What will the European road system look like in 2040 ? Which are the innovations to be put in practice in order to respond to the challenges of the future, such are the two fundamental questions to which NR2C aims to answer. NR2C (New Road Construction Concept) is a project supported by the European Commission under the Sixth Research Framework Program. Started on 1 December 2003, this four-year project will run through December 2007. It has two main objectives: define, a long-term vision for the road infrastructure of the future (2040) and develop specific innovations, to be put in practice in a shorter term (approximately 10 years) to support this vision, in three fields: urban infrastructure, interurban infrastructure and structures. The NR2C Vision 2040 is based on four key concepts: reliable, safe and smart, green, and human. With special emphasis on the human dimension, it provides detailed developments in road and construction design. All the specific innovations developed in NR2C have in common to answer to the general objective of NR2C, however each of them is characterized by the prevalence of one or two of the previous concepts. In the urban area, human and green (reduction of harmful effects of urban road traffic) are clearly prevalent. The first research is focused on multimodal platform which combines various mode of transport. The aim is to develop design tools that can be used as a support of dialogue between the designers, the owners and the inhabitants engaged in a true process of co-creation. The second research orientation is the reduction of road traffic nuisance, with a study on effective TiO2 efficiency as air purifier on site, and more widely the complete design of an environment friendly eco-infrastructure to reduce noise nuisance, vibration, water and also air pollution. In interurban area, first studies orientation aims at reducing consumption of rare resources and at supporting the material re-use of recycling or the use of waste. as an example one of these topics is devoted to the design of high performance layer with raw material. Another topic has more as principal objective to improve the service to the user, by the optimization of the maintenance process of the roadways, through a better control of the influence of the climatic parameters. Finally a last topic aims at improving safety of the users, by a better visibility of the road landscape and of its equipment, night or per time of fog, by calling upon the infra-red characteristics of the infrastructure materials. For the structures, expectations and needs most strongly expressed in this field, in addition to the aesthetic aspects, concern, essentially, durability, efficiency, economy, simplicity of implementation. Thus NR2C has investigated the feasibility of designing innovative structures combining ultra high performance fiber reinforced concrete and fiber reinforced polymers, with an optimal use of complementary materials, the idea being to develop elements of slab intended to be used alone to cross small span, or either themselves carried by structural elements for greater spans. For further information : www.fehrl.org/nr2c (A). For the covering abstract of the conference see ITRD E212343.
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