Appropriate Technology Concrete Pavement Trials in Zimbabwe

In 1985 four trial sections of two-lane concrete pavement were laid in Zimbabwe. The purpose was to provide a data base for the preparation of appropriate design and maintenance specifications, suitable for the conditions found over a large part of Africa, namely, good subgrades, moderate rainfall, large temperature variations, low traffic volumes but high axle loads. TRRL staff monitored the construction, and subsequent performance. This paper presents some of the lessons learned during the construction and reports the few defects that have developed over three years of trafficking.