The bridge decks and substructures are cracked and deteriorated and the pavements, both asphalt and concrete are failing at an ever-increasing rate due to increases in traffic volumes and loads. The State's capital program has shifted from one of new construction to rehabilitation and reconstruction. And there in lies the problem. The traveling public and the state's commerce rely on the existing network of road to travel to work and to move the goods that we all depend on for our daily lives. The rehabilitation and reconstruction programs require lane closures that disrupt normal traffic flows and cause hardships for our taxpayers.
New Jersey has some of the highest traffic volumes in the country.
Taking a lane out of service for more than 10-12 hours is simply not an option. Because of this time restriction, the Department has in the past, used bituminous stabilized base course material to replace deteriorated concrete pavement joints or slabs prior to resurfacing. The practice was used as an expedient measure due to the more extensive cure time required for standard concrete materials - even high early mixtures. The resulting nine to ten inch patch was too dissimilar to the adjacent concrete and was subject to excessive rutting and shoving, requiring frequent maintenance and accelerating the deterioration of the new pavement overlay. The fast track concrete material developed can achieve the required strength for opening to traffic in as little as 6.5 hours thereby mitigating the traffic delays from lane closures and greatly improving the longevity and the quality of the repair.