Concrete Strength Required to Open to Traffic

The current empirical methods for determining traffic-opening criteria can be overly conservative causing unnecessary construction delays and user costs. The research described here recommends innovative mechanistic based procedures for monitoring concrete early age development and evaluating the effect of early traffic opening on long-term damage accumulation. The procedure utilizes recent developments in nondestructive testing to optimize traffic opening timing without jeopardizing pavement longevity. These tasks were achieved via extensive field and laboratory experiments allowing for the analysis of variables such as curing condition and loading type with respect to the effect of early loading of concrete. The results of these efforts culminated in the development of a program that analyzes the effect of design and opening time decisions on pavement damage. The deliverable can be utilized by transportation agencies to make more informed decisions.