Concrete or not to Concrete?

9 years ago

As part of Connect Roads’ engagement and shared knowledge ethos within the highways sector, it has participated in delivering a presentation at the ‘Low Maintenance Highway Maintenance Pavements 2014’ seminar held in Birmingham last autumn.

The event, organsied by the Concrete Centre in partnership with Britpave, heard from Ali El-Jaber (Connect’s Asset Manager), regarding the Connect approach to maintenance management strategies for concrete constructed pavements.

The event provided Connect with the opportunity to share its long-standing (and ever growing) experience in concrete pavement maintenance, as well as promoting the main operational drivers for considering concrete pavement construction, where possible, over alternatives such as flexible construction.

Some of the benefits of concrete construction include lower volatility to market price fluctuations and lower operating life cycle costs especially when surface noise levels could be mitigated by thin surfacing systems; perhaps one of the reasons for considering this design option on the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Further, the event was a great opportunity to network with other fellow engineers and practitioners representing research establishments, consultants and contractors, and it was good to see such eminent client representatives at the forum, including the Highways Agency’s newly appointed Chief Engineer (the post that largely oversees all design and material Standards within England).