Materials and Pavement Division

We design, develop and evaluate new pavement materials, techniques and equipment to improve the life, resilience, safety and durability of pavement infrastructure.

What We Do

Analysis and Design

We quantify the structural capacity of pavements and design pavement structures to handle the traffic over the required design life.

Maintenance

We determine how to preserve pavements over the long term and fix the roads that need rehabilitation.

Asset Management

We gather data, analyze and package that information for planning short- and long-term pavement maintenance and rehabilitation needs.

Materials

We develop ways to use the right materials for the job and explore the use of novel materials for cost effectiveness, long-life and durability.

Automation

We develop tools and techniques to streamline the process of controlling and assuring the quality of pavement materials.

Our Focus Areas

Rehabilitation

Economically accelerate construction to fix distressed roadways.

Nondestructive Testing

Capture and analyze pavement information with minimal disruption to the public.

Asphalt Mixtures, Binders and Additives

Develop innovative and balanced mix designs with proper binder chemistry and activation.

Laboratory Testing

Characterize materials properties and how they relate to performance.

Quality Control and Assurance

Minimize testing burden by developing new tests and automation.

Concrete Materials

Establish durable, high performance concrete mixtures with traditional and innovative cements and supplementary cementitious materials.

Recycling

Integrating reclaimed pavement and other byproducts into pavement materials.

Condition and Ride

Determine pavement health and inform management strategies.

Friction and Texture

Quantify and enhance the safety of pavement surface layers.

Workforce Development

Transfer knowledge and technology to future industry leaders.

Our Work

Automated Laboratory Tests: Specific Gravity, Ideal Cracking and Rutting Tests

Funded by NCHRP IDEA and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), this project led to the development of the first-of-its-kind asphalt mixture automated test system: AMAZE (Asphalt Mixture Automated Zero-intervention Equipment).

Expanding Full-Depth Recycling Technologies for Pavement Renewal

Originally launched to develop rapid pavement renewal strategies for roadways impacted by energy sector activity, this series of TxDOT-funded projects has broadened its focus to integrate Full-Depth Recycling (FDR) into statewide maintenance operations. The work produced new lab mix design procedures and a practical FDR toolkit, equipping TxDOT and other agencies with cost-effective solutions to extend pavement life and sustainability.

Airport Pavement Inspection and Analysis Program

Every three years, researchers inspect pavement conditions at over 260 public airports in Texas, including runways, taxiways and aprons. These inspections assess surface distress, roughness and structural deflection using advanced tools and 360° imagery. The resulting Pavement Condition Index (PCI) scores are uploaded to an interactive GIS platform, giving decision-makers real-time insight into airfield infrastructure health.

Performance Specifications for High-Performance Concrete

This project developed performance-based specifications for High-Performance Concrete (HPC) bridge decks, ensuring durability aligned with exposure conditions. Researchers created a simplified Excel-based evaluation tool — known as the TxDOT Tool — to help engineers assess HPC mix designs for factors like ASR mitigation, chloride intrusion, freeze-thaw durability and shrinkage cracking potential. The result: longer-lasting infrastructure and smarter material choices at every stage of deployment.

Development of Asphalt Mixtures with High Recycled Contents

AASHTO PP 127 is a forthcoming provisional AASHTO Standard Practice for developing balanced and durable asphalt mixtures with high recycled asphalt materials (RAM) contents through a stepwise approach. This standard practice was developed based on NCHRP Projects 09-58, 20-44(24), and 09-65 and includes: (1) component materials selection guidelines for virgin binders, recycling agents, and RAM and their proportions including a recycling agent dose selection method and consideration of reduced recycled binder availability (RBA); (2) binder blend rheological evaluation tools and criteria; (3) mixture performance evaluation tools and criteria and (4) binder blend and mixture specimen preparation procedures.

Pavement Design and Analysis Suite

This Pavement Design and Analysis Suite provides access to pavement evaluation and design tools developed for use. Here, you can download software programs and user manuals to support analysis and decision-making for pavement design.