Feasibility of Using Precast Concrete Panels to Expedite Construction of Portland Cement Concrete Pavements

As the number of vehicles on America’s roadways continues to grow at an unprecedented rate, pavements continue to deteriorate faster and require replacement. In urban and densely populated areas, however, pavement construction can cause traffic delays, thereby increasing user costs. A method for expediting pavement construction to reduce traffic delays and user costs is therefore needed. A feasible method for expediting construction of portland cement concrete pavements through the use of precast concrete panels is described. The main advantage of precast concrete panels is that they can be set in place and assembled quickly, allowing traffic back onto the pavement almost immediately. This allows pavement construction to be carried out in overnight or weekend operations, when traffic volumes are low, resulting in tremendous savings in user costs. The concept presented for precast concrete pavement should have the same, if not better, durability as conventional cast-in-place concrete pavements currently being constructed. Also, by incorporating prestressing, it is demonstrated that equivalent load repetitions and design life can be achieved with a significant reduction in pavement thickness over conventional pavements. Although the initial construction costs may be higher for precast pavements, the savings in user costs far outweigh any additional construction costs.