Welcome to part three of our series, “Back to the Future: Concrete’s Role in Preserving the Interstate System.”
This series will take you on a journey through the rich history of roadway construction, sharing fun facts along with insights into what the future holds for highway construction. We hope each installment brings you a bit of industry-insider knowledge you didn’t know before.
Concrete’s Golden Era
In the third installment of our series, we delve into the early 20th century, a period marked by rapid advancements in concrete pavement.
The goal for roadway construction at the turn of the century was to keep people and goods moving to market and prevent vehicles from getting stuck in the mud on country roads. However, the growing popularity of the automobile in the U.S. led to a necessary shift, ushering in the golden era of concrete.
In 1913, the longest concrete highway in the United States was built near Pine Bluff, Arkansas, just five years after the Model T Ford's introduction. As the first concrete-paved road in Arkansas, Dollarway Road was originally built with a bituminous coating and included four reinforced concrete bridges and replaced the existing gravel and macadam paving which proved to be no match for the destructive force of mechanized travel. Although the road has been rebuilt and partially relocated over the years, some sections of the original roadway are still in use today.
Fun fact:
Dollarway Road, named after its estimated construction cost of $1 per linear foot, was 23 miles long and ran from Pine Bluff to the Jefferson County line north of Redfield. Its construction marked the first use of reinforced concrete for bridge construction in Arkansas.
Another shift occurred in the 1920s when Italy pioneered motorways exclusively for fast traffic. With vehicles traveling ever faster and in greater numbers, safety and durability became priorities. The Autostrada dei Laghi, the first of its kind in the world, connected Milan to Lake Como and Lake Maggiore. At the time, media reported that the “cement paving was so smooth it resembled parquet flooring.”
Roughly two decades later, the grooving and grinding industry began to experiment using a single diamond blade on a concrete saw to groove pavement. Also, during this period, British engineers employed pavement grooving on several airport runways to improve aircraft performance during landing and takeoff. By implementing grooving techniques, engineers were able to increase traction and improve directional stability, helping reduce skidding and stopping distance. In addition, grooving proved to be quite durable, lasting the life of the pavement without the need for further treatment.
Highways have come a long way over the last 100 years. Join us next time as we explore concrete's role in shaping modern infrastructure!
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