L o n g - Te rm Plan for Concrete Pavement

Research and Technology—The Concrete

Pavement Road Map:

Volume I, Background and Summary

FHWA PUBLICATION NUMBER: FHWA-HRT-05-052 SEPTEMBER 2005

Research, Development, and Technology

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center

6300 Georgetown Pike

McLean, VA 22101-2296
FOREWORD 

The concrete paving industry has experienced many changes in the last 15 years. To achieve 

concrete pavement’s full potential in the 21st century, the industry has identified trends that call 

for dramatic, even revolutionary, improvements. With an aim toward a holistic approach, the 

improvements can best be served by a carefully developed and aggressively implemented 

strategic plan for research and technology transfer. The Long-Term Plan for Concrete Pavement 

Research and Technology (CP Road Map) is that plan. 

This is volume 1 of two volumes. It provides the background and summary information on the 

effort that led to the CP Road Map. Sufficient copies of this report are being distributed to 

provide eight copies to each FHWA Resource Center, five copies to each FHWA Division, and a 

minimum of eight copies to each State highway agency. Direct distribution is being made to the 

division offices for their forwarding to the State highway agencies. Additional copies for the 

public are available from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), 5285 Port Royal 

Road, Springfield, VA 22161. 

Steven B. Chase, Ph.D. 

Acting Director, Office of Infrastructure 

Research and Development 

Notice 

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation 

in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of 

the information contained in this document. This report does not constitute a standard, 

specification, or regulation. 

The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or 

manufacturers’ names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the 

objective of the document. 

Quality Assurance Statement 

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve 

Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards 

and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its 

information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to 

ensure continuous quality improvement. 
Technical Report Documentation Page 

1. Report No 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. 

FHWA-HRT-05-052 N/A N/A 

4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date 

 September 2005 

 

6. Performing Organization Code 

Long-Term Plan for Concrete Pavement Research and Technology—The 

Concrete Pavement Road Map: Volume I, Background and Summary 

N/A 

7. Authors(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. 

Theodore R. Ferragut, TDC Partners, Ltd.; Dale Harrington and Marcia Brink, 

Iowa State University 

 

9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) 

N/A 

11. Contract or Grant No. 

DTFH 61-03-H-00103 

13. Type of Report and Period Covered 

Iowa State University 

Center for Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Technology 

ISU Research Park 

2901 S. Loop Drive, Suite 3000 

Ames, IA 50010 

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 

Office of Infrastructure Research and Development 

Federal Highway Administration 

6300 Georgetown Pike 

McLean, VA 22101 

 

15. Supplementary Notes 

Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative: Peter Kopac, HRDI–11 

16. Abstract 

The Long-Term Plan for Concrete Pavement Research and Technology (CP Road Map) is a holistic, strategic plan 

for concrete pavement research and technology transfer. The CP Road Map is a 7- to 10-year plan that includes 12 

distinct but integrated research tracks leading to specific products and processes. The resulting improvements will 

help the concrete pavement industry meet the challenges of, and achieve the industry’s full potential in, the 21st 

century. The plan was developed in close partnership with stakeholders representing all aspects of the concrete 

pavement community, public and private, and the research will be conducted through partnerships of stakeholders. 

The CP Road Map is presented in two volumes. Volume I describes why the research plan is needed, how it was 

developed, and, generally, what the plan includes. Volume I also describes the research management plan that will 

guide the conduct and implementation of research. Volume II (FWHA HRT-05-053) describes in detail the 12 tracks 

of research. Each track description includes a general overview, a track goal, track action items, a list of subtracks, 

and detailed problem statements within each subtrack.

17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement 

Concrete pavement, concrete mix design, 

pavement construction, pavement design, 

pavement performance, pavement 

smoothness, equipment automation.

No restrictions. This document is available to the 

Public through the National Technical Information Service; 

Springfield, VA 22161 

19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price 

 Unclassified Unclassified 119 

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized (art. 5/94)
SI* (MODERN METRIC) CONVERSION FACTORS 

APPROXIMATE CONVERSIONS TO SI UNITS

Symbol When You Know Multiply By To Find Symbol 

LENGTH 

in inches 25.4 millimeters mm 

ft feet 0.305 meters m 

yd yards 0.914 meters m 

mi miles 1.61 kilometers km 

AREA 

in2 square inches 645.2 square millimeters mm2

ft2 square feet 0.093 square meters m2

yd2 square yard 0.836 square meters m2

ac acres 0.405 hectares ha

mi2 square miles 2.59 square kilometers km2

VOLUME 

fl oz fluid ounces 29.57 milliliters mL 

gal gallons 3.785 liters L 

ft3 cubic feet 0.028 cubic meters m3 

yd3 cubic yards 0.765 cubic meters m3 

NOTE: volumes greater than 1000 L shall be shown in m3

MASS oz ounces 28.35 grams g

lb pounds 0.454 kilograms kg

T short tons (2000 lb) 0.907 megagrams (or "metric ton") Mg (or "t") 

TEMPERATURE (exact degrees) o

F Fahrenheit 5 (F-32)/9 Celsius oC 

or (F-32)/1.8 

ILLUMINATION 

fc foot-candles 10.76 lux lx 

fl foot-Lamberts 3.426 candela/m2 cd/m2

FORCE and PRESSURE or STRESS 

lbf poundforce 4.45 newtons N 

lbf/in2 poundforce per square inch 6.89 kilopascals kPa 

APPROXIMATE CONVERSIONS FROM SI UNITS 

Symbol When You Know Multiply By To Find Symbol 

LENGTH

mm millimeters 0.039 inches in 

m meters 3.28 feet ft 

m meters 1.09 yards yd 

km kilometers 0.621 miles mi 

AREA mm2 square millimeters 0.0016 square inches in2 

m2 square meters 10.764 square feet ft2 

m2 square meters 1.195 square yards yd2 

ha hectares 2.47 acres ac

km2 square kilometers 0.386 square miles mi2 

VOLUME 

mL milliliters 0.034 fluid ounces fl oz 

L liters 0.264 gallons gal 

m3 cubic meters 35.314 cubic feet ft3 

m3 cubic meters 1.307 cubic yards yd3 

MASS 

g grams 0.035 ounces oz

kg kilograms 2.202 pounds lb

Mg (or "t") megagrams (or "metric ton") 1.103 short tons (2000 lb) T 

TEMPERATURE (exact degrees) o

C Celsius 1.8C+32 Fahrenheit oF 

ILLUMINATION 

lx lux 0.0929 foot-candles fc 

cd/m2 candela/m2 0.2919 foot-Lamberts fl

FORCE and PRESSURE or STRESS 

N newtons 0.225 poundforce lbf 

kPa kilopascals 0.145 poundforce per square inch lbf/in2

*SI is the symbol for th Internat e ional System of Units. Appropriate rounding should be made to comply with Section 4 of ASTM E380. 

(Revised March 2003)

ii 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .....................................................................................1

THE CP ROAD MAP..............................................................................................................1

WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT THE CP ROAD MAP?.........................................................1

A VISIONARY CHARGE......................................................................................................1

DRAWING A NEW MAP FOR CONCRETE PAVEMENTS ...........................................2

A “Living” Research Database.........................................................................................3

Stakeholder Input..............................................................................................................3

From Stakeholder Input to Plan ......................................................................................4

Problem Statements...........................................................................................................5

Track Integration ..............................................................................................................5

CP ROAD MAP RESEARCH TRACKS ..............................................................................5

REACHING THE DESTINATION.......................................................................................8

Philosophy for Managing Research.................................................................................8

Governing Structure .........................................................................................................8

THE CP ROAD MAP TRACKS AND SUBTRACKS.........................................................9

1. Performance-Based Concrete Pavement Mix Design System ($30–68 M*).........10

2. Performance-Based Design Guide for New and Rehabilitated Concrete 

Pavements ($41–60 M)..............................................................................................10

3. High-Speed Nondestructive Testing and Intelligent Construction Systems 

($20–41 M) .................................................................................................................10

4. Optimized Surface Characteristics for Safe, Quiet, and Smooth Concrete 

Pavements ($25–54 M)..............................................................................................10

5. Concrete Pavement Equipment Automation and Advancements ($26–56 M)....10

6. Innovative Concrete Pavement Joint Design, Materials, and Construction 

($10–15 M) .................................................................................................................11

7. High-Speed Concrete Pavement Rehabilitation and Construction ($10–20 M)..11

8. Long Life Concrete Pavements ($11–17 M)............................................................11

9. Concrete Pavement Accelerated and Long-Term Data Collection ($10–16 M)..11

10. Concrete Pavement Performance ($3–4 M)............................................................11

11. Concrete Pavement Business Systems and Economics ($21–31 M)......................11

12. Advanced Concrete Pavement Materials ($11–23 M) ...........................................11

ORGANIZATION OF VOLUMES I AND II.....................................................................12

HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE?.....................................................................................13

iii 
CHAPTER 1. WHY A LONG-TERM RESEARCH PLAN FOR 

CONCRETE PAVEMENTS? ............................................................................15

NEW TRENDS, NEW NEEDS.............................................................................................16

Materials and Mixes........................................................................................................16

Motorists’ Expectations ..................................................................................................16

Shift from Traditional Concrete Pavement Construction...........................................17

Capital Squeeze................................................................................................................17

Environmental Pressures................................................................................................18

Congestion and Loads .....................................................................................................18

NEW NEEDS, A NEW GENERATION OF SOLUTIONS...............................................19

CHAPTER 2. CP ROAD MAP DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.........................21

LITERATURE SEARCH/RESEARCH DATABASE .......................................................21

BRAINSTORMING EVENTS .............................................................................................23

Stakeholders.....................................................................................................................23

Brainstorming Strategies ................................................................................................23

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER IN THE CP ROAD MAP.............................................25

CHAPTER 3. WHAT DOES THE STRATEGIC ROAD MAP 

LOOK LIKE?......................................................................................................27

SUMMARY............................................................................................................................27

PROBLEM STATEMENTS.................................................................................................28

RESEARCH PRIORITIES ..................................................................................................28

Type 1 Tracks ..................................................................................................................28

Type 2 Tracks ..................................................................................................................29

ESTIMATED BUDGET .......................................................................................................29

TRACK HIGHLIGHTS........................................................................................................30

Type 1 Tracks ..................................................................................................................30

Type 2 Tracks ..................................................................................................................38

iv 
CHAPTER 4. DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS ...................................................53

PERFORMANCE-BASED PAVEMENT SYSTEMS .......................................................53

WHY IS THIS TOPIC IMPORTANT? ..............................................................................53

OVERALL DESIGN GOAL ................................................................................................53

SPECIFIC DESIGN OBJECTIVES....................................................................................53

RELATING DESIGN OBJECTIVES TO THE HIGHWAY USER................................54

CRITICAL DESIGN ISSUES ..............................................................................................54

Models...............................................................................................................................54

Understanding the Fundamentals of Concrete Pavement Response..........................54

Design Reliability.............................................................................................................55

Feasible Designs for All Occasions.................................................................................55

Efficient Pavement Designs for Low-Volume Local Roads.........................................56

Lack of Integration of Design with Materials, Construction, and Rehabilitation ....56

Design Procedures Deficiency ........................................................................................56

Preservation and Rehabilitation Design........................................................................57

Base and Subbase Foundations and Subdrainage........................................................57

New and Innovative Concrete Pavement Design..........................................................57

Designs for All Types of Underlying Strata ..................................................................57

CHAPTER 5. MATERIALS AND MIXTURES CONSIDERATIONS..........59

WHY IS THIS TOPIC IMPORTANT? ..............................................................................59

OVERALL MATERIALS AND MIXTURES GOAL .......................................................60

SPECIFIC MATERIALS AND MIXTURES OBJECTIVES...........................................60

TOOLS FOR SUCCESS .......................................................................................................60

CRITICAL MATERIALS AND CONCRETE MIXTURES ISSUES .............................61

Specifications ...................................................................................................................61

Mix Designs ......................................................................................................................61

Modeling...........................................................................................................................62

Materials Compatibility..................................................................................................62

Material Changes During Construction........................................................................63

Durability Design Model.................................................................................................63

CHAPTER 6. CONSTRUCTION CONSIDERATIONS..................................65

WHY IS THIS TOPIC IMPORTANT? ..............................................................................65

OVERALL CONSTRUCTION GOAL ...............................................................................65

SPECIFIC CONSTRUCTION OBJECTIVES...................................................................65

CRITICAL CONSTRUCTION ISSUES.............................................................................65

Accelerating Construction/Improving Workplace Safety ...........................................66

Lane Closure and Traffic Management Issues.............................................................66

Intelligent Construction Systems and Quality Control/Acceptance...........................67

Interaction of Variables ..................................................................................................67

Variability ........................................................................................................................67

Nondestructive Testing ...................................................................................................68

Performance Specifications ............................................................................................68

Construction Operations and Equipment.....................................................................68

v 
High-Speed/Low-Clearance Construction ....................................................................69

Ensuring Long-Term Performance ...............................................................................69

Constructing and Controlling Surface Characteristics ...............................................69

Joint Sealing.....................................................................................................................69

Improving Competition...................................................................................................69

CHAPTER 7. PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS SYSTEMS 

CONSIDERATIONS ..........................................................................................71

WHY IS THIS TOPIC IMPORTANT? ..............................................................................71

OVERALL PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS SYSTEMS GOAL........71

PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS SYSTEMS OBJECTIVES ...............71

PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS SYSTEMS CONSIDERATIONS ....72

Real-Time Data from Concrete Pavements ..................................................................72

Feedback Data for Continuous Improvement ..............................................................72

Performance Data on Innovations Through Accelerated Test Roads........................73

Impact of Preservation Activities on Performance and Life.......................................73

Economics and Innovative Contracting ........................................................................73

Public-Private Partnerships ...........................................................................................74

Technology Transfer .......................................................................................................74

CHAPTER 8. RESEARCH MANAGEMENT PLAN ......................................75

ASSUMPTIONS ....................................................................................................................75

OPERATING PRINCIPLES................................................................................................76

CRITICAL ELEMENTS OF THE RESEARCH MANAGEMENT PLAN....................76

RESEARCH MANAGEMENT PLAN: A UNIQUE MODEL WITH ROOTS IN THE 

PAST....................................................................................................................................77

PLAN GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE...............................................................................77

GETTING STARTED...........................................................................................................80

OPERATING DETAILS ......................................................................................................80

Executive Advisory Committee......................................................................................80

Research Track Team Leaders ......................................................................................81

Sustaining Organizations................................................................................................82

Administrative Support Group......................................................................................83

MORE ABOUT THE EXECUTIVE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ..................................83

DATABASE MANAGEMENT: RECHARGING THE BRAIN OF THE CP ROAD 

MAP .....................................................................................................................................84

Database Management, Road Map Update, and Research Track Integration .........84

Software Integration .......................................................................................................85

Implementation, Coordination, and Training on Research Output...........................85

Partnering and Fund Management ...............................................................................86

Concrete Pavement Innovation......................................................................................86

SPECIFIC RESEARCH MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS FOR RESEARCH 

TRACKS .............................................................................................................................86

Type 1 Research Tracks Management Considerations ...............................................87

Type 2 Research Tracks Management Considerations ...............................................93

Cross-Referenced Database Tables ...............................................................................94

vi 
THREE SPECIAL RESEARCH MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES..............................95

Early Financing and Conduct of Research ...................................................................95

Business System Changes ...............................................................................................95

Technology Transfer .......................................................................................................95

GETTING STARTED: NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL.......................................................96

APPENDIX A .........................................................................................................99

APPENDIX B .......................................................................................................101

APPENDIX C .......................................................................................................107

REFERENCES.....................................................................................................111

vii 
LIST OF FIGURES 

Figure 1. CP Road Map development process..............................................................................22 

Figure 2. Advanced labs for advanced mixture designs. ..............................................................30 

Figure 3. Advanced models for performance-based design..........................................................32 

Figure 4. Technologies for monitoring pavement data and making real-time adjustments 

during construction. ....................................................................................................................34 

Figure 5. Optimized pavement surfaces for a safe, quiet, and smooth ride..................................36 

Figure 6. Equipment and technology advancements. ...................................................................38 

Figure 7. Breakthrough techniques for designing and rehabilitating joints..................................40 

Figure 8. Modular construction: one of many potential high-speed rehabilitation techniques. ...42 

Figure 9. Pavements that perform well for 60 years or more. ......................................................44 

Figure 10. Accelerated loading and data collection to improve models and systems. .................46 

Figure 11. Systemwide data collection and analysis to support long-term performance. ............48 

Figure 12. Innovative business systems........................................................................................49 

Figure 13. Innovative concrete materials......................................................................................51 

Figure 14. Research management plan. ........................................................................................79

Figure 15. CP Road Map goal.......................................................................................................97 

Figure 16. Critical issues for tracks 1 and 2................................................................................101 

Figure 17. Critical issues for tracks 3 and 4................................................................................102 

Figure 18. Critical issues for tracks 5, 6, and 7...........................................................................103 

Figure 19. Critical issues for tracks 8, 9, and 10.........................................................................104 

Figure 20. Critical issues for tracks 11 and 12............................................................................105 

viii 
LIST OF TABLES 

Table 1. Estimated budget.............................................................................................................29 

Table 2. Brainstorming (outreach) events.....................................................................................99 

ix 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

-TERM PLAN FOR CONCRETE PAVEMENT RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY 

THE CP ROAD MAP 

The Concrete Pavement (CP) Road Map is a comprehensive and strategic plan for concrete 

pavement research that will guide the investment of research dollars for the next several years. It 

will result in technologies and systems that help the concrete pavement community meet the 

paving needs of today, and the as-yet unimagined paving challenges of tomorrow. In short, the 

CP Road Map will result in a new generation of concrete pavements for the 21st century. 

WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT THE CP ROAD MAP? 

Strategic—It combines more than 250 research problem statements into 12 fully integrated, 

sequential, and cohesive tracks of research leading to specific products that will dramatically 

affect the way concrete pavements are designed and constructed. 

Innovative—From the way it was developed, to its unique track structure and cross-track 

integration, to the plan for conducting the research, the CP Road Map introduces a new, 

inclusive, and far-reaching approach to pavement research. 

Stakeholder involvement—This CP Road Map plan is for the Federal, State, and private 

concrete pavement community. Peers helped create it, so it reflects all needs. 

No cost or time limitations—In general, it is a 7- to 10-year plan with an estimated overall cost 

of $250 million. 

Independent of any one agency or pot of money—Stakeholders with funds and expertise will 

pool their resources, jointly conduct and coordinate the research, and apply the results. The plan 

incorporates innovative, effective research implementation to move useful new products and 

systems to the field quickly. 

A VISIONARY CHARGE 

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the concrete pavement industry have 

commissioned a national research plan for the 21st century. Why is such a plan needed? 

For most of the 20th century, the same materials—portland cement, high-quality aggregate, and 

water—were used in pavement concrete, with only minor refinements. It was a fairly forgiving 

formula that allowed some variations in subgrade quality, construction practices, and other 

variables without sacrificing pavement performance. For generations, the industry had the luxury 

of keeping traffic off new concrete pavements for several days, even weeks, while the concrete 

developed its internal design strength. 

1 
In the past 15 years, the industry has experienced more changes than those that occurred in the 

previous 80 years, and these changes are turning the process of building concrete pavements on 

end: 

• Today’s concrete mix designs must integrate a multitude of new, sometimes marginal 

materials, resulting in serious compatibility problems and reduced tolerance for variations. 

• Motorists are more demanding. They will tolerate only minimal road closures and delays due 

to roadwork, increasing the need for new paving methods that allow road crews to get in, get 

out, and stay out. And motorists want smoother, quieter pavements, pushing the industry to 

control pavement surface characteristics. 

• Highway agency focus has shifted from building new pavements to rehabilitating and 

maintaining existing ones, which requires different designs, systems, materials, and 

equipment. 

• Environmental pressures, including traffic congestion and drainage and runoff issues, are 

affecting mix designs and pavement construction practices. 

• Highway budgets are being squeezed at every level. The pavement community simply must 

do more with less. 

In this environment, the old system for constructing concrete pavements is not meeting today’s 

demands. Pavement failures have occurred that were unheard of 25 years ago. The concrete 

pavement community cannot continue business as usual if it is going to meet the growing 

demands on highway construction and rehabilitation. The CP Road Map gives the community an 

opportunity to proactively reinvent itself through research. 

-TERM PLAN FOR CONCRETE PAVEMENT RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY 

DRAWING A NEW MAP FOR CONCRETE PAVEMENTS 

The project to develop the Long-Term Plan for Concrete Pavement Technology began in 2001 

through an agreement between the Innovative Pavement Research Foundation and a team led by 

Iowa State University’s Center for Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Technology (PCC 

Center). 

In May 2003, FHWA initiated a new agreement with the PCC Center to complete the work. The 

Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee for Research on Improved Concrete 

Pavements acted as the project advisory panel. Twenty percent of total funding for the project 

was provided by Iowa State University. The concrete pavement industry and State departments 

of transportation (DOT) provided valuable input to the CP Road Map and support its 

implementation. 

An Iowa State University-led team facilitated development of the CP Road Map. They developed 

a database of existing research and gathered input, face-to-face, from the highway community. 

The team identified gaps in research that became the basis for problem statements, which are 

organized into a cohesive, strategic research plan. 

2 
A “Living” Research Database 

The research database is a thorough catalog of recently completed and in-progress research 

projects and their products. If regularly updated and maintained, as recommended in the research 

management plan (described later in this report), the database will be a valuable resource for 

many years. 

Stakeholder Input 

To ensure the adoption and success of the CP Road Map, it was developed through a cooperative 

process involving high levels of stakeholder teamwork. 

Five major brainstorming and feedback sessions were conducted at the following events: the 

October 2003 meeting of the Midwest Concrete Consortium (MC2) in Ames, IA; a special 

November 2003 regional workshop for eastern and southern stakeholders in Syracuse, NY; the 

May 2004 meeting of the American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) in Kansas City, 

MO; a special January 2004 regional teleconference for western stakeholders; and, in October 

2004, a final meeting of national stakeholders hosted by FHWA at the Turner-Fairbank Highway 

Research Center in McLean, VA. 

Through these events, plus special presentations at more than 20 professional conferences and 

workshops across the country, more than 400 engineers and managers provided direct input into 

the CP Road Map. 

Participants represented the following entities: 

• State and local DOTs. 

• FHWA. 

• ACPA, including several State chapters. 

• Portland Cement Association (PCA). 

• American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). 

• National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA). 

• TRB/National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) committees. 

• American Public Works Association (APWA). 

• National Association of County Engineers (NACE). 

• Contractors. 

• Materials suppliers. 

• Research universities, especially departments conducting applied research. 

• Private concrete testing laboratories. 

Input was provided in four broad categories: 

• Mixtures and materials. 

• Design. 

• Construction. 

3 
• Pavement management/business systems. 

Again and again, stakeholders who participated in these brainstorming events said they needed 

more and better analysis tools for measuring the hows and whys of pavement failures and 

successes—that is, to measure pavement performance. Better quality assurance and quality 

control methods/tools are needed for every stage of the pavement system, particularly mix 

design, design, and construction. Because variables in each stage affect the others, the 

methods/tools must be integrated across stages. 

From these concepts of pavement performance and systems integration, the following overall 

vision for the CP Road Map was developed: 

LONG-TERM PLAN FOR CONCRETE PAVEMENT RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY 

By 2015, the highway community will have a comprehensive, integrated, and fully functional 

system of concrete pavement technologies that provides innovative solutions for customer-driven 

performance requirements. 

Based on this goal and other stakeholder input, dozens of specific research objectives were 

identified: 

• Maximize public convenience. 

• Improve the driving experience. 

• Integrate design, mixtures and materials, and construction with pavement performance 

predictions. 

• Improve pavement reliability. 

• Identify new and innovative business relationships to focus on performance requirements. 

• Constrain costs while improving pavement performance. 

• Protect and improve the environment. 

• Expand opportunities to use concrete pavement. 

The objectives were “filtered” through the project team’s database of existing research to 

determine gaps in research. These gaps became the basis for problem statements. 

Approximately 250 problem statements were written, reviewed, and fine tuned. Final versions of 

the problem statements were added to the research database as work to be accomplished via the 

CP Road Map. 

Research problem statements, projects, budgets, timelines, and research results in the database 

must be regularly updated. The CP Road Map will succeed only if the database is managed and 

maintained. 

From Stakeholder Input to Plan 

Most of the 250-plus problem statements did not neatly fit into just one of the brainstorming 

categories (mixtures and materials, design, construction, and pavement management/business 

systems).To capture the cross-categories and the integrated nature of the problem statements, the 

problem statements were organized into 12, product-focused tracks of research within the 

4 
database. This structure encourages various stakeholder groups to step forward as champions for 

a specific track. 

