Paul Wiegand

Construction and Performance of Pervious Concrete Overlay at Minnesota Road Research Project

Portland cement pervious concrete (PCPC) has shown great potential to reduce roadway noise, improve splash and spray, and improve friction as a surface wearing course. A study is under way at Iowa State University and the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center to develop mix designs and procedures for PCPC overlays for highway applications. A report is produced on the construction and performance of a PCPC overlay constructed at the Minnesota Road Research Project low-volume roadway test facility to determine the effectiveness of pervious concrete as an overlay. Issues related to construction of the overlay are described, as are results of field tests to characterize the condition of the pavement 7 months following construction, to determine flow characteristics of the overlay, and to characterize the tire–pavement noise of the overlay. Results of these studies show that effective PCPC overlays can be designed for wearing course applications.

Quiet concrete pavement surfaces

For the last 5 years, a comprehensive evaluation has been conducted on hundreds of concrete pavement surfaces throughout the US, Canada, andEurope. These data have been synthesized in a manner that allows the highway industry to make important decisions about how best to design and construct concrete pavements to reduce tire‐pavement noise levels without compromising other important aspects such as durability, safety, and cost. While a significant amount of variability is present in the data, clear trends have been identified. Some surfaces, such as diamond grinding, appear to be among the best alternatives available today for reducing tire‐pavement noise. Meanwhile, recent trials of more unconventional surfaces have yielded mixed results. In the end, the techniques for concrete pavement surfacing today include a vast array of choices. The selection of the best surface for the particular job can now be made more confidently given this improved understanding of the potential impacts due to tire‐pavement noise.