Pavement System Suiting Local Conditions

Since the early 1990s, the Ministry of Transportation of Quebec (MTQ) has placed renewed emphasis on constructing long-lasting concrete pavements suiting local traffic and climatic conditions. In 2000, these efforts led to the installation of Canada's first roadway with continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP). However, 5 years later, concerns were raised about the long-term performance of CRCP, as portions of this initial installation were found to have insufficient cover over the bars, and core samples showed that the longitudinal reinforcement was corroding at transverse cracks. These observations led the MTQ to select galvanized steel as the standard reinforcement for subsequent CRCP projects and to continue investigating other systems with enhanced corrosion resistance. As part of these investigations, the MTQ and the University of Sherbrooke began studying the use of glass fiber-reinforced polymer bars for CRCP in September 2006. A stretch of test pavement has since been constructed on eastbound HW-40 in Montreal. This article summarizes the design concepts, construction details, material properties, early-age behavior, and preliminary monitoring results for this test pavement after 18 months in service.