Rubber Modified Asphalt Binders

Rubber Modified Asphalt Binder and the National Highway Bill

SEC. 327. USE OF RECYCLED PAVING MATERIAL.

Section 1038 of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (23 U.S.C. 109 note; 105 Stat. 1987-1990), as amended by section 205 (b) of this Act, is amended ---

(1) by inserting before subsection (e) the following:

"(d) ASPHALT PAVEMENT CONTAINING RECYCLED RUBBER. ---
"(1) CRUMB RUBBER MODIFIER RESEARCH. --- Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995, the Secretary shall develop testing procedures and conduct research to develop performance grade classifications, in accordance with the strategic highway research program carried out under section 307(d) of title 23, United States Code, for crumb rubber modifier binders. The testing procedures and performance grade classifications should be developed in consultation with representatives of the crumb rubber modifier industry and other interested parties (including the asphalt paving industry) with experience in the development of the procedures and classifications.
"(2) CRUMB RUBBER MODIFIER PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT. ---
"(A) IN GENERAL. --- The Secretary may make grants to States to develop programs to use crumb rubber from scrap tires to modify asphalt pavements.
"(B) USE OF GRANT FUNDS. --- Grant funds made available to States under this paragraph shall be used ---
"(i) to develop mix designs for crumb rubber modified asphalt pavements;
"(ii) for the placement and evaluation of crumb rubber modified asphalt pavement field tests; and
"(iii) for the expansion of State crumb rubber modifier programs in existence on the date the grant is made available."; and

(2) in subsection (e) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:

"(1) the term 'asphalt pavement containing recycled rubber' means any mixture of asphalt and crumb rubber derived from whole scrap tires, such that the physical properties of the asphalt are modified through the mixture, for use in pavement maintenance, rehabilitation, or construction applications; and".