Problem Statements 

Each problem statement is a topical summary only. Most problem statements will be further 

broken down into specific research project statements that provide detailed descriptions of the 

research to be accomplished, budgets, and timelines. The research management plan (described 

later in this document) makes research track team leaders responsible for data entry of detailed 

project statements into the database. 

Track Integration 

As noted in the 12 brief track descriptions below, research in one track often affects or is affected 

by research in another track. In the CP Road Map, this interdependence and other critical 

relationships are outlined in the track and problem statement descriptions. It will be the 

responsibility of research track team leaders, as described later in this document, to ensure that 

research is appropriately coordinated and integrated. 

Moreover, the research database can be sorted to isolate problem statements on a variety of 

subjects. For example, several important problem statements related to foundations and drainage 

systems, maintenance and rehabilitation, and environment advancements are included in various 

tracks. In the CP Road Map, problem statements related to these particular topics have been 

listed in separate cross-reference tables. 

-TERM PLAN FOR CONCRETE PAVEMENT RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY 

CP ROAD MAP RESEARCH TRACKS 

Each of the CP Road Map tracks is a full research program in itself, with its own budget, 2 to 7 

subtracks, and as many as 20 problem statements. Tracks 1 through 9 consist of timed sequences 

of research leading to particular products that are essential to reaching overall research goals. In 

the CP Road Map, one subtrack in every phased track is devoted to developing innovative 

technology transfer, training tools, and methods to ensure that innovative research products are 

quickly and efficiently moved into practice. Tracks 10, 11, and 12 are not phased because timing 

is not as critical. 

The products developed through the first four tracks may be especially critical to helping the 

industry achieve the full potential of concrete pavements. 

Following is a brief description of each research track: 

1. Performance-Based Concrete Pavement Mix Design System. The final product of this 

track will be a practical yet innovative concrete mix design procedure with new equipment, 

consensus target values, common laboratory procedures, and full integration with both 

structural design and field quality control—a lab of the future. This track also lays the 

groundwork for the concrete paving industry to assume more responsibility for mix designs 

as State highway agencies move from method specifications to more advanced acceptance 

5 
tools. For such a move to be successful, it is important that the concrete paving industry and 

owner-agencies refer to a single document for mix design state of the art.

2. Performance-Based Design Guide for New and Rehabilitated Concrete Pavements. 

Under this track, the concrete pavement research community will expand the mechanistic 

approach to pavement restoration and preservation strategies. This track builds on the 

comprehensive work done under NCHRP 1–37A (development of the Mechanistic-Empirical 

(M-E) Pavement Design Guide) and continues to develop the models from that key work. 

The work in this track needs to be closely integrated with track 1.

3. High-Speed Nondestructive Testing and Intelligent Construction Systems. This track 

will develop high-speed, nondestructive quality control systems to monitor pavement 

properties continuously during construction. As a result, immediate adjustments can be made 

to ensure the highest quality finished product that meets given performance specifications. 

Many problem statements in this track relate to both tracks 1 and 2.

4. Optimized Surface Characteristics for Safe, Quiet, and Smooth Concrete Pavements. 

This track will improve understanding of concrete pavement surface characteristics. It will 

provide tools for engineers to help meet or exceed predetermined requirements for 

friction/safety, tire-pavement noise, smoothness, splash and spray, wheel path wear 

(hydroplaning), light reflection, rolling resistance, and durability (longevity). Each of the 

functional elements of a pavement listed above is critical. The challenge is to improve one 

characteristic without compromising another characteristic, especially when it comes to 

safety of the public.

5. Equipment Automation and Advancements. This track will result in process 

improvements and equipment developments for high-speed, high-quality concrete paving 

equipment to meet the concrete paving industry’s projected needs and the traveling public’s 

expectations for highway performance in the future. Examples include the next generation of 

concrete batching and placement equipment; behind-the-paver equipment to improve curing, 

surface treatment, and jointing; mechanized ways to place and control subdrains and other 

foundation elements; equipment to remove/replace the slab in one-pass construction; 

improved repair processes that decrease the time of operations and provide the workforce 

and traveling public with less exposure; and methods for evaluating new equipment on actual 

construction projects.

6. Innovative Concrete Pavement Joint Design, Materials, and Construction. Potential 

products for this track include a new joint design, high-speed computer analysis techniques 

for joint performance, a more accurate installation scheme, and faster rehabilitation 

strategies. The problem statements in this track address the basics—joint design, materials, 

construction, and maintenance activities. The track also specifies research that will help 

develop breakthrough technologies and extremely high-speed joint repair techniques. This is 

a crosscutting track to ensure that all topics related to innovative joints are addressed. Much 

of the proposed research will develop important incremental improvements.

6 
7. High-Speed Concrete Pavement Rehabilitation and Construction. Faster techniques and 

higher quality can and must be accomplished in the future. This track addresses a series of 

activities, from the planning and simulation of high-speed construction and rehabilitation, 

precast and modular options for concrete pavements, and fast-track concrete pavement 

construction and rehabilitation, to the evaluation and technology transfer of high-speed 

construction and rehabilitation products and processes developed through research. Some 

high-speed construction issues will likely be investigated in tracks 1 and 3, and those efforts 

will be closely coordinated with this track.

8. Long Life Concrete Pavements. The need for pavements that last longer between 

maintenance, restoration, or rehabilitation is integrated throughout the CP Road Map. 

However, this track draws attention to some specific research that may address pavement life 

approaching 60 years or more.

9. Concrete Pavement Accelerated and Long-Term Data Collection. This track provides the 

infrastructure—such as testing methods and data collection and reporting tools—for a future 

national program that will plan accelerated loading and long-term data needs, construct test 

sections, and collect and share data. The problem statements in this track will explore which 

data are most useful and determine the amount of time needed to collect the data.

10. Concrete Pavement Performance. This track addresses key elements of pavement 

management and asset management systems. Such systems determine if and how pavements 

meet performance characteristics for highway agencies and users. Research in this track will 

determine and address the functional aspects of concrete pavement performance, particularly 

factors such as tire-pavement noise, friction, smoothness, and others. Research also will 

provide rapid concrete pavement performance feedback and examine ways to schedule 

surface characteristics and condition improvements. Developing feedback loops in highway 

agencies’ pavement management systems will be crucial to monitor performance effectively 

and rapidly.

11. Concrete Pavement Business Systems and Economics. Roles and responsibilities are 

changing in the highway industry, affecting the way paving projects are designed, bid, built, 

and maintained. Contractors are being asked to assume more control of the operation and 

quality control inspections. By including warranty provisions in project contracts, owneragencies are asking for additional assurance that pavements will be built and will perform as 

expected. Internationally, many countries have made dramatic changes in project funding 

methods and in the roles of contractors and suppliers. This track captures some important 

research that should be considered as this process of transformation continues in the United 

States. Problem statements cover topics such as contracting options, new technology transfer 

systems, public-private partnerships, and economic models.

12. Advanced Concrete Pavement Materials. The problem statements in this track address the 

development of new materials and refine or reintroduce existing advanced materials to 

enhance performance, improve construction, and reduce waste. Many of the existing 

materials studied in this track have been used thus far on a small scale or in laboratory 

evaluations only. Many of them have not been used in the United States but show promise 

7 
based on work done in other countries. This track will experiment with such materials on a 

larger scale and will develop standards and recommendations for their use. The research will 

foster innovation in the development of additional, new, and innovative concrete pavement 

materials.

PLAN FOR CONCRETE PAVEMENT RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY 

REACHING THE DESTINATION 

The CP Road Map is accompanied by a research management plan that outlines a progressive, 

cooperative approach to managing and conducting the research. Under this plan, organizations 

identify common interests, partner with each other in executing specific contracts, and, in the 

end, produce and share a product that is greater than the sum of the parts. 

The research management plan emphasizes scope control, phasing of research, reporting, 

systems integration, voluntary peer review, maintenance of the research database, programwide 

technology transfer, and assistance to organizations that want to leverage their funds and human 

resources. 

Philosophy for Managing Research 

The research management plan is based on these assumptions: 

• The CP Road Map is a national research plan, not a plan solely for FHWA, but for State 

agencies and the industry as well. 

• The CP Road Map is not restricted to any single funding source. Publicly financed highway 

research is decentralized and will probably remain so through the next highway bill. 

• Even in a decentralized arena like research, it is possible—indeed, critical—for stakeholder 

groups to come together voluntarily. Federal, State, and industry research staff and engineers 

around the country are looking for more opportunities to pool their funds and other resources 

in win-win situations. The MC2

 is an example of a successful cooperative approach to 

research. 

• The all-too-common disconnection between research results and implementation of those 

results must be fixed. Communication, technology transfer, and outreach activities must be 

elevated to the same level of importance as research itself. 

• The CP Road Map is too comprehensive and too important for a part-time implementation 

effort. Managing the overall research program effectively and judiciously will require fulltime, dedicated personnel with adequate resources. 

Governing Structure 

In line with this general philosophy, the research management plan outlines a four-tier system of 

participation and responsibility: an executive advisory committee, an administrative support 

group, research track team leaders, and sustaining organizations. 

A triparty executive advisory committee, representing FHWA, State DOTs, and industry, will 

provide broad oversight of the CP Road Map. It will be a decisionmaking and policymaking 

facilitation group with many responsibilities, including: 

8 
• Assembling research track team leaders. 

• Promoting partnering arrangements. 

• Ensuring adequate integration of research across tracks. 

• Developing and implementing a strategy to ensure that software products developed through 

various research tracks will be compatible with each other. 

• Identifying new research program areas. 

• Overseeing updates to and maintenance of the research database. 

• Developing a comprehensive technology transfer and training program for products of the CP 

Road Map. 

• Developing a communications effort to keep the CP Road Map and its products in front of 

stakeholders and the public. 

• Conducting self-evaluation studies. 

• Keeping the momentum focused on outcomes, not just output. 

An administrative support group will provide professional management services for the 

executive advisory committee and, to a lesser degree, the research track team leaders. It will be 

the “doing” body for coordination and support activities, like maintaining the research database. 

Research track team leaders will coordinate and oversee all activities within a specific research 

track: 

• Validating and updating the track. 

• Developing broad problem statements into specific, separate research projects, with scopes of 

work, timelines, and budgets. 

• Identifying organizations to conduct or partner in the research. 

• Establishing and overseeing subordinate technical expert working groups to guide complex 

work. 

• Ensuring proper integration of work within the track and across track lines. 

• Developing status reports. 

Sustaining organizations—agencies, consultants, universities, professional associations, and 

other organizations with specialized interests and skills that are interested in pooling dedicated 

funds—will assume responsibility for conducting research through cooperation, partnerships, 

and funding agreements. Some people and organizations will assume multiple roles. 

In addition, sustaining organizations conducting research under the CP Road Map may retain full 

fiscal and technical control of the work under their jurisdictions. The key to successful conduct 

of the research, however, is cooperation, and the research management plan facilitates and 

supports cooperative efforts. 

-TERM PLAN FOR CONCRETE PAVEMENT RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY 

THE CP ROAD MAP TRACKS AND SUBTRACKS 

The CP Road Map is a 7- to 10-year plan for concrete pavement research consisting of the 

following tracks and subtracks. 

9 
The general range of costs associated with each track represents the time dedicated to the CP 

Road Map by multiple stakeholders who contributed to its development. The support needed for 

this effort comes from in-kind services and funding provided by a number of participants 

including industry organizations, State DOTs, and Federal agencies. These estimates are subject 

to change as the CP Road Map evolves. 

1. Performance-Based Concrete Pavement Mix Design System ($30–68 M*) 

• Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) Mix Design System Development and Integration. 

• PCC Mix Design Laboratory Testing and Equipment. 

• PCC Mix Design Modeling. 

• PCC Mix Design Evaluation and Implementation. 

2. Performance-Based Design Guide for New and Rehabilitated Concrete Pavements 

($41–60 M) 

• Design Guide Structural Models. 

• Design Guide Inputs, Performance Models, and Reliability. 

• Special Design and Rehabilitation Issues. 

• Improved Mechanistic Design Procedures. 

• Design Guide Implementation. 

3. High-Speed Nondestructive Testing and Intelligent Construction Systems ($20–41 M) 

• Field Control. 

• Nondestructive Testing Methods. 

• Nondestructive Testing and Intelligent Control System Evaluation, and Implementation. 

4. Optimized Surface Characteristics for Safe, Quiet, and Smooth Concrete Pavements 

($25–54 M) 

• Concrete Pavement Texture and Friction. 

• Concrete Pavement Smoothness. 

• Tire-Pavement Noise. 

• Integration of Concrete Pavement Surface Characteristics. 

• Evaluation of Products for Concrete Pavement Surface Characteristics. 

• Concrete Pavement Surface Characteristics Implementation. 

• Other Concrete Pavement Surface Characteristics. 

5. Concrete Pavement Equipment Automation and Advancements ($26–56 M) 

• Concrete Batching and Mixing Equipment. 

• Concrete Placement Equipment. 

• Concrete Pavement Curing, Texturing, and Jointing Equipment. 

• Concrete Pavement Foundation Equipment. 

10 
• Concrete Pavement Reconstruction Equipment. 

• Concrete Pavement Restoration Equipment. 

• Advanced Equipment Evaluation and Implementation. 

6. Innovative Concrete Pavement Joint Design, Materials, and Construction ($10–15 M) 

• Joint Design Innovations. 

• Joint Materials, Construction, Evaluation, and Rehabilitation Innovations. 

• Innovative Joints Implementation. 

7. High-Speed Concrete Pavement Rehabilitation and Construction ($10–20 M) 

• Rehabilitation and Construction Planning and Simulation. 

• Precast and Modular Concrete Pavements. 

• Fast-Track Concrete Pavements. 

• Rehabilitation and Construction Evaluation and Implementation. 

8. Long Life Concrete Pavements ($11–17 M) 

• Pavement Strategy for Long Life Concrete Pavements. 

• Construction and Materials for Long Life Concrete Pavements and Overlays. 

• Long Life Concrete Pavement Implementation. 

9. Concrete Pavement Accelerated and Long-Term Data Collection ($10–16 M) 

• Planning and Designing Accelerated Loading and Long-Term Data Collection. 

• Preparation of Data Collection/Testing Procedures and Construction of Test Road. 

• Accelerated Loading and Long-Term Data Collection Implementation. 

10. Concrete Pavement Performance ($3–4 M) 

• Technologies for Determining Concrete Pavement Performance. 

• Guidelines and Protocols for Concrete Pavement Performance. 

11. Concrete Pavement Business Systems and Economics ($21–31 M) 

• Concrete Pavement Research and Technology Management and Implementation. 

• Concrete Pavement Economics and Life Cycle Costs. 

• Contracting and Incentives for Concrete Pavement Work. 

• Technology Transfer and Publications for Concrete Pavement Best Practices. 

• Concrete Pavement Decisions with Environmental Impact. 

12. Advanced Concrete Pavement Materials ($11–23 M) 

• Performance-Enhancing Concrete Pavement Materials. 

11 
• Construction-Enhancing Concrete Pavement Materials. 

• Environment-Enhancing Concrete Pavement Materials. 

$218–405 M Total 

*All numbers are rounded. 

ORGANIZATION OF VOLUMES I AND II 

The CP Road Map is published in two volumes. Volume I contains the executive summary, plus 

eight chapters: 

• Chapter 1 describes the background and need for the CP Road Map. 

• Chapter 2 tells how the CP Road Map was developed. 

• Chapter 3 provides an overview of the 12 tracks of planned research. 

• Chapters 4 through 7 describe the critical issues and objectives that the CP Road Map 

addresses in the areas of design, mixtures and materials, construction, and pavement 

management/business systems. 

• Chapter 8 describes the innovative research management plan that will guide the conduct of 

research. 

Volume II contains the executive summary and describes in detail the 12 tracks of planned 

research: 

• Each track begins with introductory material that summarizes the goal and objectives for the 

track and the gaps and challenges for its research program. 

• A phasing chart is included to show the approximate sequencing of the problem statements in 

the track. 

• A table of estimated costs provides the projected cost range for each problem statement, 

depending on the research priorities and scope determined in implementation. 

• The problem statements within each track are grouped into subtracks. Each subtrack is 

introduced by a brief summary of the subtrack’s focus and a table listing the titles, estimated 

costs, products, and benefits of each problem statement in the subtrack. 

• Each subtrack begins with a framework problem statement in which the subtrack work is 

planned in more detail. 

• The problem statements then follow. 

Each problem statement clearly defines tasks that need to be performed to produce a desired 

product or achieve a desired objective. Each problem statement will need to be developed into 

appropriate research project statements with detailed descriptions of the research to be 

accomplished, specific budgets, and definite timelines. 

Many conventional concrete pavement topics are integrated across the research tracks in the CP 

Road Map. Using the CP Road Map database, distinct topic areas can be easily identified and 

pulled out of the tracks into their own tables. For example, the following three important 

12 
research topics are addressed in a number of tracks. Near the end of volume II, cross-reference 

tables list the relevant problem statements for each of these topics: 

• Concrete pavement foundation and drainage. 

• Concrete pavement maintenance and rehabilitation. 

• Environmental concrete pavement advancements. 

HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE? 

Beginning a long-term research program is a long, slow process. In this case, the CP Road Map 

provides a framework for moving forward. 

Stakeholders in the concrete pavement community are invited to participate: 

• To receive a printed copy of the full two-volume CP Road Map, with complete problem 

statements (available mid-2005), contact Peter Kopac, FHWA, 202–493–3151, 

peter.kopac@fhwa.dot.gov. 

• An electronic version of the CP Road Map and the two-volume report will be available on 

the FHWA Web site in mid-2005. See www.tfhrc.gov/. 

• For additional information, go to www.tfhrc.gov and search for CP Road Map. 

13 

CHAPTER 1. WHY A LONG-TERM RESEARCH PLAN FOR 

CONCRETE PAVEMENTS? 

For generations, concrete has been the workhorse for long life, dependable pavements. By 

generally performing well for many years beyond their original design life, concrete pavements 

have provided a substantial return on taxpayers’ investments. 

For most of the 20th century, the same materials—aggregate, portland cement, and water—were 

used in concrete for pavements, with only minor refinements. It was a fairly forgiving, hightolerance formula. Mixes made with portland cement and high-quality aggregates allowed some 

variations in subgrade quality, construction practices, and other variables without sacrificing 

pavement performance. For generations, too, the emphasis was on constructing new pavement 

miles, and the industry had the luxury of keeping traffic off new concrete pavements for several 

days, even weeks, while the concrete developed its internal maturity and design strength. 

Over the past 15 years, however, the concrete pavement industry has experienced more changes 

than in the preceding 80 years, and these changes are turning the process of building concrete 

pavements on end. Some of the ongoing environmental, social, and economic trends affecting the 

industry are that: 

• Today’s concrete mix designs integrate a plethora of new, sometimes marginal, materials, 

reducing tolerance for materials variations and sometimes resulting in serious compatibility 

problems. 

• Motorists have become more demanding. They want smoother, quieter pavements than ever 

before, and they do not want to be delayed by road closures or work zones for road 

construction or repair. They want paving crews to “get in, get out, and stay out.” 

• Most of the highway system has been constructed, so the emphasis has shifted from building 

new miles of pavement to rehabilitating existing ones, requiring a wider variety of concrete 

pavement solutions. 

• A serious squeeze on capital for pavements is reducing dollars available for upfront project 

costs. 

• Growing environmental pressures are affecting mix designs and construction practices. 

• Pavements are carrying significantly more and heavier traffic than ever before, and the trend 

will continue. According to industry projections, a lane-mile of pavement built in 2015 will 

have to carry 70 percent more trucks than a lane-mile built in 1995. 

In this environment, the old system for constructing concrete pavements no longer works. In 

recent years, pavement failures unheard of 25 years ago have occurred. The industry has tried to 

stay ahead of the trends, but improvements in concrete pavement construction have been 

incremental, inconsistently implemented, and sometimes only marginally successful. In the 

coming decades, changes such as those described above will only increase, as will the 

consequent challenges for the concrete pavement community. 

To achieve concrete pavement’s full potential in the 21st century, the industry should respond to 

these trends soon with dramatic, even revolutionary, improvements. The improvements cannot 

15 
be piecemeal. They should be the result of a carefully developed and aggressively implemented 

strategic plan for research and technology transfer. The CP Road Map is that plan. 

NEW TRENDS, NEW NEEDS 

The following sections describe in more detail the trends listed above. Changes occurring in the 

concrete industry are interrelated, exacerbating the resulting challenges. 

Materials and Mixes 

Perhaps the most significant change in recent years is in concrete pavement mixtures. Mixtures 

are becoming more and more complex and are no longer so forgiving. 

Many factors have led to the use of new materials in concrete. For example, to make fast-track or 

other special-use mixes, chemical additives are included commonly now in mix designs. Fly ash 

and slag also are being added to mixtures to replace some of the portland cement and enhance 

certain concrete mix characteristics, like reduced alkali-aggregate reaction and increased 

resistance to attack by sulfates in soil and water. 

Ironically, though, new materials or additives that solve one problem can cause other, unforeseen 

problems, often related to materials incompatibility. The host of aggregate, cement, and mineral 

and chemical admixture sources from which to choose makes it difficult to develop mix designs 

that perform consistently; concrete can fail with only moderate variations in materials from 

supplier to supplier. There is no longer any room for error. In addition, complex mixtures that 

perform satisfactorily under lab conditions can be less predictable under actual field conditions. 

The industry needs improved, reliable quality control systems for ensuring predictable, 

reproducible performance of today’s complex mixes, pavement after pavement after pavement. 

Motorists’ Expectations 

Pavement users (including funding providers) require a certain level of pavement functionality 

and performance. Motorists are demanding quieter and smoother pavements that improve the 

driving experience and do not adversely affect the communities they abut. Pavement surfaces 

should be perfected to eliminate joint noise and tire whining, while continuing to provide a safe 

level of friction and reduced tire hydroplaning and spraying when wet. 

Transportation agencies, concrete pavement engineers, materials providers, and contractors need 

new tools and strategies for better understanding and controlling pavement surface 

characteristics such as smoothness, friction, noise, spray and drainage, rolling resistance, and 

visibility. Traffic noise, too, is a growing problem in urban areas. The industry must understand 

concrete pavement’s role in this phenomenon and provide balanced solutions. 

In addition, motorists have no patience for long road closures or work zone delays. The speed of 

completing construction, repair, and rehabilitation work has become a critical issue, with mottos 

like “fast-track construction” and “get in, get out, and stay out” becoming common industry 

themes. Needed solutions include better use of available material on the roadway and quicker 

and timelier inspections. 

16 
Shift from Traditional Concrete Pavement Construction 

In the past 15 years or so, with most of the highway system built and in service, the industry’s 

emphasis has changed from constructing new pavements to repairing and rehabilitating existing 

ones. According to a recent study by The Road Information Program, pavements on 25 percent 

of the Nation’s major metropolitan roads—interstates, freeways, and other principal arterial 

routes—are in poor condition.(1) In the next few years, more than 25,000 miles of the Nation’s 

highways will require serious attention. Up to 75 percent of pavements already identified as 

needing improvement are light-service pavements. 

To remain competitive, the concrete pavement industry should be able to deliver affordable 

alternatives for a variety of road repair, maintenance, and rehabilitation needs. What truly is 

needed is the next generation of a mix of fixes: a menu of viable, cost effective concrete 

pavement solutions that provide concrete’s durability and strength for the short or very long 

term. 

The industry is already experimenting with different types of concrete overlays—bonded, 

unbonded, and whitetopping—each distinguished by the type of existing pavement it covers. 

Because of cost, time required for construction, and misconceptions about overlays, however, 

these alternatives nationally have had only minimal impact. The industry needs new overlay 

design approaches, lower cost strategies, and faster construction methods. 

The mix of fixes could also include, for example, two-lift construction, in which a thin overlay of 

superior concrete mixture is placed on a thick layer of lower quality concrete; stop-gap 

rehabilitation projects; and staged improvements, in which short-term pavements are later used 

as subbase when their design life is over. Some solutions could focus on improving pavement 

foundations so that thinner pavements can provide the same level of service as traditional, 

thicker pavements. 

Different mix designs for different solutions exacerbate quality control challenges related to 

materials compatibility and fast-track construction environments. 

Capital Squeeze 

The level of funding available for pavement repair and rehabilitation is not keeping pace with 

needs. In 2004, State and local funding for road and bridge improvements was down 18 percent 

from 2002 levels, and restraints on domestic budgets are not likely to end anytime soon. This 

directly relates to the need for a full array of concrete pavement products to provide an 

affordable mix of fixes that allows agencies to properly distribute limited funds. 

Static or reduced public agency funding is spurring the transfer of roles and responsibilities from 

State and local transportation agencies to the construction industry. This transfer includes a shift 

from method specifications to end-result, or performance, specifications. Mix designs, quality 

control, end-result testing, warranties, design-build, etc., require more expertise from the 

contractor than ever before. Contractors and agencies alike need better tools for monitoring, 

controlling, and ensuring desired pavement performance. 

