Three Year Performance of Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement with Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer Bars

The first continuous reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) using steel bars as reinforcement in Canada was constructed in the province of Québec in 2000. At that time, Project Engineers and experts tried to adapt the design of this type of concrete pavement used in other countries to the severe wet-freeze climate of Québec. In 2005, core samples taken from the first CRCP project revealed that corrosion was active. This caused the engineers to worry about the long-term performance of CRCP. Many alternatives were considered for subsequent projects, and galvanized steel was the alternative that was selected. Another non-corrosive reinforcement alternative is glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars, which have been used by the MTQ for many years in concrete bridges. However, this alternative had never been studied in CRCP on a trafficked highway. The first research project of its type involving the application of GFRP bars to actual CRCP slabs was launched September 2006 when construction was completed on 18 test sections on eastbound Highway 40 in Montreal. The performance of these sections has been monitored over the last 3 years, and the many parameters have been evaluated. The feasibility of partial-depth repairs for CRCP using GFRP bars was also demonstrated.