VIDEO: Concrete paving - you’ve come a long way, baby!

It’s 1948. The grand scheme of creating an Interstate Highway system in the US is still barely a twinkle in President Dwight Eisenhower’s military eye. Highway construction improved greatly in the late 1950s and early 1960s as the American contractors became more mechanized and therefore efficient at laying roads faster and of better quality. But how did they build a road back then in 1948? Thanks to Encyclopaedia Britannica Films, we have a movie of just how a concrete highway was created. The constr
July 14, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
It’s 1948. The grand scheme of creating an Interstate Highway system in the US is still barely a twinkle in President Dwight Eisenhower’s military eye. Highway construction improved greatly in the late 1950s and early 1960s as the American contractors became more mechanized and therefore efficient at laying roads faster and of better quality.

But how did they build a road back then in 1948?

Thanks to Encyclopaedia Britannica Films, we have a movie of just how a concrete highway was created. The construction site looked more like a chain gang from a nearby prison that a professionally done infrastructure project.

Viewers just might be able to feel the sun’s heat as workers toil into the long day.

If this video piqued your curiosity about road building projects back then, %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal click here Visit youtube Page false https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neaoGclvips false false%> to see a 1951 film from the Bethlehem Steel Company. Things have apparently moved on since 1948 and steel is making inroads. At least this film is in colour.

Related Content

  • NDT sensor fusion in structural pavement condition surveys
    February 27, 2017
    Early detection of pavement defects and the causes of deterioration is essential for effective maintenance planning, writes Dr Alena Uus* There is a need for optimisation and development of UK highway survey methods that would provide comprehensive information on the surface and subsurface pavement condition and operate at traffic speed, which eliminates the requirement for lane closures. Performance of non-destructive testing (NDT) methods commonly employed in pavement condition surveys can be potent
    Read More
  • Pavement Preservation Recycling Alliance Forum set for Niagara Falls
    May 18, 2015
    It has been just over three months since the first Pavement Preservation and Recycling Summit in Paris -- PPRS Paris 2015 -- and now the focus will shift to a similarly exciting forum in North America. Under the banner of the cooperative Pavement Preservation Recycling Alliance (PPRA), all specialists in the sector are invited to the beautiful Canadian city of Niagara Falls to share experiences on how to protect, maintain and rehabilitate road assets in the most cost effective manner while embracing recy
    Read More
  • Strong exhibitor support for World of Asphalt 2016
    October 16, 2015
    Strong exhibitor support has been noted for the World of Asphalt 2016 exhibition being held next year in the US state of Tennessee.
    Read More
  • Hidromek adds long-reach excavators
    January 6, 2017
    Hidromek has added long-reach options for three of its excavators – the HMK220LC, HMK300LC and the HMK370LC. Aimed at special earthmoving and drainage applications, the excavators carry LR branding and have ground level reach of 15.06, 18.19 and 16.6m respectively. Load over heights range from 10.85m with the HMK220LC LR to 12.59 with the HMK300LC LR. The long-reach HMK220LC delivers 7,300kgf of bucket digging force with a 0.45m3 bucket, with the figures rising to 1m3 and 11,400kgf with the HMK370LC LR.
    Read More

Highlighted Content