What Is An Expansion Joint In The Concrete Road?
What Is An Expansion Joint In The Concrete Road?
To absorb the expansion of the highway pavement, an expansion joint is installed between the roadway and approach panels to a bridge. The joint is made of a compressible foam-like substance.
Expansion joints offered an area for the pavement to expand into. These joints reduce compressive stress caused by an expansion in the concrete slab. Expansion joints also ease structural and warping strains.
The joint expansion material is bonded to the approach and highway concrete. The top is then sealed with a hot rubber sealant.
The freezing and thawing cycles dissolve the glue’s link with the concrete, causing the expansion material to float to the top (JPG). This foam substance can be compressed, not a hard material.
When driving, these joints may appear to protrude from the road (JPG) and cause drivers to become concerned. “The joints will not do any damage to your car or its tires.”
How Many Miles Of Concrete Roads Were There In The US In 1900?
At the turn of the century, there were just under 10 miles of concrete roads in the country. This number was incredibly small, and it was not going to be enough to solve the country’s growing problem.
The roads were constantly deteriorating, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to transport goods and people across the country.
Concrete roads were a temporary solution to the country’s growing traffic congestion, but they did not solve the underlying structural problems hindering progress. Axles and wheels slipped on old dirt roads, bridges and railways constantly broke down, and buildings collapsed.
Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the US government invested billions of dollars into reconstructing its infrastructure. Highways began to expand across the country as car ownership increased steadily.
Where Was The First Concrete Road Built In The USA?
Court Avenue is a tiny roadway close to the Logan County Courthouse in downtown Bellefontaine, Ohio, United States. It was the first street in the United States to be paved with concrete, completed in 1893.
Like the rest of Bellefontaine’s streets, Court Avenue was originally a dirt road that became dusty or muddy in inclement weather.
George Bartholomew, a concrete pioneer, went to Logan County in 1886, where he discovered high-quality raw materials for concrete manufacture.
By 1891, he was hoping to use concrete for street pavement, so he obtained permission from the Bellefontaine city council to pave a few square feet of neighboring Main Street as a test patch.
Although some worried that the concrete pavement would be damaged or destroyed fast, it lasted. In 1893, the council approved paving all the streets surrounding the courthouse, including Court Avenue.