17 
These tools include software for integrating mix designs with structural designs and construction 

inspections. They include software for conducting high-speed analyses and prediction of mix 

performance during the critical 72-hour period when concrete operations have such a significant 

impact on overall pavement performance. They include new equipment and testing 

methodologies that will help control the product during construction, reducing variability. 

It is difficult to reduce costs while maintaining predictable service. The industry needs better 

methods and tools for identifying and addressing cost issues, testing different designs, 

conducting life cycle cost analyses, and using marginal materials. 

Environmental Pressures 

Pavements also should meet ever-more demanding environmental challenges. For example, 

rainwater runoff issues are driving the need to develop porous pavements for specific 

applications, like parking lots and curb and gutter. In cold climates where snow is an issue, the 

salt brine placed on pavements to improve safety actually may cause premature damage to the 

concrete. 

Quality building materials are harder to come by, and new sources are not being brought online, 

increasing the use of marginal materials. The cement industry, under pressure to reduce harmful 

byproducts of portland cement manufacture, is increasing its use of supplementary cementitious 

materials, including recycled materials like fly ash (captured from exhaust gases of coal-burning 

electricity generating plants) and slag (tapped from the waste that floats to the top of iron blast 

furnaces). 

As described earlier, using these new or marginal materials requires advancements in mix 

design, new construction methods that incorporate marginal mix designs, and, especially, quality 

control systems to ensure that satisfactory performance can be reproduced reliably. 

Congestion and Loads 

Pavements are the backbone of the Nation’s transportation system and are essential to its 

economic well-being. Virtually all of the goods produced and sold in this country travel on the 

Nation’s highways. From 1970 to 1998, the average daily highway traffic volume increased 130 

percent, while average daily loading increased 580 percent. 

By 2020, the U.S. population is predicted to grow by 50 million people. Vehicle travel is 

expected to increase by about 42 percent and heavy truck travel by 49 percent, putting even 

greater stress on the Nation’s roadways. Without additional lane capacity, and with projected 

increases in truck traffic, a lane-mile of pavement built in 2015 will have to carry 70 percent 

more trucks than a lane-mile built in 1995. 

Clearly, concrete pavements can carry heavy-duty truck traffic, but even this area has room for 

advancement. For example, the industry needs improved foundation designs that allow for better 

assignment of loads through the slab and better drainage mechanisms. 

As congestion increases, access to facilities for constructing, maintaining, and rehabilitating 

pavements will become more difficult. Automobiles, trucks, the pavement, and neighborhoods 

18 
abutting the pavement will all have to coexist. This will have a dramatic impact on pavement 

programs, including initial pavement selection, speed of construction, rehabilitation and 

maintenance strategies, and budgets. Developing concrete pavement systems to address these 

needs is a critical challenge. 

NEW NEEDS, A NEW GENERATION OF SOLUTIONS 

The bottom line is that one size no longer fits all. The concrete pavement industry must reinvent 

itself and develop a generation of pavement solutions for the 21st century. 

What exactly would this new generation of solutions look like? How would they be developed? 

With AASHTO, ACPA, FHWA, PCA, State agencies, universities, and other organizations 

working relatively independently on specific challenges, how can stakeholders agree on the 

answers, establish common priorities, reduce duplication of effort, and make the solutions a 

reality? 

To answer these questions, FHWA needs a unique long-term research plan with the following 

characteristics:

• Strategic. The CP Road Map should deliver performance-based concrete pavement systems 

that dramatically affect the way concrete pavements are designed and constructed. 

Performance-based concrete pavement systems use sophisticated and objective quality 

control systems at every step of a pavement project to ensure the desired performance is 

achieved. 

• Innovative. The road map should result in revolutionary new technologies and processes for 

constructing safe, quiet, and durable pavements for a variety of traffic, loading, and other 

service needs (a mix of fixes) quickly, at minimum cost, and with materials that require 

higher compatibility standards and controls.. 

• Embraced by the entire stakeholder community. The CP Road Map should be developed 

by, and reflect the needs of, all stakeholder groups.

• Not bound by cost or time limitations, or tied to any one agency or pot of money. The 

CP Road Map should lead the concrete pavement community to overcome hurdles, pool their 

resources, and jointly conduct, coordinate, and implement the research over a period of 7 to 

10 years. 

• Implementable. The CP Road Map should include strategies to quickly move useful new 

products and systems to the field. 

• Accompanied by a research management plan. The management plan should effectively 

guide the conduct and coordination of research outlined in the CP Road Map. 

The following chapters describe how such a plan was developed, provide an overview of the 

resulting CP Road Map, and outline an innovative research management plan for conducting the 

research. 

19 

CHAPTER 2. CP ROAD MAP DEVELOPMENT PROCESS 

The team charged with developing the CP Road Map conducted the following activities: 

• Completed a literature search and developed a research database. 

• Solicited input from the broad concrete pavement community. 

• Identified and organized research needs and objectives into a cohesive, strategic research 

plan. 

LITERATURE SEARCH/RESEARCH DATABASE 

The literature search consisted of two parts. First, information about all recently completed and 

ongoing research projects was entered into a research database. This database later was used as a 

filter to ensure that the new research plan does not duplicate existing research. 

Second, several research and technology plans developed by other organizations were reviewed 

to identify concepts that should be included in the CP Road Map. These plans included: 

• FHWA: Building for the Future—A Technology Program for Portland Cement Concrete 

Pavements.

(2)

• Innovative Pavement Research Foundation (IPRF): “Creating a New Generation of 

Pavements.”

(3)

• Vision 2030: A Vision for the U.S. Concrete Industry.

(4)

• National Academies of Science Report NMAB–484: Nonconventional Concrete 

Technologies.

(5)

• National Highway Research and Technology Partnership Forum Infrastructure Renewal 

Working Group: Infrastructure Renewal Research Agenda.

(6)

• Center for Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Technology (PCC Center) Research 

Committee research plans. 

• TRB Committee A2FO1 research plans. 

• ACPA research plans. 

Although each of these plans was uniquely valuable, none contained a fully integrated, 

sequential, cohesive series of research statements that would dramatically change the way 

concrete pavements are designed and built. Many of the plans, however, did include individual 

research statements that, on their own merit, were incorporated into the CP Road Map planning 

process and research database. The CP Road Map development process is illustrated in figure 1. 

21 
Figure 1. CP Road Map development process. 

22 
BRAINSTORMING EVENTS 

Five major brainstorming and feedback sessions were conducted at the following events: the 

October 2003 meeting of the MC2

 in Ames, IA; a special November 2003 regional workshop for 

Eastern and Southern stakeholders in Syracuse, NY; the May 2004 meeting of the ACPA in 

Kansas City, MO; a special January 2004 regional teleconference for Western stakeholders; and, 

in October 2004, a final meeting of national stakeholders hosted by FHWA at the TurnerFairbank Highway Research Center. 

Stakeholders 

Through these events, in addition to more than 20 presentations at workshops around the country 

(see appendix A for a detailed list of events), more than 400 engineers and managers 

representing every stakeholder group provided direct input into the CP Road Map. 

Participating stakeholders included: 

• State and local DOTs. 

• FHWA. 

• ACPA, including several State chapters. 

• PCA. 

• AASHTO. 

• NRMCA. 

• TRB/NCHRP Committees. 

• APWA. 

• NACE. 

• Contractors. 

• Materials suppliers. 

• Research universities, especially departments conducting applied research. 

• Private concrete testing laboratories. 

Brainstorming Strategies 

It is easy to talk about soliciting input from stakeholders. But in a project of this size and 

complexity, it was critical to have a system to help focus stakeholders’ brainstorming process. In 

addition, stakeholders came to the brainstorming events with specific goals or projects already in 

mind. It was important to help participants look beyond their own pet projects. 

Two brainstorming strategies were used. First, participants responded to draft, big-picture vision 

statements identifying research needed to provide the concrete pavement characteristics that will 

meet the needs of end users and owners well into the future. Through guided activities, 

participants evaluated, revised, added to, subtracted from, and prioritized the vision statements. 

This process helped participants dream big. 

Then, in small groups, participants identified specific critical issues in each of the following 

areas that must be resolved through research to achieve desired pavement characteristics: 

23 
• Materials and mixtures. 

• Design. 

• Construction. 

• Pavement management/business systems. 

Participants discussed new tools they need and existing ones that need to be improved. They 

discussed systems that must be in place, including financing and bidding systems. They 

identified obstacles that must be overcome. 

Again and again, stakeholders who participated in the brainstorming events said they needed 

more and better analysis tools for measuring the hows and whys of pavement failures and 

successes—that is, for measuring pavement performance. Better quality assurance and quality 

control methods and tools are needed for every stage of the pavement system, from design 

through maintenance and rehabilitation. Because variables in each stage affect the other stages, 

the methods and tools must be integrated across stages. 

From these central concepts of pavement performance and systems integration, the following 

overall vision for the CP Road Map was developed: 

By 2015, the highway community will have a comprehensive, integrated, and 

fully functional system of concrete pavement technologies that provides 

innovative solutions for customer-driven performance requirements. 

Based on this goal and stakeholder input at the brainstorming sessions, dozens of specific 

research objectives were identified. See appendix B for a complete list of objectives and the 

corresponding research tracks into which the objectives were eventually categorized. In general, 

they can be categorized as: 

• Maximize public convenience. 

• Improve the driving experience. 

• Integrate design, mixtures and materials, and construction with pavement performance 

predictions. 

• Improve pavement reliability. 

• Identify new and innovative business relationships to focus on performance requirements. 

• Constrain costs while improving pavement performance. 

• Protect and improve the environment. 

• Expand opportunities to use concrete pavement. 

The objectives were filtered through the database of existing research to determine gaps in 

research. These gaps became the basis for problem statements. Approximately 250 problem 

statements were written, reviewed, and fine tuned. Final versions of the problem statements were 

added to the research database as work to be accomplished via the CP Road Map. 

Identifying critical research issues and objectives was an ongoing, reciprocal process. 

Participants at successive brainstorming events responded to, refined, and prioritized critical 

issues and objectives identified at previous events. For the duration of this project, participants at 

24 
the brainstorming events and stakeholders unable to attend were invited to submit additional 

feedback and ideas through the project Web site. 

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER IN THE CP ROAD MAP

FHWA requested a strategic research plan outlining up to a decade of integrated activities, 

including research, technology development and implementation, and technology transfer, with 

ample details to guide technical panels that will implement the plan. Therefore, the CP Road 

Map is a synopsis of research needs outlined in problem statements and organized in tracks of 

research. 

Between brainstorming events, the problem statements were revised and improved constantly. 

Some were culled completely; others were fine tuned; some closely related concepts were 

combined, all with feedback from stakeholders. The problem statements were sorted and resorted 

in a variety of ways to integrate and organize the statements into the most appropriate tracks for 

facilitating ownership by various stakeholder groups. This ownership will be critical for 

successful conduct of the research. 

The integration process resulted in identifying and developing 12 research tracks. This 

manageable number of tracks is in line with recommendations from the FHWA panel and 

encourages the community to focus on research with the highest potential payback. Some tracks 

closely mimic the trends identified in chapter 1 of this report as driving the need for the CP Road 

Map. 

Each research track was organized into subtracks of research problem statements that, as 

research is conducted, will lead to the achievement of a major objective or development of a 

major product. This organizational strategy lends itself to scheduling and strategically integrating 

related research. 

Specific goals, expected outcomes, and estimated budgets were defined for each research track 

and subtrack. Nine of the 12 tracks were developed with time-sensitive problem statements, 

carefully phased into a 7- to 10-year sequence of research. These nine tracks actually identify 

complete research programs in themselves. The three remaining tracks contain problem 

statements that are not time sensitive and not sequenced; these tracks include several 

independent, long-range research problem statements. 

Several research problem statements were coordinated, or linked, with research in other tracks to 

ensure an integrated approach to quality control for desired pavement performance. For example, 

pavement design models are linked to mix design and construction control; the linkages were 

built into the research database. 

At a terminal event in October 2004, stakeholders provided final feedback on the CP Road Map. 

This event ensured that the CP Road Map’s objectives are clear and its goals attainable; the 

research is a blend of the practical, incremental, and innovative; work priorities are clear; and the 

implementation strategy is innovative and doable.

25 

CHAPTER 3. WHAT DOES THE STRATEGIC ROAD MAP LOOK LIKE? 

A 10-year research plan of this size and complexity cannot be absorbed in one quick skimthrough.1

 This chapter is for readers who do not need all of the details but simply want an 

overview of the CP Road Map. Following is a summary of the road map, highlights of the 

research tracks and subtracks, and the general budget and timeline. 

SUMMARY 

The CP Road Map consists of more than 250 problem statements organized into 12 topical 

research tracks: 

1. Performance-Based Concrete Pavement Mix Design System. 

2. Performance-Based Design Guide for New and Rehabilitated Concrete Pavements. 

3. High-Speed Nondestructive Testing and Intelligent Construction Systems. 

4. Optimized Surface Characteristics for Safe, Quiet, and Smooth Concrete Pavements. 

5. Concrete Pavement Equipment Automation and Advancements. 

6. Innovative Concrete Pavement Joint Design, Materials, and Construction. 

7. High-Speed Concrete Pavement Rehabilitation and Construction. 

8. Long Life Concrete Pavements. 

9. Concrete Pavement Accelerated and Long-Term Data Collection. 

10. Concrete Pavement Performance. 

11. Concrete Pavement Business Systems and Economics. 

12. Advanced Concrete Pavement Materials. 

The first nine tracks are time phased. The research will be conducted sequentially, and at the end 

of the track, a final goal (e.g., a fully functional product or products) will have been achieved. 

The last three tracks are not time sensitive. 

The problem statements in each track have been organized into subtracks of specific areas of 

research. As described in the research management plan (chapter 8), each track will be managed 

by a track team leader or team leaders with a technical working group. Each track includes its 

own budget, begins with a framing study in which the work is planned in more detail, and 

includes specific implementation activities. 

The various tracks are integrated in strategic areas. For example, reducing mix performance 

variability (track 1) will require equipment advances (track 5). Validating and calibrating mix 

design models (track 1) will require enhanced data (track 9). Constructing long life pavements 

(track 8) will require new mix and structural design techniques (tracks 1, 2, and 3). 

 1 See volume II of this report for a detailed description of the CP Road Map and its tracks, subtracks, problem statements, timelines, and budgets. 

27 
Three important research topics included in these tracks, but not immediately perceivable, are: 

1. Concrete pavement foundation and drainage. 

2. Concrete pavement maintenance and rehabilitation. 

3. Environmental concrete pavement advancements. 

These are described in chapter 8 of this report under “Cross-Referenced Database Tables.” 

PROBLEM STATEMENTS 

Each problem statement clearly defines the tasks that must be performed to produce a desired 

product or achieve a desired objective. Because this CP Road Map was not developed for a 

single budget or funding source, or with a particular client in mind, it was not possible to put this 

into a format ready for bid. 

Developing detailed research statements may take six to eight experts 18 hours to develop, 

resulting in more than 100 person-hours of time and experience per statement. 

It should be noted that many of the problem statements identify products that are self-standing 

and usable. It is not necessary to complete the entire track to obtain useful and important outputs. 

RESEARCH PRIORITIES 

Emphasizing any particular track could be at the expense of other equally critical ones. The 12 

research tracks were divided into type 1 and type 2 tracks, however, to help communicate a 

general sense of priorities identified by stakeholders. 

Type 1 tracks focus on systemwide quality control and pavement surface characteristics. 

Participants at the brainstorming events overwhelmingly supported the importance of integrating 

mix design, structural design, and construction control for enhanced pavement performance. The 

innovative 2002 Guide for Design of New and Rehabilitated Pavement Structures developed by 

NCHRP has prompted pavement engineers to think about pavement performance in a new 

way.(7) The top three tracks of the CP Road Map, therefore, will help lead the way to a new 

generation of concrete pavement solutions with systemwide quality control processes that ensure 

pavement performance. Because of the clearly emerging importance of pavement surface 

characteristics, based on interest in the concrete pavement industry and pressure from the 

traveling public, the surface characteristics track was included in the type 1 group. 

The tracks are categorized as follows: 

Type 1 Tracks 

1. Performance-Based Concrete Pavement Mix Design System. 

2. Performance-Based Design Guide for New and Rehabilitated Concrete Pavements. 

3. High-Speed Nondestructive Testing and Intelligent Construction Systems. 

4. Optimized Surface Characteristics for Safe, Quiet, and Smooth Concrete Pavements. 

28 
Type 2 Tracks 

5. Concrete Pavement Equipment Automation and Advancements. 

6. Innovative Concrete Pavement Joint Design, Materials, and Construction. 

7. High-Speed Concrete Pavement Rehabilitation and Construction. 

8. Long Life Concrete Pavements. 

9. Concrete Pavement Accelerated and Long-Term Data Collection. 

10. Concrete Pavement Performance. 

11. Concrete Pavement Business Systems and Economics. 

12. Advanced Concrete Pavement Materials. 

ESTIMATED BUDGET 

Table 1 provides an estimated budget per track in millions of dollars for a period of 7–10 years. 

Table 1. Estimated budget. 

Track Estimated Cost* 

(Millions) 

1. Performance-Based Concrete Pavement Mix Design System $29.80–$67.80

2. Performance-Based Design Guide for New and Rehabilitated 

Concrete Pavements 

$40.50–$59.60

3. High-Speed Nondestructive Testing and Intelligent Construction 

Systems 

$19.60–$41.10

4. Optimized Surface Characteristics for Safe, Quiet, and Smooth 

Concrete Pavements 

$25.40–$54.25

5. Concrete Pavement Equipment Automation and Advancements $25.65–$56.15

6. Innovative Concrete Pavement Joint Design, Materials, and 

Construction 

$10.00–$15.30

7. High-Speed Concrete Pavement Rehabilitation and Construction $10.30–$20.30

8. Long Life Concrete Pavements $10.50–$16.60

9. Concrete Pavement Accelerated and Long-Term Data Collection $9.75–$15.50

10. Concrete Pavement Performance $2.70–$4.15

11. Concrete Pavement Business Systems and Economics $21.15–$31.20

12. Advanced Concrete Pavement Materials $11.45–$23.25

All Tracks

Total $216.80–$405.20

*All numbers are rounded.

29 
TRACK HIGHLIGHTS 

Type 1 Tracks 

These first four tracks require considerable integration across track lines. The modeling 

developed in one track invariably will be used in at least two other tracks to ensure proper 

analysis of performance. 

Track 1. Performance-Based Concrete Pavement Mix Design System 

Subtracks

1. PCC Mix Design System Development and Integration. 

2. PCC Mix Design Laboratory Testing and Equipment. 

3. PCC Mix Design Modeling. 

4. PCC Mix Design Evaluation and Implementation. 

This track will develop a practical yet innovative concrete mix design procedure with new 

equipment, consensus target values, common laboratory procedures, and full integration into 

both structural design and field quality control. As opposed to mix proportioning, mix design 

engineers a concrete mixture to meet a variety of property or performance targets. The process 

begins with the definition of the end product, and the various materials are then selected, 

proportioned, simulated, and optimized to meet the end-product goals. This track will develop 

mix design rather than mix proportioning. Figure 2 contains an illustration of a lab for 

developing advanced mixture designs. 

Figure 2. Advanced labs for advanced mixture designs. 

This ambitious track also lays the groundwork for the concrete paving industry to assume more 

mix design responsibility as State highway agencies move from method specification to a more 

advanced acceptance tool. To do this, however, the concrete paving industry and the owner 

agencies must be able to refer to a single document for state-of-the-art mix design. 

30 
The track provides a plan for research in the following areas: 

• Integration of volumetric-based, property-based, performance-based, and functionally based 

mix designs and recycled materials into the mix design system. 

• Identification of new and upgraded equipment and test procedures. 

• Development of an expert system that connects test results to each other. 

• Improved models to predict slab performance. 

• Field evaluation and implementation procedures that provide a mechanism for user feedback. 

• Technology transfer activities. 

Track Goal

Innovative concrete mix material selections and mix design procedures will produce economical, 

compatible, and optimized concrete mixes integrated into both structural concrete pavement 

design and construction control. 

Track Action Items

1. Develop a concrete lab of the future that will give the user a sequence of mix design tests and 

procedures that integrate structural design and quality control with material selection and 

proportioning. 

2. Develop the tools necessary to predict the compatibility and effectiveness of concrete mixes 

under specific field conditions before paving begins. 

3. Detect potential construction problems early and correct them quickly by using innovative 

quality control tools. 

4. Detect potential long-term durability problems more effectively during both the mix design 

process and the construction quality control program. 

5. Improve the ability to predict concrete mix properties and their relationship to slab behavior 

and performance (e.g., shrinkage, joint opening, and curing) using the next generation of 

advanced modeling techniques. 

6. Identify and use innovative, nontraditional materials that accelerate concrete pavement 

construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation and/or extend product life at a fair cost. 

Track 2. Performance-Based Design Guide for New and Rehabilitated Concrete Pavements 

Subtracks

1. Design Guide Structural Models. 

2. Design Guide Inputs, Performance Models, and Reliability. 

3. Special Design and Rehabilitation Issues. 

4. Improved Mechanistic Design Procedures. 

5. Design Guide Implementation. 

Under this track, the concrete pavement research community will attempt to develop a 

mechanistic approach to pavement restoration and preservation strategies. This track builds on 

the excellent comprehensive work done under NCHRP 1–37A (development of the MechanisticEmpirical Pavement Design Guide).(8) The problem statements will continuously improve the 

31 
models, designs, rehabilitation efforts, and all aspects of the work done under NCHRP 1–37A. 

This track relies on a detailed understanding of the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design 

Guide, committing researchers to the power of modeling and predictions. However, the CP Road 

Map also identifies the need for simplified mix design procedures for cities and counties, as well 

as a design catalog approach. Because many materials properties are important to design success, 

it is critical that the research conducted under this track be closely coordinated with that done in 

track 1 (Performance-Based Concrete Pavement Mix Design System). Figure 3 demonstrates 

advanced models for performance-based design. 

Figure 3. Advanced models for performance-based design. 

Empirical approaches to concrete pavement design are effective when the conditions remain 

nearly the same, the focus is on structural design, and the attention is not on understanding and 

managing distress or failure modes. The pavement design practice of today is primarily 

empirical, though the state-of-the-practice is moving toward mechanistic approaches. The 

primary source of much of today’s pavement design is still the American Association of State 

Highway Officials (AASHO) road test of the 1950s. This one subgrade, one base, one climate, 

limited traffic design guide was created using better-than-normal construction practices. Data 

analysis techniques were also fairly basic and the incorporation of reliability was insufficiently 

understood. Moreover, the AASHO road test did not incorporate many of the concepts and 

products used in concrete pavement practice today, including concrete overlays, permeable 

bases, different cements, dowel bar retrofits, and other necessary repairs. 

The state-of-the-practice today is moving rapidly toward M-E approaches, particularly with the 

release of the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide and the expressed interest of many 

States. These M-E approaches will allow the designer to account for new design features and 

characteristics, many materials properties, changing traffic characteristics, and differing 

construction procedures (such as curing and day/night construction). The designer also can now 

consider additional design features and focus more on pavement performance, including limiting 

key distress types. 

32 
In continuing this work, this track not only looks to the next generation of modeling 

improvements, but also seriously considers the integration of design with materials, construction, 

presentation, and surface characteristics. This track also explores the development of new highspeed computer analysis tools for optimizing pavement design that can address changes to 

multiple inputs and thus offer better data on potential life cycle costs and reliability. 

Track Goal

Mechanistic-based concrete pavement designs will be reliable, economical, constructible, and 

maintainable throughout their design life and meet or exceed the multiple needs of the traveling 

public, taxpayers, and the owning highway agencies. The advanced technology developed under 

this track will increase concrete pavement reliability and durability (with fewer early failures and 

lane closures) and help develop cost effective pavement design and rehabilitation. 

Track Action Items

1. Develop viable (e.g., reliable, economical, constructible, and maintainable) concrete 

pavement options for all classes of streets, low-volume roads, highways, and special 

applications. 

2. Improve concrete pavement design reliability, enhance design features, reduce life cycle 

costs, and reduce lane closures over the design life by maximizing the use of fundamental 

engineering principles through mechanistic relationships. 

3. Integrate pavement designs with materials, construction, traffic loading, climate, preservation 

treatments, rehabilitation, and performance requirements to produce reliable, economical, 

and functional (noise, spray, aesthetics, friction, texture, illumination) designs. 

4. Integrate traditional structural pavement design with materials, construction, traffic loading, 

climate, preservation treatments, rehabilitation, and performance inputs that will produce 

reliable, economical, and functional (noise, spray, aesthetics, friction, texture, illumination) 

designs. 

