To investigate the cooling effect of light-colored aggregate asphalt pavement, this study initially explored the chromaticity, albedo, and thermophysical properties of different aggregates and their corresponding new and old asphalt mixtures. Subsequently, temperature variation characteristics were analyzed for both light-colored and ordinary aggregates, as well as their new and old asphalt mixtures, through a combination of indoor and outdoor experiments. Finally, a typical scene in Xi’an City was simulated using ENVI-met software to explore the temperature field distribution and changes of light-colored aggregate asphalt pavement with varying albedo. The results show that compared with ordinary aggregates, the lightness values of 0–3 mm, 3–5 mm, 5–15 mm light-colored aggregates and aggregate mixtures are increased by 7.86, 13.99, 13.75 and 5.56. For the aggregate mixtures, the albedo of light-colored aggregates was 6.42 % higher than that of ordinary aggregate, and the cooling effect can reach 4.10℃. For the abraded asphalt mixtures, compared to the ordinary specimen, the lightness value of the light-colored aggregate asphalt mixture was higher by 6.49, its albedo was higher by 5.86 %, and its cooling effect was up to 2.1℃. In the typical scene of Xi’an City, the road surface temperature can be reduced by 0.19℃ for every 1 % increase in albedo. This study provides significant insights for the application and promotion of light-colored aggregates.
