RECONSTRUCTION OF URBAN INTERSECTIONS USING PORTLAND CEMENT CONCRETE PAVEMENT

Abstract

As of 1994, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) began replacing selected asphalt concrete (AC) intersections with full depth Portland cement concrete pavement (PCCP). This decision was made due to the high visibility of urban intersections and the high rate of rutting that was occurring in a short period of time (eight years or less). Though costs to remove and replace just the rutted asphalt layer will always have a lower initial cost than remove and replacement with full depth PCCP, the life cycle cost and the disruption to the traveling public indicates that reconstruction with PCCP is an appropriate and viable option. With continued experience within WSDOT and the contracting community in PCCP intersection construction, and the use of partial and full road closures, lengthy construction periods are no longer warranted or necessary.