Evaluation of Continuously Reinforced Hydraulic Cement Concrete Pavement at Virginia's Smart Road

About the report:

A two-lane continuously reinforced concrete pavement was built in Blacksburg, Virginia, as a part of Virginia's Smart Road. One of the lanes is 12 ft wide, and the other is 14 ft wide. The additional 2 ft was part of the shoulder. Below the concrete pavement is a 3-in-thick open-graded drainage layer (OGDL); one section is asphalt stabilized, and the other section is cement stabilized. The concrete pavement was cured by a curing compound except that the 12-ft lane was also covered with plastic and straw because of concerns with cold ambient temperature. The objective of this project was to determine the material properties of the concrete, instrument the pavement, monitor construction practices, and monitor the performance of the pavement over 4 years. The concrete had high early strength, low permeability, and high shrinkage. The average crack spacing was more than 3 ft, indicating satisfactory performance. In general, cracks were wider when they were further apart, but the differences in crack spacing and width were variable and small in some cases and could not be correlated after 4 years. The end sections had less cracking than the interior sections of the pavement. There were fewer cracks and more space between cracks in the 12-ft lane and fewer cracks in the pavement over the asphalt-stabilized OGDL. This was attributed to a better cure in the 12-ft lane and to a lower friction over the asphalt-stabilized base. No changes to the specifications were recommended as a result of the study findings.

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