Precast Concrete Pavement Innovations, Performance and Best Practices

The precast concrete pavement (PCP) technology is gaining wider acceptance in the US for rapid repair and rehabilitation of concrete pavements as well as for heavily trafficked asphalt concrete intersections. Although the US PCP technology is of recent origin, with projects less than about 12 years old, many projects have been constructed and many advances have been made and continue to be made in the design, panel fabrication, and panel installation aspects of the technology. In the US, the PCP technology is being used for intermittent repairs (full-depth or full panel replacement) and for continuous applications (longer length/wider area rehabilitation) with service life expectations of at least 20 years for repairs and at least 40 years for continuous applications, without significant future corrective treatment. Recent activities in the US have resulted in comprehensive guidance on the selection, design, fabrication, and installation of PCP systems. In addition, the construction and precasting industries continue to innovate to achieve economical PCP designs and to improve panel fabrication and panel installation processes. The field evaluation of PCP projects (jointed and posttensioned systems) constructed todate indicate that most projects are performing well. This paper summarizes recent innovations in the PCP technology in the US