Perpetual pavement designs: The sustainable alternative for highway design

Sustainability of road construction is one of the key factors affecting the global environment, economy and social development. Several research projects are currently underway to study different construction approaches, materials and designs that can improve the sustainability of roads. The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) constructed a test section in partnership with University of Waterloo, TransCanada Highway in Southern Ontario, the Ontario Hot Mix Producers Association (OHMPA) and various other partners to evaluate the use of perpetual flexible pavement design on Highway 401. Although perpetual pavement is characterized by higher construction costs compared to conventional flexible pavement designs, they require less maintenance and less frequent rehabilitation over the 50 year lifecycle, if designed and constructed properly. Pavement design can save on materials and energy used in maintenance over the pavement lifecycle and reduces the noise and emissions accompanied by maintenance activities. All these benefits lead to decrease in maintenance cost through the pavement lifetime and improve sustainability. The use of perpetual pavement designs on heavy traffic volume roads and on interstate highways will improve the sustainability of the road network through long life performance. These highways are typically subjected to heavier truck loading compared to local roads and thus usually exhibit rapid deterioration and require more frequent maintenance. The case study presented in this paper examines how perpetual pavement designs can be a feasible solution for constructing sustainable roads. The test section constructed on Highway 401 in Woodstock, Ontario will be explained and analyzed.