Georgia's Use of Lime in Full-Depth Reclamation

The Georgia Department of Transportation completed its first roadway project using lime as a stabilizing agent in full-depth reclamation (FDR). The roadway is performing well after 1 year of service. The FDR was performed on a rural route (Huckabee Road) in Jones County, Georgia, where base and pavement failures had been observed along the roadway. This route served as an excellent candidate for the new process, because the base and pavement failures observed were mainly caused by the instability of the underlying subgrade material, which consisted of micaceous, clay–silt soils. Rather than total reconstruction, lime stabilization was recommended, and a provisional specification was written. Construction began in April 2006 and included reclamation to a depth of 14 in. (35 cm) and incorporation of 56.0 lb/yd² (30 kg/m²) of lime. The provisional specification required the use of hydrated lime, commercial granular lime, or pelletized quicklime for stabilization; the pelletized quicklime was used. Soil and falling weight deflectometer testing before and after reclamation indicated that substantial improvement, both in the soil properties and structural strength, was achieved by the new process.