509 — DIAMOND GRINDING 2026 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS CATEGORY 500 PAVING SECTION 509 — DIAMOND GRINDING
509.01 Description
Grind Portland cement concrete or asphalt pavement with diamond tipped saw blades to restore proper drainage and ride quality.
509.02 Materials
Not applicable.
509.03 Construction
Prepare and submit a traffic control plan for approval as specified in 104.01. Patch the pavement as specified and remove all pavement markings prior to grinding. Seal joints after grinding as specified.
509.03.01 Equipment. Use a power-driven, self-propelled machine capable of grinding the
pavement surface to the specified smoothness and texture using diamond tipped saw blades. Do not use equipment that damages the underlying pavement, causes raveling, aggregate fractures, or spalls at joints or cracks. The grinding unit shall:
a.Weigh at least 35 000 lb, including the grinding head.
b.Have a grinding head that will grind a strip at least three feet wide.
c.Have a wheelbase of at least 12 ft.
d.Have a vacuum system that removes all grinding slurry from the pavement surface and leaves the surface in a clean, near-dry condition.
e.Be maintained to ensure it is in proper working order with attention paid to the roundness of the match and depth control wheels. Replace any wheels found to be out of round.
509.03.02 Grinding. Grind the pavement in the longitudinal direction, beginning and ending at lines
normal to the pavement centerline.
a.Do allow any unground surface area between passes, and do not overlap passes of the grinding head more than 2 inches. 509 — DIAMOND GRINDING 2026 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS
b.Eliminate faults to result in a maximum of 1/16 in. differential between adjacent sides of joints or cracks, except that under no circumstances shall the maximum overall grinding depth exceed 1/2 in. Grind into adjacent lanes or shoulders as directed to transition from the edge of the travel lane to provide lateral surface drainage leaving no more than a 1/8 in. ridge and an acceptable riding surface.
509.03.03 Final Cross Slope. Achieve lateral drainage by maintaining a constant cross slope
between grinding extremities in each lane. Have an approved 10 ft straightedge available at all times. The finished surface shall be sufficiently smooth so that when tested with a straightedge placed upon the surface parallel with the center line, the surface does not deviate more than 1/8 in. The transverse slope of the finished surface shall not deviate more than 1/8 in. Straightedge requirements do not apply across longitudinal joints or outside the ground area. Regrind areas of deviation as directed.
509.03.04 Final Finished Surface. Produce a neat, uniform finished surface with a longitudinal line-
type texture with corrugations parallel to the outside pavement edge. The peaks of the ridges shall be 1/16 in. ± 1/16 in. higher than the bottom of the grooves with evenly spaced ridges having a land area width ranging from 0.080 in. to 0.110 in. It may be necessary to adjust the blade spacing to achieve the specified texture. Ensure a minimum of 95 percent of any 100 ft section of pavement surface is textured.
509.03.05 Slurry Handling and Removal. Continuously remove the grinding slurry residue from
the pavement. Do not allow the slurry to flow across lanes occupied by traffic or to flow into gutters or other drainage facilities. Collect the slurry into water-tight haul units and transport and properly dispose of all slurry and residues from the pavement surface off-site.
509.03.06 Pavement Surface Profile. Refer to Section 535.
509.04 Measurement and Payment
Diamond Grinding will be measured and paid for at the Contract unit price per square yard. The payment will be full compensation for grinding, cleaning the pavement and shoulders, slurry removal and disposal, surface profile testing, corrective action, technicians, and for all material, labor, equipment, and incidentals necessary to complete the work. Traffic control will be measured and paid for under separate pay items for this project. Traffic control will include all devices and requirements as stated in the traffic control plan.
Referenced in this section
Sections that cite this one
Diamond Grinding in other states
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Source: Standard Specifications for Construction and Materials, 2026 Edition. Pages 675–676 of 1,138. View official source ↗