Review and Evaluation of Concrete Pavement Design Method in Alabama

Details

• Creators:
  Wu, Shenghua ; Kang, Min-wook ; Cleary, John ; Gautam, Ashish ; Chaudary, Prajwal
• Corporate Creators:
  University of South Alabama. Department of Civil, Coastal, and Environmental Engineering
• Corporate Contributors:
  Alabama. Department of Transportation
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Concrete Pavements Design Methods Durability Evaluation Feasibility Analysis Literature Reviews Road Shoulders Slabs Surveys Traffic
• Publication/ Report Number:
  931-107R
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Alabama
• Corporate Publisher:
  Alabama. Department of Transportation
• Abstract:
  Concrete pavements constitute only about 2% of Alabama’s highway system, yet they provide durable and low-maintenance performance capable of handling heavy traffic and environmental challenges. The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) currently utilizes the AASHTO 1993 design guide, which, while reliable, often produces conservative and overly thick slab designs. As cost efficiency and performance optimization become increasingly important in infrastructure design, questions have arisen regarding the necessity of tied concrete shoulders, particularly for lane-widening projects where their structural benefits may be marginal. This research was undertaken to evaluate opportunities for enhancing Alabama’s concrete pavement design practices to achieve a better balance between structural reliability, durability, and economy. The primary objectives were to: (1) review ALDOT’s current design parameters, specifically reliability and terminal serviceability indices, and assess their influence on pavement thickness; (2) compare the cost-effectiveness of widened lanes (13–14 ft) with non-tied shoulders against conventional 12-ft lanes with tied shoulders; and (3) assess the feasibility of adopting the AASHTO 1998 Supplement to the Guide for Design of Pavement Structures (Part II: Rigid Pavement Design & Joint Design) and, if appropriate, develop a computational spreadsheet to support ALDOT implementation.
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:113d9d3f24870dae3eb512a735effba7289629b35e37eada8687e2802d014e6c135b8073dbd662c7dbdb1ee1e70fcc963e8b750bd4da65b47eb40331b3bf96fa
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/89120/dot_89120_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.47 MB ]