INDOT has launched an investigation into whether the pavement used in close to 200 recent road construction projects could fall apart more than a decade earlier than expected.
The agency sent a letter to a Fort Wayne-based construction company on Friday remanding a complete re-do of their work, or a reimbursement of the more than $5 million INDOT paid for the asphalt.
The state also says a portion of State Road 25 in Cass County is deteriorating at an "alarming rate."
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Pictures from INDOT show cracks nearly 3 inches wide. The 3-mile stretch of pavement was built by Brooks Construction three years ago.
INDOT says the asphalt was expected to last 20 years.
The agency is investigating 44 contractors and 188 road construction projects around the state. That amounts to $71 million worth of asphalt.
INDOT has already cleared 667 projects in the review that began last year.
Spokesman Will Wingfield says the agency is studying whether enough asphalt binder was used in the mix. That's the "glue" that holds the stone or other aggregate materials together.
"It's really a matter of holding our contractors accountable so we get what we pay for," Wingfield said. "If the pavement ages prematurely, then the work that would have to be done would have to happen sooner, rather than later. It has a cost to it. We're just making sure the motoring public gets what they're paying for."
The executive vice president of Brooks Construction released a statement saying, "INDOT conducted 72 tests on our asphalt mix and all were approved."
