Tapatio Springs, a world-renown golf resort located just west of Boeme, Texas, in the Texas Hill country, recycled some of its roads with full-depth recycling, using portland cement. The job was done in only 10 days, at about one-third the cost of removal and replacement.

Travis Cannon, president of Tapatio Springs Homeowner's Association, recommended to the board of directors that Tapatio Springs recycle its failed asphalt pavement with a method called full-depth recycling. Tapatio Springs is a planned community, centered around a world-class 27-championship-hole golf course located just west of Boeme, Texas, nestled in the picturesque hill country.

The association elected to recycle two streets. Wild Turkey Boulevard and Whitetail Drive, for a total of about one-half mile of work on the 24-foot-wide streets. Capital Excavation, headquartered in Austin, has an area office in San Antonio and was awarded the contract. Bill Sheppard was project superintendent on the job, which started on April 30.

It is a pretty simple process, actually," said Jerome DeSalrne, area manager for Capital Excavation. "We didn't have to bring in any additional equipment. We completed the project in 1,300-foot to 1,400-foot sections and always maintained one-way traffic control."

The simple process began with the pavement being scarified with a motor grader to a depth of about 8 inches. Then Portland cement was applied at 4 percent by volume. This amount is lower than is ordinarily used for traditional cement-treated base.

"We used dry cement, not slurry, straight out of the truck and applied with the spreader bar," explained DeSalme.

After the cement was applied, water was added, and the combined materials were mixed with a rotary pulverizing mixer.

Typical gradation requirements are 100 percent passing the 2-inch sieve and 55 percent to pass the number 4 sieve. The next step was crowning and shaping, followed by ordinary compaction, and a prime coat of MC-30. Wheeler Coatings and Asphalt laid 1-1/2-inch Type "C" asphalt for the wearing surface. The project completely recycled all in-place paving materials, both surface and base material. There was no excavation or disposal of old base, no disposal or trucking fees, finally, no new base material!

The reclaiming, addition of the cement, and compaction was easily accomplished in one day, according to DeSalme. By evening, residents had a suitable driving surface through their neighborhood until Wheeler Coatings and Asphalt was able to come in a few days later to prime and lay the asphalt. "We waited to have them apply the asphalt until we had finished our work on the roads so that they would have to come out only one day," said DeSalme.

Cannon concluded, "We have a much better road now. It cost us about one-third of what a traditional road reconstruction would cost, and we didn't have to worry about disposal. It should last us a significant number of years. We couldn't have spent our money better. Capital Excavation did an excellent job. Bill Sheppard promised he'd be through in 10 days and he was. We're proud of our roads. Cities and counties should look at this as a way of saving taxpayers money."