Missouri has some of the oldest interstate highways in the U.S., with I-70 built in the 1950s when the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways (a.k.a. the Interstate Highway System) was first created.
I-64 is just 1 mile south of I-70. Though designated an interstate in the 1980s, the road was constructed before the interstate system was developed. In Wentzville, Missouri, I-64 overlaps U.S. 40 and becomes a busy route as it heads east through St. Louis. To keep the state’s aging interstates safe and serviceable, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) regularly performs pavement patching.
Challenges
By April 2020, it was time to replace several cracked concrete pavement panels along I-64/U.S. 40 near Wentzville to increase the road’s serviceability rating and safety to the traveling public.
The patching material typically used in MoDOT projects is made with a large volume of portland Type III cement. The repair material achieves high early strength gains, allowing crews to return repaired roads to service quickly and minimize traffic disruption. Yet the material also is subject to shrinkage, which can lead to early deterioration. MoDOT wanted a material that would provide better performance on high-volume roads.
Solution
Working with MoDOT and general contractor R.V. Wagner, based in St. Louis, CTS Cement suggested Rapid Set Cement for the patching material.
Rapid Set Cement is a fast-setting hydraulic cement that qualifies as very rapid hardening (VRH) per ASTM C1600, Standard Specification for Rapid Hardening Hydraulic Cement. After placement, it is ready for traffic in just one hour. What really sets it apart is it is engineered for low shrinkage to minimize cracking and for high sulfate resistance to withstand the salts and chemicals used for snow and ice control. These characteristics help to maximize service life and minimize maintenance, making the high-performance cement an ideal option for Missouri’s highway pavements.
