Synthesis: Pavement Widening Best Practices

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has observed premature pavement failures on several widening projects, including shoulder widenings, conversion of two-lane roadways to Super 2 sections, and other safety enhancements. Repairing these early failures is time-consuming, expensive, disrupts traffic, and poses safety hazards. Key contributing factors include poor-quality materials, poor joint construction, inadequate drainage, differential settlement, etc. These issues could have been avoided through proper pre-evaluation, design, and construction practices; but detailed guidance which methods to employ, which can be project specific, is not readily available to district personnel. Therefore, there is a need to document and implement better widening practices. The research team will synthesize the best practices for pavement widening by conducting the following research objectives: reviewing the literature for effective widening practices; reviewing current widening practices employed by TxDOT, including: pre-design pavement evaluation, pavement layer and cross-section design, materials, project plans, specifications, and estimates, and construction practices; evaluating previous widening projects both in good and poor condition; identify issues and practices that can lead to premature failure, and practices that should be adopted more widely; and developing comprehensive guidelines and modifications to specifications.

Language

  • English

Project

  • Status: Completed
  • Funding: $64,932
  • Contract Numbers:

    0-7188

  • Sponsor Organizations:

    Texas Department of Transportation

    125 E. 11th Street
    Austin, TX  United States  78701-2483
  • Managing Organizations:

    Texas Department of Transportation

    125 E. 11th Street
    Austin, TX  United States  78701-2483
  • Project Managers:

    Kasberg, Katelyn

  • Performing Organizations:

    Texas A&M Transportation Institute

    Texas A&M University System
    3135 TAMU
    College Station, TX  United States  77843-3135
  • Principal Investigators:

    Wilson, Bryan

  • Start Date: 20230901
  • Expected Completion Date: 20240831
  • Actual Completion Date: 20240831

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01894821
  • Record Type: Research project
  • Source Agency: Texas Department of Transportation
  • Contract Numbers: 0-7188
  • Files: RIP, STATEDOT
  • Created Date: Sep 27 2023 3:36PM