Roller Compacted Concrete Pavements for the Urban Environment Turkish Experience

Roller compacted concrete has traditionally been used for pavements carrying heavy loads in low speed areas because of its relatively coarse surface texture. However, its use in commercial areas for local streets and highways has been increasing, especially within the United States. Even though Turkey is one of the main cement manufacturer’s in the World, the use of concrete pavements in our country is very limited. There have been past efforts, especially by the Turkish Cement Manufacturer’s Association to promote the use of concrete pavements within the national highway system. However, concrete pavements have not been the main choice for the Department of Transportation. As the urbanization within cities is in an accelerated growth period, more trucks are entering within the city, thus increasing the damage on the existing flexible pavements. This article will present the application of roller concrete pavements by two municipalities, namely Denizli and Antalya municipalities. With the use of widely available asphalt pavement machinery and the conventional concrete mixing plants, roller compacted concrete pavements seems to be an excellent alternative to traditional flexible pavements especially for the urban environment.