Concrete pavements have been a mainstay of America’s infrastructure for more than 50 years. The country’s first concrete street, built in Bellefontaine, Ohio, in 1891, is still in service today. Moreover, these long-lasting pavements are not confined to one region of North America, nor to a specific type of environment or climate. Concrete can handle the freezing winters of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to the scorching heat of the Southwest. A variety of cement-based products can be used in pavement applications to meet every pavement need or challenge. By simply varying the proportions of the three basic ingredients (portland cement, soils/aggregates, and water), along with how they are mixed and placed, contractors can develop pavement materials that are plastic and malleable when newly mixed, yet strong and durable when hardened. While ready mixed concrete (RMC) forms the basis of conventional portland cement concrete pavements, there are other cement-based products that defy the label of “concrete,” yet share many of its qualities. Regardless of the type of roadway or current pavement conditions, there is a concrete solution. It can be used for new pavements, reconstruction, resurfacing, restoration or rehabilitation. Concrete pavements generally provide the longest life, least maintenance, and lowest life-cycle cost of all alternatives.

Benefits

• Long life – Concrete pavements have an average service life of 30 to 50 years.
• Low maintenance requirements and costs – No need for repeated resurfacing, frequent spot repairs or patching.
• Smoother traffic flow – The construction of concrete pavements does not require lengthy lane closures.
• Quick reopening – Roads can be reopened in as short as six hours.
• Low life-cycle cost – Consumes minimal materials, energy, and other resources for construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation activities throughout its service life.
• Safety – Less susceptible to the formation of heavy-vehicle wheel ruts; easier to see at night; ensures shorter vehicle stopping distances in wet weather; due to longevity, there are fewer work zones over the life of the pavement.

Concrete overlays offer cost-effective, versatile, short- and long-term solutions for the full range of concrete, asphalt, and composite pavement needs. In addition, they contribute to more sustainable construction practices by preserving pavement service for several decades beyond the original design life.

The National CP Tech Center has developed a comprehensive guide to concrete overlays and a field application program to help state DOTs successfully construct concrete overlays. A guide for existing concrete overlay design methodology is under development.

Guide to Concrete Overlays – 3rd Edition

Benefits

• Consistently provide cost-effective solutions
• Can be constructed quickly and conveniently
• Easy to maintain
• An effective means to enhance pavement sustainability
• Serve as complete preventive maintenance, preservation, or rehabilitation solutions

Overlay Project Explorer

With the National Concrete Overlay Explorer, you can view more than 1,100 overlay projects across North America. You can search and view by map, tabular format or based on project details; sort by state, application, thickness and/or other details; view project notes, including new construction details and current conditions; see photos of construction and finished projects.

Roller-compacted concrete (RCC), a durable paving material that carries heavy loads, is now developing as a fast, economical construction method for dams, off-highway pavement projects, heavy-duty parking and storage areas, and as a base for conventional pavement. RCC is a stiff, zero-slump concrete mixture with the consistency of damp gravel comprised of local aggregates or crushed recycled concrete, Portland cement, and water. The mixture is placed and roller compacted with the same commonly available equipment used for asphalt pavement construction.

Typically, RCC is constructed without joints. It needs neither forms nor finishing, nor does it contain dowels or steel reinforcing.

Because of its low water-cement ratio, RCC typically has high strengths similar to, or even greater than, conventional concrete. RCC’s high-strength properties combined with ease of construction and high rate of production often make RCC more economical than a flexible pavement. Additionally, more than 20 years of exposure as logging roads in cold climates have demonstrated that RCC has adequate resistance to freezing and thawing.

These characteristics make roller-compacted concrete simple, fast, and economical.

View or download a RCC fact sheet.

View or download ACPA’s RCC Guide Specification

Benefits of RCC

• Economical (both initial and life-cycle costs)
• High load carrying ability
• Eliminates rutting
• Excellent overall durability
• Simple, fast construction
• No forms or finishing

With the National Roller-Compacted Concrete Explorer, you can view hundreds of RCC projects across North America. You can search and view by map, tabular format or based on project details; sort by state, application, thickness and/or other details; view project notes, including new construction details and current conditions; see photos of construction and finished projects.