ROAD SURFACE OF THE FUTURE

This paper describes how, in 1996, the Ministry of Public Works and Water management started the innovation program Roads to the Future in order to anticipate on the future needs in mobility. In 2000 the theme 'Road Surface of the Future' began its search for a completely different approach to infrastructure, its functions and its components. At the heart of this new approach lies the world view in 2030: increased mobility, more shortages, far-reaching technological development and explicitly more integral designs. What are the potential functions of the road in this view? Are current solutions still suitable or do we need a trend-change in design, construction, composition and use of infrastructure. As the result of a gradual process the traditional method of constructing a road surface has an amorphous mixture of qualities that must fulfill an entire scale of functions. Over the past decades, the hot-rolled asphalt superstructure evolved from providing a comfort layer to being a bearing construction, comfort layer, water drainage layer and noise reducing layer all in one. The functional requirements will vary according to place and time. By unraveling the functions and developing specific components or modules for each function a 'made-to-measure' road surface can be created by stacking the right layers on top of each other, provided that it should be easy to exchange the modules. In 2001 the ideas for a Road Surface of the Future were elaborated in three practical pilot projects: Modular Road, Smart Road and Energetic Road to demonstrate that this new concept of construction could be feasible. This paper describes these pilot projects and the very promising results that were obtained.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Full conference proceedings available on CD-ROM.
• Corporate Authors:

  World Road Association (PIARC)

  La Grande Arche, Paroi Nord, Niveau 5
  F-92055 La Defense Cedex,   France 
• Authors:
  • Maagdenberg, A C
  • Koeleman, NMM
• Conference:
  • The XXIInd PIARC World Road Congress
  • Location: Durban, South Africa
  • Date: 2003-10-19 to 2003-10-25
• Publication Date: 2003

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: 9p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Design build; Drainage; Energy; Infrastructure; Innovation; Modular structures; Noise; Pavement design; Pavement performance; Prefabricated structures; Roads; Smart materials; Surface course (Pavements); Water
• Subject Areas: Energy; Environment; Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; Pavements; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00987833
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 2 2005 12:00AM