Introduction - California Demonstration Project: Pavement Replacement Using a Precast Concrete Pavement System on I-15 in Ontario - Highways for LIFE

California Demonstration Project: Pavement Replacement Using a Precast Concrete Pavement System

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Draft Final Report October 2012

Pavement Replacement Using a Precast Concrete Pavement System on I-15 in Ontario

Foreword

The purpose of the Highways for LIFE (HfL) pilot program is to accelerate the use of innovations that improve highway safety and quality while reducing congestion caused by construction. LIFE is an acronym for Longer-lasting highway infrastructure using Innovations to accomplish the Fast construction of Efficient and safe highways and bridges.

Specifically, HfL focuses on speeding up the widespread adoption of proven innovations in the highway community. Such innovations encompass technologies, materials, tools, equipment, procedures, specifications, methodologies, processes, and practices used to finance, design, or construct highways. HfL is based on the recognition that innovations are available that, if widely and rapidly implemented, would result in significant benefits to road users and highway agencies.

Although innovations themselves are important, HfL is as much about changing the highway community’s culture from one that considers innovation something that only adds to the workload, delays projects, raises costs, or increases risk to one that sees it as an opportunity to provide better highway transportation service. HfL is also an effort to change the way highway community decisionmakers and participants perceive their jobs and the service they provide.

The HfL pilot program, described in Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) Section 1502, includes funding for demonstration construction projects. By providing incentives for projects, HfL promotes improvements in safety, construction-related congestion, and quality that can be achieved through the use of performance goals and innovations. This report documents one such HfL demonstration project.

Additional information on the HfL program is at www.fhwa.dot.gov/hfl.

Notice

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.

The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade and manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the object of the document.

1. Report No.	2. Government Accession No.	3. Recipient's Catalog No.
4. Title and Subtitle California Demonstration Project: Pavement Replacement Using a Precast Pavement System on I-15 in Ontario		5. Report Date June 2012
		6. Performing Organization Code
7. Author(s) Chetana Rao, Ph.D., Paul Littleton, P.E., Suri Sadasivam, Ph.D., and Gerry Ullman		8. Performing Organization Report No.
9. Performing Organization Name and Address Applied Research Associates, Inc. 100 Trade Centre Drive, Suite 200 Champaign, IL 61820		10. Work Unit No.(TRAIS) C6B
		11. Contract or Grant No.
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Office of Infrastructure Federal Highway Administration 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590		13. Type of Report and Period Covered Draft Report November 2011–May 2012
		14. Sponsoring Agency Code
15. Supplementary Notes Contracting Officers Technical Representatives: Byron Lord, Mary Huie
16. Abstract As part of a national initiative sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration under the Highways for LIFE program, the California Department of Transportation was awarded a $5 million grant to showcase and demonstrate the use of precast concrete pavement system (PCPS) technology for the replacement of concrete slabs on Interstate 15 in Ontario, CA. The project involved the rehabilitation of 4.7 miles of roadway including 696 PCPS slab installations. The rehabilitation project provided the opportunity to evaluate PCPS alongside traditional cast-in-place slab replacement methods. In addition, the project involved the use of other innovative technologies. The design phase of this project utilized CA4PRS analysis to optimize construction staging plans and Dynameq to characterize traffic flow during construction and rehabilitation activities. Also, a road safety audit was performed in the early stages of the construction to critically examine safety considerations in various design and planning elements. This report documents the details of this project, including a description of the applied PCPS technology and its design, construction staging techniques and maintenance of traffic, slab installation, and performance evaluations and economic analysis. This report also contains other items relevant to HfL projects, including a description of HfL goals, technology transfer activities on the project, and a detailed analysis of data to evaluate if the HfL goals were satisfied. This project serves as a great example of the successful use of multiple innovations on a large scale project. The project also demonstrates the key factors for success: vast breadth of knowledge and expertise required, the importance of planning and attention to details, and the significance of good communication across various divisions within an agency. Specifically, in the case of PCPS, this project achieved tremendously high production rates for slab installations in nighttime work windows. Besides the initial trial installations behind k-rails, all PCPS installations performed in nighttime work windows did not require closure of more than 2 lanes, which was compensated with the addition of two median lanes in the project. Given the construction staging plans and the lane closure patterns, the economic analysis shows no significant cost implications due to the use of PCPS technology for slab replacement.
17. Key Words Highways for LIFE, precast concrete pavement system, PCPS, Super-Slab®		18. Distribution Statement No restriction. This document is available to the public through the Highways for LIFE website: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hfl/
19. Security Classif. (of this page) Unclassified	20. No. of Pages 58	21. Price

