RESEARCH PROPOSAL FOR RELATIVE FEASIBILITY OF

FLEXIBLE (BITUMIN CONCRETE) AND

RIGID (CEMENT CONCRETE) PAVEMENTS FOR ROADS IN PAKISTAN

Contents
1.

Executive Summary

2.

Introduction

3.

Objective

4.

Flexible Pavements

5.

4.1

General

4.2

Full Depth Asphalt

4.3

Conventional Flexible Pavements

4.4

Suitability

4.5

Key Projects in Pakistan and Abroad

Rigid Pavements
5.1

General

5.2

Types of Rigid Pavements

5.2.1 Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement (JPCP)
5.2.2 Jointed Reinforced Concrete Pavement (JRCP)
5.2.3 Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP)

6.

5.3

Suitability

5.4

Kay Projects in Pakistan and Abroad

Merits and Demerits of Flexible and Rigid Pavements

6.1

General

6.2

Subgrade Strength

6.3

Axle Load

6.4

Service Life

6.5

Rideability/Passenger Comfort

6.6

Maintenance of Pavement

6.7

Maintenance Requirement of Vehicles

6.8

Proneness to Accidents
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6.9

Construction Ease

6.10

Response to Environmental Effects

6.10.1 Snowfall
6.10.2 High Temperature
6.10.3 Rain
6.10.4 Poor Drainage
6.10.5 Groundwater Rise

7.

8.

Financial Aspects
7.1

Capital Cost

7.2

Life Cycle Cost

7.3

Maintenance Cost of Vehicles

7.4

Fuel Economy

Recommendations for Research Work

1-2 Paragraphs
8.1

Stage-I Study

Data Collection & Desk Study

8.2

Stage-II Study

Field Visits in Pakistan & Abroad

8.3

Stage-III Study (if required) Long-Term Performance Monitoring of

Test Sections.

1.

Executive Summary
The main aim behind carrying out this project/research work is to first of all
find out the relative feasibility of the two main types of road pavements i.e.
Flexible (Bitumen Concrete) and Rigid (Cement Concrete) pavement and then
to apply our findings of the research to suggest which of them will be more
convenient or a better choice in other words for the construction of roads in
Pakistan keeping in view the environmental and the other related factors that
need to be kept in mind while constructing road pavements.
This will be executed by first of all carrying out a detailed research on each
main road pavement type by further subdividing them into different sub
categories or types and then looking at their advantages and disadvantages.
Further factors that will be taken into consideration will include individual
suitabilitys, their merits and demerits, their financial implications both in long
and short term etc.
In short, the whole research work will be carried out in three main stages. The
First stage will involve data collection and an extensive desk study in which all
the available data regarding flexible and rigid pavements will be collected from
various agencies having similar records such as NHA, FHWA etc. The second
stage will comprise of field visits in Pakistan and neighboring countries having
similar environmental conditions as Pakistan for physical observation of
existing conditions of various rigid and flexible pavements. The third and final
stage will comprise of practically constructing test sections of both types
under various environmental conditions and monitoring them for at least five
years.
Based on all the above mentioned stages, a final conclusion can be made on
which of the above mentioned road pavement will be more suitable and
feasible for construction both in terms of cost effectiveness, durability,
serviceability, sustainability etc both in the short and long run.

2.

Introduction
The pavement type which is mainly used in Pakistan for the roads is Flexible
pavements (Bitumen Concrete). With the passage of time and advance in
technology, more and more vehicles are coming into use on daily basis most
of which come under the heavy axle load vehicles category as a result of
which the current or present roads are deteriorating on quite rapid basis and
serious measures need to be put into practice to deal with this problem. Some
other factors which decrease the life span and serviceability of the roads
include the impact of extreme weather conditions/ heavy rainfall, construction
ease, maintenance problems etc.
Now as a result of growth in population and vehicle numbers, the demand for
construction of pavements is increasing and so there is a great need to carry
out a complete feasibility study to plan for a better future and a better
pavement design which forms the basis of this project or research work.
This can be carried out by a relative comparison with the other major type of
pavement known as the Rigid (Cement Concrete) pavement. A detailed
research needs to be carried out in order to find out the suitable of the two
types depending upon the environmental conditions of Pakistan.
For an initial understanding and numerical comparison of the two in order to
write this proposal, data was obtained from the highway division and some
publications consisting of previous researches carried out by the CEMENT
MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION mainly in India. Majority of these previous
researches or publications were pro-rigid pavements and were only
supporting them.
The upcoming components of the proposal consists of the main objectives
and an overview of the two pavements types i.e. Rigid Pavement and Flexible
Pavement along with their subdivision or subcategories and suitability of each
of them, some key projects around the globe where they have been used,
merits and demerits of each type based on their relative comparison, financial
aspects of both types and finally a set of recommendations for research work
consisting of main stages in which the research will be carried out along with
the expected cost/ expenditure of each stage.