5. Design preservation and rehabilitation treatments and strategies using mechanistic-based 

procedures that use in-place materials from the pavement structure to minimize life cycle 

costs and construction and maintenance lane closures. 

6. Develop and evaluate new and innovative concrete pavement designs for specific needs (e.g., 

high traffic, residential traffic, parkways). 

Track 3. High-Speed Nondestructive Testing and Intelligent Construction Systems 

Subtracks

1. Field Control. 

2. Nondestructive Testing Methods. 

3. Nondestructive Testing and Intelligent Control System Evaluation and Implementation. 

The research community has studied various nondestructive testing (NDT) technologies for 

nearly 20 years. While this technology is beginning to impact pavement management equipment 

and some hand-held test equipment in construction technology, NDT technology has not been 

applied extensively to concrete paving. The advancing technology could benefit both the 

33 
construction and inspection teams in several key ways. Figure 4 shows several examples of 

advancing technologies. 

Figure 4. Technologies for monitoring pavement data and making real-time adjustments during 

construction. 

The equipment industry faces both a technical challenge and the challenge of investing in a 

methodology without being certain of a market. Establishing a working group that properly 

frames the issues, agrees on the technologies, and prioritizes the work efforts is critical for 

overcoming this investment challenge. 

Both industry and government will benefit from NDT by reducing reliance on slow and 

sometimes poorly managed small-sample testing programs. NDT technology can also be 

incorporated into an intelligent construction system (ICS) that automatically adjusts the paving 

process while informing contractors and inspectors of changes and/or deficiencies in 

construction. Continuous and real-time sampling will be configured to detect changes to the 

approved mix design and the preprogrammed line and grade values. NDT technology will also 

allow industry and government to use the data collected for long-term pavement management 

and evaluation. In this regard, track 3 has significant links to track 10 (concrete pavement 

performance). 

The NDT/ICS methods developed in this track can measure the following properties that impact 

concrete pavement durability and performance: 

• Pavement depth. 

• Horizontal and vertical slab alignment. 

• Subgrade support and variability. 

• Steel location (dowels and tie bars). 

• Concrete strength through the slab. 

• Concrete temperature through the slab. 

34 
• Moisture loss. 

• Smoothness. 

• Tire/pavement noise potential. 

• Air. 

Many problem statements in this track relate to track 1 (Performance-Based Concrete Pavement 

Mix Design System) and track 2 (Performance-Based Design Guide for New and Rehabilitated 

Concrete Pavements). Software standards will also ensure that the public can link to any 

software that the private sector produces. 

Finally, human factors are critical for both researching and implementing this track. Pavement 

engineers, materials testers, and contractors need to understand NDT fundamentals to avoid the 

black box syndrome—that is, trying to get a technology to do something that they do not 

understand in principle. 

Track Goal

High-speed nondestructive quality control can continuously monitor pavement properties during 

construction to provide rapid feedback. As a result, adjustments made immediately can ensure a 

high-quality finished product that meets performance specifications. 

Track Action Items

1. Perform NDT quality control tests and procedures that use continuous and real-time sampling 

to monitor performance-related concrete mix properties and reduce the number of human 

inspectors. 

2. Improve construction operations by providing continuous and rapid feedback to make 

changes as immediately during the process. 

3. Integrate data collection with materials management and pavement management systems to 

solve future problems and evaluate performance. 

Track 4. Optimized Surface Characteristics for Safe, Quiet, and Smooth Concrete Pavements 

Subtracks

1. Concrete Pavement Texture and Friction. 

2. Concrete Pavement Smoothness. 

3. Tire-Pavement Noise. 

4. Other Concrete Pavement Surface Characteristics. 

5. Integration of Concrete Pavement Surface Characteristics. 

6. Evaluation of Products for Concrete Pavement Surface Characteristics. 

7. Concrete Pavement Surface Characteristics Implementation. 

FHWA and State highway agencies have learned from sophisticated opinion polling that 

American drivers value the quality of their ride experience. Over the past 2 decades, concrete 

pavement engineers have focused on improving pavement smoothness without jeopardizing 

surface friction or surface drainage characteristics. This difficult but important balancing act has 

35 
led to advancements in smoothness indices, longitudinal tining, and measurement equipment, to 

name a few. However, the relationship between surface texture and surface characteristics, as 

well as concrete pavement performance, has not yet developed fully. While smoother concrete 

pavements are being constructed, the relationships between texture, noise, splash and spray, and 

friction require further study before widely accepted solutions become available. Figure 5 

illustrates an optimized pavement surface. 

Figure 5. Optimized pavement surfaces for a safe, quiet, and smooth ride. 

In some areas of the United States, drivers and residents have demanded a quieter ride and a 

quieter living experience. These demands often eliminate concrete pavement as a construction 

option, and in some cases have even led to the overlay of recently constructed concrete 

pavements. In the Phoenix, AZ, metropolitan area, for example, concrete pavements that have a 

harsh transverse texture make up nearly all of the freeway system. Because of noise complaints, 

these pavements are now being overlaid with an open-graded asphalt rubber wearing course. 

While this may seem radical to some, the approach is not new. Noise has been a major problem 

in some of the most densely populated areas of Europe for more than a decade. As a result, it has 

impeded concrete pavement construction there. 

Most European nations now place thin asphalt-based wearing courses over their concrete 

pavements immediately after construction. However, some concrete surfacing solutions have 

been used successfully. These include thin, open-graded (porous) concrete wearing surfaces as 

well as exposed aggregate surfaces. Textures including fine longitudinal burlap drag and 

diamond grinding also are used to reduce noise. 

To address noise impacts to highway abutters, FHWA regulations currently dictate the noise 

mitigation efforts required, if any, for new or expanded highway facilities. To date, these 

regulations have resulted in questions about whether noise walls are necessary, and if so, what 

their design should be. At the same time, automobile and tire makers have developed designs 

that meet more stringent friction (braking) demands, while at the same time reducing interior 

36 
noise. The time is quickly approaching, however, when pavement changes will be needed to help 

reduce noise, and concrete pavement engineers will need to find innovative materials and 

optimize pavement textures. 

To meet this responsibility, the concrete pavement engineer must balance smoothness, friction, 

surface drainage, splash and spray, and noise to develop economical and long-lasting solutions 

for concrete pavement surfaces. Any long-term solution must include research and 

experimentation that examines the integration of these elements into an array of viable 

incremental solutions. One consideration is developing standardized noise measurement and 

analysis techniques. Pavement engineers must also better understand fundamental engineering 

properties to assess noise, friction, and smoothness, isolating better texturing options and 

tailoring solutions to location, traffic, and renewal requirements. Pavement engineers must 

understand the functional and structural performance of various solutions over time, as the data 

from many studies are sufficient to examine the relationships between noise and the other surface 

characteristics, including pavement durability. 

The issues that must be explored include developing various standardized measurement 

techniques, understanding the tire-pavement interaction with various texturing options, 

predicting the life expectancy of any solution, and identifying possible repair and rehabilitation 

strategies for these pavements. Moreover, if noise criteria are ever imposed as design-build 

criteria, integration with national noise mitigation standards must be considered, and rational and 

achievable construction specification language must be developed. 

Track Goal

A better understanding of concrete pavement surface characteristics will provide the traveling 

public with concrete pavement surfaces that meet or exceed predetermined requirements for 

friction/safety, tire-pavement noise, smoothness, splash and spray, light reflection, rolling 

resistance, and durability (longevity). 

Track Action Items

1. Develop reliable, economical, constructible, and maintainable concrete pavement surface 

characteristics that meet or exceed highway user requirements for all classes of streets, lowvolume roads, highways, and special applications. 

2. Develop, field test, and validate concrete pavement designs and construction methods that 

produce consistent surface characteristics that meet or exceed highway user requirements for 

friction/safety, tire-pavement noise, smoothness, splash and spray, light reflection, rolling 

resistance, and durability (longevity). 

3. Define the relationship between wet weather accident rates, pavement texture, and friction 

demand levels. 

4. Determine the design materials and construction methods that produce different levels of 

short- and long-term surface microtexture, macrotexture, megatexture, and unevenness. 

5. Determine the relationship between pavement texture levels (microtexture, macrotexture, 

megatexture, and unevenness) and surface characteristic performance levels (friction, noise, 

smoothness, splash and spray, rolling resistance, and light reflectivity). 

37 
6. Evaluate and develop high-speed, continuous measurement equipment and procedures for 

measuring texture, friction, noise, smoothness, splash and spray, rolling resistance, and other 

key surface characteristics. 

7. Develop design and construction guidelines for concrete pavement surface characteristics, 

protocols, guide specifications, and associated technology transfer products. 

Type 2 Tracks 

Type 2 tracks focus on diverse advancements, from equipment to construction processes to 

business and management systems. 

Track 5. Concrete Pavement Equipment Automation and Advancements 

Subtracks

1. Concrete Batching and Mixing Equipment. 

2. Concrete Placement Equipment. 

3. Concrete Pavement Curing, Texturing, and Jointing Equipment. 

4. Concrete Pavement Foundation Equipment. 

5. Concrete Pavement Reconstruction Equipment. 

6. Concrete Pavement Restoration Equipment. 

7. Advanced Equipment Evaluation and Implementation. 

Figure 6 illustrates several equipment and technology advancements. 

Figure 6. Equipment and technology advancements. 

The problem statements in this track propose process improvements and equipment 

developments for high-speed, high-quality concrete paving equipment. Research on technologies 

like those listed below is needed to meet the concrete paving industry’s projected needs and the 

traveling public’s expectations for highway performance in the future: 

38 
• Next generation of concrete batching equipment. 

• Next generation of concrete placement equipment that addressed new construction processes. 

• Behind-the-paver equipment to improve quality, speed, and cost-effectiveness. 

• Mechanized ways to place and control subdrains and other foundation elements. 

• Next generation of equipment that will integrate the removal/replacement of the slab in onepass construction. 

• Improved repair processes that decrease the time of operations and expose the workforce and 

traveling public to less construction. 

• Methods for evaluating the new equipment on actual construction projects. 

Efforts in the area of equipment automation and advancements will require collaborative 

partnerships between equipment manufacturers, contractors, and State highway agencies. After 

equipment concepts have been established, it is hoped that contractors and industry will be 

willing to invest in the development of new equipment. Involving contractors and industry from 

the start is essential for ensuring the equipment is practical for actual implementation. This 

private funding also will help to deploy the new equipment into everyday practice much faster 

than if development and implementation costs were carried solely by the government. 

Stringless, global positioning system (GPS) control of slipform paving equipment is just one 

example of many pioneering technologies that, if further developed and tested, could provide 

greater efficiency, lower costs, and increased performance for the concrete paving industry. 

Track Goal

Concrete paving process improvements and equipment advancements will expedite and automate 

PCC pavement rehabilitation and construction, resulting in high-quality concrete pavements, 

reduced waste, and safer working environments. 

Track Action Items

1. Develop batching equipment that will produce better quality concrete mixes by optimizing 

the materials used and allowing for rapid adjustment of mix proportions. 

2. Improve paving techniques and equipment to produce higher quality concrete pavements, 

while optimizing material usage and reducing construction time and processes. 

3. Improve techniques for curing, texturing, and jointing concrete pavements, while allowing 

pavements to be opened to traffic more quickly. 

4. Improve equipment and techniques for expedited subbase stabilization and subdrain 

installation. 

5. Develop equipment for rapid in-place reconstruction of concrete pavements using 

existing/recycled materials. 

6. Improve and automate techniques and equipment for rapid concrete pavement restoration. 

7. Introduce contractors and owner agencies to new advanced equipment and provide assistance 

for purchasing such equipment. 

39 
Track 6. Innovative Concrete Pavement Joint Design, Materials, and Construction 

Subtracks

1. Joint Design Innovations. 

2. Joint Materials, Construction, Evaluation, and Rehabilitation Innovations. 

3. Innovative Joints Implementation. 

Concrete has a propensity to crack. Because controlling cracks is essential for pavement 

performance, joints are an important feature of concrete paving. As the FHWA Technical 

Advisory on Concrete Pavement Joints (T 5040. 30) explains, “The performance of concrete 

pavements depends to a large extent upon the satisfactory performance of the joints. Most jointed 

concrete pavement failures can be attributed to failures at the joint, as opposed to inadequate 

structural capacity.” (p. 1)(9)

Ideal joints must be relatively easy to install and repair, consolidate around the steel, provide 

adequate load transfer, seal the joint or provide for water migration, resist corrosion, open and 

close freely in temperature changes, enhance smoothness and low noise, and be aesthetically 

pleasing. Figure 7 contains a graphic interpretation of the goal in developing these techniques. 

Joint failure can result in faulting, pumping, spalling, corner breaks, blowups, and transverse 

cracking (if lockup occurs). 

Figure 7. Breakthrough techniques for designing and rehabilitating joints. 

The problem statements in this track address new and innovative joint design, materials, 

construction, and maintenance activities. There is much room in this research for innovative 

concrete pavement joint design, such as in research addressing the coefficient of thermal 

expansion and shrinkage issues. Additional incremental improvements to joint design, such as tie 

bar design for longitudinal joints, are addressed under track 2 (Performance-Based Design Guide 

for New and Rehabilitated Concrete Pavements). Much of the proposed research in this track 

40 
will develop important improvements, though the track also specifies research that will help 

develop breakthrough technologies. The problem statements also recognize that future joint 

repair will proceed quickly, and they propose research for accomplishing faster joint repair. 

Here are a few of the concepts that will be investigated: 

• Private and public sector knowledge and experience will be used to identify ways to enhance 

jointed pavements. 

• Many jointed concrete pavements that have lasted many years without dowels will require 

retrofitting with dowels to control faulting. Techniques will be explored. 

• Doweled joints will be designed to last 60 years in relatively heavy traffic. 

• Continuously reinforced concrete pavements will solve the problem of joint lifespan by 

eliminating the joints entirely. 

• Joints for concrete overlays (20-year-and-less performance life) have not been studied 

sufficiently. The cost of a doweled joint in thin pavement can be exceptionally high for the 

life expectancy. Research in this track will develop a scaled-down but fully functional joint 

for this product, with owners specifying a less robust but fully functional joint for the shorter 

design period. 

Track Goal

This track will identify, develop, and test new and innovative joint concepts for concrete 

pavements that are more cost effective, reliable, and durable than current alternatives. 

Track Action Items

1. Identify new and innovative alternatives to handling the forming, opening/closing, load 

transfer, and sealing for transverse and longitudinal concrete pavement joints. 

2. Identify criteria for the design, materials, and construction of exceptionally long-lasting 

joints (e.g., more than 50 years). Also see track 8 (Long Life Concrete Pavements). 

3. Determine optimum joint design for concrete overlays. 

4. Determine optimum joint design for low-volume, long life pavements. 

5. Develop an advanced, high-speed computational model for joint condition analysis that can 

joint improve design, materials, and construction. 

6. Develop fully and field test to determine the cost-effectiveness, reliability, and durability of 

promising new and innovative joint designs. 

7. Develop and validate rapid methodology for evaluating existing joint conditions so that joints 

can be preserved and repaired. 

Track 7. High-Speed Concrete Pavement Rehabilitation and Construction 

Subtracks

1. Rehabilitation and Construction Planning and Simulation. 

2. Precast and Modular Concrete Pavements. 

3. Fast-Track Concrete Pavements. 

4. Rehabilitation and Construction Evaluation and Implementation. 

41 
For nearly 15 years, the concrete pavement industry has confronted both facts and perceptions 

about concrete pavement construction under high-speed traffic conditions. While the industry’s 

record is generally positive, perceptions still determine concrete use in many situations. The 

traffic growth data presented in chapter 1 show that, despite the gains made in the past decade, 

many more miles of pavement will be subject to high-speed rehabilitation and construction 

conditions. 

The next generation of construction and rehabilitation tools combines the software and hardware 

required to simulate system design and predict problems that might surface during high-speed 

construction. High-speed computer simulation can troubleshoot a pavement’s response to 

environmental changes as well. Effective construction management, however, remains critical 

for meeting the goals and objectives of this track. 

Future high-speed construction challenges the industry to move away from slipform paving and 

identify ways to make precast construction a more viable alternative. Precast modular 

construction might not only replace ultra-high-speed construction but also improve product 

quality and extend the paving system. Figure 8 illustrates an example of modular construction. 

Figure 8. Modular construction: one of many potential high-speed rehabilitation techniques. 

Research in this track will include the following areas: 

• Planning and simulation for high-speed construction and rehabilitation. 

• Precast and modular options for concrete pavements. 

• Fast-track concrete pavement construction and rehabilitation. 

• Evaluation and technology transfer of high-speed construction and rehabilitation products 

and processes developed through research. 

42 
Some high-speed construction issues are also investigated in other research tracks, and those 

efforts will be closely coordinated with those in this track. For example, track 1 (PerformanceBased Concrete Pavement Mix Design System) and track 3 (High-Speed Nondestructive Testing 

and Intelligent Construction Systems) contain many elements required in a high-speed option. 

Track Goal

This track will explore new and existing products and technologies that facilitate high-speed 

rehabilitation and construction of PCC pavements. 

Track Action Items

1. Develop planning and simulation tools that allow contractors, designers, and owner agencies 

to identify potential problems before construction begins and select the most efficient 

processes. 

2. Explore and refine precast and modular pavement technology for new construction, 

rehabilitation, and maintenance. 

3. Refine fast-track construction technologies and techniques and synthesize them into best 

practice guidelines for contractors, designers, and owner agencies. 

4. Provide the means for all contractors, designers, and owner agencies to learn about new highspeed construction and rehabilitation products and technologies. 

Track 8. Long Life Concrete Pavements 

Subtracks

1. Pavement Strategy for Long Life Concrete Pavements. 

2. Construction and Materials for Long Life Concrete Pavements and Overlays. 

3. Long Life Concrete Pavement Implementation. 

Long life pavements are needed to handle the congestion and traffic loading that the pavements 

will experience in their lifetime. To meet a 30-year calendar design life, a pavement built in 2005 

may need 70 to 100 percent more axle loads per mile than a similar pavement built in 1995. But 

rather than simply building pavements to handle axle loading, pavement design must address 

what the public sees—the time between repairs. Figure 9 illustrates this concept. 

43 
Figure 9. Pavements that perform well for 60 years or more. 

The following research areas needed to design and build long life pavements are developed in 

this track: 

• Definition of long life concrete pavements (including various warrants for longer life, noting 

that low-volume roadways must be included in this definition and analysis); identification of 

long life concrete pavement types, design features, foundations, rehabilitation/maintenance 

strategies, and design requirements. 

• A design catalog for long life concrete pavements (thickness should not be a parameter 

included in this catalog, as thickness requires indepth analyses, but all other details of 

concrete pavement design that affect long life performance are important). 

• Identification of material requirements and tests for long life concrete pavements. 

• Strategic application of preservation treatments to preserve long life concrete pavement. 

• Quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) testing standards to ensure long life concrete 

pavements. 

• Evaluation of experimental long life concrete pavements. 

• Evaluation of concrete overlays for long life designs. 

The research in this track will be coordinated closely with related research integrated across the 

strategic road map. For example, other research tracks propose the following advancements to 

achieve long life pavements: 

• Performance-related specifications and advanced contracting techniques. 

• Understanding and controlling construction variability. 

• Advanced quality control tools. 

• Advanced life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) procedures. 

44 
This track addresses the operational conditions in which pavement performance is defined. For 

example, a 60-year pavement could be designed in several ways that determine its maintenance 

schedule: 

• No maintenance with total reconstruction at the end of the pavement life. 

• Periodic maintenance at 25 years and then at every 5 years thereafter, including surface 

characteristics maintenance, early foundation repairs, and potential drainage issues. 

• Staged construction, in which a 60-year foundation is built and the slab is carpeted with a 

thin surfacing that can be renewed periodically to maintain surface characteristic 

performance requirements. 

• Staged construction, in which a 60-year foundation is built, but with a wraparound concrete 

overlay to handle loads on the existing pavement and allow for new pavement for lane 

increases. 

Each of these options can be used in locations that experience light-to-moderate truck traffic 

today but anticipate long-term growth. However, it is not clear whether the time between fixes 

for pavements that are already heavily loaded can be extended beyond 25 years. 

Track Goal

The problem statements in this track will identify both conventional and innovative pavement 

types, design features, foundations, materials, construction QC/QA, and preservation treatments 

that will reliably provide long service life (e.g., more than 40 years). 

Track Action Items

1. Develop clear and detailed definitions of long life pavements, including information about 

warrants, required maintenance, a range of low- to high-traffic roadways, and other 

information. 

2. Identify pavement strategies (design, foundation, restoration, and rehabilitation) for long life. 

3. Identify design and foundation features that are likely to result in long life concrete 

pavements. 

4. Identify restoration treatments for preserving long life concrete pavements. 

5. Identify concrete and other material tests and requirements for long life pavements. 

6. Identify QC/QA procedures that will ensure quality long life pavement construction. 

7. Construct test highways of the most promising concrete pavement types that include design 

features, foundations, materials, construction QC/QA, and preservation treatments that will 

ensure long life concrete pavements. 

Track 9. Concrete Pavement Accelerated and Long-Term Data Collection 

Subtracks

1. Planning and Design of Accelerated Loading and Long-Term Data Collection. 

2. Preparation of Data Collection/Testing Procedures and Construction of Test Road. 

3. Accelerated Loading and Long-Term Data Collection Implementation. 

45 
Accelerated testing facilities (ATF) provide valuable performance data that allow engineers to 

improve current procedures and advance the state of the art. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, 

many new accelerated testing programs with ATFs were installed. ATFs encourage innovation 

by eliminating the fear of failure associated with full-scale road testing, since ATFs can test 

innovations without the possibility of disastrous consequences that might occur on a real 

highway. ATFs also provide small-scale evaluation of full-scale designs to identify limitations 

and speed up the implementation of design improvements. At least 24 ATFs currently operate in 

the United States. Figure 10 conceptually represents such an ATF. 

Figure 10. Accelerated loading and data collection to improve models and systems. 

Test roads and data collection methods can be developed and expanded further. Additional data 

are needed for new materials, new test sections, model validation and calibration, innovative 

joint designs, and surface characteristics advancements. These data can contribute to many of the 

research tracks in the CP Road Map, which depend on quality data for validation or calibration 

and require experimental installations or access to long-term data. 

This track provides the infrastructure for a future national program that will plan accelerated 

loading and long-term data needs, construct test sections, and collect and share data. The 

problem statements in this track will explore areas that will yield useful data and determine the 

amount of time needed to get it. Additionally, this track will research accelerated durability 

testing for concrete pavement materials and design. 

The problem statements in this track will address: 

• Identification of accelerated and long-term data needs. 

• Planning and design of accelerated loading and long-term data collection. 

• Accelerated and long-term data management and distribution. 

46 
• Development of a master plan for conducting accelerated product testing and full-scale road 

experiments. 

• Development of experimental designs and a data collection and performance monitoring plan 

for accelerated loading and durability testing facilities and full-scale products testing. 

• Preparation of data collection and testing procedures. 

• Construction of accelerated loading sections and test road sections. 

Track Goal

The research in this track will collect, manage, and analyze concrete pavement performance data 

that will support the CP Road Map. 

Track Action Items

1. Identify performance data needs for calibrating and validating performance models for 

jointed plain concrete, continuously reinforced concrete pavements, and other types of 

concrete pavements. 

2. Develop an ATF and full-scale test road program for collecting materials, design, traffic, 

climate, and performance data from existing and future experimental pavements. 

3. Establish reliable experimental testing programs along with testing protocols for ATF and 

test road programs that include durability testing for materials and design. 

4. Collect and analyze relevant test database programs that support the CP Road Map. 

Track 10. Concrete Pavement Performance 

Subtracks

1. Technologies for Determining Concrete Pavement Performance. 

2. Guidelines and Protocols for Concrete Pavement Performance. 

This track addresses key elements of the pavement management and asset management system. 

This system determines whether the sum of all the work done meets the required and desired 

concrete pavement performance characteristics for highway agencies and users. 

In the past, concrete pavement performance requirements have focused on serviceability (i.e., 

ride quality) and friction. However, performance indicators, such as tire-pavement noise, tire 

spray, hydroplane potential resulting from wheel path wear, light reflection, fuel economy, and 

the availability of open traffic lanes (i.e., those not closed for construction or maintenance), are 

now of much greater interest to highway agencies and users. Future concrete pavement designs 

will be expected to provide for all of these functional performance indicators to produce surfaces 

and structures that meet the needs of highway agencies and users. 

Structural and functional pavement performance is the output from all of the design, materials, 

and construction processes and can thus be predicted using mathematical and computer models 

that systematically analyze data to predict pavement performance. 

