NM 136 Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement [techbrief]

The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) rehabilitated about 8.7 miles (milepoint 0.448 to milepoint 9.168) of New Mexico State Road 136 (NM 136) in Dona Ana County, just northwest of El Paso, TX. This four-lane arterial roadway serves as a connection between the Santa Teresa Port of Entry and Interstate 10 (I-10) near the Texas State Line. The roadway serves the Dona Ana County Jetport, the new Union Pacific railroad facility, industrial parks, and the Santa Teresa residential areas. The roadway rehabilitation involved the use of long-lasting continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) to significantly upgrade the existing asphalt concrete (AC) pavement. The existing AC pavement exhibited significant distress as a result of rutting and cracking. This is NMDOT’s first CRCP project. The CRCP is being constructed over the existing AC pavement and was selected because of its ability to accommodate heavy border truck traffic (up to 96,000-pound vehicle loads), lower life-cycle costs, and less maintenance requirement. The CRCP construction started during April 2018 and was planned to be completed during early 2019. The lengthy construction period included nighttime paving and frequent suspensions of paving operations due to high ambient temperatures and windy conditions. This Tech Brief provides details related to the planning, design, and construction of the NM 136 CRCP.\n