Newly constructed low-noise asphalt surface fails

Questions are being asked over the construction of a new section of the A1 autobahn in Germany. The highway stretch is being scrutinised due to surface failures and lies close to the city of Bremen but has been open for less than three months.
May 15, 2012 Read time: 1 min
Questions are being asked over the construction of a new section of the A1 autobahn in Germany.

The highway stretch is being scrutinised due to surface failures and lies close to the city of Bremen but has been open for less than three months.

The road carries around 70,000 vehicles/day and its construction was intended to reduce congestion between the port cities of Hamburg and Bremen. Numerous potholes are reported to have appeared in the surface of the highway. Given the recent severe weather, failures of older road surfaces are expected but these problems should not occur on links that have been so recently completed.

The investigations will focus on how water penetration into joints could have already caused the freeze-thaw process to break up the running surface or whether other problems such as material segregation or incorrect mix design could have been factors. The low-noise asphalt surface is crumbling at various points along the 73km section recently opened.

Asphalt milling, paving & compaction Highway & Network Management

Related Content

  • The role of anti-stripping agents in asphalt performance
    November 25, 2016
    Anti-stripping agents are often overlooked when boosting the performance of asphalt, according to Italian road chemicals producer Iterchimica
    Read More
  • Road surfacing: the case for sustainability
    March 5, 2020
    Erik Denneman* makes the social and business case for sustainable pavements for which much of the technology already exists.
    Read More
  • Pollution-free highways of the future: a reality?
    February 9, 2018
    More collaboration is needed to reduce the impact of highways on the environment, particularly air quality. The technology already exists, argue Bram Miller* and Martin Broderick* The European Environment Agency produced a report showing that a slow improvement in air quality has been observed across Europe. However, 9% of urban Europeans were exposed to nitrogen dioxide emissions in excess of the EU’s annual maximum limit in 2015. Meanwhile, associations between highways and the environment tend to be n
    Read More
  • TRA 2018: pavement additives can stretch a road’s lifespan
    May 9, 2018
    Glass fibre and old tyres can help reduce road wear, according to recent research. Alan Dron reports from the Transport Research Arena – TRA 2018 – event in Vienna. Environmental issues were close to the heart of many presentations at this year’s event at the Reed Exhibition Messe in the Austrian capital from April 16-19. This included decarbonisation – such as making engines more environmentally friendly – and the challenge of digitalisation to create a more efficient transport system.
    Read More

Highlighted Content