47 
Monitoring concrete pavement performance indicators using pavement management systems will 

be crucial to highway agencies. Developing a performance feedback loop to provide continuous 

condition reports will allow prompt improvements to existing pavements that fall short of user 

needs. Continuously monitoring pavement performance will also help improve concrete 

pavement design procedures (particularly functional considerations related to surface 

characteristics), construction standards and specifications, and rehabilitation techniques. 

The research in this track will determine and address the functional aspects of concrete pavement 

performance, particularly factors such as tire-pavement noise, friction, smoothness, and others. 

Research will also provide rapid concrete pavement performance feedback and consider ways to 

schedule surface characteristics and conditions improvements. Developing feedback loops in 

highway agencies’ pavement management systems will be crucial to monitor performance 

effectively and rapidly and suggest improvements that minimize lane closures. Figure 11 

illustrates this comprehensive process. 

Track Goal

The research in this track will provide the traveling public with excellent concrete pavement 

surface characteristics and minimal lane closures for maintenance or rehabilitation over the 

design life. 

Figure 11. Systemwide data collection and analysis to support long-term performance. 

Track Action Items

1. Develop ways to collect real-time data on concrete pavement conditions, including surface 

characteristics (friction, noise, distress, smoothness, others), climate parameters (temperature 

and moisture), traffic loading, moisture sensors beneath the slab, and structural factors using 

a combination of embedded electronics, high-speed assessment equipment, traffic 

measurement devices, and performance prediction equations. 

48 
2. Determine concrete pavement condition using a new generation of equipment that addresses 

structural support, smoothness, friction, noise, moisture beneath the slab, drainage, and other 

factors. 

3. Loop concrete pavement performance data back to agency maintenance, planning, traffic, 

design, materials, and construction units using improved management systems. This 

feedback will allow the required concrete pavement surface and structural improvements to 

be scheduled cost effectively and the pavement technology to be improved quickly. 

4. Plan and schedule concrete pavement preservation and maintenance activities based on 

feedback condition and performance data to minimize lane closures and congestion. 

5. Optimize the volume, type, and flow characteristics of traffic through long-lasting traffic 

monitoring sensors embedded in the pavement. 

Track 11. Concrete Pavement Business Systems and Economics 

Subtracks

1. Concrete Pavement Research and Technology Management and Implementation. 

2. Concrete Pavement Economics and Life Cycle Costs. 

3. Contracting and Incentives for Concrete Pavement Work. 

4. Technology Transfer and Publications for Concrete Pavement Best Practices. 

5. Concrete Pavement Decisions with Environmental Impact. 

The problem statements in this track address business and economics issues in concrete paving. 

The research outlined here will quantify the value and benefits of concrete pavements and ensure 

that an adequate delivery mechanism is in place to supplement the low-bid system. This track, 

when implemented, will help clarify the relationship between concrete pavements and economic 

issues, capital availability, risk and risk transfer, and alternative contracting (see figure 12). 

Figure 12. Innovative business systems. 

49 
The research in this track will develop: 

• An administrative support group to provide professional management services for the CP 

Road Map Research Management Plan. 

• An innovative concrete pavement technology procurement program. 

• Methods for achieving sustainability with concrete pavements. 

• An improved understanding of the economic and systemic impacts of concrete pavement 

mix-of-fixes strategies for all levels of roadways, from low to very high traffic. 

• Advanced methods for concrete pavement LCCA that include user costs. 

• Optimized concrete pavement life cycle decisions. 

• Innovative contracting methods that consider performance-based maintenance and 

warranties. 

• The next generation of incentive-based concrete pavement construction specifications. 

• A concrete pavement best practices manual. 

• Accelerated technology transfer and rapid education programs for the future concrete paving 

workforce. 

• An analysis of and recommendations about specific concrete pavement decisions with 

environmental impacts. 

Track Goal

The research in this track will clarify the relationship between concrete pavements and economic 

issues, capital availability, risk and risk transfer, and alternative contracting. 

Track Action Items

1. Understand more clearly the economics of concrete pavements, fix alternatives, and the cost 

implications of engineering improvements as they relate to pavement performance. 

2. Determine the best combination of concrete pavement solutions (mix-of-fixes) that balances 

funds, traffic impact, and network efficiency. 

3. Develop an array of alternate contracting techniques that enhance the procurement of 

concrete pavements with a clear determination of risk between the owner and the contractor. 

4. Develop optimum technology transfer, training, and outreach for the entire concrete paving 

workforce that the new generation of efficient, targeted, high-quality, cross-disciplined, and 

available-on-demand pavements will require. 

Track 12. Advanced Concrete Pavement Materials 

Subtracks

1. Performance-Enhancing Concrete Pavement Materials. 

2. Construction-Enhancing Concrete Pavement Materials. 

3. Environment-Enhancing Concrete Pavement Materials. 

If the concrete pavement industry continues to use the same types of materials, the same 

problems and limitations will persist in concrete pavement applications. Fortunately, innovative 

50 
concrete paving materials are being developed continually to enhance performance, improve 

construction, and reduce waste (see figure 13). The problem statements in this track will develop 

new materials and refine or introduce existing advanced materials. Many existing materials that 

the problem statements study have been used thus far only on a small scale, such as in laboratory 

tests. Most existing materials have not been used in the United States, but have been used 

successfully in other countries. This track will bring new concrete paving materials into common 

practice by experimenting with them on a larger scale and developing standards and 

recommendations for their use. Moreover, this research will foster the development of new and 

innovative concrete pavement materials. 

Figure 13. Innovative concrete materials. 

The problem statements in this track are grouped into three subtracks: performance-enhancing, 

construction-enhancing, and environment-enhancing concrete pavement materials. Performanceenhancing materials will improve pavement durability and long-term performance, perhaps 

extending pavement life further than conventional materials. Construction-enhancing materials 

will improve the construction process by reducing material requirements, labor requirements, or 

construction time. Finally, environment-enhancing materials show promise not only by reducing 

waste through pavement reclamation, but also for reducing raw consumer and industrial waste. 

Clearly, many of these materials fit in more than one category. A material that improves the 

construction process, for example, may also improve pavement durability and performance. 

Likewise, a material that uses consumer waste may also improve pavement performance. 

The emphasis on environment-enhancing materials is significant. Not only are contractors and 

agencies paying heavily to dispose of reclaimed asphalt and concrete pavement, but other 

industries are looking for environmentally responsible ways to dispose of industrial and 

consumer waste to reduce the burden on landfills. Environmental concerns are expected to 

become more important in the next few decades as landfills fill quickly. 

51 
Track Goal

New materials will be evaluated and existing materials will be refined to improve concrete 

pavement performance, enhance construction, and lessen environmental impact. 

Track Action Items

1. Improve pavement durability and long-term performance to extend pavement life further than 

conventional materials. 

2. Improve the construction process by reducing material requirements, labor requirements, or 

construction time. 

3. Reduce waste through pavement reclamation. 

52 
CHAPTER 4. DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS 

PERFORMANCE-BASED PAVEMENT SYSTEMS 

Performance-based concrete pavement systems use sophisticated and objective QC/QA systems 

at every step of a pavement project to ensure the desired performance. Designing for 

performance is the first critical step. In subsequent phases of paving projects, performance is 

predicted during mix design to ensure, for example, materials compatibility, then measured 

regularly during and after mixing and construction to determine to what extent optimums were 

missed and adjustments are needed. 

Such systems require reliable, accurate performance-based prediction and measurement tools. 

They require tools for responding quickly to needed adjustments. They should be based on more 

and better history data. They should eliminate, to a significant degree, variabilities and 

inaccuracies due to human factors. 

Chapters 4 through 7 discuss the performance-related considerations related to design, mixture 

materials and design, construction, and pavement management and business systems that are 

addressed in the various tracks of the CP Road Map. 

Design is the plan and basis for pavement dimensions, joint and reinforcement details, materials 

selection, mix design, construction, maintenance, preservation, and rehabilitation. 

WHY IS THIS TOPIC IMPORTANT? 

If pavement design is deficient, the pavement owner will incur extra costs and motorists will 

experience more lane closures over many years to come, no matter how good the subsequent 

maintenance and upkeep activities are. 

Designers, owner agencies, and roadway users need better tools and innovative ideas for 

developing improved designs that are more reliable (have a better chance of serving their design 

lives without premature distress) and economical (provide good benefit-cost ratios for initial 

construction, preservation, and rehabilitation), as well as functional, constructible, and 

maintainable. That is, designs should be based on performance. 

The CP Road Map will provide tools for performance-based design. 

OVERALL DESIGN GOAL 

Concrete pavement designs will be performance-based; that is, reliable, economical, 

constructible, and maintainable throughout their design life while meeting or exceeding the 

multiple needs of the traveling public, taxpayers, and owning highway agencies. 

SPECIFIC DESIGN OBJECTIVES 

The overall design goal will be met through several specific objectives: 

53 
• Develop viable concrete pavement options for all classes of streets, low-volume roads, 

highways, and special applications. 

• Maximize the use of fundamental engineering principles through mechanistic relationships. 

• Integrate traditional structural pavement design with materials, construction, traffic loading, 

climate, geometrics, preservation treatments, rehabilitation, and performance inputs. 

• Design preservation and rehabilitation treatments and strategies using mechanistically based 

procedures that use in-place materials from the pavement structure. 

• Develop and evaluate new and innovative concrete pavement designs for specific needs (e.g., 

very high traffic, residential traffic, parkways, tunnels). 

RELATING DESIGN OBJECTIVES TO THE HIGHWAY USER 

These design objectives can be accomplished only if adequate mathematical and computer 

models exist to make it possible to relate all aspects of design—such as site conditions, design 

features, and economic analyses—to the functional needs of highway users to successfully 

develop performance-based, predictive designs. The CP Road Map provides resources to develop 

these prediction models. 

CRITICAL DESIGN ISSUES 

The following paragraphs discuss several design issues addressed throughout the research tracks. 

Models 

These design objectives can be accomplished only by creating adequate models that relate all 

aspects of design to the needs of highway users. For example, mathematical models already exist 

that relate site conditions (e.g., natural subgrade, traffic, climate, and existing pavement) to 

functional requirements (e.g., ride, friction, noise, and fatigue cracking). Of course, other factors 

like foundation (e.g., base, subbase, and subdrainage) and design features (e.g., shoulders, slab 

dimensions, and coefficient of expansion of concrete) also affect functional requirements. 

Mathematical models, therefore, should be available for those relationships. 

Understanding the Fundamentals of Concrete Pavement Response 

Ever since the first structural response equations were published in 1926 by H.M. Westergaard, 

interest in engineering-based design of concrete pavements has been intense, demonstrated most 

recently in the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide.

(13) Although significant progress 

has been made over the past 75 years in improving mechanistic modeling of pavement structural 

behavior and deterioration, many fundamental problems still need to be resolved. These 

problems include, but are not limited to: 

• Accurate prediction of structural responses (deflections and stresses) of PCC pavements and 

overlays under repeated dynamic loading. 

• The effect of bonding/slippage between the slab and base layers on structural responses (field 

measurements required) and how this develops over time. 

• Formation, behavior, and deterioration of PCC joints and cracks (including reinforced 

cracks). 

54 
• Prediction of base/subgrade erosion and pumping using tests and models. 

• Propagation and deterioration of reflection cracks in PCC pavements. 

• Interaction between structural distresses (cracking, pumping, and faulting) and materialrelated distresses (spalling, D-cracking, alkali-silica reaction). 

• True effect of temperature gradients, moisture gradients, and creep on slab structural 

responses. 

• Structural fatigue damage and cracking (of all types) of slabs subject to repeated heavy 

loadings. 

Better understanding of concrete pavement structural responses under a wide range of common 

structural and climatic conditions will lead to improved designs that will provide more reliable 

and economical solutions with lower risks of premature failure. 

Design Reliability 

Of the many variables to be considered when designing pavements to provide a particular level 

of service, design life is pivotal. Most concrete pavements constructed in the past half century 

have significantly outlived their intended (designed) years of service and traffic loadings. Rarely 

does a concrete pavement fail prematurely when both design age and design traffic are 

considered. This indicates that concrete pavements have been designed to a very high level of 

reliability. Therefore, estimated first costs and future preservation and rehabilitation costs used in 

LCCAs likely have been higher than necessary because pavements are lasting longer. 

Clearly, in today’s pavement type selection environment, it is not desirable to design concrete 

pavements to a higher-than-needed level of reliability. Rather, design reliability methods should 

be improved to be more accurate than the current approach, which uses a multiplier on 

equivalent single-axle loads (ESAL). This is a very great challenge, because so many design, 

construction, material, traffic loading, and climatic factors affect reliability. 

Feasible Designs for All Occasions 

Existing procedures (e.g., AASHTO, PCA) have many limitations and deficiencies for designing 

concrete pavements economically at a desired level of design reliability. While this is true for 

nearly all situations, it is particularly true for the following conditions: 

• Concrete overlays for low truck volume roads and collectors. 

• Concrete overlays and pavements subjected to very heavy traffic in various geometric 

situations with multiple lanes. 

• Concrete pavements and overlays for relatively short design lives. 

• Concrete reconstruction of existing asphalt and concrete pavements without raising the 

pavement grade, using existing materials as much as possible for rapid construction. 

• Unique widening structural solutions (both overlays and lane additions). 

• Concrete pavements and overlays designed to minimize first costs while providing 

acceptable future performance, reliability, and costs. 

55 
Efficient Pavement Designs for Low-Volume Local Roads 

Many concrete pavements have been designed on both rural and urban low-volume roadways. 

Often, these are placed directly on the natural subgrade after some type of preparation. Designing 

a concrete pavement for low-volume roads is in many ways more challenging than designing 

high-volume pavements because of the often greater desire for long-lasting pavements (e.g., 

pavements for an upscale residential area should last a long time). Currently, no performance 

data exist for these pavements to help verify or improve design. Such data are greatly needed in 

all major climatic areas because climate has an even greater effect on performance with the slab 

resting on the subgrade or on a thin granular or treated soil layer. 

Lack of Integration of Design with Materials, Construction, and Rehabilitation 

One of the major limitations of concrete pavement design is the ability to consider materials, 

construction, traffic loading, climate, preservation treatments, rehabilitation, and performance 

requirements simultaneously to produce reliable and economical designs and strategies. This 

limitation has led to many problems in concrete pavement performance. A design is judged 

successful only if it performs well after many years of traffic loadings. Increased design 

capabilities are linked to understanding and knowledge of the construction process as well as 

material properties. For example, greater joint spacing (e.g., more than 6.1 meters (20 feet)) may 

work well if construction processes and material selections are compatible with the design. It 

also may result in excessive slab cracking if large temperature gradients are built in during 

construction and/or aggregates with a high coefficient of thermal expansion are used in the mix. 

Only through a major research effort can such an integrated and systematic approach to design 

be achieved. 

Design Procedures Deficiency 

Current design procedures, including the widely used AASHTO procedure, are almost 

completely empirical, so they carry many deficiencies and limitations. The major national effort 

to develop an M-E-based design procedure under NCHRP 1–37A has been completed and is 

under consideration and implementation by sponsoring agencies. This design methodology 

represents a paradigm shift forward in concrete pavement design. It is expected to significantly 

improve concrete pavement design because it is based on fundamental engineering principles, 

uses a finite-element model for structural responses, predicts key distress with mechanistic-based 

models and an incremental damage computation approach, and is calibrated using national 

performance data. 

Nonetheless, successful implementation in many highway agencies will require significant effort 

and continual improvement or upgrading over the years. One key item might be called a highspeed computer analysis opportunity. This incremental damage approach (in which the 

increments are brought down to hourly analyses of damage) could address even more aspects of 

pavement design, such as early opening. These improvements will be identified as time goes on 

and agencies use the procedure and sponsor research to fund the improvements. Many 

improvements will be needed in the next 5 to 10 years to provide for and meet all of the design 

visions in this long-range research plan. 

56 
Preservation and Rehabilitation Design 

Designing preservation and rehabilitation treatments has always been very difficult, as the design 

procedures are almost completely empirical. The Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide

will provide mechanistically based procedures to more fully consider the existing pavement and 

subgrade structure, making it possible to use in-place materials from the pavement structure to 

minimize life cycle costs and lane closures.(13) Implementing this procedure will require a major 

effort, and many improvements will be needed to introduce it into highway agencies’ daily use. 

In addition, many expansions will be needed to achieve this vision completely. 

Base and Subbase Foundations and Subdrainage 

There is a significant lack of technical knowledge and ability to design base and subbase courses 

that provide key benefits for a concrete pavement. These benefits include permanent uniform 

support, bonding or lack of bonding ability, no erosion over time, economical construction 

platform for the slab, and subdrainage. Additional material tests are needed for erosion and 

bonding characteristics. Criteria and tests are needed to determine the adequacy of layers in an 

existing pavement structure to be used as the base or subbase for a reconstructed concrete 

pavement. Determinations of required base and subbase layer thicknesses also are needed. 

A method is needed to directly, reliably, and economically consider subdrainage of the pavement 

structure. Do we need costly permeable bases and edge drains? Can they be maintained for many 

years? Can we design more reliably and more economically without this level of positive 

subdrainage? How? What type of recycled materials can be used as bases, subbases, and other 

sublayers in concrete pavement? 

New and Innovative Concrete Pavement Design 

Ample opportunity exists to develop new and innovative design concepts for concrete 

pavements. For example, alternative types of pavements such as jointed ultrathin concrete 

overlays, thin jointed structurally reinforced concrete pavements, thin prestressed concrete 

pavements, and thin precast concrete pavements have all been constructed and have 

demonstrated some advantages. Innovations with the greatest potential should be identified and 

tested so that their benefits and costs are known to determine their viability for certain design 

situations (e.g., very heavy traffic, special design needs to determine maximum thickness in 

reconstruction). 

Designs for All Types of Underlying Strata 

When unusual underlying strata exist that may shrink or expand, concrete pavements often are 

not used because of the fear of slab cracking. New and innovative ways are needed to design 

concrete pavements to handle these difficult underlying strata conditions economically and 

reliably. This also would include construction on bedrock, which often occurs in tunnels and 

major cuts. Such a stiff foundation may require special joint spacing or other design changes. 

57 

CHAPTER 5. MATERIALS AND MIXTURES CONSIDERATIONS 

Materials and mixtures considerations include issues related to mix design parameters, materials 

specifications and selection, mixture proportioning, type and number of admixtures, and more. 

WHY IS THIS TOPIC IMPORTANT? 

As described in chapter 1, the challenges resulting from today’s increasingly complex concrete 

mixtures are a major reason for developing the CP Road Map. The public demands fast 

construction and long-lasting pavements, which require specific mix additives and more durable 

materials. In addition, environmental, social, and economic pressures on the industry have 

introduced a host of new, sometimes marginal aggregates, cements, and mineral and chemical 

admixtures. Singly or in combination, these materials can improve pavement performance in 

specific situations. They also can introduce new, unforeseen problems. 

It is expected that in the next decade even more materials options will be available. The industry 

needs integrated solutions for optimizing complex concrete mixtures to ensure just the right mix 

for each specific job. 

If developed within the right framework, integrated mix optimization solutions will benefit not 

only materials engineers and suppliers, who face day-to-day materials selection and mix 

proportioning decisions; they also will benefit everyone involved in the complex sequence of 

events in a pavement project, from design to construction to inservice maintenance and 

performance management. Integrating materials and mix proportioning with development of 

design specifications, for example, might provide a rational basis for a more objective 

specification, including items such as minimum cement content and pozzolanic replacement. 

And a better understanding of the interaction among specific mixtures and construction practices 

and the environment should result in improved quality control during construction. Inservice 

pavement forensics and pavement inventories can be integrated in this overall process, providing 

valuable feedback to improve future materials selection and mix proportioning decisions. 

The need for new, integrated materials solutions is intensified by changing roles and 

responsibilities in the highway community. Traditionally, many State DOTs have relied on 

skilled, experienced staff not only to identify mix design parameters, but also to control mix 

proportions, type and number of admixtures, and much of the operations based on detailed 

specifications. The trend is to move these responsibilities to the contractor and specify only 

performance requirements. State agencies and contractors alike need well-developed national 

mix proportioning and materials selection guidelines to ensure successful implementation of 

performance-based specifications. 

The CP Road Map clearly identifies the research and implementation steps needed to ensure that 

the proposed mix design system is technically sound, fully evaluated, and clearly understood by 

public and private sector engineers, technicians, and contractors through initial and continuing 

training and outreach programs. An important capability of the mix design system will be its 

ability to interact fully and provide key inputs to the structural design procedure. 

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OVERALL MATERIALS AND MIXTURES GOAL 

The overall mix and materials goal of the CP Road Map is that innovative concrete mix material 

selection and mix design procedures will result in economical, compatible, and optimized 

concrete mixes integrated with both structural design and construction control. 

SPECIFIC MATERIALS AND MIXTURES OBJECTIVES 

This goal can be reached by achieving the following specific objectives, which are addressed in 

various tracks of the CP Road Map: 

• Develop a sequence of mix design tests and procedures—integrating structural design and 

quality control with selection and proportioning of materials—that will be the cornerstone of 

concrete labs of the future. 

• Develop the necessary tools to predict the compatibility and effectiveness of concrete mixes 

under specific field conditions before paving starts. 

• Detect potential construction problems early and correct them immediately with innovative 

quality control tools. 

• Detect potential long-term durability problems more effectively during both the mix design 

process and construction quality control. 

• Improve the ability to predict concrete mix properties and how they relate to slab behavior 

and performance (e.g., shrinkage, joint opening, and curing) using the next generation of 

advanced modeling techniques. 

• Identify and use innovative, nontraditional materials that could accelerate construction, 

maintenance, and rehabilitation and/or extend product life at a fair cost. 

TOOLS FOR SUCCESS 

End users’ needs are ultimately the driving force for mix design and materials selection and 

proportioning, because users dictate the functional requirements, or specifications, of the finished 

pavement. All projects, however, begin with the individual material components of the concrete 

mix. The proportions and interaction of the materials will influence mix properties like strength 

and workability. Mix properties dictate production requirements, while production itself affects 

the as-produced pavement. 

Numerous efforts have been made to address individual components of materials selection and 

proportioning. The CP Road Map is unique in that it includes tasks that link, or integrate, all of 

the elements of a paving project in a logical fashion. The next generation of materials selection 

and mix proportioning tools and procedures will therefore integrate a series of laboratory tests, 

analytical tools, and mechanistic models that will: 

• Recommend cement, aggregate, and admixture proportions based on anticipated 

environmental and loading conditions. 

• Predict any potential chemical compatibility, rheology, and handling issues that may affect 

the mix during construction. 

• Predict the ability of the mix to shrink excessively because of normal variations in materials 

and climate during construction. 

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• Predict the ability of the mix to withstand the freeze-thaw cycle, alkali-silica reactivity, 

delayed ettringite formation, d-cracking, and other durability issues. 

• Predict the ability of the mix (as a component of the pavement) to withstand spalling, 

cracking, fatigue, and other service-related problems. 

• Predict the ability of the mix to provide functional service: ride, skid, surface drainage, noise, 

and aesthetics. 

CRITICAL MATERIALS AND CONCRETE MIXTURES ISSUES 

Following are brief discussions of some critical issues related to materials and mixtures for 

concrete pavement included in the CP Road Map. 

Specifications 

Standards drive how concrete pavements are built, including the selection of materials. Material 

specifications have evolved over time, and typically have become more restrictive. As problems 

have appeared on various jobs, new specifications commonly were established to attempt to 

eliminate their recurrence. Unfortunately, the effect of the new specifications on other properties 

was not considered. This has led specifiers to intentionally seek out materials that meet one 

condition without knowing if the materials can meet additional conditions. For example, a finely 

ground cement may meet early-age strength requirements, but lack the required long-term 

strength gain requirement. 

Fortunately, as a result of these issues, this trend has been reversed somewhat. By recognizing 

that specifiers should focus on the end result rather than on process details, researchers have an 

opportunity to explore and develop a more performance-based approach to materials selection 

and concrete mixture proportioning. 

Optimizing a mixture in terms of cost, performance, and durability requires mathematical and 

computer models to relate all variables to each other. For example, the material components and 

relationships should relate to mix properties so that a mixture with certain properties can be 

developed by computer before testing for verification in the laboratory. These variables should 

ultimately be related through models to the functional performance for the highway user. For 

example, the types of aggregates used in the mixture will in turn affect the friction, noise, and 

smoothness characteristics of the concrete pavement over the design period. 

Mix Designs 

For decades, it has been recognized that concrete mix design is really a misnomer. Current 

methods base proportioning only on highly empirical relationships of mix properties, which are 

not directly tied to performance or function. The industry needs to explore the selection and 

proportioning of mixes that ultimately are tied to user demands. Achieving this goal, however, 

requires a fuller understanding of the connectivity of the following issues: 

• Roles and responsibilities. Who will execute the mix design? Who will be liable if 

problems are encountered? 

