Voivodeship Road DW942, WISŁA, POLAND

Introduction

Wisła is a small town located in the Silesian Beskids mountain range at the southern tip of Poland. Its economy is heavily dependent on tourism since the town is internationally known for its annual summer Grand Prix ski jump events.

Challenge

One of the two roads leading into town is theVoivodeship Road DW942. With the continuous stream of cars pouring in, ZDW Katowice (Zarząd Dróg Wojewódzkich w Katowicach – road administrator) wanted a pavement solution that prevents traffic disruption – making the road more sustainable and affordable. ZDW Katowice decided to implement the Orbiton HiMA technology. ORLEN Asfalt, a leading Polish modified bitumen producer, developed the technology based on the HiMA concept.

Resolution

The result of the cooperation was a full-depth reconstruction of a 3.5 km (2.2 mi) long stretch of the road with Orlen’s Orbiton 25/55-80 and 45/80-80 PMB HiMA grades. The new pavement consisted of 20 cm (8 in) of AC 22 mix type and 8 cm (3.2 in) of AC 16 mix type base course made with Orbiton 25/55-80. These layers were followed by 4 cm (1.6 in) of SMA 11 mix type wearing course made with Orbiton 45/80-80.

From 2015-2016, ZDW Katowice paved a total 78 km (48 mi) of HiMA modified pavements spanning 26 different sections. ZDW reported that a road reconstruction with HiMA increases total cost by 3.5 percent, while the cost increase for a new construction is only one percent. In addition, HiMA modified pavement translates into a significant increase in pavement durability. Zbigniew Tabor, Director of ZDW, stated that starting in 2017, repairs, reconstructions and new road constructions within the administrative region would only be made with HiMA bitumen.