3.

Objectives
The main aims or objectives behind carrying out this feasibility study are as
below:

4.

To carry out a detailed research on both main pavement types i.e. Rigid and
Flexible pavement by further looking at their subdivisions/subcategories and
the main differences that govern them.

To find the existing key projects both in Pakistan and around the globe where
they have been constructed.

To find the relative suitability of both main types.

To figure out the main factors governing the feasibility of both types and their
implications on the project both in the short and long run.

To distinguish them by relative comparison based on the above mentioned

factors.

To look at the financial aspects of both types both in short and long run and
based on the findings in the above mentioned steps.

To provide a final conclusion based on all the above mentioned stages of the
research work that which pavement type will be more feasible for construction
in Pakistan keeping in view the environmental conditions of Pakistan.

Flexible Pavements
4.1

General

Flexible pavements are constructed of bituminous and granular materials. The

first asphalt roadway in the United States was constructed in 1870 at Newark,
New Jersey.
Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) pavements are classified as flexible pavements
because the total pavement structure deflects, or flexes, under loading. A
flexible pavement structure is typically composed of several layers of material.
Each layer receives the loads from the above layer, spreads them out, then
passes these loads to the next layer below (Figure 4.1). Other pavements that
are surfaced with bitumen coated aggregates, such as bituminous surface
treatments are also classified as flexible pavements.

Figure 4.1

4.2

Full Depth Asphalt

The process of constructing an asphalt pavement structure using asphalt

products for all components is shown in Figure 4.2. The base material and
surface courses are all made up of appropriately specified grades of hot-mix
asphalt in contrast to conventional paving using crushed stone materials etc.

Figure 4.2

4.3

Conventional Flexible Pavements

In Conventional flexible pavements, material layers are usually arranged in

order of descending load bearing capacity with the highest load bearing
capacity material (and most expensive) on the top and the lowest load bearing
capacity material (and least expensive) on the bottom. This section describes
the typical flexible pavement structure consisting of:

Surface Course: This is the top layer and the layer that comes in contact with
traffic. It may be composed of one or several different HMA sub layers.
Base Course: This is the layer directly below the surface course and generally
consists of aggregate (either stabilized or unstabilized) or HMA.
Subbase Course: This is the layer (or layers) under the base layer. A subbase
is not always needed.

Figure 4.3

4.5

Suitability

Asphalt pavements are selected on the basis of following factors:

Asphalt pavements have a lower initial construction cost, allowing

agencies to pave more with less funding.
Traffic noise is generally lower with asphalt pavements.
Newly constructed asphalt pavements can have a very smooth ride.
The flexibility of asphalt pavement can help it perform well in areas of
expansive soils, especially when coupled with proper subgrade
stabilization.
Routine maintenance can be performed quickly, reducing service
interruptions.
Lifespan of flexible pavements lies within the range of 10-15 years with
regular maintenance works required after every 5-7 years depending
upon the use of pavement.

4.6

Key Projects in Pakistan and Abroad

Pakistan

Lahore -Islamabad Motorway (M2).

Peshawar - Islamabad Motorway (M1).
All majors highways and roads in National and provincial network, e.g,
N-5, Lahore Faisalabad Road

Abroad

More than 80% roads constructed in USA, are flexible pavements.

5.

Rigid Pavements
5.1

General

Rigid pavements are so named because the pavement structure deflects very
little under loading due to the high modulus of elasticity of their surface
course. A rigid pavement structure is typically composed of a Cement
Concrete surface course built on top of either (1) the subgrade or (2) an
underlying base course. Because of its relative rigidity, the pavement
structure distributes loads over a wide area with only one, or at the most two,
structural layers.
Concrete pavement distributes heavy axle loads over a large area by beam
action. This means concrete pavements are less sensitive to the subgrade
support and do not require the thick subbase layers like asphalt concrete
pavements. The main function of the granular base under the concrete
pavement is to provide a level working platform for its placement and a
drainage layer.

