THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF CONCRETE PAVEMENTS FOR HIGHWAY 407 ETR - EXPRESS TOLL ROUTE

The selection of the exposed concrete pavement for the main line of Highway 407 toll highway involved a detailed evaluation of the subsoil and groundwater conditions for the full 69 km (42 mi) length of the facility, and consideration of traffic, environmental, maintenance and performance factors. Originally conceived as a design-build-operate-transfer project with the successful consortium to operate and maintain the facility for a 35-year period, this project offered the opportunity to consider pavement alternatives for Ontario. A number of alternate pavement designs were developed, using the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Portland Cement Association (PCA) and Asphalt Institute (AI) design procedures, with modifications incorporated to reflect the international state-of-the-technology for pavement design and construction. Life-cycle cost analyses were carried out for selected designs, considering both pavement initial cost and the cost of maintenance throughout its service life, to identify the most economic pavement alternative.