “Recycling asphalt is cost effective and environmentally beneficial because less new material is needed.”

In addition to resurfacing four miles of MD 135, crews will improve drainage by adding new inlets and removing debris buildup from pipes. MD 135 was last resurfaced in this area in 1994 and carries approximately 3,000 vehicles daily.

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