Demonstrating the Use of Ultra Thin Reinforced Concrete Pavements to Serve Residential Areas in Cities

On 19 May 2006, the Premier of the Gauteng Province in South Africa announced the project: “gravel roads to surfaced roads, stormwater drainage and walkways projects within the top twenty townships (20T Project)”. The main aim of the project was to improve the living conditions of communities in previous neglected areas and, at the same time, to enhance the Government’s Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). Two years later the Gauteng Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works (DPTRW) in cooperation with the city of Tshwane took up this vision with the introduction of the first Ultra Thin Reinforced Concrete Pavement (UTRCP) demonstration project in Soshanguve, based on technology developed by the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The UTRCP consists of a 50mm thick 30 MPa concrete pavement, lightly reinforced, generally constructed on shaped and compacted in-situ material, which may need modification in cases of high plasticity index (PI). Construction of the pavement has a high labour content and can be performed by trained teams with simple tools and equipment.