11 Years of Performance of Alberta Transportation's First Bonded Concrete Overlay

In 2004, Alberta Transportation constructed its first bonded concrete overlay in the City of Lethbridge. The bonded concrete overlay was constructed to address a chronic rutting problem in one of the left turn bays at the signalized intersection of highways 3 and 4. Because the rutting was requiring yearly maintenance resources, the department was seeking a more sustainable medium to long term solution and therefore opted to construct its first trial of a bonded concrete overlay. This paper documents the design and construction of the bonded concrete overlay on existing asphalt pavement, including thickness design, specification development, concrete mix design, site preparation and specific challenges. The paper also reviews the performance since construction and provides an assessment of the long term cost-effectiveness and sustainability of this treatment.