Maintenance of Concrete Pavement

Concrete pavement has shown great performance in urban area and interstate highway
settings for many years because of its low maintenance requirements and capability for long
service life. However, rapidly increasing heavy traffic accelerates pavement deterioration and
increases the need for more maintenance than in the past. If proper maintenance is not employed
at low levels of deterioration, in a timely manner, acute degradation of pavement serviceability
will occur and major repair costs may be needed.

Basically, there are five problems that need attention to prevent or minimize the entrance
of liquids and incompressible at joints or transverse cracks. These problems and needed
maintenance are as follows:
1. Spalls developing along the joint grooves must be repaired to store the effectiveness
of the performed neoprene compression seals.
2. Broken loose, or lost seals must be replaced to prevent entrance of contaminants into
the joints.
3. Tight expansion seals must be removed and the joint resealed to ensure that spalling
of the joint grooves does not occur.

4. Open transverse cracks must be repaired and sealed to prevent excessive in

compressive forces due to incompressible materials filling the open cracks.

5. Longitudinal joints must be sealed to prevent surface moisture from reaching the tie
bars which accelerates their corrosion and causes premature fractures.

Since neoprene seals depend on the compressive force between the seal and the joint face
to be effective, it was evident that spall repair using bituminous material could not be used to
restore and maintain the required seal pressure on the joint groove walls.

Here are some of the method on maintaining Concrete Pavement, here are some:

Joint and crack resealing

Minimizes the infiltration of surface water and incompressible material into the
joint system. Minimizing water infiltration reduces subgrade softening; and slows
pumping and erosion of subgrade or sub base fines. Minimizing incompressible
reduces the potential for spalling and blow-ups.

Retrofitting of dowel
Is a method of reinforcing cracks in highway pavement by inserting
steel dowel bars in slots cut across the cracks. It is a technique several states have
successfully used to address faulting in older jointed plain concrete pavements.
The typical approach is to saw cut and jackhammer out the slots for the dowels.
Following dowel placement the slots are then typically backfilled with a nonshrink concrete mixture (grout) and the pavement is diamond-ground to restore
smoothness.

Sub sealing or Undersealing

Is a method to stabilize the pavement slab by the pressurized injection of a

cement grout through holes drilled in the slab. The cement grout will, without
raising the slab, fill the voids under it, displace water from the voids, and reduce
the damaging pumping action caused by excessive pavement deflections. To
ensure that the slab is not raised, straightedges with gauges attached should be
placed over the slab to measure any upward movement of the slab. At the first
indication of movement, the grout injecting procedure should be stopped.

Mud Jacking

Is a maintenance method adopted to restore the sub-grade support under pumping

pavement and to level uneven slabs. A liquid filter is injected under the slab
through drilled holes. The mud or slurry fill all the voids which if continuously
injected applies hydraulic pressure forcing the slab upward. Slurry for mud
jacking consist of a mixture of fine grained aggregate, Portland cement and water

or an addition of a small amount of asphalt. A mixture of one cement and three to

four parts of ground lime stone could be used as slurry for mud jacking.

Highway and Its Environment

Early road were patterned after the railroad of the same period. The principle behind the
construction of early road is to construct the cheapest roadway that would serve traffic under all
conditions of weather without regards to its environment.
Roadside development was not included in the program. Shoulders and right of way are
narrow or non-existent at all. Side slopes were too steep, drainage and ditches, channels and
structures were designed to protect the roadbed without regard to erosion outside the roadway
limit.
These crude practices in road building has brought unsightly conditions and high
maintenance cost until such time that design standards have been gradually modified and
improved.
The later development and improvement of the roadway has incorporated the following
aspects:

Pleasing view and surroundings were developed sacrificing a little cost or distances to
enhance driving pleasure.
Long sweeping horizontal curves are acceptable than a short curve connected by long
tangents.
Choppy or broken backed grade line are flattened and smoothened.
In rough areas, the depth of cuts and fill heights are smaller to reduce scar and slope
erosion to a minimum level.
Retaining walls are sometimes helpful and improve the attractiveness of the roadway.
Modern highways now provides wide roadbeds, shallow wide gutter and ditches, flat
back slope and cuts and also flat side on fill
Top of cut banks and toes of fills are rounded to blend into the original ground.

These features of the roadway gives a safer roadbed and a pleasing approach erosion occurs
more slowly or are prevented on flatter slopes. The results is less expenditures for cleaning
gutters and ditches. Mowing could be done using a power equipment which substantially reduces
maintenance cost.

Wider right of way has become a necessity in road side development for the following reasons:

It allows blending if the road into the natural landscape.

It provide space to plant screening in front of unsightly and objectionable areas and other
undesirable objects.
It isolate the highway visually from its surroundings and free the roadside of hazards.

Roadside is the entire right of way except the traveled way. In planning roadside
development, planners must be conscious of the cost maintenance including the cost of mowing,
trimming and cleaning. Roadside development is sometimes referred to as roadside
beautification made after the road construction is completed. Roadside development without
question provides a more pleasing environment for travelers, less maintenance cost and safer
highways. The roadside development is under the care of the highway agency, although there are
adjacent property home owners who sometimes contribute to the beautification of their
surroundings including the roadside itself for an aesthetic consideration which they themselves
enjoy.

HIGHWAY BEAUTIFICATION

Is landscaping and control of the usage of the land by highways.

In the United States, highway beautification is subject the Highway Beautification

Act, Section 131 of Title 23, United States Code (1965), commonly referred to as
"Title I of the Highway Beautification Act of 1965, as Amended". The act placed
restriction on billboard advertising along highways and removal or screening
of junkyards. Where here in Philippines, lawmakers dont even tackle about this law.

