Foundations for concrete roads: their preparation and protection*

This paper describes the practical measures that should be adopted by road engineers in the initial preparation and for the subsequent protection of the foundations of concrete roads.

The provision of a stable foundation for a concrete road consists of: (1) the selection of suitable soils for embankments and materials for the road bases; (2) the compaction of these soils and materials; (3) the control of the moisture conditions in these soils and materials.

Each of these aspects is dealt with in turn, and the paper concludes with a selection of photographs of concrete roads which illustrate a number of cases in which defects might have been avoided if more attention had been given in the first place to the provision of a stable foundation.