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8–72) Reproduction of completed page authorized

SI* (MODERN METRIC) CONVERSION FACTORS
APPROXIMATE CONVERSIONS TO SI UNITS					APPROXIMATE CONVERSIONS FROM SI UNITS
Symbol	When You Know	Multiply By	To Find	Symbol	Symbol	When You Know	Multiply By	To Find	Symbol
LENGTH					LENGTH
in	inches	25.4	millimeters	mm	mm	millimeters	0.039	inches	in
ft	feet	0.305	meters	m	m	meters	3.28	feet	ft
yd	yards	0.914	meters	m	m	meters	1.09	yards	yd
mi	miles	1.61	kilometers	km	km	kilometers	0.621	miles	mi
AREA					AREA
in²	square inches	645.2	square millimeters	mm²	mm²	square millimeters	0.0016	square inches	in²
ft²	square feet	0.093	square meters	m²	m²	square meters	10.764	square feet	ft²
yd²	square yards	0.836	square meters	m²	m²	square meters	1.195	square yards	ac
ac	acres	0.405	hectares	ha	ha	hectares	2.47	acres	mi²
mi²	square miles	2.59	square kilometers	km²	km²	square kilometers	0.386	square miles
VOLUME					VOLUME
fl oz	fluid ounces	29.57	milliliters	ml	ml	milliliters	0.034	fluid ounces	fl oz
gal	gallons	3.785	liters	l	l	liters	0.264	gallons	gal
ft³	cubic feet	0.028	cubic meters	m³	m³	cubic meters	35.71	cubic feet	ft³
yd³	cubic yards	0.765	cubic meters	m³	m³	cubic meters	1.307	cubic yard	yd³
NOTE: Volumes greater than 1000 l shall be shown in m³
MASS					MASS
oz	ounces	28.35	grams	g	g	grams	0.035	ounces	oz
lb	pounds	0.454	kilograms	kg	kg	kilograms	2.202	pounds	lb
T	short tons (2000 lb)	0.907	megagrams	Mg	Mg	megagrams	1.103	short tons (2000 lb)	T
TEMPERATURE (exact degrees)					TEMPERATURE (exact degrees)
°F	Fahrenheit	5(F–32)/9 or (F–32)/1.8	Celcius	°C	°C	Celsius	1.8C +32	Fahrenheit	°F
ILLUMINATION					ILLUMINATION
fc	foot–candles	10.76	lux	l	lx	lux	0.0929	foot–candles	fc
fl	foot–Lamberts	3.426	candela/m²	cd/m²	cd/m²	candela/m²	0.2919	foot–Lamberts	fl
FORCE and PRESSURE or STRESS					FORCE and PRESSURE or STRESS
lbg	pounds	4.45	newtons	N	N	newtons	0.225	poundforce	lbf
lb/in²	pound per square inch	6.89	kilopascals	kPa	kPa	kilopascals	0.145	poundforce per square inch	ib/in²(psi)
k/in²	klps per square inch	6.89	megaPascals	mPa	MPa	megaPascals	0.145	klps per square inch	k/in²(ips)
DENSITY					DENSITY
ib/ft³(pcf)	pounds per cubic foot	16.02	kilograms per cubic meter	kg/m³	kg/m³	pounds per cubic foot	0.062	kilograms per cubic meter	ib/ft³(pcf)

Acknowledgments

The project team would like to acknowledge the invaluable insights and guidance of Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Highways for LIFE (HfL) Team Leader Byron Lord and Program Coordinators Mary Huie and Kathleen Bergeron, who served as the technical panel on this demonstration project. Their vast knowledge of and experience with the various aspects of construction, technology deployment, and technology transfer helped immensely in developing both the approach and the technical matter for this document. Also, Steve Healow and Tay Dam of the FHWA California Division helped coordinate the project team’s communication and interaction with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).

The authors also thank Caltrans District 8 staff for providing the necessary support for monitoring this project. Project Designer Jonathan den Hartog was the point of contact for all information critical to the development of this report, including information on design and the innovative technologies adopted on this project. den Hartog also provided design drawings, several relevant reports, photographs, and slides pertinent to the report. Resident Engineer Nahro Saoud was the point of contact for key field-related information.

