In May 2000 the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) requested a forensic evaluation of a project located in I-25 north of Denver, Colorado. Within a year of the 1997 overlay, longitudinal cracking appeared in the surface. Two years later the pavement appeared to be deteriorating rapidly. In October 2000, a forensic team of pavement experts reviewed the project and established a sampling and testing plan. Based on the data analysis, it was the opinion of the forensic team that the early cracking of I-25 was caused by several factors, which were combined on this project. The factors included: higher in-place air voids than expected, and low effective asphalt and segregation within the mat.