Asphalt Road-eo
What is TXAPA's Asphalt Road-eo Student Engineering Competition?
The Asphalt Road-eo is an engineering competition for university students at the sophomore to senior level. The concept is similar to the famous ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition, with one big exception: while concrete can be used for structures (even canoes), asphalt is a road-building material through and through.
The Asphalt Road-eo gives students a taste of what it is like to evaluate the needs of a roadway project, take on a design challenge, and create a product close to the real thing. For a prospective civil engineer, the Road-eo is hard to beat for hands-on, practical experience.
What Teams Build
Each team produces a 2’ x 2’ pavement slab from the same materials (provided by TXAPA member firms to ensure consistency).
How the Slabs Are Tested
Volunteers from industry and the Texas Department of Transportation subject the slabs to tests designed to emulate rutting and cracking and to measure skid resistance.
The goal is to come as close as possible to a mix design that balances these properties, which is known as a Balanced Mix Design (BMD).
Presentations and Judging
In addition to physical property testing, teams present their design rationale to a panel of judges and defend it if necessary.
Bonus Points and Deductions
- Teams may earn extra points for sustainability and innovation by successfully incorporating unconventional materials into their designs.
- Teams may lose points for expensive additives unless they can demonstrate a clear cost-benefit.
Why It Matters
The Road-eo can be intense, but it’s worth it. Past participants say that the event changed their career trajectory—and that is by design.
One of the main objectives of the TXAPA Asphalt Road-eo Planning Committee, which oversees the Road-eo, is to expose participants to the people of the asphalt pavement industry and TxDOT. The industry tends to be a “best-kept secret.” It’s a game-changer once someone learns about the opportunities to do meaningful work with passionate, like-minded people. When young people compete in the Road-eo, it opens their eyes to possibilities they didn’t know existed.
Just the Facts
- Teams consist of 3–4 undergraduate students and include a faculty mentor or advisor.
- Scholarships: Each student on the winning team receives a $2,000 TXAPA Scholarship; second-place winners receive $1,000 each.
- The event starts with a welcome dinner and mixer the night before the competition.
- Competition day runs from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.