National Concrete Pavement Technology Center

Project description

Roadway alignments are typically dictated by constraints other than the existing conditions. For reason, the design of the roadbed and pavement section must accommodate the conditions at each site even when poor, low strength soils are present in the subgrade. Tennessee Department of Transportation's (TDOT’s) current practice in these situations has been to either remove low quality materials or design a thicker pavement section, both at substantial cost to the state and its residents. Chemical stabilization is often a cost-effective alternative to either of these approaches and should be considered on more TDOT projects. TDOT’s usage and experience with stabilization has declined with time. In order to reverse this trend, TDOT needs to gain knowledge and experience with all aspects of the chemical stabilization process from exploratory and laboratory testing through design to construction.