Road Construction Technology
The technologies involved in road construction encompass many aspects of civil engineering and design. In addition to the traditional methods of creating roadways using conventional materials, emerging technologies are increasingly incorporating ecologically-friendly building techniques and innovative approaches to infrastructure formation, according to Environmental Construction Technologies. Does this Spark an idea?
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Rural
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Technologies utilized in rural road planning include the mechanical methods used in designing, grading and paving, such as scrapers, bulldozers, excavators and vibratory compactors. As of December 2010, an emerging trend in rural road construction, particularly in economically depressed countries, is the use of local labor in place of machinery. According to the International Labour Organization, approaching roadway construction in this manner prompts higher levels of employment and increased accessibility to basic goods and services for economically challenged peoples.
Soil Stabilization
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Although not a new technology, soil stabilization and road remediation play an integral part in the composition and management of roads. However, Roadbond, a relatively new (as of December 2010) chemical substance that minimizes the swelling of shrinking of the earth that underlies roadways, assists in achieving the minimum 96 percent soil compaction many municipalities require before asphalt can be poured.
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Emerging
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As of December 2010, several technologies are emerging that promote conservation and improve efficiency. These include the use of recyclables, such as plastics, as an alternative to asphalt. Other innovative methods include using GPS to accurately formulate a road's grade and pitch.
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References
- Environmental Construction Technologies: Soil Stabilizers
- Planning Ruaral Roads: Why Use Labour-Based Technology?
- Mindfully: Plastic Roads
- Deseret News: Newest in Construction Technology: GPS on Earth-Movers
- Interational Labour Organization: Employment Intensive Investment Programme
- Roadbond: Welcome to Roadbond
Resources
- Photo Credit highway image by TNK from Fotolia.com