**Figures**
Figure 1.	Project location. (Courtesy Caltrans, Google™
Figure 2.	As-built lane use plan
Figure 3.	Contraflow lane use plan
Figure 4.	CSOL lane use plan
Figure 5.	Segment of project that used PCPS for slab replacement. (Source: Google Maps)
Figure 6.	Alignment of roadway that received PCPS slab installation, with horizontal and vertical curves included in the alignment
Figure 7.	View of the outer lanes of northbound I-15 just before the I-10 overpass
Figure 8.	Typical plan details for Super-Slab®
Figure 9.	Epoxy-coated steel reinforcement is shown in a typical panel layout
Figure 10.	Workers use a roller-type screed to level the panels
Figure 11.	Longitudinally textured surface of a freshly made panel
Figure 12.	Underside of a panel. Note the gaskets, dowel pockets, and grooves for the bedding grout
Figure 13.	Underside of a panel. Note dowels bar and tie bar pockets
Figure 14.	Existing panels were removed in manageable pieces
Figure 15.	A milling machine is used to level the CTB as needed
Figure 16.	Workers use a track-mounted screed to level the base
Figure 17.	A panel is set in place
Figure 18.	Grouting operation
Figure 19.	Finished PCPS
Figure 20.	Cracked panel and core
Figure 21.	I-15 and I-10 ramp closure analysis region
Figure 22.	OBSI dual probe system and the SRTT
Figure 23.	Mean A-weighted SI frequency spectra before and after construction
Figure 24.	High-speed inertial profiler mounted behind the test vehicle
Figure 25.	Mean IRI values before and after construction
Figure 26.	Project showcase event announcement and invitation
Figure 27.	Presenters at the HfL showcase.
Figure 28.	Participants in the workshop conducted as part of the HfL showcase
Figure 29.	Site visits during the HfL showcase included I-15 PCPS installation site (top) and precast plant (bottom)

**Tables**
Table 1.	Traffic data on I-15 from Route 60 to I-10
Table 2.	Traffic data on I-15 from I-10 to Route 60.
Table 3.	CA4PRS alternate comparison (estimated dollar values shown)
Table 4.	Mix design proportions for the PCC used in the PCPS
Table 5.	PCC mix design information in the project where accelerated strength development was critical
Table 6.	Risk rating as a combination of severity and frequency of crash (Gibbs, 2008)
Table 7.	RSA recommendations and Caltrans’ response to each safety issue identified
Table 8.	Summary of PCPS panel installations by day
Table 9.	Breakdown of the type and amount of crashes before construction
Table 10.	Breakdown of the type and amount of crashes during construction
Table 11.	Summary of distances and speeds on route segments in analysis region
Table 12.	Saturday travel time comparisons for NB I-15 to WB I-10
Table 13.	Sunday travel time comparisons for NB I-15 to WB I-10
Table 14.	Saturday travel time comparisons for NB I-15 to EB I-10
Table 15.	Sunday travel time comparisons for NB I-15 to EB I-10
Table 16.	Additional travel distance and delays incurred
Table 17.	Analysis scenarios
Table 18.	Agency costs
Table 19.	Pre-construction and during construction crash counts
Table 20.	Pre-construction and during construction crash rates
Table 21.	Unit comprehensive crash costs estimated for this project
Table 22.	Work zone road user costs for LCCA
Table 23.	Case A: total project costs
Table 24.	Case B: panel replacement costs

**Abbreviations and Symbols**
AADT	annual average daily traffic
AASHTO	American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
ADT	average daily traffic
dB(A)	A-weighted decibel
CTB	cement-treated base
DOT	department of transportation
FHWA	Federal Highway Administration
HfL	Highways for LIFE
IRI	International Roughness Index
LCCA	life cycle cost analysis
ITS	intelligent transportation system
M&R	maintenance and rehabilitation
MVMT	million vehicle-miles traveled
NPV	net present value
OBSI	onboard sound intensity
OSHA	Occupational Safety and Health Administration
PCC	portland cement concrete
PCPS	precast concrete pavement system
PHV	peak hour volume
RSA	road safety audit
RUC	road user cost
SAFETEA-LU	Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users
SI	sound intensity
SRTT	standard reference test tire
TRB	Transportation Research Board
VOC	vehicle operating cost

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Mary Huie
Highways for LIFE
202-366-3039
mary.huie@dot.gov

Updated: 11/28/2012