The NCAT Pavement Test Track was originally constructed as a result of interest and support from state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) who shared a concern for building and preserving safe, sustainable, resilient, and cost-effective pavement infrastructure. Track research operations began in the summer of 2000. Forty-six 200-ft test sections were subjected to 10 million equivalent single axle loadings (ESALs) of heavy truck traffic  through December of 2002. Test sections were rebuilt in 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021, and 2024 with 10 million ESALs applied within each 3-year research cycle. NCAT began formally partnering with the MnROAD in 2015 to execute nationally relevant research in both mix performance testing and pavement preservation. Positive experiences with implementable findings that reduce the life cycle cost of flexible pavements and facilitate rapid deployment of sustainable technologies have made this research an outstanding investment for numerous state DOTS who pool their resources to share the cost of construction, operations, and research in a cooperative manner. The summer 2027 rebuild is the starting point for the nineth research cycle, with many high reward research options available for potential sponsors.  NCAT is again partnering with MnROAD in the 2027 research cycle to execute a pavement performance experiment with nationwide implementation impact.

The primary objectives of the pooled fund project described herein will be: (1) constructing, maintaining and and/or rebuilding experimental pavements on the existing 1.7-mile NCAT test oval and the Minnesota Road Research Project (MnROAD) mainline bypass that are representative of in-service roadways on the open transportation infrastructure; (2) applying accelerated performance truck traffic after construction for the duration of the 3-year research cycle; (3) assessing/comparing the functional and structural field performance of trafficked sections on a regular basis via surface and subsurface measures; (4) validating /calibrating new and existing methodologies for analysis and design using pavement surface condition, pavement load response, precise traffic and environmental logging, and cumulative damage; (5) correlating field results with laboratory data for both mix and structural performance; and (6) answering practical questions posed by research sponsors through formal (i.e., reports and technical papers) and informal (e.g., one-on-one responses to sponsor inquiries) technology transfer.

The scope of work for the pooled fund project will include: (1) hauling materials to the project from offsite locations. Material donations are typically secured by state sponsors, while reasonable hauling expenses are handled by the pooled fund; (2) rebuilding sections in accordance with sponsors’ directives via competitively bid subcontracts administered by NCAT.  It is anticipated that aggregate hauling, liquid asphalt supply and delivery, rental of select construction equipment, plant production, and mix placement may all be procured via competitively bid subcontracts; (3) installing both environmental (i.e., multi-depth pavement temperature probes) and/or response instrumentation (i.e., high speed stress and strain gages) in experimental sections; (4) operating a 5-truck heavy triple-trailer fleet in order to apply accelerated truck traffic on the NCAT test oval following the completion of construction. Human drivers operate NCAT vehicles in order to best induce representative vehicle wander, but it is expected that autonomous vehicles will be implemented in the future. Diverted interstate traffic is used to load test sections at MnROAD; (5) safely measuring field performance (e.g., rutting, roughness, texture, cracking, deflection, friction, etc.) on a regular basis when traffic is suspended/bypassed to fully document changes in surface condition as a function of traffic and temperature. High-speed pavement response is also measured on a routine basis; (6) conducting laboratory testing on quantify basic material and mix performance properties, which will serve as the basis of performance model development; and (7) comparing predicted and measured pavement response as well as predicted and measured cumulative pavement damage in order to validate then calibrate prevailing analysis and design methodologies.

This project is expected to be eligible for 100% State Planning and Research (SPR) funding. Each sponsor participating in the study is asked to contribute funding as a function of the scope of their selected research.  NCAT also encourages sponsors to consider partnering with others in group experiments designed to meet their most pressing shared priorities.  The following summarizes the research section options and associated annual costs for FY2027 through FY2029: (1) Structural Performance: $300,000 per existing structural section per year for 3 years for a total of $900,000; (2) Mill and Inlay for Surface Performance: $200,000 per new mill/inlay section per year for 3 years for a total of $600,000; (3) NextPAVE Challenge*:$250,000 per sponsor per year for 3 years for a total of $750,000; (4) Non-Structural Continuation - also surface treatments on existing sections: $110,000 per existing perpetual section per year for 3 years for a total of $330,000; (5) Structural Continuation – also surface treatments on existing sections: $126,667 per existing section per year for 3 years for a total of $380,000; (6) Off-Ramp Performance:$100,000 per existing off-ramp section per year for 3 years (FY2027-FY2029) for a total of $300,000; (7) Off-Ramp Continuation: $40,000 per existing off-ramp section per year for 3 years for a total of $120,000; and/or (8) Split Sub-Section Experiments – also surface treatments on existing sections: $30,000 per sub-section per year for 3 years for a total of $90,000.

Funding requirements are based on reasonable assumptions; however, if project costs increase unexpectedly (i.e., fuel) a proportionate amount of additional funding or a reduced scope of work may be required.  All items purchased through the pooled fund for the execution of this study (regardless of whether it can be categorized as “equipment” or “supplies” by research sponsors) will be retained by Auburn University as allowed by applicable contract law.

  *NextPAVE Challenge - State highway agencies are routinely approached by vendors promoting diverse, market-ready technologies that promise to extend pavement life, reduce life-cycle costs, and advance sustainable practices. Independent, science-based validation is critically needed to evaluate these claims before implementing new technologies.  To address this need, NCAT and MnROAD, and the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) established the Next PAVE Challenge. This initiative provides a structured, collaborative framework to identify and systematically evaluate innovative pavement solutions across four categories: on the asphalt surface, in the asphalt mixture, below asphalt layers, and other transformative approaches.  Technologies undergo a transparent, two-phase process starting with Phase 1 laboratory characterization, life-cycle analysis, supply chain scalability assessments, and advanced pavement modeling using FlexPAVE and PerROAD software to ensure field readiness.

Following rigorous screening and a pitch evaluation by an independent panel of expert judges, the top-performing innovations advance to Phase 2 for full -scale validation.  This pooled fund will support the real-world deployment and accelerated performance testing of these selected technologies during upcoming research cycles at two of the nation’s premier pavement proving grounds: the NCAT Test Track and MnROAD. By exposing these innovative sections to accelerated truck traffic and extreme geographic climates, the research will deliver validated, implementable parameters that state DOTs can use to confidently integrate the next generation of paving technologies into mainstream practice. Ultimately, this pooled fund enables sponsoring agencies to minimize individual risk while maximizing their return on investment through collaborative, high-impact pavement innovation.

**Space can be reserved on the pooled fund study by returning a signed copy of the Commitment Letter (found in the “Documents” section).