In 1982, four experimental sections of rigid pavement were constructed on Highway 3, southeast of Windsor, to assess the comparative performance and overall serviceability of various innovative concepts in pavement. The demonstration project was evaluated and reported on in 1985 and 1988 after 3 and 5 years of service, and most recently in 1992 after 10 years of service. The concrete pavement consisted of four jointed plain undowelled concrete pavement (JPCP) sections varying in design and length: (i) 4.8 kilometres of 305 mm thick design with 76 mm hot mix shoulders; (ii) 5.2 kilometres with a 203 mm slab thickness with 76 mm hot mix partially-paved shoulders over 102 mm open graded drainage layer (bituminous treated permeable base); (iii) 0.8 kilometres of a 203 mm slab thickness with 203 mm tied-in plain concrete shoulders over 127 mm lean concrete base (LCB); (iv) 4.8 kilometres of 178 mm design with 178 mm tied-in plain concrete shoulders over 127 mm LCB. The performance of the pavement sections is described in terms of load transfer and pavement edge deflections based on FWD testing, pavement condition ratings, roughness, skid resistance, joint movement and a crack survey. Observations of noise levels, joint volumes, and surface texture are discussed. A brief summary of the design and construction details, plus the performance results indicate the superior performance of the free-draining base materials and full-depth concrete sections. (A)
Abstract