ABC-7 Listens 09.18.16

is talking about an aging i-10 in this week’s abc-7 listens. 55 years old may not be old in human years … but in highway years it definitely is!!! and that’s the situation facing interstate 10 here in el paso. from daniel … “i just saw th report about i-10 being past its expected life. “i remembe several years ago that there were always lanes on i-10, east of downtown, being closed down for repairs. “didn’ these repairs do anything to lengthen the life of the highway?” that’s a reasonable question so i reached out to tx-dot and chief engineer bob bielek. he told me patching does not extend the life of the pavement. that simply makes it safe to drive. he goes on to say … “the mai issue is that the pavement is more than 55 years old, was designed for trucks weighing a maximum of 72,000 lbs. and an average daily traffic of about 100,000 vehicles per day. “today that pavement i subjected to truck loadings of 80,000 lbs. and an average daily traffic of more than 200,000 vehicles per day.” bielek then talked about one stretch in particular that’s in bad shape. “th depressed section in downtown el paso was overlaid years ago with a concrete overlay bonded to the original concrete pavement with epoxy. “recent test indicates that the epoxy is no longer viable and when it rains water is intruding both below the original pavement and between that pavement and the overlay. “that is als why the potholes that appear in this area tend to be larger and deeper than in some other areas.” for now the plan is to get the go-10 west project and border west expressway completed in the next 7-8 years. then at that point … and with i-10 now being closer to 65 years old … the process of replacing it could begin. rick cabrera. abc-7 listens.