Skip to main content

Long life pavements trials

Seven countries have confirmed their participation in field trials for the proposed third phase of the Long Life Pavement Project, being operated under the auspices of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation) and International Transport Forum (ITF).
July 6, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Seven countries have confirmed their participation in field trials for the proposed third phase of the Long Life Pavement Project, being operated under the auspices of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation) and 1102 International Transport Forum (ITF).

France, New Zealand, Denmark, Belgium, the UK, Ukraine and Spain have confirmed while the US, Israel and South Africa have expressed interest and could also participate in the trials.

The third phase requires that countries take an active role in constructing roads using epoxy asphalt and high performance cementitious materials (HPCM).

France indicated it will launch two construction sites using HPCM (a roundabout and a 100m section of urban road). In the latter case, a parallel experiment will take place to assess the de-pollution effect of Titane Dioxide.

New Zealand has already started constructing sections of road using epoxy asphalt.

The Long Life Pavements project began in 2002, and in the first phase an economic evaluation of long life wearing course was performed. It concluded that long life pavement surfacing costing around three times that of traditional wearing courses could be economically viable, assuming an expected life of 30 years and an annual average daily traffic of 80,000 or more.

It also concluded that laboratory tests should be conducted on the two candidate materials identified (epoxy asphalt and high performance cementitious material).

In Phase 2 (2005-08), the two materials were tested in laboratories where it was found that both materials performed well, and it was concluded that the materials should be implemented on large scale demonstrations to test production, laying and performance issues

The objectives of Phase 3 are to coordinate trials in order to research production, laying and quality control, as well as cost, and demonstrate the performance of such surfacing under real traffic and environmental conditions.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Upgrading Poland's roads for UEFA 2012
    May 2, 2012
    Championships in 2012. With plans in place to cohost the UEFA 2012 football championships with the Ukraine, Poland's road infrastructure is undergoing major developments to bring it up to date with the rest of the European Union. And to ensure the completed roads and pavements meet the required quality standards, Cooper Technology of Derby, UK, was awarded a contract to provide asphalt testing equipment to
  • Upgrading Poland's roads for UEFA 2012
    February 7, 2012
    POLAND has ambitious plans to construct around 900km of new highways in time for the European Football Championships in 2012. With plans in place to cohost the UEFA 2012 football championships with the Ukraine, Poland's road infrastructure is undergoing major developments to bring it up to date with the rest of the European Union. And to ensure the completed roads and pavements meet the required quality standards, Cooper Technology of Derby, UK, was awarded a contract to provide asphalt testing equipment to
  • How bitumen technology solutions are solving paving problems around the world
    March 2, 2017
    This month we hear how additives can bring RAP back from the dead and fight the ravages of salt damage, how pellets reach parts that PMB can’t and how Shell and WeedsWest are expanding their respective businesses - Kristina Smith writes
  • Asphalt plant producers see major worldwide successes
    November 21, 2014
    Asphalt plant manufacturers report major supply deals for highway and construction projects - Pat Smith writes International asphalt plant manufacturers have been reporting major successes with their products, which are now working on highway and airport projects worldwide.