Highway beautification is a broad term which includes activities such as:

o Landscaping and roadside development within the right of way
o Improvement of strips and land adjacent to the highway for the restoration,
preservation and enhancement of natural beauty.
o Acquisition and development of publicly owned and controlled rest area,
recreation areas and sanitary areas including other facilities.
o Factors that contribute to beautification
o Good Location
o Good Design
o Construction
o Maintenance

Outdoor Advertising

The control and removal of outdoor advertising had long been controversial in the
beautification of highways. A court ruling on these aspects states that:

The concept of public welfare, for the purpose of which the legislative may exercise
police power, is broad and exclusive, and the value it represents is spiritual and aesthetic as well
as physical and monetary

In the interest of the public, the government must be assisted to control the use of and to
improve the areas adjacent to the highways by controlling the erection maintenance of outdoor
advertising signs, display or other devices within a reasonable distance from the edge of the right
of way and visible from the main traveled way.

THE ENVIRONMENT LAWS

The government have passed enough laws to protect our environment, and the passage of
our environment of our environmental laws has the following intent:

1. The government recognizes the impact of mans activities in relation to all components of the
natural environment more particularly.

The influence of population growth

The high density urbanization
Industrial expansion
Resource exploration
The expanding technological advances
Restoration and maintenance of environmental quality to the welfare and development of
man.

2. The present generation must fulfill the responsibility as trustees of the environment for the
succeeding generations.
3. To assure all Filipino people a safe, healthful, productive and aesthetically and culturally
pleasing surroundings.
4. To provide the widest beneficial use of the environment without degradation and risk to health
or other undesirable consequences.

5. To preserve some important historic, cultural and natural aspect of our natural heritage and
whenever possible an environment uphold diversity and variety of individual choice.
6. To maintain a balanced distribution of population and use of resources that will give high
standard of living and wide sharing of lifes amenities.
7. To impart that all person has the responsibility to contribute to the preservation and
enhancement of the environment.

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF HIGHWAYS

(Both positive and negative) include the local effects of highways (public roads) such as
on noise, water pollution, habitat destruction/disturbance and local air quality; and the wider
effects which may include climate change from vehicle emissions. The design, construction and
management of roads, parking and other related facilities as well as the design and regulation of
vehicles can change the impacts to varying degrees.

There are 4 main focus of community complaint on environmental effects of

transportation, and this are:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Air and noise pollution

Traffic induced vibrations
Accidents
Annoyances such as water pollution, dust, dirt, and litter.

Air Pollutions
Roads can have both negative and positive effects on air quality.

Negative impacts
Air pollution from fossil (and some biofuel) powered vehicles can occur
wherever vehicles are used and are of particular concern in congested city
street conditions and other low speed circumstances. Emissions
include particulate emissions from diesel engines, volatile organic
compounds, Carbon monoxide and various other hazardous air pollutants
including benzene. Concentrations of air pollutants and

adverse respiratory health effects are greater near the road than at some
distance away from the road. Road dust kicked up by vehicles may
trigger allergic reactions. Carbon dioxide is non-toxic to humans but is a
major greenhouse gas and motor vehicle emissions are an important
contributor to the growth of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere and
therefore to global warming.

Positive impacts
The construction of new roads which divert traffic from built-up areas can
deliver improved air quality to the areas relieved of a significant amount
of traffic. The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Study carried
out for the development of the Tirana Outer Ring Road estimated that it
would result in improved air quality in Tirana city center.

Noise pollution
Is defined as unwanted sound. Noise is measured in decibels with a common unit dBa.
This single unit combines the sound intensities from all frequencies above 100 per second and
strongly react in the human ear.

Negative impacts
Road noise can be a nuisance if it impinges on population centres,
especially for roads at higher operating speeds, near intersections and on
uphill sections. Noise health effects can be expected in such locations
from road systems used by large numbers of motor vehicles. Noise
mitigation strategies exist to reduce sound levels at nearby sensitive
receptors. The idea that road design could be influenced by acoustical
engineering considerations first arose about 1973. Speed bumps, which are
usually deployed in built-up areas, can increase noise pollution. Especially
if large vehicles use the road and particularly at night.

Positive impacts
New roads can divert traffic away from population centers thus relieving
the noise pollution.

Water pollution
Urban runoff from roads and other impervious surfaces is a major source of water
pollution. Rainwater and snowmelt running off of roads tends to pick up gasoline, motor
oil, heavy metals, trash and other pollutants. Road runoff is a major source of
nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium, lead and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are
created as combustion byproducts of gasoline and other fossil fuels

Habitat fragmentation
Roads can act as barriers or filters to animal movement and lead to habitat fragmentation.
Many species will not cross the open space created by a road due to the threat of predation and
roads also cause increased animal mortality from traffic. This barrier effect can prevent species
from migrating and recolonizing areas where the species has gone locally extinct as well as
restricting access to seasonally available or widely scattered resources.
Habitat fragmentation may also divide large continuous populations into smaller more
isolated populations. These smaller populations are more vulnerable to genetic drift, inbreeding
depression and an increased risk of population decline and extinction.
Another negative effect is the amount of space roads take up. When cutting through
forests, they prevent the growth of many trees as trees cannot grow through paved roads. On
unpaved roads, vehicle tires and foot traffic compact soil and prevent plant growth. As trees take
up CO2 and as they also house animals, this increases the environmental damage inflicted.