The development of concrete road pavements in Spain is described. Traffic and climate impose severe constraints in Spain, so design and construction procedures developed in other countries usually must be adapted to make them suitable for spanish conditions. Although the first concrete pavements in the nation date from 1915, mechanised construction was not applied until the 1960s. In 1971, slip form pavers were introduced, along with the Californian approach. This technique has undergone considerable modification since the 1970s. Recent work indicates that to avoid faulting at the joints (caused by heavy traffic, which is common in Spain), the joints must be fitted with dowels, and this practice has been made compulsory in the most recent standards. Several contractors now have paving machines that can insert dowels into fresh concrete without halting. The characteristics of the longitudinal surface textures used in Spain are described because Spanish roads represent the only large-scale application of such textures in Europe. Finally, some observations are made on the use of roller-compacted concrete pavements, which are primarily used on secondary roads but have recently been used on some main roads.
Abstract