Performance of Concrete Pavement Drainage Systems in Spain

At present Spain has 1600 km of concrete pavements (two lane carriageways). The particular conditions of the climate and the heavy traffic make it necessary to use different measures to avoid joint faulting and voids under the slabs such as dowelled joints, non-erodible base courses, sometimes complemented by joint sealing or tied concrete shoulders. Pavement drainage systems have proved effective in avoiding these distresses. Approximately fifty per cent of the concrete pavements in Spain (650 km) have some type of drainage system either right from the construction stage or as a rehabilitation technique. Three drainage systems have been used: permeable shoulders, slotted pipes and pervious bases. This paper describes these systems used in Spain between 1978 and 1991 and reports on the analysis of their performance.