Pickens County, SC – The School District of Pickens County established funds to replace the distressed asphalt pavement at the existing school bus parking lot located at 688 Pumpkintown Highway in Pickens, South Carolina. The purpose of the study was to provide an assessment of the existing pavement section, the underlying subgrade condition, and provide recommendations for a new asphalt section during replacement.

The existing asphalt was measured by coring the pavement across the parking lot in a representative number of cores. Within each core, the asphaltic concrete and underlying base course thickness was measured and dynamic cone penetrometer tests performed on the subgrade soils to a maximum depth of three feet. Using a modified ASTM method of pavement evaluation, a condition score was provided. For the new pavement design, the SCDOT Pavement Design Manual for flexible pavement design method was used as well as the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDOE) Office of Transportation’s Planning for School Bus Safety on School Sites and School Bus Parking Lots.