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• Performance prediction. Can the knowledge base link materials to indicators of pavement 

performance? 

• Increased demand for durability knowledge at the mix design stage. Is there enough 

knowledge to link concrete mix design details to deteriorated concrete? Is it possible to 

identify which materials or combinations of materials cause this deterioration and separate 

them from operational issues for given climates? 

• New product evaluations. Is there a way to assess the durability and performance aspects of 

new materials? If innovative materials are to be used more commonly, this evaluation will 

need to be expedited. 

• New test procedures. Is equipment available to measure the properties identified as most 

relevant? 

• Economics. Is it possible to develop a mix design procedure and sequence of tests that are 

time and cost effective? Is it possible to provide the proper training? 

• Marginal materials. Is there a place for all grades of materials? Can what normally are 

considered marginal materials be used in noncritical mix designs and certain paving 

applications? With many countries moving toward a 100 percent reuse policy, is it possible 

to have such a policy in concrete paving? 

• Functional demands in the next generation of surface characteristics. How will mix 

design procedures address the mix-related aspects of new demands for smoothness, noise, 

friction, illumination, rolling resistance, surface drainage, and aesthetics? 

• Constructability demands. Can the materials selected and the ease of constructing be 

correlated with differing environmental and operational constraints? 

Modeling 

The complexity of PCC mixes makes the trial-and-error process of mix design in the laboratory 

even more time consuming and labor intensive than it already is. Means are needed to model the 

behaviors of concrete mixes without actually having to mix all of the possible combinations and 

cast specimens in the laboratory. Work has begun on developing computer simulations of 

concrete to optimize proportions and properties. This work needs to be continued so that most 

mix design details can be worked out through such simulations, with only small-scale laboratory 

followup testing needed to verify predictions. These models should be capable of designing 

concrete mixes incorporating recycled materials, as well as special mixes for maintenance or 

rehabilitation activities. 

Materials Compatibility 

The ever-increasing complexity of concrete mixtures has made recipe specifications and 

empirical mix design rules less reliable for obtaining appropriate concretes for high-performance 

concrete pavements. The range of chemical and mineral admixtures used and the potential for 

compatibility problems have added to this complexity. Improved tests are needed that better 

characterize the materials involved in terms of their effect on the performance of the concrete 

produced. This is particularly true in the case of aggregates, whose potential influence on 

concrete performance has not been investigated or categorized sufficiently. A suite of tests 

should be developed to evaluate any waste, byproduct, or recycled material with the potential for 

use in paving concrete. 

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Material Changes During Construction 

Material components of concrete pavement are tested and approved before pavement 

construction begins. Often, however, the materials used will change during the course of the 

project. Substituting materials changes the concrete mix characteristics and can affect its 

durability. An important future consideration is developing accelerated methods for testing longterm concrete durability. Correlation should be made to current durability tests, as well as to 

concrete pavement field performance. These tests should be simple enough to use in the field, 

preferably on a construction site, and produce results in a matter of hours to help workers 

evaluate the effects of proposed materials changes. Current test methods, such as American 

Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) C666, measure freeze-thaw resistance of a concrete 

sample, but are time consuming and should be performed in a laboratory. 

Durability Design Model 

The ability to predict the performance of concrete pavements is critical to meeting service life 

requirements. A comprehensive durability (service life) design model for concrete pavements 

that fully addresses multiple chemical and physical environments could result in extended 

structural life, lower life cycle cost, and increased energy efficiency. New families of embedded 

sensors and monitoring devices should be developed to provide the base data necessary to build 

and validate these predictive design models. 

Future research should develop an integrated system that not only specifies a mix based on 

empirical relationships, but also takes into consideration all available materials, construction 

requirements for specific projects, and performance requirements for the finished product. Using 

a knowledge base, computerized guidelines, and innovative laboratory tests, designers will be 

able to determine the optimum mix design for each specific project quickly and efficiently. 

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CHAPTER 6. CONSTRUCTION CONSIDERATIONS 

Construction considerations include issues related to equipment, construction operations, and 

quality control. 

WHY IS THIS TOPIC IMPORTANT? 

Many key elements that can make or break a concrete paving project are related to construction 

operations. Although significant emphasis is placed on planning, design, and materials selection 

for a concrete pavement, several elements of construction operations can also impact the overall 

quality of the pavement. 

OVERALL CONSTRUCTION GOAL 

Concrete pavements will be built, rehabilitated, and maintained in way that minimizes negative 

impacts on the public, meets expected design requirements reliably, and provides immediate 

quality feedback during operations. 

SPECIFIC CONSTRUCTION OBJECTIVES 

This goal can be reached by accomplishing the following research objectives: 

• Economically build and maintain concrete pavements within any traffic-closing window,

including high-speed modular construction for closures of 6 hours or less. 

• Develop a rehabilitation strategy that crushes and reprocesses existing pavement materials 

and uses them in new pavement, minimizing hauling requirements and environmental 

impacts. 

• Develop context-sensitive concrete pavement construction operations that address materials 

flow (haul), lighting, noise, air, water, and other ecological issues, minimizing the impact on 

the public. 

• Develop rapid (or instantaneous) and continuous feedback on paving variables, including 

materials and weather, that allow for immediate adjustments to paving operations. 

• Develop performance specifications that allow contractors to exercise more innovation in 

construction material selection, processing, and construction operations, focusing on quality 

aspects that truly relate to performance. 

• Develop graphic aids that allow designers and contractors to use three- and four-dimensional 

computer technologies (the fourth dimension being time) to “build” concrete paving projects 

and learn from them before initiating operations. 

CRITICAL CONSTRUCTION ISSUES 

As with pavement design and materials/mixes, the relationships among various elements and 

variables of pavement construction should be understood and demonstrated mathematically to 

optimize pavement performance. Ultimately, users drive construction requirements because they 

dictate the functional demands and essentially own the facility. Each project starts with basic 

65 
variables—such as location, which dictates material availability, weather conditions, and 

construction windows, among other things. When combined, these basic variables dictate 

construction schedules and available mix alternatives, which, in turn, dictate the required 

construction techniques. Construction techniques influence the construction process and 

ultimately the as-constructed pavement. The as-constructed pavement has certain functional 

characteristics, which ultimately are accepted or rejected by users. While users do not actually 

make the decision to accept a finished product, they can apply the political pressure that will 

ensure their demands are met. 

The following pavement construction issues are addressed in various tracks of the CP Road Map. 

Accelerating Construction/Improving Workplace Safety 

The pressure to “get in, get out, stay out” places a special emphasis on innovative techniques to 

accelerate highway construction. Concrete paving operations are no exception. If concrete 

pavements are to remain a competitive and viable alternative in future highway construction, 

new methods for high-speed construction should be identified, developed, and integrated into the 

state of the practice. 

For example, fast-track paving is not new to the industry, but several methods are being used, 

most of which have inherent limitations. Nighttime construction is becoming more prevalent to 

minimize user delays, but adverse psychological impacts on workers and other safety issues 

related to nighttime construction have been identified. The mantra should be, “get in, stay safe, 

get out, stay out.” 

Lane Closure and Traffic Management Issues 

Highway users are less tolerant than ever of the temporary inconvenience that highway 

construction often brings. Innovative techniques are needed for both assessing the impact on the 

public and optimizing traffic mitigation during construction operations. Computerization is 

expected to assist in this goal, but additional work needs to be done before reliable optimization 

methods are adopted. 

For contractors, the sequencing and timing of operations also need to be optimized. Contractors 

commonly face limited resources, including equipment and labor. Techniques should optimize 

the use of these resources to expedite construction operations at minimal cost. Closely related to 

this is the demand for more rapid concrete mixing and placement techniques. It has been 

demonstrated that even modest improvements in concrete placement production rates can 

significantly accelerate the construction process. 

Finally, future research should include cutting-edge technologies, such as precast and 

prefabricated construction. These technologies have begun to show promise as a means to 

accelerate construction under certain circumstances. 

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Intelligent Construction Systems and Quality Control/Acceptance 

Public agencies are becoming more sensitive to the quality of concrete pavements immediately 

and soon after construction. Several technical challenges, however, limit understanding and 

control of the numerous elements affecting initial quality. Existing products such as FHWA’s 

HIPERPAVTM program show promise as tools to accomplish this goal, but additional work is 

needed. Future research should address a number of these challenges, using a systems approach 

to recognize their connection with other elements. 

Interaction of Variables 

The factors that impact initial quality the most are related to temperature and moisture 

management. Concrete is a dynamic material, with several complex processes occurring 

simultaneously in a dynamic environment. The interaction of these variables often can lead to 

unexpected temperature and moisture conditions in the new concrete slab. These conditions, if 

severe enough, can compromise the initial quality of the pavement, which can ultimately impact 

long-term performance. A number of construction operations elements also can affect the 

temperature and moisture of the concrete, and additional work is needed to understand this 

complex process. 

Other construction variables also have been identified as having an impact on initial pavement 

quality. For example, the consolidation of concrete as a function of vibration methods can affect 

dowel-concrete interaction, air void structure, and other factors. Saw cutting is also important. 

Selecting optimum depth and timing of saw cutting operations for a particular project are still 

insufficiently understood. 

Variability 

Variability is arguably the most important element that can impact overall initial pavement 

quality. Variability is inherent in every aspect of a pavement, including design, materials, 

environment, and construction. The impacts of construction variability especially need to be 

better understood. If too much emphasis is placed on controlling the variability of a particular 

construction aspect, additional cost is introduced into the system. If not enough emphasis is 

placed on controlling variability, however, the quality of the product can suffer. 

Most experts agree that concrete pavement quality is impacted significantly by the quality of 

construction operations. With pressure to shorten the paving operation window and use lessthan-desired materials, the room for error expands. One of the most critical aspects of concrete 

paving in the future will be rapid and continuous feedback on the numerous variables that drive 

quality. Variability in weather, support conditions, and concrete material quality ultimately will 

lead to variability in the end product. 

A new concept, ICS, could be the solution. First publicized in preparing the Future Strategic 

Highway Research Program (F-SHRP) Rapid Renewal Proposed Scope of Work, ICS is closely 

related to the way intelligent transportation systems help traffic engineers better manage traffic. 

ICS similarly will allow contractors to better control paving operations. ICS includes the rapid 

and continuous feedback of measurement data related to pavement quality, and provides tools to 

67 
make necessary corrections with predictable results. Before ICS can be fully advanced, however, 

a host of more fundamental research should be accomplished. ICS can improve contractor 

process control, improve and permanently record quality control data, and integrate with asset 

management/pavement management systems. 

Nondestructive Testing 

NDT of concrete pavements is fundamental to the ultimate success of ICS and warrants 

extensive study and application. NDT has been used successfully, although not widely, to 

understand the in situ strength and durability of concrete pavements. A number of techniques are 

available to predict the properties of early-age concrete shortly after construction, but each 

technique has inherent benefits and limitations. Future research should further evaluate the use of 

NDT as a means to assess concrete quality rapidly and accurately. 

Performance Specifications 

Closely related to the initial quality of concrete pavement after construction is the means by 

which quality is controlled and ensured. In recent years, FHWA has emphasized developing 

performance specifications for concrete pavements. Performance specifications recognize the 

relationship between construction quality and long-term performance. By rationally controlling 

variables that impact long-term performance, the quality of the final product can be improved. 

Future research should identify the means of quality control that require further study. In 

addition, the research should evaluate performance specifications, including warranties, for their 

benefits and limitations in the concrete pavement industry. Slow to gain acceptance, these 

alternative means for quality control may prove beneficial to the industry in the long term. 

Construction Operations and Equipment 

The basic concrete pavement construction operations of today are not significantly different from 

those of 30 years ago. Concrete batching, transporting, placing, and curing are common elements 

of the construction process. Depending on the specifics of the project, other elements might 

include texturing and jointing. While the basic process has not changed, modest advancements 

have been made, including the use of technology to improve both efficiency and quality. 

Future concrete pavement construction, however, should meet a growing set of user-driven 

demands. For construction, the most pertinent are the demands for quality and minimal delay. 

Sustainability is becoming a prevalent issue as well, leading to a need for its own unique set of 

solutions. 

New equipment to permit operations such as one-pass paving will help meet these demands. 

One-pass paving is efficient while minimizing environmental impacts by incorporating 100 

percent recycled materials into the process. Efficient NDT techniques also could be incorporated 

into one-pass paving operations to increase efficiency and ensure a high-quality product by 

automatically making necessary adjustments. 

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High-Speed/Low-Clearance Construction 

Because of increasing pressures for temporal and spatial limitations on construction, the concrete 

pavement construction community will require new construction techniques. Precast modular 

construction, for example, can be used to place a high-quality surface rapidly. While cost 

certainly will be a consideration, the mounting costs of traffic delays soon will justify the higher 

placement cost. Rapid-set, high-durability patching also will be required, including placement 

techniques that reduce the overall time for construction. Construction projects that generate no 

waste can be achieved only if researchers find ways to use in situ materials without jeopardizing 

long-term durability and performance. In short, the idea of night paving and daytime trafficking 

should be considered. 

Ensuring Long-Term Performance 

Although long-term concrete pavement performance issues are considered in detail in the next 

section, some construction-related issues are closely related to performance. For example, there 

is a demand for a better understanding of the required surface preparation for bonded, unbonded, 

and whitetopping concrete overlays. It has been demonstrated that the methods and quality of 

preparation of the existing pavement can significantly affect long-term performance, but 

guidance is needed in selecting optimum techniques. Attention should be given to the impact of 

surface preparation as it relates to other factors affecting long-term performance. 

Constructing and Controlling Surface Characteristics 

Concrete pavement texturing is another issue that warrants attention. Many techniques for 

concrete pavement surface texturing are in use today. Their pros and cons are still being 

determined, with debate among and within agencies about the performance of various 

techniques. 

Joint Sealing 

Another construction issue closely related to long-term concrete pavement performance is joint 

sealing techniques. For a given method, a number of construction techniques can be used. The 

impact of joint sealing on long-term pavement performance is an area that needs future research. 

Improving Competition 

Research on improving the competitive nature of concrete paving in the highway industry is a 

construction-related issue that is sometimes overlooked. Two topics in particular are contractor 

training and alternative bidding procedures. 

First, it has become increasingly difficult in recent years for contractors to hire and retain 

qualified labor. This applies to all levels of workers, from engineers to laborers. Additional 

research should be conducted to identify ways to rapidly and effectively train the concrete paving 

workforce. This training element is as important as any research and should be considered 

fundamental to research planning. The industry should remain competitive and viable. 

69 
A second topic worth considering is an investigation of alternative bidding procedures. Including 

elements other than cost into pavement bids could allow for contractor innovation. The resulting 

innovation could both improve the quality and lower the cost of the final product. As a result, 

concrete pavements would become more competitive in the highway industry. 

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CHAPTER 7. PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS SYSTEMS 

CONSIDERATIONS 

This chapter considers research-related needs related to monitoring and improving long-term 

concrete pavement performance and maximizing economic value throughout the pavement’s life 

cycle. 

WHY IS THIS TOPIC IMPORTANT? 

In the past, pavement performance requirements have focused on serviceability (essentially, ride 

quality) and friction. Now, performance indicators such as tire/pavement noise, tire spray, 

potential for hydroplaning resulting from wheel path wear, light reflection, fuel economy, and 

the availability of open traffic lanes (e.g., not closed for construction or maintenance) are of 

much greater interest to highway agencies and users. Future concrete pavement designs will be 

expected to provide all of these functional performance indicators to produce surfaces and 

structures that meet the needs and desires of highway agencies and users. 

Monitoring concrete pavement performance indicators through pavement management systems 

is expected to be more and more important to highway agencies in the future. It may become 

necessary to setup a performance feedback loop to provide continuous condition reports, making 

it possible to effect expeditious improvements to existing pavements not meeting users’ needs, as 

well as to improve the concrete pavement design procedures (particularly functional 

considerations related to surface characteristics), construction standards and specifications, and 

rehabilitation techniques. 

Research is required immediately on the functional aspects of concrete highway performance, 

particularly to address a combination of tire-pavement noise, friction, smoothness, and other 

related factors. Note that an entire research track is devoted to this extremely important topic. 

Research also is needed for providing more rapid feedback and ways to schedule improvements 

related to surface characteristics and conditions. A critical need also exists for setting up 

feedback loops in highway agencies’ pavement management systems to monitor performance 

more effectively and rapidly and suggest improvements that minimize lane closures. 

OVERALL PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS SYSTEMS GOAL 

The traveling public will be provided with excellent pavement surface characteristics and a very 

high level of lane availability over the design life (i.e., minimal lane closures for maintenance or 

rehabilitation). 

PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS SYSTEMS OBJECTIVES 

• Develop ways to collect real-time data on pavement condition, including surface 

characteristics (friction, noise, distress, smoothness, and others), climate parameters 

(temperature and moisture), traffic loading, and moisture sensors. 

71 
• Determine the condition of concrete pavements with a new generation of equipment and 

sensors that address structural support, smoothness, friction, noise, moisture beneath the slab, 

drainage, traffic, and other factors.

• Loop performance back to agency units—such as maintenance, planning, traffic, design, 

materials, and construction—through improved management systems so that required 

improvements to the concrete pavement surface and structure can be scheduled cost 

effectively and improvements to pavement technology can be carried out expeditiously over 

time.

• Use feedback condition and performance data to better plan and schedule preservation and 

maintenance activities for concrete pavements to minimize lane closures and congestion. 

• Facilitate the number, type, and flow characteristics of traffic through long-lasting traffic 

monitoring sensors embedded in the pavement. 

• Better understand the economics of concrete pavements and fix alternatives (for many 

reasons including innovative contracting needs), as well as the cost implications of 

engineering improvements as they relate to performance. 

PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS SYSTEMS CONSIDERATIONS 

Real-Time Data from Concrete Pavements 

Real-time pavement condition data that can be collected from concrete pavements include 

surface characteristics (friction, noise, distress, smoothness, and others) and climate, traffic, and 

structural factors. Data collection methods could include a combination of embedded electronics, 

high-speed assessment equipment, traffic measurement devices, and performance prediction 

equations. This program will require a new generation of equipment and standard test methods 

that address structural support, smoothness, friction, noise, moisture, drainage, and other factors. 

Consistently achieving successful pavement performance requires a systematic and integrated 

approach that considers all key aspects. It is not enough to have good design, construction, and 

materials selection individually to produce a reliable and cost effective pavement. Even if each 

activity is done well by itself, it by no means guarantees successful pavement performance under 

the critical conditions that exist today. Consistently successful performance requires an 

integrated approach using mathematical models that compute the impact of each factor on 

stresses and deflections, and predict the damage related to distress and various functional 

conditions (e.g., smoothness, noise, and friction). 

Feedback Data for Continuous Improvement 

Pavement management systems do not provide feedback data adequate for improving concrete 

pavement performance. Many such systems cannot even relate performance-monitoring data to 

original construction project information and traffic data. This critical gap can be remedied by 

developing improved data measurement and storage systems that not only provide this 

information rapidly, but also help analyze it. The goal of these new systems would be to provide 

rapid feedback both to schedule improvements in response to user feedback and continuously 

improve design, construction, materials selection, rehabilitation, and other aspects affecting 

performance. 

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Performance Data on Innovations Through Accelerated Test Roads 

Many aspects of design, construction, materials, and rehabilitation need further validation. 

Moreover, many innovative ideas are never tested because of the risks and costs of failure. 

Conducting full-scale testing or, in some cases, testing at existing accelerated loading facilities 

(ALF), would provide a rapid and efficient means to meet both validation and testing needs. 

Some performance data, such as information on early opening of a roadway to traffic, can be 

gathered using ALFs (testing machines in buildings). Other data would need full-scale outdoor 

traffic testing using regular mixed traffic (similar to the Minnesota Road Research Project 

(MnROAD)) or special trucks (similar to WesTrack vehicles). This plan would provide an 

excellent way to test new and innovative ideas for concrete pavement design, construction, and 

rehabilitation. A significant need exists to both supplement and build on the results from LongTerm Pavement Performance (LTPP) studies and sites such as MnROAD. 

Impact of Preservation Activities on Performance and Life 

The impact of today’s concrete pavement preservation alternatives (e.g., diamond grinding, 

dowel bar retrofit, and joint and crack resealing) on future life and performance is not fully 

understood and accepted. Establishing full-scale test sections under actual traffic loadings of 

innovative preservation activities would provide valuable information to establish the cost and 

benefits of such activities. These tests would build on information gained through the limited 

LTPP studies (Specific Pavement Studies (SPS)–4 and SPS–6). Since it is believed that welltimed preservation activities can be used to extend the service life of concrete pavements cost 

effectively, this is a significant gap that can be filled with appropriate research studies. 

Economics and Innovative Contracting 

In most markets, concrete pavements are generally considered a high-priced option compared to 

asphalt solutions when examining initial costs, but are equal or lower when addressing life cycle 

costs. This is the generally accepted norm given current design procedures. Few tools exist, 

however, to determine effectively the true initial costs and price of items such as joints, sealers, 

and tie bars in various designs in specific projects. Most estimating is based on previous bid 

estimates. In addition, long-term analyses in life cycle costs lack knowledge on which to improve 

maintenance analyses and user impacts. 

Over the past several years, interest has grown in looking at corridors or areas, rather than 

projects. This requires a new analysis technique that studies pavements at different stages of life, 

but if examined in a way to mitigate traffic shutdowns, might require multiple fixes on a single 

project. 

In addition, alternative contracting techniques, such as design-build, best value, and warranties 

have cost implications that have not been studied or consolidated. The need is especially strong 

to examine the relationship of risk to the concrete pavement designer/builder, and how best to 

equalize or at least quantify the risk. Also, if use of warranties continues to grow, with or without 

maintenance requirements, then new bonding, insurance, and guarantee mechanisms need to be 

explored. Roles between government and industry are changing, so tools need to be developed 

that equitably evaluate the risks. 

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Public-Private Partnerships 

Interest is growing in public-private partnerships, in which investors consider financing capital 

expenditures in return for either real or shadow tolls. Pavement costs could run 40 to 60 percent 

of a capital expenditure, with various options having a major impact when compared to traffic 

and tolling. Different concrete pavement solutions must be examined to balance initial cost, 

maintenance, traffic growth, and toll revenues. 

Technology Transfer 

Information is transferred too slowly to policymakers, engineers, and the concrete paving 

workforce. The concrete paving industry lacks innovation because of both the return on 

investment and the considerable time it takes to transfer innovation into practice across the 

United States. 

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CHAPTER 8. RESEARCH MANAGEMENT PLAN 

Research plans can debut with great promise, only to fail to capture the imagination and support 

of the stakeholder community. With no less a mission than reinventing the concrete pavement 

industry, this research plan must not fail. Therefore, the CP Road Map is accompanied by a 

unique and bold, yet realistic, research management plan that will keep stakeholders involved 

and committed to the road map’s success. 

The research management plan in this chapter: 

• Outlines a solid, long-term research management structure. 

• Describes the administrative and estimated financial resources needed. 

• Identifies potential barriers and critical issues for each research track. 

• Suggests strategies, processes, and methods for moving forward with the CP Road Map. 

ASSUMPTIONS 

This research management is based on several assumptions: 

First, the CP Road Map is a national research plan, not a plan solely for FHWA or any one 

organization. 

Second, the CP Road Map is not restricted to any single funding source. Publicly financed 

highway research is decentralized and probably will remain so. Public and private organizations 

that enjoy dedicated funding understandably are hesitant to relinquish fiscal or technical 

control—but are willing to partner if it is in their self-interest. 

Third, even in a decentralized arena like research, it is possible—indeed, critical—for 

stakeholder groups to come together voluntarily. The CP Road Map itself is an example of the 

dramatic success that can be accomplished through partnering and cooperation. Federal, State, 

and industry research staff and engineers around the country are looking for more opportunities 

to pool their funds and other resources in win-win situations, as has been done in the successful 

MC2

. By working together to identify common interests and agreeing to cooperate for the long 

haul, stakeholders can produce something greater collectively than they can independently. 

Fourth, the all-too-common disconnect between research results and implementation of those 

results should be fixed. Communication, technology transfer, and outreach activities should be 

elevated to the same level of importance as research itself. 

Finally, the CP Road Map is too comprehensive and too important for a part-time management 

effort. Managing the overall research program effectively and judiciously will require dedicated 

personnel with adequate resources. 

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OPERATING PRINCIPLES 

Given these assumptions, the research management plan is based on four principles that will 

govern conduct of the research: 

• Triparty management. Overall management of the CP Road Map will be a cooperative 

effort undertaken by a triparty group of Federal, State, and industry representatives who 

voluntarily choose to work together. 

• Project coordination. Organizations with research funding can elect to fund and conduct 

research independently or to join with others in pooled fund studies or similar pooling 

mechanisms. Research organizations, however, will make a good-faith effort to share both 

the scope of work and the research findings to help complete one or more research tracks 

outlined in the CP Road Map. To this end, FHWA may want to use a portion of its 

discretionary funding as seed money to promote cooperation and leveraging of funds. 

