Precast Prestressed Concrete Pavement Pilot Project near Georgetown, Texas

The use of precast concrete is rapidly becoming a viable method for repair and rehabilitation of portland cement concrete pavements, with several projects under construction or in development throughout the United States. Construction with precast concrete offers numerous benefits over conventional cast-in-place pavement construction. Most notable is how quickly a precast pavement can be opened to traffic. Precast panels can be placed during overnight or weekend operations and opened to traffic almost immediately. In addition, because precast panels are cast in a controlled environment, the durability of a precast pavement is also improved. In March 2002, the Texas Department of Transportation completed construction of a precast pavement pilot project aimed at testing and further developing a precast pavement concept developed by the Center for Transportation Research at The University of Texas at Austin. This project was constructed on a section of frontage road along Interstate 35 near Georgetown, Texas. The project incorporated the use of posttensioned precast concrete panels. The panels were posttensioned in place not only to tie all the panels together but also to reduce the pavement thickness required and improve durability. The finished pavement demonstrated not only the viability of precast pavement construction but also the benefits of incorporation of posttensioning. Although the project was constructed without the time constraints and complexities that will eventually need to be considered for precast pavement construction, it ultimately helped to develop viable construction procedures for future precast prestressed concrete pavements.