USE OF PCC PAVEMENT TO REDUCE MAINTENANCE COSTS AND ADDRESS URBAN INTERSECTION RUTTING

Over the past several years, road Owners (Alberta Transportation and the City of Lloydminster) in the Alberta cities of Medicine Hat, Grande Prairie, and Lloydminster have had to address extreme severity rutting of flexible pavements at high-volume highway intersections in urban environments by repeatedly performing costly maintenance activities. The most common maintenance activities have typically included mill and inlay with ACP, skin patching, and maintenance overlays. A solution was needed to minimize the ongoing maintenance costs while providing a suitable driving surface that would have an acceptable service life. The construction of Portland Cement Concrete Pavement (PCCP) at the most affected intersections was considered to be a cost-effective and viable solution. The long service life (often >30 years) and reduced maintenance efforts required for PCCP have made its use an attractive alternative to traditional asphalt pavement treatments at high-volume highway intersections in urban environments. This paper will discuss the rutting problems facing the road owners in each of the cities including the historic maintenance activities and costs. A summary of the design and construction process for PCCP installation at 5 different urban intersections within those cities over the last 3 years will be presented. Finally, a summary of the expected maintenance costs for PCCP over its service life as compared to conventional asphalt pavement treatments will be presented. The paper will conclude with a summary of the information presented and conclusions reached regarding the use of PCCP at urban intersections.