As Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements age, longitudinal and transverse joints can exhibit signs of distress as a result of traffic loading, climatic variations, materials-related issues, and construction defects. Although only small areas are often involved, the joint distress can substantially disrupt traffic flow and increase pavement roughness, sacrificing consumer ride comfort. When immediate action is required, temporary repairs are often made using readily available materials, such as cold mix or other asphalt materials. These temporary materials are often replaced with more permanent materials to reestablish the integrity and functionality of the concrete pavement. The goal of this project is to provide a guide for agencies to establish an effective joint repair program. The final report reviews the background information explaining why this research was performed, summarizes the findings from previous similar research studies, details how the patches were constructed and how they performed, and provides a Product Matrix that includes installation requirements, equipment needed, along with the life expectancy of the products to compare and guide the reader through product selection.
The National Road Research Alliance (NRRA); a multi-state pooled-fund program; exists to provide strategic implementation of pavement engineering solutions through cooperative research. NRRA is led by an Executive Committee of state DOT partners; and supported by numerous agency and industry partner representatives. Members provide expertise to NRRA; from the selection of research topics; to communication; and implementation. NRRA consists of five project teams: Flexible; Rigid; Geotechnical; Preventive Maintenance; and Technology Transfer. The 2017 construction season at MnROAD saw construction of 35 new and unique pavement test sections. The sections; designed to address NRRA high-priority research topics; were conceived and planned by NRRA project teams. This report details development; design; and construction of each research project and the test sections supporting them. Individual study details are left to future reports generated by the individual research contracts and their respective teams.