Pavement Award Criteria & Scoring

 

Download the Data Gathering Sheet Download this Excel file to make sure you have all information need to submit!

The Florida Pavement Excellence Awards are back for another exciting year, and we are excited to announce the opening of the 2024 awards season. This annual event, which has been recognizing and honoring the best in pavement construction in the state of Florida since 1979, is a highly anticipated occasion for the industry.

Applications for the awards will cost $250 each, and projects will be judged by Florida Department of Transportation district offices as well as in-house by the Asphalt Contractors Association of Florida, Inc. (ACAF) staff. The winners of the district and statewide awards will be announced at The 2024 ACAF Convention.

We encourage all eligible members to apply for these prestigious awards, which offer a great opportunity to showcase your work and highlight your contributions to the pavement construction industry in Florida. Don't miss out on this chance to be recognized for your excellence – apply today!


The A.P. Bolton award, named in honor of one of the charter members who has done so much for the industry and whose reputation for quality work is his hallmark, is the Association’s highest award. ACAF’s Urban and Rural Road Builder Awards are the Association’s next highest awards. Through its Roads and Streets Award, ACAF also recognizes quality on lower tonnage State, City, or County roads. Special Project Awards are awarded to those who projects that are may not fit within any of the above categories, but are uniquely 


Projects submitted for consideration must have been paved within the 2023 calendar year.

Florida Road Builder

New construction, reconstruction, or major overlay on Interstate or multi-lane primary highway with 30,000 tons minimum. The project winning the statewide honors for this category will have honor of the project being named the 2024 A.P. Bolton Award for the Florida Road Builder of the Year. The A.P. Bolton award, named in honor of one of the charter members who has done so much for the industry and whose reputation for quality work is his hallmark, is the Association’s highest award. 

Urban Road Builder

Urban Road Builder (may include widening or additional lanes) on State primary highway or county highway. 10,000 tons minimum or the equivalent of 5 miles of 24’ roadway. Urban is defined as 51.0% or more of the project is in a curb and gutter section.

Rural Road Builder

Rural Road Building (may include widening or additional lanes). State primary highway or rural county highway. 10,000 tons minimum or equivalent of 5
miles of 24’ roadway. Rural is defined as 51.0% or more of the project has paved shoulders.

Roads & Streets

New construction, reconstruction, or overlay with a 5,000-ton minimum. Both FDOT and Non-FDOT projects are acceptable.

Special Projects

Any project of a special or unique nature requiring specialized equipment, techniques, materials, time restrictions, or operating conditions. These projects
would not normally be eligible for any of the other ACAF Awards as listed above. Projects may include, but are not limited to: Port Terminal Paving, Heavy Duty Applications, Airfield Paving, Race Tracks, Landfill Liners, Reservoir Liners, and other special projects will be considered. There is no minimum tonnage requirement. A special committee will be formed to evaluate these applications.

Rating Criteria
Mix Quality
The quality of the mix will be rated based on the combined PWL Pay Factor for all the tons produced on the project. Minimum: The combined PWL for all the mix produced on the project must be a minimum of 97%.
Ride Quality
The ride will be based on either the number of 15 foot Rolling Straightedge Deficiencies (RSE) or Ride Number (RN) or International Roughness Indicator (IRI) obtained through the Laser Profiler. Rating is based on the initially measured ride on the final pavement/friction layer only.
Visual Quality
Projects will be visually inspected by DOT and ACAF representatives to ensure quality of the pavements construction within four categories: Longitudinal Joints, Transverse Joints, Surface Texture, and Ride Comfort.
At the beginning of the 2022 Pavement Excellence Awards Season we hired a camera crew to follow the statewide raters around to really understand the ins and outs of the rating process. Follow along in this hilariously educational video!
Project Scoring
FDOT Projects will be rated based on the quality of the mix, the ride, and a visual rating. The three criteria will be weighted as follows: Mix Quality 40%, Ride 40%, Visual 20%. Non-FDOT projects will be rated based on the letter of recommendation, submitted pictures, and a possible site visit.
District Winners
To win a District Award, the project must have the highest score in its District in the award category AND score in the top 50% of all pavements submitted across the state in its category. For example: If only one project is submitted for Urban Road Builder in District 2, it must score higher than 50% of all other Urban Road Builder projects submitted for all districts.
Statewide Winners
To win a Statewide award in the Florida Road Builder, Urban Road Builder, and Rural Road Builder award categories, the project must first have won a district award in its respective category. All district award winners will have their three criteria weighted as follows: Mix Quality 30%, Ride 30%, Visual 40%