Performance Evaluation of Plastic Road

Abstract

Waste plastic, a municipal solid waste is an environmental challenge, when disposed of in landfills and stockpiles. In response, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) of Pakistan introduced a groundbreaking initiative in 2021, paving the Nation's first asphalt pavement with partially replaced aggregates with waste plastics to produce modified asphalt pavements. This study aims to evaluate the waste plastic-built pavements' performance through field and laboratory testing. The assessment encompasses the site's traffic impact, skid resistance, and International Roughness Index (IRI). Field evaluations employed the British Pendulum Tester and a Profilograph. Traffic impact assessment utilized weekly traffic data, revealing a moderate traffic type with no congestion. Results indicate better skid resistance in plastic-modified asphalt compared to virgin asphalt mixtures. The calculated IRI value of 2200mm per km for plastic-modified asphalt falls within the permissible limits. The constructed asphalt pavement with waste plastic satisfies functional performance for moderate-traffic roads. Surface friction of pavement measured from a British pendulum is less than 65. Overall, pavement performance in the study is satisfactory.