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Roller-Compacted Concrete> Columbus,
Ohio
Columbus Embraces RCC Pavement
 The
City of Columbus, Ohio, and nearby municipalities, have experienced
a rapid growth in recent years in the use of roller-compacted concrete
(RCC) for their city streets. For many years the Columbus area has
made use of “composite” pavement designs, where concrete
is used as the pavement base, and asphalt for the pavement surface.
RCC construction procedures were first introduced to this area in
2001, and since then dozens of successful projects have been completed.
Nickolas Savko & Sons, Inc. is the contractor that brought
RCC construction to Columbus. They operate two ABG Titan high-density
pavers, and plan to place approximately 150,000 cubic yards of roller-compacted
concrete in 2004. Savko primarily builds residential streets, but
this year is rebuilding a busy urban arterial street (Lane Ave.)
in the heart of the Ohio State University area. This project involves
reconstruction of a badly deteriorated roadway (70 ft. wide) that
encompasses several intersections, all built under operating traffic
conditions.
 The
RCC was particularly useful under the difficult traffic conditions.
The city required a flexural strength of 400 psi before traffic
could be resumed on the new pavement, and this was usually accomplished
within 24 - 48 hours after RCC construction. Because of its early
stability, the RCC could support even earlier traffic in intersections
and areas around businesses that needed uninterrupted access. Bob
Thompson, an engineer with Savko, was very pleased with the RCC
construction in such a complicated project. “We were confident
that we could build an excellent final product, but we were really
pleased with the RCC construction process under busy traffic conditions
in an urban area,” Thompson stated.
The Lane Ave. pavement design called for 8 in. of roller-compacted
concrete, surfaced with 3 in. of asphalt. Savko produced the concrete
for the project at their pug mill located near downtown Columbus.
The mix included 450 lbs. of cement and 50 lbs. of fly ash per cubic
yard. Quality control testing produced results averaging 7,000 psi
compressive strength in 28 days.
Because the RCC was being evaluated as a new product, the city
requested a warranty for the Lane Ave. project. Martin Savko, Vice
President of Savko & Sons, had no hesitation about providing
a 5-year warranty. “We know that RCC is a tough, durable concrete
that typically has a very long service life with little maintenance,”
Savko said, “a 5-year warranty is no problem for us.”
 The
reason that the city selected RCC for the Lane Ave. project was
excellent experience in previous projects built in Columbus since
2001. “We have built about 28 RCC projects, with 13 more already
planned. Our construction test data and annual condition surveys
have been very positive” said Dick Cummins, an engineer with
the City of Columbus, who developed the city’s RCC specification
when the process was first introduced to the area.
Most of the completed projects in the Columbus area have been in
residential areas, where developers like the ability to have an
all-weather RCC platform to work from. The RCC can be placed early,
and can easily handle the abuse from the construction equipment
and truck traffic (which causes most of the severe damage to residential
streets). With residential street re-construction, another big advantage
of RCC is the ability to speed up the project, and reduce the inconvenience
to local residents. Residents can usually drive on the RCC the same
day it is constructed.
In addition to being durable, the RCC pavements have proven to
be economical as well. “On a first-cost basis we can compete
head-to-head with asphalt pavements”, said Savko, “and
knowledgeable engineers recognize the life-cycle cost savings you
get when using concrete.”
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