Determining permissible values of Lithuanian motor road pavements and asphalt concrete in pavements

Abstract

In the last years the number of vehicles on Lithuanian roads has been rapidly increasing (from 1.29 mln. in 2000 to 2.13 mln. in 2009). The same can be said about the share of heavy-weight cargo vehicles (HV) and traffic volume. Under these circumstances, there is a strong demand for reconstruction of 40% of main and national roads of the country. At the beginning of 2010, Lithuania had 21 268 km roads of national significance including 13 584 km (63.87%) roads with asphalt concrete (AC) or other type of asphalt pavement. The AC pavement must be designed and constructed seeking sufficient compaction of road layers and rational componential composition of AC ensuring the possibly longest service life of AC pavements. AC in pavements must disintegrate at possibly slowest rate. This can be achieved by ensuring the adequate values of physical and mechanical indices of AC under local conditions. It is necessary to establish the permissible values of pavement roughness and the time spans between repairs that would guarantee the permissible roughness values. So far, a complex solution of this relevant problem has not been attempted in Lithuania. This should be done as soon as possible.