Higher levels of styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer help make road asphalt more durable in a resurfacing project in New York. Kraton Performance Polymers Inc. supplied the SBS material to project partner NuStar Asphalt LLC, the asphalt producer with an asphalt refinery in Paulsboro, N.J.
The enhanced asphalt is designed to extend the life of New York's streets and protect the city's underground utility infrastructure. Kraton of Houston, Texas, also claims the asphalt will give motorists and cyclists a smoother ride and cut down on noise.
The resurfaced asphalt layer is only 1.5 inches thick, which lowers resurfacing costs and reconstruction costs for digging up underground utilities. Fifty three blocks of First Avenue were paved with the enhanced asphalt.
Kraton says typically 3.5 to 4 percent of SBS is added to asphalt for road construction but a 7 percent loading was specified for the New York project for durability and reduced pavement thickness.
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