Quebec Contractor Experience with Unbonded Concrete Overlays

Abstract

With Quebec’s aging road network and increasing truck traffic, rehabilitation of the province’s main highways is an important issue for Quebec’s transportation ministry (MTQ). The use of a concrete overlay is an economical and environmentally sustainable solution, for both old concrete and old asphalt roads. This paper describes two concrete overlay projects for the rehabilitation of two sections of Highway 40 in the Greater Montreal Area: one over concrete pavement and one over asphalt pavement. The very first concrete overlay done for MTQ was applied on a 5 km stretch of 40-year-old concrete pavement in Vaudreuil. The project included the design, construction, and maintenance of the pavement for 10 years. The second unbonded overlay—and the first “whitetopping” in Quebec--was conducted in 2010. A 7 km portion of Highway A40 in L’Assomption with recurrent rutting problem was resurfaced with a concrete pavement.