Balanced Mix Design (BMD) helps ensure adequate rutting and cracking performance of asphalt mixtures, but as recycled asphalt material (RAM) contents increase, durability beyond cracking becomes increasingly important. TRB hosted a webinar on Monday, November 24, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM Eastern that helped engineers unlock significant economic benefits by designing balanced, durable asphalt mixtures with high recycled material content. Presenters showcased findings from NCHRP Report 1130: Capturing the Durability of High Recycled Binder Ratio Asphalt Mixtures, which revisits the forthcoming AASHTO PP 127 standard practice and expands its scope to include durability factors such as aging, moisture susceptibility, and raveling.
This webinar was sponsored by TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program.
The slides are available. 
 
Webinar agenda and presenters

• Results and AASHTO standard practice – Amy Epps Martin, Texas A&M University
• Motivation and experiment design – Nam Tran, National Center for Asphalt Technology at Auburn University
• Agency Perspective on AASHTO PP 127 – Stacey Diefenderfer, Virginia Department of Transportation
• Question and answer session moderated by Edith Arambula-Mercado, Texas A&M Transportation Institute

The first 60 minutes of the webinar were for presentations and the final 30 minutes were reserved for audience questions.
 
Learning Objectives
At the end of this webinar, participants can:

• Understand the framework and approach outlined in forthcoming AASHTO PP 127 for designing and evaluating balanced and durable asphalt mixtures with high recycled binder ratios (RBR)
• Utilize the evaluation tools and thresholds in forthcoming AASHTO PP 127 to assess mitigation strategies and ensure balanced performance in high RBR asphalt mixtures

 
Professional Development Hours
This webinar was delivered as a scheduled – e-learning live event and is categorized within RCEP as Technical, Health and Safety.
Professional Development Hours (PDHs) earned on completion of this program were reported to the Registered Continuing Education Program (RCEP). Certificates of Completion are issued to all participants via the RCEP.net online system. Complaints about registered providers may be addressed to RCEP, 1015 15th Street, NW, 8th Fl., Washington, DC, 20005.