STE. ANNE TEST ROAD REVISITED TWENTY YEARS LATER ---PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRTY-SECOND ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE CANADIAN TECHNICAL ASPHALT ASSOCIATION

The ste. Anne test road was built 20 years ago to evaluate the factors responsible for transverse cracking of asphalt pavements. This paper provides a historical review and highlights the main findings. While asphalt stiffness was the most significant variable affecting initiation of cracking, factors such as pavement thickness, subgrade type and traffic loading all affected the frequency of cracking as well. The amounts of binder and filler had no measurable effect on transverse cracking. Some pavements cracked in the first winter after construction while others resisted cracking for over eight years. Today, twelve years after the test road was overlaid, all test sections exhibit transverse cracking. It is concluded that transverse cracking can be delayed and its frequency reduced, but it cannot be prevented under the low temperatures found in the prairie provinces.