Roads are exceptionally useful especially in today’s highly mobile society, where people travel to other places and explore new cities and towns. These well-built paths connect various areas and enable people to reach their destinations easily.
Additionally, roads are extremely useful in the distribution of different goods and supplies across the country, including remote areas. They serve as safe and quick paths for trucks drivers, who are responsible for the delivery of various goods and supplies.
What are the Steps of Road Construction?
Properly constructed roads can last for decades, making them worthy investments for governments and private companies. Of course, constructing a high-quality road isn’t enough, the governing body should also continue to maintain the road by repairing potholes, repainting road markings, and repaving.
Constructing high-quality roads allow motorists and pedestrians to reach their destinations without any incident. However, properly constructing asphalt roads is not as easy as laying cement on soil and calling it a day. To ensure the quality of the road, these steps should be followed carefully:
Phase 1: Planning
The first step to road construction is planning. This is where you take a look at the current and future patterns of traffic in the area and study them. During the planning stage, you should also perform a cost-benefit study to see if the road you will build can fulfill its purpose.
The planning phase of road construction involves creating layout drawings, securing funding, taking care of legal aspects. You should also address any environmental issues while planning your road construction project. Taking care of these before starting the actual construction will help you avoid financial or legal problems in the future.
Phase 2: Setting Out
Once you have all the details of your road construction project laid out, you should start transferring them to the ground. This means that you need to go to your worksite and mark off your boundaries, foundations, and other essential parts of the construction.
Additionally, you can place boards with a fixed height beside the proposed line of the road at intervals. These boards allow you to control the excavated levels between each one.
Phase 3: Earthwork
Before any work is started, the area on which the road is going to be constructed should be cleared of all vegetation and obstruction. Trees, shrubs, bushes, rocks, and stones should be dug out by excavation vehicles to ensure that the surface is ready for construction.
Once the topsoil is removed, the subgrade should be tested to see if it is strong enough to carry the weight of a concrete road. If this step shows that the subsoil is not good enough, it may be removed or stabilized before construction.
The subgrade can be stabilized by adding sand wicks underneath the road embankment. These additions help by reducing the length that water travels in a drainage path. Sand drains, on the other hand, stabilize the subgrade by catching groundwater.
The subgrade can also be reinforced by getting rid of poor material in cuttings and substituting them with selected fill. Stabilization procedures can also be done by using chemicals, cement, or bituminous materials.
Phase 4: Subbase and Base Course
The most important step in road construction is the preparation of its subbase. This 350-mm layer serves as the foundation of the road and is often the primary load-bearing part. That is why it is essential that the material used for this layer is of high quality.
To ensure the proper installation of the subbase, contractors should give special attention to the base thickness, base stability, and compaction. If this layer is not correctly compacted, the asphalt that will be poured on top may not last long.
After grading the subbase, a 250 mm layer of base course is laid on top. This should be applied evenly on the surface and graded again.
Phase 5: Surface Course
Surface course or paving is done once the subbase and course have been graded and drainage systems have been put in place. It can either be rigid or flexible depending on the specifications of the project.
Rigid paving refers to the practice of using a reinforced or unreinforced in situ concrete slab and placing it over the base course. This type of paving allows the road to withstand great loads and pressures without experiencing any damage.
Flexible paving, on the other hand, involves the application of several layers of paving bitumen over the prepared subgrade. This type of paving is called flexible because the road surface can bend or deflect when subjected to heavy loads.
Once the type of paving has been decided, a 330-mm layer of Portland Cement Concrete Pavement (PCCP) is added to the surface. A layer of bitumen seal is then poured after this road construction step. Asphalt is a combination of a petroleum product, aggregate base material, paving grade bitumen. Applying a 50-mm layer of this material on top protects the underneath layers of the road and provides motorists with a clean and smooth ride. It also gives the road a shiny and attractive finished surface.
Phase 6: Road Marking
The construction of a road does not end once the layer of asphalt is applied. Contractors still have to go through several steps to make sure that the road is safe for vehicles and pedestrians. They accomplish this by conveying relevant information through road markings.
To achieve the best quality of preformed road paint application, contractors clean the road surface thoroughly by getting rid of any debris and ensuring that it is moisture-free. They then apply a high adhesion primer on the surface in a thin, even coating. After letting the primer dry, the road marking is applied using thermoplastic paint.
Using the primer before the reflectorized traffic paint will help the latter bond to the surface of the road. This subsequently extends the lifetime of the thermoplastic road paint.
Phase 7: Quality Control
Once the process of concrete road construction is done, the road should be put through a series of quality tests before opening it to the public. Some of the tests that can be done to assess road quality are drainage confirmation, level grading, and road reflectivity.
If the road passes the assessments done, the road-building process can be deemed complete. This means that the road can be opened to traffic and used for transportation.
Choose High-Quality Materials for Your Road Construction Project
Work with Rua Seguridad to gather the ideal materials for the phases of your road construction project. We offer paving bitumen, coating bitumen, road marking paint, and more.
You can also count on us to provide you with road paint application services. Rua Seguridad is the expert to work with when it comes to road marking projects. We have more than 15 years of experience, making us one of the most trusted names in the industry. For more information on how we can address your needs, get in touch with us.
