Officials are testing the Infra-Red Paver on Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh. Superheated infrared coils beam down on pavement and basically recycle the street, turning hardened asphalt into a gooey mixture. Officials said it makes the pavement easier to work with.
Officials say raised, bumpy sections of roadway can be smoothed out in minutes. The usual approach would take hours, cutting up and carting off old pavement and re-laying a new batch. Pot holes can also be heated and filled with a patch, quicker and cheaper than the current approach.
"It's less asphalt we have to buy, less petroleum products need to be used, all those other kind of aspects. We're even working with the environment here," DOT engineer Jerry Linder said.
The Infra-Red Paver costs about $90,000, but DOT officials said if it works, taxpayers will save money in the long run. Officials said if the product works in Wake County, it may be used statewide.
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