Learn about the changes to Special Provisions
View the videos and links below to learn more
401.03.07.H & I 401.03.07.J 401.03.08.I 902.02.03 902.02.04What Changed?
Modification of NJDOT Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction
Required for all State Aid Grant-funded Projects
Updated and Simplified in the 2019 Standard Specs Update
Who is Affected?
Resident, Municipal, & County Engineers
Resident, Municipal, & County Engineers
Oversee Local Aid grant-funded projects for Local Public Agencies (LPAs) and ensure requirements are followed
Project Designers
Project Designers
Design the projects and must know about the special provisions and include them with the design and construction plans for all Local Aid grant-funded projects
Contract & Specification Writers
Contract & Specification Writers
Write project contracts and specifications; must know about the special provisions and include them with the documentation for Local Aid grant-funded projects
Contractors
Contractors
Ensure their work meets all requirements of the special provisions
Laboratory & Field Technicians
Laboratory & Field Technicians
Perform certification, testing and penalty calculations to be sure that materials meet requirements
2019 Updates
What to Look For
Specifications
The following specifications were updated:
- 401.03.07 Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) Courses
- H. Air Voids Requirements
- I. Thickness Requirements
- J. Ride Quality Requirements
- 401.03.08 HMA Core Samples
- 902.02.03 Asphalt Mix Design
- 902.02.04 Asphalt Sampling and Testing
Forms
The following forms were also updated to comply with the updated specifications:
- DS-8 HMA Testing Summary Report – State Aid
- Certification of Compliance (Possible Alternative to submitting the DS-8 Form)
- DS8S-PD Hot Mix Asphalt Penalty Determination
- HMA Core Sampling Plan
- IRI Testing Summary Report Form
Common Terms & Definitions
The following definitions apply to all of the updated specifications:
- PAVEMENT LOTS: Approximately 15,000 square yards of pavement in surface area. If pavement lot area is less than 5000 square yards, the District Local Aid Office may waive the requirements.
- LABORATORY/INDEPENDENT TESTING AGENCY: Required to comply with testing and certification requirements according to NJDOT R-1 for ride quality testing and must be accredited by the AASHTO Accreditation Program (www.amrl.net), including AASHTO T 166 and AASHTO T 209 for core sample testing. The Laboratory Technician who performs the quality assurance sampling shall be certified by the Society of Asphalt Technologists of New Jersey as an Asphalt Plant Technologist, Level 2.
Updated Information
Section 401
Watch the videos to learn about the updates in this section.
401.03.07.H & I
Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) Courses, Air Void Requirements, and Thickness Requirements
Updated: Air Void Requirements
The reduction penalty calculation has changed. In the FY 2019 Edition, the reduction is now calculated as a tiered penalty based upon how much of the HMA does not conform to the acceptable air voids percentage range based on statistical analysis rather than by how much the average air voids percentage exceeded the acceptable range.
- Randomized HMA coring locations using the HMA Core Sampling Plan
- Form DS8S-PD “Hot Mix Asphalt Penalty Determination” signed by the Asphalt Technologist and County/Municipal Engineer
Updated: Thickness Requirements
For resurfacing projects, a compacted average thickness of less than 1.25 inches will no longer be accepted. Language for retesting the HMA lots with excessive percent defective (PD) values was added. The minimum allowable compacted lift thickness of HMA mix size 4.75 MM was reduced to 0.5 inches in the 2019 edition of the Special Provisions.
401.03.07.J
Hot Mix Asphalt, Ride Quality Requirements
Updated:
Pay Adjustment Equations (PAE) have been updated. PAE factors now include roadway type, existing average International Roughness Index (IRI), the bid price of the last lift of the pavement structure, design thickness, bid price of the milling per square yard, and whether the project is for new construction or reconstruction.
Any Local Aid construction project located on the National Highway System (NHS) or New Jersey State Highways must comply with all ride quality requirements from Pay Adjustment Equations in Table 401.03.07-7 and target IRI from Table 401.03.07-8. (All NHS roadways are listed on the Department’s website.) A pdf list of NHS roadways by standard route ID (SRI) is available.
IRI Sample Documents401.03.08.I
Hot Mix Asphalt, Core Samples
Updated:
- Use the HMA Core Sampling Plan form to determine the location of the asphalt cores.
- Disclose the contents of the HMA Core Sampling Plan to the contractor to assist in the construction schedule.
- Fill the coring holes with cold patching material or HMA in maximum lifts of four inches and compact each lift.
- Provide the quality control core testing results to the contractor in a timely manner which does not unnecessarily impede construction.
Updated Information
Section 902
Keep reading to learn about the updates in this section.
902.02.03
Asphalt Mix Design
Updated:
The only change to this section is the addition of language for volumetric properties testing to allow for the inclusions of alternate sampling and testing provisions in section 902.02.04.
Required:
Unless otherwise approved by the engineer, only one HMA Surface Course may be used on a project.
902.02.04
Asphalt Sampling and Testing
Updated:
Subsection 902.02.04 E Acceptance of HMA is added:
- The Department may accept the HMA as specified in 902.02.04.A through 902-02.04.E by employing staff or an independent testing agency at the HMA plant during production. The inspector who performs the quality assurance sampling shall be certified by the Society of Asphalt Technologists of New Jersey as an Asphalt Plant Technologist, Level 2.
Two forms to satisfy this section were updated in 2019:
- Form DS-8 must be signed by the Asphalt Technologist doing the testing as well as the County/Municipal Engineer in charge of the project and submitted to the Local Aid District office corresponding to the project. The alternative to this form is the Certificate of Compliance.
- The Certificate of Compliance form requires basic information about the project, supplier, material description, quantity, date of shipment and shipment identifier. This form can be accepted in lieu of the DS-8 form, but only if the Local Aid District Office has granted permission to do so. It must be approved by the County/Municipal Engineer in charge of the project and submitted to the Local Aid District Office.
Required:
Section 902.02.04 Asphalt Sampling and Testing provides the instructions for using an independent testing agency (or Department staff) at the HMA plant during production for quality assurance sampling. The testing results must be recorded and submitted on the DS-8 or Certificate of Compliance form.
Resources & More Information
Special Provisions for State Aid Projects
Special Provisions Regulations
- A biennial Conditions & Performance report of the future highway investment needs of the nation is mandated by Congress (23 U.S.C. 502(h))
- The Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data is used for assessing highway system performance under the U.S. DOT and FHWA’s planning and performance reporting process in accordance with GPRA, Sections 3 and 4 & for apportioning Federal-aid highway funds in accordance with title 23, U.S.C.
- 23 CFR Part 490 is the Highway chapter on National Performance Management Measures in the code of federal regulations
- 23 CFR § 490.103 requires State DOTs to document and submit data about routes designated on the Interstate System and the National Highway System (NHS) to the FHWA in accordance with the HPMS Field Manual.
- 23 CFR § 490.105 requires State DOTs to establish performance targets for the condition of pavements on the Interstate System and the NHS.
- 23 CFR § 490.107(b) requires State DOTs to report to FHWA baseline condition/performance data every two years on a biennial basis.
- 23 CFR § 490.309 asserts that IRI data must be collected and contained in the report to the FHWA, along with rutting, faulting and cracking percent.