Figure 5.1

5.2

Types of Rigid Pavements

Rigid pavements are differentiated into three major categories by their means
of crack control:

Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement (JPCP)

This is the most common type of rigid pavement. JPCP controls cracks by
dividing the pavement up into individual slabs separated by contraction joints.
Slabs are typically one lane wide and upto 4.5 m long. JPCP does not use any
reinforcing steel but does use dowel bars and tie bars. Dowel bars are typically
used at transverse joints to assist in load transfer. Tie bars are typically used
at longitudinal joints.

Figure 5.2
Jointed reinforced concrete pavement (JRCP)

As with JPCP, JRCP controls cracks by dividing the pavement up into

individual slabs separated by contraction joints. However, these slabs are
much longer (as long as 9 m (30 ft.)) than JPCP slabs, so JRCP uses
reinforcing steel within each slab to control within-slab cracking. Dowel bars
are typically used at transverse joints to assist in load transfer while the
reinforcing steel/wire mesh assists in load transfer across cracks. Tie bars are
typically used at longitudinal joints.

Figure 5.3

Continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP)

This type of rigid pavement uses reinforcing steel rather than contraction joints
for crack control. Cracks typically appear every 1.1 - 2.4 m (3.5 - 8 ft.) are held
tightly together by the underlying reinforcing steel. Continuously reinforced
concrete pavement does not require any contraction joints. Transverse cracks
are allowed to form but are held tightly together with continuous reinforcing
steel. Research has shown that the maximum allowable design crack width is
about 0.5 mm (0.02 inches) to protect against spalling and water penetration
(CRSI, 1996). Cracks typically form at intervals of 1.1 - 2.4 m (3.5 - 8 ft.).
Reinforcing steel usually constitutes about 0.6 - 0.7 percent of the crosssectional pavement area and is located near mid-depth in the slab. Typically,
15.9 mm and 19.1 mm diameter deformed reinforcing bars are used.

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Figure 5.4

CRCP generally costs more than JPCP or JRCP initially due to increased
quantities of steel. Further, it is generally less forgiving of construction errors
and provides fewer and more difficult rehabilitation options. However, CRCP
may demonstrate superior long-term performance and cost-effectiveness.

Figure:5.5: Longitudinal and Transverse Joints

Figure 5.6: Epoxy Coated Dowel Bars at a Contraction/Expansion Joint

Figure 5.7: Tie Bars along Longitudinal Joint

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5.5

Suitability

Concrete pavements are typically more expensive initially; however, the lifecycle cost of concrete can be comparable to that of asphalt.

The increased stiffness of concrete makes it capable of withstanding

heavier wheel loads without risk of rutting. This is the main reason
concrete pavement is used for bus stops, areas of heavy truck traffic,
and even loading docks and warehouse slabs.

Since concrete does not rut, there is less risk of water accumulation on
the pavement, which reduces the chance of hydroplaning*.

During construction, concrete is less dependent upon the subgrade

soils and is better able to bridge soft spots.

Concrete can be colored and/or stamped into a pattern that can be

aesthetically appealing. Apart from this, cement concrete pavements
have good reflecting surfaces and up to 10 % less electricity needed
for street lightening.

Average lifespan of cement concrete pavements lies in the range of 3040 years with least period of 30 years.

* Hydroplaning: A phenomenon involving loss of stearing or braking control when a

layer of water prevents direct contact between tires and the road.
Concrete pavements are typically more expensive initially; however, the lifecycle cost of concrete can be comparable to that of asphalt.

Heavy Traffic lanes in all major highways.

Areas with lots of turning movements.
Areas of ponding of water.
Areas with heavy precipitation and poor drainage.
Areas where extreme weather badly affects the asphalt pavements.
Areas with excessive gradients.
Toll Plaza.
Parking lots.
Industrial Zones

5.6

Kay Projects in Pakistan and Abroad

12

In Pakistan
Lahore Motorway (M2) Truck Lane in certain reaches.
Lahore By pass
Sunder industrial State in Lahore at 4-6 lanes roads dual carriageways,
Link to Lahore Ring Road from GT road in an.
Bus Stations of Metro Bus System (MBS) in Lahore and Bus Depot
area for MBS.

6.

Merits and Demerits of Flexible and Rigid Pavements

6.1

General

Relative comparison of merits and demerits of flexible and rigid pavements is

made with respect to various factors.

6.2

Subgrade Strength

Flexible pavements are dependent upon sub-grade soils strength and cannot
bridge soft spots whereas concrete is less dependent upon the sub-grade
soils and is better able to bridge soft spots. Rigid pavements are preferable
on weak subgrade,

6.3

Axle Load

Flexible pavements may have problems in performance due to over loading

whereas Rigid pavements can sustain heavier loads than bituminous
pavements.
6.4

Service Life

Design life of flexible pavements is less than concrete pavements.

