Maintaining Pavements in a Changing Climate
TRL has carried out a project on behalf of the Department for Transport investigating the impacts of climate change on highway maintenance and identifying potential adaptation measures. The project has led to the publication of a guidance document for local authority highway engineers designed to be a daughter document to the “Well-maintained Highways – Code of Practice for Highway Maintenance Management” published by the UK Roads Board in 2005.
Climate change is already having an influence on UK highways, for example drier summers causing more incidences of subsidence and wetter winters creating greater frequency of flooding. These extreme events are likely to occur more frequently in the future. There are also less obvious effects on pavement deterioration from increased average temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns.
DfT commissioned this project in order to help local authority highway engineers assess the risk from climate change to their network and take suitable adaptation actions. Highway engineers have many factors to take into account when planning a highway maintenance strategy of which the changing climate is becoming increasingly significant. The aim of this project was to produce a guidance document that would help them to incorporate the impact of climate change into their strategies.
The project involved identifying the key climate variables for highway deterioration and using data extracted from the UKCIP02 scenarios to investigate the predicted changes in these variables for the 2050s. TRL’s pavement experts were then consulted to assess the impact these changes would have on asphalt, concrete and unbound roads. For example any changes in the frequency and severity of rutting in asphalt pavements or cracking in concrete pavements. We also collated local authority case studies describing the types of impacts weather events have already had on highways. The study’s findings were used to make recommendations on the different measures that can be taken to minimise the risk of climate damage. These included general issues such as knowledge of the network and maintaining highways in good condition as well as more technical solutions such as use of permeable pavements, polymer modified binders and improved routine maintenance of joint seals.
The outputs of this project will help local authority highway engineers to understand the possible impacts climate change could have on their network and some of the actions they can take to mitigate this. This should limit travel disruption for the public and result in reduced repair costs for local authorities.
The guidance document was published on 26th June 2008 and the technical report is due to be published shortly. In the future there may be similar projects on other aspects of highways such as drainage, structures and verges.
Contact Email:
Organisation:
TRL Ltd.
Funding Details:
Funded by the Department of Transport on behalf of the UK Roads Board
Status:
Completed, published June 2008.
Website relating to case study:
Organisation’s website:
Keywords relating to this case study:
Transport, pavement, heat, flooding, drought
South East groups case study relates to:
Utilities and infrastructure
