On-demand Webinar

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This webinar was co-sponsored by ASCE's Transportation and Development Institute (T&DI) and ASCE Continuing Education

Instructor:  David K. Hein, P.Eng.

Course Length: 1 Hour

Purpose and Background

The Romans built round 90,000 kms of roadways within their empire. They consisted of four layers of rubble, coarse stone subbase, finer stone base and lime grouted stone slabs as a surface. The pavement sections were between 1 and 2.5 m in thickness to suite local subgrade conditions and materials. It wasn’t until the mid-1800s that Thomas Telford and John Macadam introduced new principles and materials to road construction. In the early 1900s, "bitulithic" and "cement concrete" materials were used to surface pavements. Throughout the next 100 years, there have been many developments in the design and construction of both flexible and rigid pavements.

This webinar provides a history of pavement design in the United States. It covers the agencies and engineers who advanced the science of road building. While there have been many advances over the past 100 years, poor pavement performance is not uncommon even in this day and time.

Primary Discussion Topics

  • Basics of pavement thickness design
  • Traffic and its impact on pavement performance
  • Subgrade characterization
  • Pavement materials
  • Drainage
  • Detailing and specifications
  • Construction
  • Key features to ensure pavement longevity

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

  • Recognize the key factors to determine the long-life design of pavements
  • Focus on the history and importance of key design features
  • Appreciate important pavement material requirements
  • Recognize construction requirements to ensure success
  • Identify the factors that may impact the performance pavements

Webinar Benefits

  • Learn the basics of pavement design/span>
  • Discuss how we got here/span>
  • Receive guidance on the selection of the appropriate pavement surface, base and subbase/span>
  • Recognize the importance of pavement detailing and pavement construction on the long-term performance of pavements/span>
  • Discuss key material property requirements, construction techniques, and quality control/assurance procedures

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-assessment (true-false, multiple choice and fill in the blank questions).

Intended Audience

  • Civil engineers responsible for the design, construction, maintenance and rehabilitation of pavements
  • Agencies and other owners of highway, municipal and private sector pavement infrastructure
  • Pavement material suppliers and contractors
  • Operations personnel responsible for the maintenance and rehabilitation of pavements

Webinar Outline

  • Overview of the history of pavement design
  • Key consideration in the selection of pavement materials
  • Overview of the key inputs of common pavement design procedures
  • Materials selection and mix design
  • Basics for construction to ensure performance
  • Recognize key design and construction features that impact performance

How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion

To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 1 year of purchasing the course.

How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?

1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]