This is the third and final installment of our timeline of asphalt series. The first part discussed the ancient origins of asphalt through its arrival in America. The second part examined how asphalt expanded and eventually became integral to American life. This week, we lay out the timeline of how exactly asphalt became as widespread as it is. Read on to learn all about asphalt’s timeline of modernization in America.
World War Two Kickstarts Innovation
World War Two was the kickoff point for a major asphalt development thanks to one key component of the war – aviation. Planes obviously weigh quite a bit more than vehicles, especially World War Two era fighter jets. With the rise of the Air Force, more runways were needed with stronger asphalt. The aviation advances made in World War Two, also made commercial flights much more common once the war was over. While the first two decades of the century were the first automotive boom, the forties and fifties were the aviation boom. When cars boomed, highways expanded rapidly, but with planes, that required an airport’s worth of asphalt.
Post-War Expansion
After the war ended, families began the great migration to the suburbs. This meant that there was a huge construction boom for house and roads. Asphalt was needed for site work and more roads for neighborhoods. The fifties were also a secondary automobile boom, when it became normal for families to own more than one type of car.
During the ‘50s, Congress passed the State Highway Act. This act allotted over $51 billion exclusively to expanding the network of highways across the United States.
All of this expansion enabled technological development in the field of paving. This is also the period of time during which pavers started using electronic levelling controls. The controls ensured that all the roads being built were as smooth and even as possible.
Even More Technical Growth
Between the major boom of the 1950s and the end of the millennium, the focus was on technological innovation. Many pavers develop technology for paving machines, plants, and additional tools.
The 1960s
During the 1960s, the environmentalist movement gained traction and asphalt plants begin adapting environmental protections. Many of the protections still in place today originated in this era.
Paving contractors introduced automatic screen controls and wide finishers to paving machines. These advances increase efficiency and make asphalt work more affordable. Wide finishers in particular are handy, enabling contractors to finish off two lanes of paving at once.
The 1980s
The most notable innovation of the 1980s is the debut of the material transfer vehicle, also known as an MTV. The MTV is a mobile middle man that helps transfer materials from plant trucks to the active asphalt pavers.
Modern Marvels
Nowadays, asphalt technology is focusing more on how to make the asphalt itself more efficient. Modern contractors have developed innovations such as quiet asphalt technologies and thin overlays.
