SHOW WHITE : ROADS COVERED IN CONCRETE MAY PRODUCE SAFER RESULTS, HIGHER VISIBILITY

Although white cement portland concrete costs nearly twice as much as standard gray cement portland concrete, aesthetic motivations and safety concerns can often result in it being the concrete of choice in construction projects where these factors are decisive. This article describes the Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority’s (FBCTRA) new 6.2 mile long toll road which services travelers between Fort Bend and Houston, and how the construction of it incorporated white concrete for a number of aesthetic and safety purposes. Although both gray and white portland concrete are composed of essentially identical components, white concrete has been rigorously purged of imperfections in raw materials like the metal oxides of manganese and iron in particular. Using white concrete also requires that all members of the construction team be completely aware of the need to avoid any admixture that would compromise the integrity of the white concrete. This type of concrete is useful for its high reflectivity, as researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found it to be .18 to .39 more reflective than standard gray concrete. The article closes with a brief discussion of the usage of white cement by the Texas Department of Transportation and the growing possibility of expanded use across the United States.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/11660022
• Corporate Authors:

  Scranton Gillette Communications

  380 E Northwest Highway, Suite 200
  Des Planes, IL  United States  60016-2282
• Authors:
  • Prokopy, J G
• Publication Date: 2005-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: pp 38-41
• Serial:
  • Roads & Bridges
  • Volume: 43
  • Issue Number: 9
  • Publisher: Scranton Gillette Communications
  • ISSN: 8750-9229
  • Serial URL: http://www.roadsbridges.com/rb/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Concrete pavements; Costs; Portland cement concrete; Safety; Visibility; White
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Pavements; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01006931
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: UC Berkeley Transportation Library
• Files: BTRIS, TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Nov 8 2005 7:32AM