Long-Term Performance of a Concrete Pavement in a Motorway on Plastic Soils in Spain

The Sevilla – Cádiz motorway was the first one in Spain where a concrete pavement was constructed with a slip-form paver. It was opened to traffic in 1971. Shortly, longitudinal cracks appeared, deemed to the presence of plastic soils in the subgrade. Sometimes these craks were several centimetres wide. It should be stressed that this type of cracking has developed not only in the sections with concrete pavement, but also in other stretches having a semi-rigid or a full-depth asphalt pavement. After several trials, a rehabilitation procedure consisting of a partial-depth repair anchored to the existing subgrade by means of steel rods was adopted. This system has proven to be very successful, not a single longitudinal crack having reflected through the repair. The concrete pavement is still in good condition.