Using recycled aggregate from construction and demolition (C&D) wastes as a construction material is a potential method for solving the disposal of C&D wastes, which can reduce the exploitation of natural aggregate. In this study, extensive laboratory tests were carried out to investigate the reliability of the C&D wastes used as road base material. Meanwhile, the gradation design and the dominant aggregate size range were considered, and a physical disposal method was proposed to enhance the structural performance of the recycled material by replacing the skeleton of the recycled aggregate (RA) with high-quality limestone. The test results showed that (1) given the high absorbency and fragility of C&D wastes, its RA was not enough to provide the strength and stability required by the base; (2) the compaction characteristics of the RA are quite different from that of the limestone aggregate, but the final compaction effect is basically the same; (3) the replacement treatment proposed in this study is an effective approach to improve the performance of the recycled granular base because the breakage rate decreased by at least 28.2% and the mechanical properties increased by approximately 50% compared with that of the untreated specimen; and (4) when the limestone content reached 75%, the California bearing ratio and the resilient modulus of the graded B specimen exceeded 120% and 200 MPa, respectively, satisfying the pavement requirement in medium traffic. National Natural Science Foundation of China 51478485 51908562 Standardization Project of Hunan Province Central South University QJ2018008B Research Foundation of Education Bureau of Hunan Province, China 19B581 Education Department of Hunan Province 17C1654 Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province 2020JJ5987 Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China kfj170405 Hunan Provincial Innovation Foundation for Postgraduate CX2018B521
