Road Pavement

The Road Pavement is the portion of the road located directly above the subgrade, and beneath any wearing surface. In urban areas it is often bordered by kerb & channel, and in rural areas by road shoulders. It is typically constructed from compacted imported material such as crushed rock. The road pavement is sometimes broken up into two components, namely the base and the sub-base.

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Glossary of Austroads Terms

The Glossary of Austroads Terms defines pavement as "that portion of a road designed for the support of, and to form the running surface for, vehicular traffic." and "the portion of the road, excluding shoulders, placed above the design subgrade level for the support of, and to form a running surface for vehicular traffic."

Types of Pavements

There are two main types of road pavements; flexible pavements & rigid pavements

Images

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Useful Life

The useful life of a road pavement will depend on a number of factors including soil conditions, the material it is made from, its thickness, its surface type and climate.

The table below shows the useful life for road pavements adopted by a number of Councils. Please feel free to add your Councils information.

Council Adopted Life
Albury City Council 75 years
Banyule City Council 100 years
Bundaberg Regional Council 80 years
Camden Council 70 years
Campbelltown City Council 100 years
Corowa Shire Council 80 years
Darebin City Council 120 years
Hume City Council 75 years
Indigo Shire Council 75 years
Infrastructure Asset Useful Lives Report 20-100 years
Loddon Shire Council 90 years
Randwick City Council 60 years
Whittlesea City Council 120 years
Wollondilly Shire Council 80 years
National Asset Management Manual 50-100 years

Data Standard for Road Management and Investment in Australia and New Zealand

Section 8.3.14 of the Data Standard for Road Management and Investment in Australia and New Zealand V2 defines the 'pavement' as the portion of a road (typically granular layers) placed above the design subgrade level for the support of vehicular traffic, and upon which the pavement surface (wearing course) is applied.

Related Pages

Contributors

The following site members have contributed to this page:

External Links & References

  1. Google Search
  2. Glossary of Austroads Terms
  3. Queensland Main Roads Pavement Design Manual
  4. USQ Pavement Design Course Notes
  5. Pavement Guide Interactive
  6. Assessing and Managing the Ecological Impacts of Paved Roads - Free online book
  7. Randwick City COuncil Road Pavement Asset Management Plan
  8. Shire of Barcoo Road Pavement Construction Photos
  9. Standard Life Comparison Roads and Stormwater
  10. IPWEA Use of non-standard gravel in Road Pavements discussion
  11. Corowa Shire Council Asset Valuation Manual
  12. Banyule City Roads Asset Management Plan
  13. Darebin City Council Roads Asset Management Plan
  14. Loddon Shire Council Road Management Plan
  15. Indigo Shire Road Asset Management Plan
  16. Austroads Guide to Pavement Technology
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