Welcome to part six of our series, “Back to the Future: Concrete’s Role in Preserving the Interstate System.”
This series has taken you on a journey through the rich history of roadway construction, sharing fun facts and insights into what the future holds for highway construction. We hope each installment has brought you a bit of industry-insider knowledge you didn’t know before!
Building for the Future
In our final installment, we share the advancements in concrete pavement in the 21st century and look ahead to the future.
The first decade of the 2000s witnessed the introduction of the Next Generation Concrete Surface (NGCS). IGGA, in collaboration with the American Concrete Pavement Association, Portland Cement Association, Purdue University and the Minnesota DOT, developed NGCS to address tire and pavement noise, resulting in one of the quietest concrete surfaces ever made. Designed to provide a consistent profile without positive or upward texture, NGCS prescribes a hybrid texture on concrete surfaces that resembles a combination of diamond grinding and longitudinal grooving. These textures, used for both new construction and the rehabilitation of existing surfaces, combine a very smooth profile with a quiet ride, and provide excellent macro texture for increased safety.
In the 2000s, Concrete Pavement Preservation (CPP) and diamond grinding have become essential for maintaining and extending the life of existing infrastructure—proving to be sustainable solutions that aid in the reduction of carbon emissions and enhance fuel efficiency. CPP targets and repairs areas of distress within otherwise structurally sound concrete pavement, offering a repair solution that can last many years, often decades. Diamond grinding improves smoothness, regardless of pavement material type, thus improving the fuel efficiency of vehicles that traverse the section. By incorporating these techniques, we can achieve long-term environmental benefits and cost savings, contributing to a more sustainable infrastructure.
By 2014, a process called Buried Treasure was gaining momentum. This preservation concept is a procedure used to recover an otherwise structurally sound concrete pavement that was overlaid due to functional deficiencies such as excessive noise or poor ride. To implement the Buried Treasure concept, crews remove the aging asphalt overlay placed atop the concrete roadway, then install a low-noise surface finish on the newly exposed concrete.
Fun fact:
The game-changing carbon savings calculator, unveiled in 2023 by the IGGA and MIT’s CSHub, assesses fuel efficiency related to pavement roughness and calculates the fuel and associated CO2 savings which can be achieved with concrete diamond grinding. By helping quantify the reductions in fuel consumption and carbon emissions by improving pavement smoothness, the calculator ultimately supports more sustainable infrastructure projects.
In 2022, the IGGA celebrated its 50th anniversary, continuing its leadership in optimizing pavement surfaces and innovative preservation treatments. As we look to the future, the ingenuity, drive and passion of the industry’s people remain the foundation of concrete’s role in preserving our transportation systems.
Thank you for joining us on this journey through the history of concrete pavement. Stay tuned for more updates and innovations from the IGGA and the industry!
Comentarios