Advancing the Use of Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement in the USA

The use of continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) is enjoying a renaissance in the United States (USA). CRCP has the potential to provide a long-term, “zero-maintenance,” service life under heavy traffic loadings and challenging environmental conditions, provided proper design and quality construction practices are utilized. In the USA, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has worked cooperatively with state highway agencies, academia, and industry to implement improved best practices design and construction procedures and to document the satisfactory long-term performance of CRCP projects. Technical guidance has been developed based on considerable knowledge that has been accumulated over many decades of CRCP use in a number of US States, through the US Long-Term Concrete Performance Program, and through experience in other countries. This guidance is now readily available in the form of technical briefs, design software, and a manual on design, construction, repair and rehabilitation. This paper provides a summary of this guidance, along with online links for downloading key documents and for accessing the proprietary design software.