Learning Objectives:

 To differentiate between types of highway pavements, their construction and advantages

 Demonstrate the construction and inspection requirements of roads.

Structural Design of Pavements

 Pavement in highway design means the total thickness of the road including surface base and
the sub-base.

For the purpose of design, the pavements are divided into two categories, with respect to their
structural behaviour

Highway Pavements

Flexible Pavement Rigid Pavement

Flexible Pavement – is an asphalt pavement built with weaker and less stiff material it it does not
spread loads as well as concrete

Rigid Pavement – are made up of Portland cement concrete outlast asphalt (10-15 yrs.) before
needing rehabilitation
- It distribute the load over a relatively wide area

Choosing between Asphalt and Concrete Pavement

Reasons Asphalt Pavement is selected:

a) Have lower initial construction cost, allowing agencies to pave more with less funding
b) Traffic noise is lesser
c) Due to its flexibility it performs well in areas of expansive soils
d) Have a very smooth ride when it is newly constructed
e) Maintenance can be performed quickly, reducing service interruptions

Reasons Concrete Pavement is selected:

a) Initially concrete pavements are more expensive; however has a longer life-cycle
b) Less risk of water accumulation on the pavement, which reduces the chance of vehicles
hydroplaning
c) Concrete can be colored and/or stamped into a pattern that can be aesthetically appealing.
d) When maintenance is required it can be smaller in scope when having to replace select
concrete areas
e) During construction, concrete is less dependent upon the subgrade soils