There are advantages to both concrete and asphalt pavements. Each one has an application that is better for one than the other.
Concrete pavement is rigid pavement. Rigid pavements work very well under truck loading. Interstate traffic has a high percentage of trucks. Interstate is often constructed of concrete where high truck volumes are expected.
The disadvantage of concrete pavement is that once it is placed, you don’t want to tear it out again. This is the advantage of asphalt pavement. Asphalt pavement is flexible pavement. It is designed to flex under traffic loading. It is also easy to remove and patch back in place.
Very often, on main streets, there are several utilities under the roadway. Utilities often break or need maintenance. This requires that they tear up the roadway to fix them. With asphalt, this can easily be repaired. This is not so easy with concrete pavement.
Concrete pavement usually costs more, but lasts longer. It costs more per square yard because it is placed approximately 12 inches thick. It actually costs less per cubic yard though. Asphalt is typically placed somewhere around 6 to 8 inches thick. This is why it is less expensive per square yard.
Asphalt is easier to manipulate and put in odd shaped areas. It requires some hand work, but this is easier to do with asphalt than concrete. Concrete requires someone to do finish work, which is an art form.
By Dana M Dietz.
Regards!
There are advantages to both concrete and asphalt pavements. Each one has an application that is better for one than the other.
Concrete pavement is rigid pavement. Rigid pavements work very well under truck loading. Interstate traffic has a high percentage of trucks. Interstate is often constructed of concrete where high truck volumes are expected.
The disadvantage of concrete pavement is that once it is placed, you don’t want to tear it out again. This is the advantage of asphalt pavement. Asphalt pavement is flexible pavement. It is designed to flex under traffic loading. It is also easy to remove and patch back in place.
Very often, on main streets, there are several utilities under the roadway. Utilities often break or need maintenance. This requires that they tear up the roadway to fix them. With asphalt, this can easily be repaired. This is not so easy with concrete pavement.
Concrete pavement usually costs more, but lasts longer. It costs more per square yard because it is placed approximately 12 inches thick. It actually costs less per cubic yard though. Asphalt is typically placed somewhere around 6 to 8 inches thick. This is why it is less expensive per square yard.
Asphalt is easier to manipulate and put in odd shaped areas. It requires some hand work, but this is easier to do with asphalt than concrete. Concrete requires someone to do finish work, which is an art form.
By Dana M Dietz.
Regards!
To begin to understand why asphalt paving is superior to concrete paving (also called cement paving), one should know how asphalt and concrete are made.Concrete is made using aggregate (like crushed rock and sand), along with cementand water. The cement acts as the binder in concrete, holding the aggregate together
Many establishments and project managers opt for asphalt as a road paving material because it is more affordable and convenient in terms of cost, installation and maintenance in comparison with concrete. However, while asphalt is more cost-effective, a lot also remain loyal to concrete because of its durability and resistance to extreme weather conditions.
Here are other known pros of asphalt:
- It is easy to maintain. When the pavement endures any damages, you can just cover the affected layer with more asphalt. This is the reason why many homeowners opt for bitumen driveways.
- It is recyclable. You can just melt the material and reuse it for other applications.
Here are other advantages of concrete:
- While extreme weather conditions and oil spillage are two causes of damage to some paving materials, the durability possessed by concrete roadways allows them to withstand these things.
- You don't have to worry about maintenance cost, unlike asphalt.
by Gerard West
Regards!
Nowadays in places where asphalt was used the pavement melts when the temperature in the summer exceeds 40 degrees C, so it has to be replaced by a rubber compound (like is done in Australia).
Other high-traffic areas need a asphalt concrete mixture.
MY PERSONAL OBSERVATION:
Between Islamabad and Taxila at Sangjani bus-stop, a portion of more or less 2-3 km of Grand Trunk Road (GT Road) was replaced by concrete pavement as the asphalt pavement damaged recurrently (due to 1. very heavy traffic rush/load, and 2. unfavourable soil properties at the same place).
Hi
Check out my paper for some general background about asphaltic roads
Article Mapping Asphaltic Roads’ Skid Resistance Using Imaging Spectroscopy
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