In 1983, North Bay, Ontario completed construction of over 14,000 square meters (150,000 sq. ft.) of interlocking concrete pavement on a one-kilometre section of downtown Main Street. The project, affectionately known as The Big Dig, was completed in seven months of construction at a cost of $3,300,000 (1983$). Based upon a twenty-year design life and an expected traffic volume of 8000 vehicles per day with 5% delivery trucks and buses, the pavement has now reached the intended design life. In addition to these traffic volumes, the pavement is subjected to very severe weather conditions, ranging from - 40 C in the winter to 35 C in the summer. After 20 years, the pavement continues to perform exceptionally well and there are very minimal signs of distress. Maintenance of the pavement has been virtually non-existent. This paper will discuss the original pavement design, pavement evaluation and condition surveys performed in 1991 and 1999, maintenance, and a life cycle cost analysis performed in 2000. The paper will also key on the important lessons learned.
Samenvatting