6.5

Rideability / Passenger Comfort

Flexible pavements provide excellent Riding quality whereas fair Riding

quality is expected on rigid pavements.

6.6

Maintenance of Pavement

Routine maintenance is more in the case of flexible pavements. Routine

maintenance can be reduced for some concrete pavements, but once
required it will be expensive and difficult. In cold conditions, especially in snow
fall areas, chlorides are used for removal of snow which is detrimental to rigid
pavement

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6.7

Maintenance Requirement of Vehicles

Maintenance requirement of vehicles on rigid pavement is expected to be

more than the flexible pavements.
6.8

Proneness to Accidents

Flexible pavements may be more prone to accidents due to loss of braking

control when a layer of water prevents direct contact between tires and the
road.
6.9

Construction Ease

Asphalt roads are fast to construct, because asphalt effectively needs no

cure time. Construction of rigid pavements is a slow process due to curing
time of concrete.
6.10

Response to Environmental Effects

Extreme weather conditions are liable to cause more damage to asphalt roads
except few exception discussed hereunder.

6.10.1 Snowfall
Snowfall can have adverse effects on both the rigid and flexible pavements.
However use of chlorides for removal of snow can have detrimental effect of
rigid pavements.

6.10.2 High Temperature

Rigid pavements can better sustain high temperature and thermal stresses as
the pavement has the ability to contract and expand freely. In case of flexible
pavements high temperature can cause bleeding of asphalt.
6.10.3 Rain
As the flexible pavement structure is more porous, rain can have more
adverse effect of pavement structure rather than on rigid pavement.

6.10.4 Poor Drainage

6.10.5 Groundwater Rise

Rigid pavement can better sustain the adverse effects of `groundwater rise
than the flexible pavement
7.

Financial Aspects
14

7.1

Capital Cost

Pavement type selection during the scoping phase is extremely important, as

this will affect the initial cost estimation prior to programming funds. In most
cases, rigid pavement will have higher initial costs over flexible pavements,
but over the service life of the pavement, rigid pavement will be competitive
with asphalt pavement when life-cycle costs are compared. However the use
of Fly Ash in cement concretes can reduce the initial cost of concrete roads by
10 %. Estimated cost of flexible and rigid pavements is Rs. 16 Million and Rs.
23 Million per lane per Km respectively.

7.2

Life Cycle Cost

The criteria for selecting a rigid pavement are mainly based on life- cycle cost
analysis. Generally, rigid pavements are a good choice in heavily traveled
corridors where more durable pavements are advantageous due to the
difficulties and impacts of conducting maintenance repairs that may be
required over the life of the pavement. Unlike flexible pavements that
generally require more regular resurfacing treatments, rigid pavements
require minimal maintenance over their service life.
7.3

Maintenance Cost of Vehicles

This aspect of flexible and rigid pavement will also be evaluated during the
studies.
7.4

Fuel Economy

This aspect of flexible and rigid pavement will also be evaluated during the
studies.

8.

Recommendations for Research Work

8.1

Stage-I Study

Data Collection & Desk Study

Stage I of the study will comprise collection of data regarding flexible and
rigid pavements with respect to various factors mentioned in previous
sections. The available data will be collected from various agencies, keeping
such records around the world such as NHA, FHWA etc. The available data
will be studied and compiled for further evaluation. Comparison of advantages
and disadvantages, technical and financial viability of rigid and flexible
pavements will be made on the basis of durability and life cycle costs.
Estimated duration of this stage is 3 months. Estimated cost for this stage is
Rs. 3 million.
8.2

Stage-II Study

Field Visits in Pakistan & Abroad

15

Field visits will be carried out in Pakistan and abroad especially in neighboring
countries with similar environmental conditions. Purpose of these visits would
be to physically observe the condition of various flexible and rigid pavements
under various environmental conditions. Estimated duration of this stage will
be 3 months. Estimated cost for this stage is Rs. 4.5 million.
8.3

Stage-III Study (if required)

Long-Term Performance
Monitoring of Test Sections

During this stage various test sections of flexible and rigid pavements will be
constructed under various environmental conditions and will be monitored for
at least five year for determining the comparison of behavior under similar
conditions. Estimated duration of this stage will be 5 years. Estimated cost for
this stage is Rs. 175 million.

16