The Georgia Department of Transportation completed its first roadway project using lime as a stabilizing agent in full depth reclamation (FDR). The roadway is performing well after one year of service. The FDR was performed on a rural route in Jones County, Georgia (Huckabee Road) where base and pavement failures had been observed along the roadway. This route served as an excellent candidate for the new process, since the base and pavement failures observed were mainly due to the instability of the underlying subgrade material, which consisted of micaceous, clay-silt soils. Rather than total reconstruction, lime stabilization was recommended, and a provisional specification was written. Construction began in April 2006 and included reclamation to a depth of 14 inches (35 cm) and incorporation of 56.0 lbs/yd² (30 kg/m2) of lime. The provisional specification required the use of hydrated lime, commercial granular lime, or pelletized quicklime for stabilization, and the pelletized quicklime was used. Soil and falling weight deflectometer testing before and after reclamation indicated that substantial improvement, both in the soil properties and structural strength, was achieved by the new process.
Abstract