The Grainger College of Engineering
Illinois Center for Transportation

New ICT-IDOT reports

8/14/2026 McCall Macomber

Illinois Center for Transportation is pleased to announce the publication of reports from the following Illinois Department of Transportation-sponsored projects, in order of publication.

R27-268: Quarry By-product Fines for Otta Seal Surfacing of Local Roads
Erol Tutumluer and Ramez Hajj, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
John Senger and Andrew Stolba, Illinois Department of Transportation

Excess quarry by-products generated each year in Illinois exceeds 950,000 tons according to an ICT-IDOT research study, R27-125: Sustainable Aggregates Production — Green Applications for Aggregate By-Products.
Excess quarry by-products generated each year in Illinois exceeds 950,000 tons according to an ICT-IDOT research study, R27-125: Sustainable Aggregates Production — Green Applications for Aggregate By-Products.

An Otta seal is a cost-effective surface treatment that is formed by adding graded aggregate to a thick application of soft binder. It is worked into the aggregate as traffic rolls over it.

This project examined the use of quarry by-product fines, a leftover material from crushed rock extraction found in abundance in Illinois, as aggregates in Otta seals. Researchers reviewed design parameters as well as conducted lab testing to prepare mechanistic-based design and construction guidelines for Otta seals with quarry by-product aggregates.

Effectively using Otta seals with quarry by-product aggregates will reduce operational costs and maintenance needs as well as minimize aggregate segregation and provide environmental benefits.