Appropriate asphalt concrete characterization is essential for realistic performance prediction of asphalt concrete pavements. All the constituent materials have a significant influence and should be characterized. The laboratory investigation has been focused on the plant produced asphalt mixtures and their respective extracted bitumens. The extracted samples of bitumen were studied following both conventional and advanced rheological characterization. The overall laboratory characterization was focused on measuring and quantifying the influence of different bitumen types on the mechanical response of the asphalt mixture. Many different surface layers were compared in the laboratory. The durability of the these surface layers were studied using the CRT at VTI.