• Long-term commitment. Research organizations will make a good-faith commitment to 

work over the long term to effectively accomplish the goals. 

• Communication, outreach, and training. Research organizations will inform, 

communicate, and train the workforce quickly and efficiently throughout the life of the 

program, accelerating final implementation of the products and promoting a continuing sense 

of accomplishment and value. 

By following these principles, the research management plan will help organizations conduct 

more research with fewer staff, find new partners, and, most important, deliver new and 

improved products to their constituents. 

CRITICAL ELEMENTS OF THE RESEARCH MANAGEMENT PLAN 

The agreement between FHWA and Iowa State University outlined specific issues that needed to 

be addressed in the research management plan: 

• Research outputs. 

• Consensus building—a consortium-type approach. 

• Formal outreach and education programs. 

• Continuous project management and update of the CP Road Map. 

• Integration of cost and performance. 

• Barriers to implementation. 

• Effective use of the research database. 

Each of these issues is thoroughly covered in the research management plan described in the rest 

of this chapter. 

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RESEARCH MANAGEMENT PLAN: A UNIQUE MODEL WITH 

ROOTS IN THE PAST 

In developing this plan for managing research, the team evaluated the research and technology 

transfer phases of another major, long-term research effort: the Strategic Highway Research 

Program (SHRP). 

Each SHRP phase was managed by a specific organization (the research phase by the TRB 

SHRP Program Office; the technology transfer phase by FHWA’s Office of Technology 

Application). Each phase had dedicated funding sources, although many technology transfer 

projects were undertaken using State funds, NCHRP awards, and pooled funds. 

Although the broad, ambitious nature of the programs is similar, there are fundamental 

differences between the SHRP models and the CP Road Map research management plan. The CP 

Road Map is setup as follows: 

• No funds have been dedicated to conduct the research outlined in the CP Road Map, nor is a 

single large pool of funding desired. 

• No single Federal organization or office will manage the work. Instead, a volunteer oversight 

group representing Federal and State agencies and industry will provide broad management 

oversight, and the partnering organizations will fund a support services group to do the dayto-day, nuts-and-bolts work. 

• The research tracks will be managed by volunteer organizations (universities, DOTs, perhaps 

industry). 

• Research will be conducted by organizations that want to share resources and leverage their 

own funds. 

The FHWA Transportation Pooled Fund Program is similar to the CP Road Map research 

management plan. Under the pooled fund program, States, universities, and private organizations 

voluntarily come together to share resources and achieve common goals. Many pooled fund 

activities have been and are very successful. 

Some people think this level of cooperation will not happen—indeed, cannot happen—with a 

program the size and duration of the CP Road Map. Many stakeholders who have previewed the 

plan believe otherwise, and that what is needed is a few champions to step forward and get 

started. 

PLAN GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE 

The research management plan puts these principles and critical elements into practice through a 

four-tier governance system (see figure 14).

1. An executive advisory committee consisting of representatives from the Federal 

government, State agencies, and industry will be responsible for overseeing the CP Road 

Map. 

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2. Research track team leaders will assume responsibility for coordinating all activities in a 

specific research track and coordinating across track lines. Track leaders will be active, longterm champions (individuals or organizations) of what are, in essence, 12 individual but 

related research programs. 

3. Core organizations, or sustaining organizations, will assume responsibility for conducting 

specific research within tracks. 

4. An administrative support group will be responsible for providing professional 

management services for the CP Road Map, operating chiefly as the administrative arm of 

the executive advisory committee but also supporting the administrative functions of the 

research track team leaders and sustaining organizations. 

These groups are described in more detail later in the research management plan. First, however, 

is a brief overview of the way these groups will be organized and work together to begin 

implementing research as soon as possible. 

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Figure 14. Research management plan. 

79 
GETTING STARTED 

Research management should begin immediately. If not, the industry risks losing momentum and 

stakeholder enthusiasm for the CP Road Map. It also risks that the CP Road Map will become 

obsolete before it gets underway. 

The following steps should be taken immediately and completed within 6 months of acceptance 

of this report: 

1. FHWA, industry, and several key DOTs should sponsor a meeting of leaders from 

organizations interested in participating in the CP Road Map (that is, potential sustaining 

organizations and track team leaders). This meeting would aim to accomplish the following 

tasks as soon as possible: 

• Develop and finalize a triparty agreement (industry, FHWA, and State agencies) that 

validates the CP Road Map, the research management plan, and the commitment to work 

cooperatively. 

• Determine the executive advisory committee. 

• Identify track team leaders for as many tracks as possible; beginning work on tracks 1 

through 4 is especially critical. 

• Fund and identify the administrative support group. 

• Develop a memorandum of understanding and cooperation among the sustaining 

organizations. 

2. Convene the executive advisory committee, track team leaders, and administrative support 

group to develop an early action plan that identifies work underway, work planned, and 

critical unfunded work. 

In reality, the entire process will start simultaneously and not in sequential steps. Many parties 

will express interest in specific research projects or tracks. As these organizations step forward, 

the principles may choose to assume a more managerial role on the executive advisory 

committee or as track team leaders. In addition, research will be funded continuously. Those who 

see merit in working together will identify ways to do so. 

OPERATING DETAILS 

The four governing groups described earlier have separate but coordinating responsibilities. 

Executive Advisory Committee 

Membership 

Members of the executive advisory committee should represent the three major interest groups: 

Federal and State agencies and industry. Each committee member should have appropriate 

experience, a progressive vision, a serious commitment to the CP Road Map, and a willingness 

to seek consensus among other organizations and special interests. 

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Beyond that, it is difficult to define committee membership in detail. The size of the committee 

depends, in part, on how many organizations believe it is in their best interest to participate. The 

committee should be balanced, with members representing different backgrounds, experiences, 

and viewpoints. Committee members should be committed champions in their own right. 

Specific representatives may change from time to time, but the committee itself should be 

prepared to function for at least 2 to 4 years. As the work evolves, the committee should reinvent 

itself to stimulate continuous enthusiasm and interest. 

Responsibilities 

The executive advisory committee should be a decisionmaking, policymaking, and facilitating 

group with many responsibilities: 

• Determine research track team leadership. 

• Promote partnering arrangements. 

• Ensure adequate integration of research across tracks. 

• Develop and implement a strategy to ensure that software products developed through 

various research tracks are compatible. 

• Identify new research program areas. 

• Oversee the update and maintenance of the CP Road Map database. 

• Develop a communications effort to keep the CP Road Map and its products in front of 

stakeholders and the public. 

• Conduct self-evaluation studies. 

• Keep the momentum focused on outcomes, not just output. 

• Encourage innovation throughout the process. 

• Minimize bureaucracy. 

To accomplish these responsibilities, the committee should have a strong, fully funded 

administrative support group. 

The executive advisory committee has one final but closely related responsibility: act as track 

team leader for track 11. Track 11, Concrete Pavements Business Systems, consists of standalone problem statements covering key, crosscutting efforts in the following areas: 

macroeconomics and life cycle costs, alternative contracting and incentives, environmental 

business issues, accelerated training programs, and development of major publications such as 

compendia and white paper series. Track 11 also contains an innovative subtrack on concrete 

roads of the future. These issues naturally fall within the purview of the executive advisory 

committee. 

Research Track Team Leaders 

Participation 

The research track team leader strategy is a bold and creative way to oversee research. It depends 

on one or more sustaining organizations (described below) stepping forward to become team 

leader(s) for each research track. There are no real limits on who can assume track team 

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leadership. Track leaders could be single organizations, or a working structure consisting of 

either multiple sustaining organizations or individuals with stature in the concrete industry that 

want to steer the track toward fulfilling the goals. 

Responsibilities 

In addition to cooperating with the executive advisory committee, research track team leaders 

should provide technical oversight of the actual conduct of research in their area. This oversight 

should include, but may not be limited to: 

• Validating the overall research track and establish its credibility. 

• Updating the track as required, including time, budget, and scope of work. 

• Identifying organizations that want to conduct or partner in actual research. 

• Establishing and overseeing subordinate technical expert working groups as appropriate to 

guide complex work. 

• Ensuring proper integration of discreet research work within the track and across track lines. 

• Developing status reports. 

• Promoting track communications and outreach efforts. 

• Identifying and conducting implementation (technology transfer) activities throughout the 

research phase. 

• Identifying and facilitating the development and conduct of specific track-related training 

efforts. 

• Continuing to solicit new and innovative ideas and concepts related to the track. 

Research track team leaders should not develop and issue requests for proposals. Instead, 

working with the executive advisory committee, they should foster partnerships among 

organizations willing to pool and leverage dedicated funds to accomplish ambitious research 

projects within the tracks. 

Sustaining Organizations 

Participation 

No single organization has the resources or experience to deliver all of the research suggested in 

the CP Road Map. However, several national organizations, plus numerous State and 

local/regional organizations, have research programs related to work outlined in the CP Road 

Map and, therefore, a vested interest in coordinating their efforts with the CP Road Map and 

supporting its overall goals. (Many of these groups were represented at one or more of the 

brainstorming events and provided input and feedback on the CP Road Map.) For purposes of the 

research management plan, these stakeholders are called “sustaining organizations.” Several 

potential sustaining organizations are described in appendix C. 

Responsibilities 

Sustaining organizations should assume responsibility for conducting specific pieces of research, 

generally because they have the specialized interest, skills, or funding. Sustaining organizations 

will quickly see the benefit of supporting the overall CP Road Map, conducting specific research 

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in support of the overall goals, and working together to leverage both funding and human 

resources. 

Administrative Support Group 

Participation 

Needless to say, the voluntary nature of the governing structure outlined above should be linked 

to a fairly substantial, funded support mechanism. The fourth tier of the governance system, the 

administrative support group, is that mechanism. This group should consist of an organization or 

an expert team with technical and administrative expertise in large program management. Its 

primary role is facilitation, not control. 

Responsibilities 

This group’s primary function is to be the administrative arm of the executive advisory 

committee, research track team leaders, and sustaining organizations. The administrative support 

group should be the “doing” body for all activities to coordinate the efforts of the groups on a 

continuing basis. The administrative support group’s second function is to provide the 

communication and outreach services recommended by the executive advisory committee. 

Funding 

It is proposed that funding be provided for the administrative support group through the triparty 

agreement to hire full- and part-time staff. 

MORE ABOUT THE EXECUTIVE ADVISORY COMMITTEE 

Figure 14 identifies five general functions for which the executive advisory committee, 

supported by the administrative support group, should be responsible: 

1. Database management, CP Road Map update, and research track integration. 

2. Partnering, fund management, and contracts. 

3. Software integration. 

4. Research management, communication, and training. 

5. Concrete pavement innovation. 

It is suggested that the executive advisory committee also act as research track team leader for 

track 11, Concrete Pavements Business Systems. The problem statements in track 11 support the 

committee’s work. 

As described below, each of these functions is critical to the success of the CP Road Map. 

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DATABASE MANAGEMENT: RECHARGING THE BRAIN OF 

THE CP ROAD MAP 

In a very real sense, the comprehensive database that accompanies this report is the CP Road 

Map, or at least its central nervous system. Successful implementation of the CP Road Map 

depends on a comprehensive approach to database management. 

The administrative support group will maintain and update the database, but exact details on 

who, where, how, and how much should be decided by the executive advisory committee. There 

are many options, but database management should be based on the following principles: 

• Research problem statements, projects, budgets, timelines, and research results in the CP 

Road Map database should be updated regularly. 

• The database should include only those research problem statements, projects, budgets, 

timelines, and research results related to the CP Road Map as revised and updated during its 

implementation. (Other databases are better suited to the compilation of all concrete- and 

concrete pavement-related projects.) 

• The database should include all research problem statements, projects, budgets, timelines, 

and research results related to the CP Road Map. The database should reflect the output as it 

relates to the accomplishment of each track. 

• The projects should be plotted on spreadsheets, with full data in the narrative portion of the 

database. 

The database administrator should provide regular status reports on the entire CP Road Map and 

specific research tracks. The database’s principle audience is the executive advisory committee 

and research track team leaders. The second audience is sustaining organizations that want to see 

where proposed research fits into the overall road map. Brief monthly and annual reports on the 

status of the program should be prepared to keep everyone informed. 

A potential third audience is the general researcher or information seeker. Only enough money 

and effort should be expended to serve the first two audiences. The database is intended to serve 

the infrastructure of the CP Road Map; it is not intended to serve the general pavement 

community, for whom other databases are available. 

Database Management, Road Map Update, and Research Track Integration 

The database includes two elements. The first is a Microsoft® Access database that includes all 

problem statements developed for the CP Road Map. The second is a series of Microsoft Excel 

spreadsheets that contain the integrated research tracks with time phasing and coded linkage to 

the problem statements. The spreadsheets also contain budgets. 

The database has a search engine that allows users to sort problem statements. This is an 

important feature for a program of this magnitude. 

Keeping the database current is critical to success of the CP Road Map. As research contracts 

with detailed scopes are identified, they should be added to the database. Likewise, completed 

contracts and their deliverables should be entered into the database. 

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A continuously updated database will: 

• Provide current status on the execution of all details of the program. 

• Lead to recommendations to adjust CP Road Map goals as the program evolves. 

• Determine completeness of research related to the goals of both the research tracks and the 

CP Road Map. 

• Provide information to ensure that issues related to integrating research tracks are recognized 

and addressed. 

Without immediate and continuous updating to include ongoing work around the country, the 

database will quickly become obsolete. 

Software Integration 

One of the CP Road Map’s primary goals is to integrate design, mix, construction, and 

performance (e.g., to consider project-specific mix, materials, and construction issues when 

developing pavement design). The executive advisory committee should ensure that the 

capability exists to link these aspects of concrete pavement projects by exact formulae rather 

than by subjective personal experience and judgment. Therefore, several CP Road Map research 

tracks and problem statements focus on continued development of computer models that 

integrate variables across these lines. The power of integration depends on computer and 

software power. The goals of several tracks cannot be met without effective software 

management. 

A software policy needs to be developed and implemented to support the integration process. 

Obviously, no single person, company, or agency should develop all of the software, so some 

complicated intellectual property right issues may need to be addressed. This should be an early 

order of business for the executive advisory committee. 

Implementation, Coordination, and Training on Research Output 

The entire U.S. highway community should be made fully aware of the CP Road Map, including 

research proposed and projects underway, key findings, and active participants. Strategic shortand long-range marketing strategies for research products should be developed, leading to 

implementation. Research products will fall into several categories and need to be marketed 

accordingly. As specific training media are developed, they should be added to the specific track. 

More specifically, implementation, coordination, and training should include, but may not be 

limited to, the following activities: 

• Identify products and techniques that are essentially complete and should move to 

implementation or deployment. 

• Promote customer evaluation of products that require local materials and adaptation to 

regional, State, or specific industry practices. 

• Advance promising products and processes through further research, development, testing, 

and evaluation. 

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• Provide training to use products, and initiate activities to enhance long-range educational 

efforts. 

• Promote activities by standard-setting organizations such as AASHTO, the American 

Concrete Institute, and ASTM that enhance the acceptability and credibility of products. This 

would be especially beneficial in helping to reduce the number of State standards that inhibit 

regional and national consistency. 

Each research track includes funds for outreach and training. The executive advisory committee, 

however, may recommend a fund strictly for outreach and training, pooling monies from each 

project. Historically, the cost of implementation and technology transfer activities is estimated at 

10 percent of research funds, but in reality implementation costs can vary from 1 to 500 percent 

of research, making a pool of funds for research results implementation and technology transfer 

very desirable. Such a pool should be part of the budget for the administrative support group’s 

activities. 

Partnering and Fund Management 

Partnering efforts should help organizations that wish to participate in the CP Road Map research 

connect to others with similar interests. To be proactive in generating partners to conduct the 

research, a dedicated fund for seeding projects may entice sustaining organizations to fund 

projects. A key responsibility of the executive advisory committee, after the first wave of 

projects is funded, is to help establish a more detailed seed money management system and 

ensure its proper implementation. 

Concrete Pavement Innovation 

The challenge at the outset of this project was to think outside of the box and avoid searching 

only for incremental improvements. Given the total of research, technology, management, and 

funding issues addressed in the CP Road Map, this long-term research plan is innovative, 

challenging, and exciting. In addition, several specific problem statements in the CP Road Map, 

especially those involving development of new and innovative joints, call for innovation. 

In addition, the research management plan includes establishing an innovative research initiative, 

similar to TRB’s Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (TRB-IDEA) programs, that 

focuses specifically on concrete pavement needs. The innovative research initiative should fund 

research on promising but unproven innovations with potential for helping to achieve overall 

goals of the CP Road Map. Establishing such a program should require organizational 

development, funds, and a matching system. 

SPECIFIC RESEARCH MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS FOR RESEARCH 

TRACKS 

As discussed in chapter 3, the 12 research tracks include 9 sequenced, or time-phased, tracks 

(type 1 tracks) and three tracks in which the sequence of research is not critical (type 2 tracks). 

The following brief discussion of research management issues within the tracks should help track 

team leaders get started quickly and efficiently. 

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Type 1 Research Tracks Management Considerations 

Each type 1 research track is, in essence, a complete research program. Each has its own 

management and research management issues that should be considered, especially early in the 

process. 

Note that many of the tracks and subtracks include a framing problem statement, which becomes 

a framing study on implementation. The framing study calls for a full examination of the 

research track that includes formatting it into specific, manageable contract packages, depending 

on resources available from sustaining organizations. 

The next step is to reevaluate the problem statements to ensure that the work is carefully 

sequenced and reflects a logical progress of research and funding availability. The final step is to 

expand each research problem statement into a detailed research plan with tasks, funding, and 

specific objectives. 

In several cases, however, the framing study should require developing an actual usable product, 

such as in track 1 on performance-based mix design. Each framing problem statement is clear in 

its intent. 

Track 1. Performance-Based Concrete Pavement Mix Design System 

This track has several important research management issues to address. First, the framing study 

calls for developing a first cut of the future mix design procedure, using current consensus 

documentation. It proposes that State DOTs and industry assemble the best mix of design and 

laboratory practices in an organized way, using today’s technology and the following steps: 

• Initiate consensus building among critical parties. 

• Document and validate best practices. 

• Validate new business models with the eventual transfer from DOT-controlled method 

specifications to end-result and performance specifications. 

• Eliminate variations among DOTs in mix areas that are not border-sensitive. 

• Provide a framework for followup and integrated research work—“plug ’n play.” This 

framework also should provide a consistent mix design process for researchers to use in other 

projects. This will help reduce the wait for the completed product. 

• Provide for integration with the proposed (track 2) performance-based design guide. 

• Develop initial target values related to concrete pavement mix designs. 

• Establish AASHTO (or industry) as the standard-setting and control organization for future 

research, similar to Superpave®. 

• Link this work to personnel training and begin the conversion process. 

• Simplify the laboratory certification process by reducing the number of minor variations in 

the test procedures between borders. 

Another critical point is to agree on a specification format for the new tests and procedures that 

should be developed. The AASHTO provisional standards process could be adopted as the 

model. 

87 
While not necessary, it would be extremely beneficial for the research track team leaders to have 

access to mix design laboratories and commit to evaluating new tests and procedures as soon as 

they come online. It is important that procedures and test equipment coming out of the research 

be validated by two or more additional laboratories. This should accelerate knowledge transfer 

and provide onsite expertise on many new procedures. It also would be advantageous to have 

two or three other laboratories, such as FHWA or NRMCA, involved in this track.

A critical element of this track is continuing FHWA’s work on mix optimization and the MC2’s 

pooled fund study on mix designs. Both efforts need to be included; they should provide 

considerable insight into any additional research that might need to be added to the track. 

Track 2. Performance-Based Design Guide for New and Rehabilitated Concrete Pavements 

This track has several critical research management issues. First, as discussed earlier in the 

report, this track builds on the latest version of continuing the development of models, 

integrating design with mix design and construction specifications, and improving reliability and 

the validation/calibration process. This is extremely complicated work and will require a close 

working relationship with current activities under the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design 

Guide, accelerated testing for validation and calibration, and specific software integration issues. 

Second, AASHTO’s Joint Task Force on Pavements historically has been the lead organization 

for developing the guide, while FHWA has financed many of the model development contracts. 

It is not clear which organization is best suited to manage this track. Most probably, it would be a 

combination of the two organizations, plus a major university with faculty deeply involved in 

concrete pavement modeling and design. 

As new and updated models are developed, the software should be structured so these advanced 

models can be plugged in. Appropriate software protocols for the research products should be 

investigated. 

The Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide focuses on the continued advancement of 

material properties and linkage with track 1, the mix design track. Both tracks show many model 

development activities. Ensuring compatibility and detecting gaps and overlaps is a role for the 

executive advisory committee through its systems integration function. 

Concrete pavement overlay design now is divided into categories based on the type of existing 

pavement structure—whitetopping, bonded, unbonded, etc. The new guide is intended to retire 

these terms and use only the term “concrete overlays.” Multifaceted foundations should be 

treated as inputs. This should result in one design procedure. In practice, there are many 

pavements with multiple layers of both concrete and asphalt, making the conventional terms 

difficult to apply. 

Elsewhere in the CP Road Map are projects to develop a mechanistic approach to concrete 

pavement restoration techniques, a design catalog, and improved low-volume road designs. 

88 
Track 3. High-Speed Nondestructive Testing and Intelligent Construction Systems 

This track is probably the most challenging of the CP Road Map. It calls for identifying, 

researching, experimenting with, and adopting a full series of nondestructive tests for both 

handheld testing equipment and automation of the paving operation. The framing study is truly 

critical, and much like the mix design track, should require significant coordination with both the 

equipment and sensor companies. 

The objectives of the intelligent construction equipment are to: 

• Improve construction operation efficiency with early detection of potential problems. 

• Provide continuous inspection that should reduce the dependency on small samples and 

onsite inspectors. 

• Provide a long-term record for asset management systems. 

If these goals are accomplished, concrete pavement construction technology should become 

more critical than any other highway construction operation. 

Three framing studies are included in the track. The objective of each is to develop a detailed 

architecture for both hand-held and equipment-mounted test equipment. They could be combined 

into one study, but the differing objectives of each framing study are critical. The first study calls 

for a full investigation of both current NDT technology and sensor technologies in other 

industries. Sensor advancements in the manufacturing industries are accelerating at a rapid rate. 

Radio frequency identification technology, for example, should be understood and defined 

within the context of concrete pavement technology. 

The second framing study structures the work with equipment manufacturers to develop a longterm, mutually beneficial research and development program, the scale of which may be 

unprecedented. This requires a clear understanding of the objectives, technology, application, 

and economics. The track team leadership could be facilitated by a State DOT and an equipment 

manufacturer. 

The questions that should be addressed in all these framing studies are important: 

• What is the real potential and effectiveness of the proposed technology? 

• Do we have or can we get the human factor upgraded to understand, use, and maintain the 

new technology? 

• Should the industry provide cooperative funding? 

• What are the intellectual property issues and are they surmountable? 

• How should we tackle software compatibility and integration with DOT systems and between 

equipment systems? 

It would be extremely helpful in the framing study to develop a schematic and a threedimensional, wall-mounted presentation of a fully automated and sensored concrete pavement 

operation, including aggregate crushing, storage, moisture, gradation, batching, transporting, 

placing, finishing, and opening to traffic. This would effectively outline the research details, help 

organize the concepts, and market the ideas to potential vendors. 

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Track 4. Optimized Surface Characteristics for Safe, Quiet, and Smooth Concrete Pavements 

This track probably represents the newest addition to the concrete pavement industry’s needs. 

The need for intensive research on noise generated by tire/pavement interaction was raised 12 

years ago when FHWA and AASHTO conducted a study of European concrete pavement 

technology through the International Technology Scanning Program, but there has been no 

coordinated research effort in the United States until now. Noise research that addresses the 

highway abutters and elevates the driver’s experience is needed. The track, however, promotes 

research in all surface characteristics areas—friction, smoothness, noise, lateral drainage, spray, 

and rolling resistance—and suggests a balanced approach. Engineers will need to know more 

about megatexture, macrotexture, and microtexture and how each impacts specific surface 

characteristics. This track includes research on mix designs to meet predetermined values and 

innovative construction equipment to produce consistent field values. 

Track team leaders must insist on long-term solutions for the noise element of the track and not 

be distracted by early pressures to develop a quick-fix solution. It also is important that 

measuring equipment be defined early in the process to ensure that data can be collected and 

analyzed properly. Eventually, the noise issue should be linked to noise mitigation strategies, 

which may link specific pavement solutions to the noise mitigation solution. This would require 

that a threshold value be established for pavement rehabilitation. Another critical factor is to 

determine whether pavement noise threshold values should apply to rural pavements, urban 

pavements, or all pavements, and if a solution for drivers can be found, as well. 

