The evaluation of the effects of hazardous spills by road accidents on the surface performance of an asphalt-wearing course

Accidental spills of hazardous substances are an important road safety topic due to the reduction of surface performance and the possible structural damage to the pavement. Thus, it is even more important to investigate the consequences of hazardous spills on the functional characteristics of road surfaces and the effects of efficient clean-up operations over time. In the present paper, trial field, laboratory tests and cored samples contaminated with five liquids were carried out on a road pavement to assess the influence of different substances on asphalt features. British Pendulum Tester and micro Grip Tester were performed to compare the adherence properties between the contaminated and cleaned-up conditions. Furthermore, the British Pendulum Tester, Indirect Tensile Stiffness Method used to assess the mechanical behaviour of samples spilled with hazardous substances were carried out in a laboratory. The achieved trial field results demonstrated that rapid cleaning treatment can optimally restore skid resistance compared to untreated areas. Depending on the type of spill, the clean-up procedure leads to the complete skid resistance recovery in a short period. The prolonged presence of hazardous substances on asphalt samples causes decay of mechanical performances as evidenced by the laboratory tests.