The purpose of this workbook is to provide enough basic and practical knowledge about asphalt pavements to be able to make good decisions when roads are in need of rehabilitation, repair or maintenance. This workbook will briefly touch on technical topics such as pavement structures, asphalt mixtures, and drainage. It is important to know where pavements and mixes get their strength, and how water, if not properly controlled, can destroy a road.

The workbook covers the following subjects:
• Fundamentals of a good road
• Materials used in roadway construction
• Types and causes of pavement failures
• Rehabilitation treatments for pavements
• Inspection of asphalt pavement construction

Each of these topics is important enough to warrant a separate, full–day training course. Therefore, the workbook can only cover the most critical points. The main goal of this workbook and accompanying course is to train participants to:
• Recognize various types of pavement failures
• Know the probable causes of pavement failures
• Recognize options to repair failures
• Assure that the repairs are properly constructed

The emphasis will be on hot mix asphalt (HMA) because it is the most widely used product. However, cold mixes will also be discussed. Because HMA is not the correct treatment for all pavement problems, rehabilitation treatments such as cold in–place recycling and full depth reclamation with stabilizing agents (asphalt emulsion, foamed asphalt, and portland cement) will also be covered.

Due to the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) use of metric units, the primary units in this manual are metric. Where possible both metric and U.S. customary units are shown.

Detailed explanations of these topics can be found in the references listed in Appendix A. These publications are readily available from industry groups such as the Asphalt Institute, National Asphalt Pavement Association, and the Asphalt Recycling and Reclaiming Association. The Cornell Local Roads Program has copies of these references available for loan.