Sawing joints in concrete pavements potentially exposes workers to respirable crystalline silica dust which may increase the risk of health issues. OSHA has standards designed to protect workers from these risks: respirable Crystalline Silica Standard (29 CFR 1926.1153) and Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 910.134) among others. This Tech Brief is not intended to address the health risks, but instead to provide information on devices which can be used to minimize them.

To seal or not to seal has been a strongly debated question for more than a quarter century. This debate has continued due to the variable performance of installed sealants and the inability to relate sealant condition to pavement performance. Joint sealing has been a process in constructing concrete pavements for over a hundred years, yet the challenge of quality installation continues. With the introduction of the OSHA PM10 regulations (29 CFR 1926.1153), this challenge has become even greater with the need to ensure environmental worker safety.

Compression seals were introduced in the early 1960s. They differ from liquid sealants because they are manufactured ready for installation and do not require field heating, mixing, or curing.

Polychloroprene (Neoprene) is the principal compound in compression seals. It is a synthetic rubber that provides excellent rebound pressure under compression. It is highly resistant to compression set, ozone, aging, sunlight and weathering, abrasion, gouging, oil, chemicals, rubber removal, and temperature extremes.

To seal or not to seal has been a question for more than a quarter century. Joint sealing has been a process in constructing concrete pavements for over a hundred years, yet the challenge of quality installation continues. The purpose of joint sealing is to reduce the amount of water entering a pavement structure and to prevent the filling of joints with incompressible materials.

When freeway noise became a quality of life issue in early 2000s, a political decision was made to overlay the Valley’s concrete freeway system with Asphalt Rubber Friction Course (ARFC). At that time, no economic analysis was done, no alternative concrete solutions considered, nor any long-term considerations made for ARFC’s perpetual replacement needs. As a result, 16 years later the story can be told: The ARFC Overlay Strategy will Cost Taxpayers One Half Billion Dollars over the next 50 years; $12M Each and Every Year for Perpetuity.

The International Roughness Index (IRI) is a roadway roughness statistic widely used for pavement management, and its use in pavement construction is on the rise. The IRI of a specific stretch of pavement is calculated using a mathematical algorithm and pavement smoothness data obtained with a profiler.