A Removable Urban Pavement (RUP) is a pavement that can be open and closed rapidly, with light facility, for an easy access to underground networks. It has the same difference with a conventional road as a window comparedto a solid wall. No such a pavement seems to have ever been constructed, although the premises of the concept can be found in some military paths or industrial sites. A survey towards French city authorities shown the potential interest of the RUP concept in decreasing the public annoyance caused by pavement and network maintenance works. Two cities, St Aubin-les-Elbeuf (near Rouen, Seine-Maritime) and Nantes (Loire- Atlantique) accepted to host an experience of RUP, by providing a series of specifications applying to streets to be built in new residential areas. Then, original pavement designs were proposed, based upon precast, hexagonal concrete slabs over a hydraulic base course that could be easily excavated. Such a structurewas successfully evaluated by mean of accelerated load testing using the LCPC facility. Two experimental sites will be then carried out in the coming months, the aim of which is to demonstrate the feasibility and interestof this innovative technology. For the covering abstract see ITRD E139491.
Abstract