Investigation of Curling and Warping on US 34 near Greeley, Colorado

Abstract

Construction of a jointed concrete pavement on US 34 near Greeley, Colorado in 2012 led to an investigation of slab curling and warping that appeared to be contributing to undesirable levels of pavement roughness. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) initiated an investigation to quantify the effects of slab curling and warping on ride quality for the US 34 project and to identify possible changes in construction practices to mitigate the effects of slab curling on future projects. This paper summarizes the various analyses that were conducted under this research project and the results from this investigation. It also provides recommendations for improvements in construction practices to help minimize jointed concrete pavement slab curling and warping and recommendations for the collection of smoothness acceptance data such that the effects of curling and warping can be captured.