Soluble salt damage to macadam roadbase

[PhilipWanless]

Does anyone have any information regarding projects which may have exhibited asphalt disruption due to solubal salt migration from the sub-base or formation material below sub-base or where I can find some more information about salt blistering of asphalt.

 

[snafuman]

For whatever it's worth, years ago I worked for a county road department. We used salt or calcium chloride on newly constructed gravel roads, to stabilize the gravel and keep dust down. We usually placed a thin asphalt (prime coat with triple seal) coat on these roads the next year. All were low volume roads. We never noted any problems such as you are describing. We found that the salt treatment were very effective at "hardening" the gravel and these roads made excellent paved roads.