The track also includes a full series of issues related to smoothness and friction. A critical issue 

with friction is tort liability and the setting of threshold values. This issue has been a deterrent to 

conducting more open research and technology sharing. In a truly performance-driven pavement 

design, setting various thresholds for factors like loadings, noise, friction, and spray over the 

service life of the pavement could expose authorities to public and possibly legal challenges, 

should any of the thresholds be exceeded. This is especially true for setting friction thresholds. 

Track 5. Concrete Pavement Equipment Automation and Advancements 

Research management of this track is similar to the NDT/ICS track in that cooperation with the 

equipment manufacturers is critical. It is possible that the two tracks would be managed by the 

same group. This track, however, will focus on developing a clear description of each new or 

upgraded piece of equipment and determining if there is sufficient market to justify the product 

development costs. Equipment manufacturers constantly discuss the chicken-and-egg concept on 

equipment development: If they develop it, will there be a market? If there is market, they will 

develop it. The track will require a paradigm shift in market definition with more pressure on 

DOTs to help define the future and make it a reality. 

As a first step, a pool of DOTs interested in this track could partner with contractors from their 

local concrete paving industry to review and provide input into the early planning process. This 

should help raise awareness, establish a potential market, and identify any barriers (such as 

specification impediments) that would impede the research. Another key step is to develop 

contract language to allow experimentation with the new equipment on active construction 

projects. With enough commitment from DOTs to provide cooperative partnering and sufficient 

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sites, equipment manufacturers should be better able to decide if the chicken-and-egg discussion 

is resolved. 

Within the framing study, the track team leaders may want to examine in detail the French 

Charter of Innovation system of partnering with equipment manufacturers. This system is a jointventure approach in which the government, equipment manufacturers, and contractors work 

collectively to advance equipment. 

Track 6. Innovative Concrete Pavement Joint Design, Materials, and Construction 

With the cost of joints running 12 to 20 percent of the cost of concrete pavements, and joints 

being the primary driver of maintenance and rehabilitation, a blend of new performance data and 

incremental improvements in construction practices could have significant payoff. Many such 

projects are included in the track. The track also addresses the need for breakthrough thinking on 

designing, constructing, and repairing joints. One idea to explore is bottom-up cracking (as 

opposed to joint sawing) through frames fastened to the subgrade. There are undoubtedly many 

more. 

Track team leaders should strive for a balance in the overall program. The challenge on long life 

pavements is to design and place a dowel configuration that will last 50 to 60 years with minimal 

maintenance. This is nearly double the current life on even moderately loaded pavements. 

On shorter life pavements—thin overlays, for example—the challenge is to find a solution 

somewhere above the load transfer provided by aggregate interlock and a full dowel assembly. Is 

there a dowel design with a lower initial cost that meets the performance requirements, 

something in the more moderate 20-year life? And would the pavement design culture allow use 

of this shorter life assembly to save initial costs? 

The track includes an innovative joint design competition. A strong, competitive program could 

address both long- and short-term issues. The competition also will look for fresh ideas on joint 

design that break away from the one-size-fits-all dowel bar. 

Track 7. High-Speed Concrete Pavement Rehabilitation and Construction 

Two national initiatives, NCHRP 20–58(1), “Accelerating the Renewal of America’s Highways” 

and the FHWA Highways for LIFE (Long Lasting, Innovative, and Fast Construction of 

Efficient and Safe Highway Infrastructure) program, will influence this track. The specific 

problem statements included in the track could fit easily into either program, should they be 

funded and evolve as expected. There should be close coordination among the three programs. 

A timeline is included for these activities, but they could have been treated as independent items. 

The precast and modular subtrack for example, could easily be developed as an independent 

track. The track team leaders should consider this in their planning; they may find that a small 

but important group of States would rally better around a smaller effort. Also, the mix projects 

could be placed under the performance-based mix design track. 

An important project is the simulation and constructability effort. It is difficult to capture all of 

the important items learned on a project, so constructability reviews are helpful in applying 

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experience from the field to the next project. This has great education merit, as well. Industry 

and DOTs could gain insight into traffic management, plant and haul routes, waste disposal, and 

other issues that would help show how concrete paving operations could be conducted in 

different scenarios. 

Track 8. Long Life Concrete Pavements 

The concept of long life pavements was difficult for many participants in the brainstorming 

sessions to grasp. Many factors come into play, including high initial costs for difficult-toestimate traffic and land management changes for a 60-year period. 

At one of the first brainstorming sessions, participants defined a long life pavement as a “no-fixrequired” pavement that would last 50 to 60 years with relatively heavy loads throughout its life. 

The participants quickly modified this definition to allow for planned surface renewal with 

multiple grindings or the addition of a thin overlay. 

A more pragmatic definition eventually evolved that called for planned maintenance between 10 

and 30 years, followed by a fairly heavy joint repair and possibly an overlay to take the total 

pavement life to 60 years. Another definition called for a mandatory strong foundation with a 

thinner slab designed for 20 years of service. This would be followed by the construction of a 

wraparound slab that would provide service for an additional 30 to 40 years. This alternative 

would reduce the high initial cost, but provide for the future. 

Before starting this research track, the track team leaders should use this input to clearly define a 

long life pavement with the following factors: 

• Long-term foundation and drainage at initial construction with service life of 50 to 60 years 

or beyond. 

• Improvements to the functional requirements only (surface improvements). 

• Predetermined staged construction for the slab. 

• Some major rehabilitation, but only if it can be done at very high speed and be limited to the 

slab only. 

Applications that seem appropriate are not just sections with heavy truck traffic. Sections with 

heavy motor vehicle traffic and relatively light truck traffic loadings that show extremely high 

user costs during repairs could be an application for a long life pavement. The cost-effectiveness 

of long life solutions is not clear for facilities already at peak volume with heavy truck loadings. 

Another potential application is rural sections with light traffic volume today and projected high 

truck traffic in the future, but several questions should be addressed. Is there enough confidence 

in traffic estimates and land management to justify the higher initial cost expenditure? Will 

planners consider the heavier initial construction cost in the statewide planning process, which 

subtly dictates so many pavement sections? 

Continuously reinforced concrete pavements (CRCP) should be considered in long life solutions 

for heavy-duty pavements, but few States use the technology routinely. It would take 

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considerable effort to reenergize CRCP, but it should be considered, because it has a solid 

performance record in many locations. 

Finally, the cost issue should be addressed in any final application of long life principles. The 

challenge is not simply to add more bells and whistles, but to add value and performance without 

increasing the cost significantly. Increasing life and controlling costs are imperative if long life 

pavements are to have a role in pavement selection. 

Track 9. Concrete Pavement Accelerated and Long-Term Data Collection 

Current legislation limits the LTPP program to the experiment designed in the early 1980s. No 

new sections or parameters are accepted into the study. This is not expected to change in the next 

legislation. In addition, only a handful of the 24 accelerated pavement testing (APT) facilities in 

the United States are capable of testing concrete pavements. The framing study would analyze all 

of the APTs, identify those willing and able to evaluate concrete, and link them into a consortium 

of users. FHWA met with 13 APT owners in July 2004. All were interested in partnering, but 

specific topics and partnering details will be discussed in future meetings. 

There also is a need to design and build experimental sections on active roadways with live 

traffic. Much has been learned from the LTPP program and the SPS. The keys to building local 

sections are well-known and include construction tolerances, sensor placement, loadings and 

environmental data. Track team leaders should clearly address the experimental design and 

services to support that design before undertaking the experiment. 

Type 2 Research Tracks Management Considerations 

Type 2 research tracks generally do not have time conditions. Each track is an organized 

collection of stand-alone problem statements under a specific topic. 

Track 10. Concrete Pavement Performance 

These projects address technical issues related to pavement management tools. The problem 

statements were restricted to issues dealing with concrete pavements and network data collection 

and analysis systems. They are important projects in that they will close the feedback system to 

design. 

Track 11. Concrete Pavement Business Systems and Economics 

Track 11 is unique in that its conduct dovetails with and supports the work of the executive 

advisory committee. Therefore, it is suggested that the executive advisory committee assume 

team leadership for track 11. 

Track 12. Advanced Concrete Pavement Materials 

Problem statements in this track are of specific interest to the concrete pavement community and 

provide a basis for creating the next generation of potential products for select situations. Many 

of these issues originated in other research planning documents and continue to be worthy of 

serious consideration. If any is considered especially relevant, it should be moved into an 

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appropriate type 1 research track, if possible, and managed appropriately. Unlike other type 2 

tracks, the advanced materials projects could lead to fully developed independent tracks if the 

first round of research is fruitful. 

Cross-Referenced Database Tables 

Many participants in the brainstorming events described in chapter 2 were disappointed not to 

see research tracks dealing specifically with foundations and drainage, pavement maintenance 

and rehabilitation, and environmental issues. The primary challenges related to these topics 

actually are being addressed in various research tracks. 

As an example, the research database has been sorted to isolate problem statements related to 

these three critical areas; the CP Road Map presents these problem statements not only in their 

appropriate tracks but also in cross-referenced tables. (When research is conducted in the CP 

Road Map, the database manager will be able to perform additional sorts on a number of topics.) 

Database Table 1. Concrete Pavement Foundation and Drainage 

The foundation effort is clearly a critical part of the performance-based design and NDT/ICS 

tracks. The executive advisory committee may want to work with the geotechnical community to 

identify additional specialty foundation and drainage research needs applicable to concrete 

pavements. 

Database Table 2. Concrete Pavement Maintenance and Rehabilitation 

These problem statements are incorporated in many tracks of the CP Road Map. Because 

maintenance and rehabilitation issues are very important to the concrete pavement community, 

the project team seriously considering including a separate track devoted to these topics. In the 

end, however, subsuming these topics under the 12 functional track topics was deemed the best 

approach. This database table helps stakeholders see how and where maintenance and 

rehabilitation research topics are built into the sequence of research in several tracks. 

Database Table 3. Environmental Concrete Pavement Advancements 

This category might have been a full track if the United States had a definition of sustainability 

that included global issues related to pavements. Addressing the gamut of concrete pavementrelated environmental and energy issues, from cement and stone production through construction 

and recycling, was beyond the scope of this pavement research effort. As the CP Road Map 

stands, however, it includes several problem statements related to environmental advancements 

in the concrete pavement industry. 

The key to improving the environmental record of concrete pavements is to find ways to reuse 

aggregates and fines in concrete pavements. This is definitely the higher use of raw materials and 

is within the industry’s grasp. 

The executive advisory committee may want to revisit the idea of an environmental track. With 

the advent of the M-E approach to pavement design, it may be beneficial to look at materials 

characteristics based on modulus and stiffness type values. Many State DOTs now require 

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recycled materials to meet all of the conditions of virgin materials. However, work done in 

Germany and other places shows that recycled materials could perform exceptionally well under 

a stiffness or modulus criteria. This approach diminishes the importance of tests such as Los 

Angeles abrasion, fractured faces, and gradation, and relies more on plate load testing to 

determine structural adequacy. 

The committee may want to work with existing programs that address environmental issues. The 

Environmental Council of Concrete Organizations, for example, could be more mainstreamed 

with the highway community. These and similar organizations should be examined thoroughly 

for scope of work, research funding, training, etc., that could be pulled into the CP Road Map. 

THREE SPECIAL RESEARCH MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES 

Three issues should be particularly important to the executive advisory committee: ensuring 

initial projects are begun quickly, supporting significant changes to business systems, and 

focusing on technology transfer. Many of these critical, initial issues are addressed in track 11, so 

the executive advisory committee should begin its work as team leader for that track as soon as 

possible. 

Early Financing and Conduct of Research 

Industry leaders should validate quickly the credibility of the CP Road Map and demonstrate 

their own commitment to work cooperatively to fund and implement it. Research track team 

leaders should begin at least one project in each track as quickly as possible. In addition, each 

track should be updated as soon as possible to show new starts and other ongoing work being 

accomplished by agencies across the country, including FHWA, Iowa State University, and State 

DOTs. 

Business System Changes 

The CP Road Map recognizes a significant transfer of roles and responsibilities from State DOTs 

to industry. To succeed, such a transfer requires a new business model—that is, a new way for 

DOTs and industry to do business together. This model should include pavement economics, 

capital availability, risk and risk transfer, warranties, innovative contracting, incentives, and 

standards ownership. 

The first objective is to determine the best combination of concrete pavement solutions (mix of 

fixes) that balances funds, traffic impact, and network efficiency. The second is to take 

advantage of an array of alternate contracting techniques that could enhance the procurement of 

concrete pavements with an improved determination of risk between the owner and the 

contractor. 

Technology Transfer 

During brainstorming events, the speed at which new technology is applied was discussed. 

Stakeholders were concerned about the slowness of communicating research results to agencies 

and industry, as well as the slowness of industry to accept new ideas and technologies. They 

95 
were especially concerned about the lack of technology transfer and training materials for the 

workforce. 

Effective technology transfer strategies will be critical for every research project that comes out 

of the CP Road Map, but particularly in the mix design and NDT/ICS tracks, where research 

results eventually will impact the job of every person on the construction site. 

One stand-alone project under track 11 is to develop an expedited technology transfer plan. The 

executive advisory committee should encourage action in this area as soon as possible and 

monitor it continuously. Marketing and technology transfer resources available through projects 

such as FHWA’s Task 65 on technology transfer and deployment of the Concrete Pavement 

Technology Program should be built into the technology transfer plan. 

GETTING STARTED: NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL 

Beginning a long-term research program is a slow process. For 3 years, the Iowa State 

University-led team has been working closely with stakeholders to enlist support. Now FHWA 

should begin a strong research management effort. 

The research tracks are ambitious but achievable. The research management plan is sound. 

Together, they identify what needs to be done and how to succeed to achieve the goal of the CP 

Road Map: 

By 2015, the highway community will have a comprehensive, integrated, and 

fully functional system of concrete pavement technology that provides innovative 

solutions for customer-driven performance requirements. 

Peer review, coordination, leveraging, and partnering are all valid strategies. For this plan to 

work, however, champions must step forward and join together, believing in the synergy the CP 

Road Map can generate (see figure 15). The executive advisory committee, supported by the 

administrative support group, and the research track team leaders should be true champions. 

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Figure 15. CP Road Map goal. 

97 

APPENDIX A 

BRAINSTORMING EVENTS 

Table 2 lists the brainstorming events and their respective dates. 

Table 2. Brainstorming (outreach) events. 

Date Event 

January 2002 TRB Annual Meeting (Session 345 and Subcommittees A2E01, ASF01, 

A2E06) 

January 2002 Nebraska Concrete Pavement Association Annual Meeting 

February 2002 Iowa Concrete Paving Association Annual Meeting 

February 2002 Michigan Concrete Paving Association Annual Meeting 

March 2002 Virginia Concrete Workshop 

March 2002 TRB Committee for Improved Concrete Pavements 

March 2002 Iowa Ready Mix Association Annual Meeting 

April 2002 International Center for Aggregate Research 

April 2002 Iowa State University PCC Center Advisory Board Meeting 

April 2002 IPRF Panel Meeting 

May 2002 FHWA, Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center 

June 2002 ACPA State Chapter Executive Meeting 

June 2002 TRB (Subcommittee A2F01) 

March 2003 TRB Concrete Pavement Research Team Presentation 

August 2003 AASHTO Subcommittee on Materials 

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Table 2. Brainstorming (outreach) events, continued. 

Date Event 

July 2003 FHWA, Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center 

July 2003 National Ready Mixed Concrete Pavement Association Meeting 

July 2003 ACPA Summer Meeting 

October 2003 Midwest Brainstorming Session (in conjunction with MC2

, ACPA, and 

Iowa Concrete Paving Association) 

November 2003 Center for Advanced Cement Based Materials Research 

November 2003 Eastern States Brainstorming Session (in partnership with ACPA 

chapters) 

December 2003 ACPA Annual Convention 

January 2004 TRB Annual Meeting 

January 2004 Pennsylvania Concrete Conference 

January 2004 Western States Teleconference 

February 2004 Iowa Concrete Paving Association Annual Meeting 

March 2004 Missouri-Kansas ACPA Chapter Annual Workshop 

May 2004 ACPA State Chapter Executive Meeting 

October 2004 FHWA, Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center 

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APPENDIX B 

CRITICAL ISSUES AND OBJECTIVES IDENTIFIED AT BRAINSTORMING EVENTS 

 

Figure 16. Critical issues for tracks 1 and 2. 

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Figure 17. Critical issues for tracks 3 and 4. 

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Figure 18. Critical issues for tracks 5, 6, and 7. 

103 
Figure 19. Critical issues for tracks 8, 9, and 10. 

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Figure 20. Critical issues for tracks 11 and 12. 

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APPENDIX C 

OVERVIEW OF POTENTIAL SUSTAINING ORGANIZATIONS 

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). FHWA has internal committees that define, 

execute, and monitor its contract and in-house concrete pavement projects. FHWA manages 

some discretionary funding and has the freedom to establish and execute scopes of work in the 

national interest. It also manages and oversees earmarked funds, with each fund differing in its 

flexibility. The FHWA research program is organized and administered by the Office of 

Pavement Technology in cooperation with the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center and 

the Resource Center. Additional pavement work is done by the Office of Asset Management. 

FHWA has some flexibility in working with State DOTs and industry in establishing scopes of 

work. Technical proposals generally are developed by FHWA staff. Once the contract is 

underway, technical working groups can be assembled to provide guidance to FHWA. Currently, 

FHWA is guided broadly by the Concrete Pavement Technology Program (CPTP). It is expected 

that FHWA will replace elements of the CPTP with elements of the CP Road Map. FHWA also 

works with States to develop and implement studies under the Transportation Pooled Fund 

Program. These studies can accept private sector monies as well.

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Several 

AASHTO subcommittees and task forces are involved in concrete pavement technical issues, 

including the Joint Task Force on Pavements and the subcommittees on Materials, Construction, 

and Maintenance. FHWA normally acts in either a secretarial or liaison role for these groups. 

Industry may observe and comment on committee activities but has no formal role. From time to 

time, these committees develop long-range plans. For example, the Subcommittee on 

Construction prepares a research plan about every 10 years, The Joint Task Force on Pavements 

periodically holds strategic planning meetings. 

Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee for Research on Improved Concrete 

Pavement for Federal-Aid Highways. Until recently, this committee advised FHWA on 

planning and conducting the concrete pavement program outlined in the Transportation Equity 

Act for the 21st Century (TEA–21). The committee’s functions were to (1) gather information 

from interested State and Federal government agencies, materials suppliers, the construction 

industry, and highway users; (2) develop recommendations for a research plan; and (3) provide 

continuing expert review and advice on conducting the program. This committee was recently 

disbanded, primarily because of funding shortfalls. It is not clear whether FHWA will reform or 

reconstitute this committee. The proposed executive advisory committee for the CP Road Map 

research management plan expands on the scope of work that this TRB committee performed 

during its tenure. 

National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). NCHRP is administered by 

TRB and sponsored by individual State DOTs. Support is voluntary and funds are drawn from 

the States’ Federal-Aid Highway Program apportionment of State Planning and Research (SPR) 

funds. Furthermore, the funds can be spent only for administering problem statements approved 

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on ballot by at least two-thirds of the States, as represented by the AASHTO Standing 

Committee on Research. Concrete pavement research statements are introduced by a State(s), 

FHWA, an AASHTO committee, or a TRB committee. Industry solicits support from an 

individual State DOT, which in turn submits the statement. NCHRP does not manage programs. 

Assuming it administers a series of concrete pavement-related projects, however, NCHRP will 

be an important sustaining member. 

American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA). ACPA has a research committee that 

identifies and fosters support for specific research items related to the industry’s agenda and its 

own long-range plan. State DOTs and FHWA are invited to observe and participate. Voting is 

restricted to members, although ACPA’s work generally is by consensus. The association has 

been involved in many elements of the CP Road Map development. An association 

representative would be a welcomed participant on the CP Road Map’s executive advisory 

committee.

National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA). NRMCA’s research program is 

managed under the Ready Mixed Concrete Research Foundation. Established in 1991, this 

foundation identifies research, issues requests for proposals, issues grants or contracts, and 

develops training packages. To date, little research has been done specifically for concrete 

pavements, but several tracks or subtracks in the CP Road Map may be of particular interest to 

NRMCA, especially in mix design, innovative equipment, and NDT/ICS. It is also hoped that 

NRMCA will participate in new laboratory testing and evaluation programs.

Portland Cement Association (PCA). PCA has a long history of conducting research, both with 

its wholly owned laboratory and through grants to other concrete-related associations or entities. 

This organization also may be interested in several subtracks in the CP Road Map, especially in 

the mix design track. 

National Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association (NSSGA). NSSGA represents the crushed 

stone, sand, and gravel (aggregate) industries. Its membership accounts for 90 percent of the 

crushed stone and 70 percent of the sand and gravel produced annually in the United States. 

More than 3 billion tons of aggregate were produced in the United States in 2001 at a value of 

about $14.5 billion. In 1992, NSSGA’s funding arm (Aggregates Foundation for Technology, 

Research, and Education (AFTRE)) established the International Center for Aggregates Research 

(ICAR) at the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University. ICAR is active on a 

wide range of aggregate research applications, including portland cement concrete, hot mix 

asphalt, and base courses. A cooperative research agreement between AFTRE and FHWA is now 

underway. This joint program, funded 75 percent by Federal money, sponsors aggregate research 

in multiple end-use applications. 

Midwest Concrete Consortium (MC2

) and Southeast Concrete Alliance Network. Regional 

organizations such as these provide very effective research coordination and technology transfer 

roles. These groups identify specific research of interest to their members, solicit pooled funds, 

and conduct the research. Many regional pooled funds also include funds from FHWA, industry, 

and others. These are excellent vehicles for using both public and private funds as one source of 

funding. 

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Iowa State University’s Center for Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Technology (PCC 

Center). In April 2000, the Iowa Board of Regents authorized formation of the PCC Center. It is 

a private, public, and university sector partnership that includes the Iowa Concrete Paving 

Association, Iowa DOT, Iowa State’s Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental 

Engineering, and Iowa State’s Center for Transportation Research and Education. The PCC 

Center focuses research on critical needs of the PCC industry and delivers the best findings, 

methods, and processes to people who will use them. 

Working with its advisory board and standing committees, the PCC Center seeks sustainable 

support within and outside of Iowa. The staff works with foundations and organizations to 

identify potential future partners and funding sources and to help develop an understanding of 

research, technology, and training priorities. Funding for specific projects comes from many 

sources, including Federal-aid pooled funds from around the country. The PCC Center is the lead 

in the Material and Construction Optimization for Prevention of Premature Pavement Distress in 

PCC Pavements project, an FHWA pooled fund project with 16 States and the private sector 

contributing funds. 

State DOTs. Each State DOT is allotted Federal funds by formula for research (SPR funds). 

These funds traditionally have been used to conduct research for local needs. Many State DOTs 

have relationships with one or more State universities. DOTs may use these funds to participate 

in pooled fund studies. 

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REFERENCES 

1. Bumpy Roads Ahead: Cities with the Roughest Rides and Strategies to Make our Roads 

Smoother, The Road Information Program, Washington, DC, April 2004. 

2. Building for the Future—A Technology Program for Portland Cement Concrete Pavements, 

FHWA, March 1999, as updated. 

3. “Creating a New Generation of Pavements,” Roads & Bridges, April 2000. 

www.roadsbridges.com/rb/index.cfm/powergrid/rfah=%7Ccfap=/CFID/928902/CFTOKEN/

69580450/fuseaction/showArticle/articleID/1651 Summary of Identified Research Priorities, 

Center for Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Technology Research Committee, 2001. 

4. Vision 2030: A Vision for the U.S. Concrete Industry, U.S. Department of Energy, January 

2001. www.eere.energy.gov/industry/imf/pdfs/concrete_vision.pdf. 

5. Nonconventional Concrete Technologies, Renewal of the Highway Infrastructure, National 

Academies of Science Report NMAB–484, National Materials Advisory Board, Commission 

on Engineering and Technical Systems, National Research Council, Washington, DC, 1997. 

6. Infrastructure Renewal Research Agenda, National Highway Research and Technology 

Partnership Forum, Infrastructure Renewal Working Group, February 1, 2001. 

http://gulliver.trb.org/publications/rtforum/infrastructure_final.pdf. 

7. Halin, P., 2002 Guide for Design of New and Rehabilitated Pavement Structures, NCHRP 

Project 1–37A., February 2004. http://www4.trb.org/trb/crp.nsf/All+Projects/NCHRP+1-

37A. 

8. Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide, NCHRP 1–37A, March 2004. 

9. “Technical Advisory on Concrete Pavement Joints,” FHWA, T 5040.30, November 30, 

1990. www.fhwa.dot.gov/legsregs/directives/techadvs/504030a.htm. 

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Recycled

Recyclable