Precast Concrete Pavement for Intermittent Concrete Pavement Repair Applications

Precast pavement systems are fabricated or assembled off-site, transported to the project site, and installed on a prepared foundation (existing pavement or re-graded foundation). The system components require minimal field curing time to achieve strength before opening to traffic. These systems are primarily used for rapid repair, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of asphalt and portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements in high-volume-traffic roadways. Recognizing the need for effective, rapid rehabilitation methods, the Federal Highway Administration, through its Concrete Pavement Technology Program, and several United States and Canadian highway agencies have initiated programs to investigate the feasibility of using precast concrete for pavement repair and rehabilitation. Parallel to agencies’ efforts, several organizations in the U.S. also initiated independent development activities to refine precast concrete pavement technologies. These technologies have certain proprietary features and require licensing for product use. The Strategic Highway Research Program 2, as part of its rapid highway renewal focus area, has sponsored a study (begun in early 2008) to advance modular/precast pavement technologies to enable cost-effective rapid repair and rehabilitation of pavements in high-volume traffic areas. This paper provides a summary of current initiatives related to precast pavement technology for intermittent repair of concrete pavements and provides a framework for advancing the technology in future years.