ABSTRACT
For more than 50 years, asphalt reinforcing grids manufactured with polymeric fibres have been used to delay or even prevent the development of reflective cracking in pavement rehabilitation. Their positive performance has contributed to increase maintenance periods and to provide substantial economic and environmental benefits, reducing traffic disruptions and the use of exhaustible resources. This paper will present results of recent researches, which show the importance of some factors and their respective influence in the durability and performance of reinforced asphalt overlays, such as interlayer bonding and grid resistance to installation damage. Through practical experiences will be demonstrated the effect of the asphalt reinforcement on the long-term asset pavement performance. Additionally, a cost comparison and a detailed description of the calculation of CO2 emissions savings between a reinforced and a not reinforced rehabilitation solution is given.
