The cross sections of the shoulders are different from those of traffic lanes. Due to the differences between the traffic lanes and the shoulders, problems occur at the interface of the two. Those include the wide crack widths and the differences in t...
The cross sections of the shoulders are different from those of traffic lanes. Due to the differences between the traffic lanes and the shoulders, problems occur at the interface of the two. Those include the wide crack widths and the differences in the vertical displacements at the interface. These problems can be much more significant when the shoulders experience the traffic loads. The main objective of this study is to develop a design method used to prevent failures at the interface between the highway and the shoulder. The differences in the structures of the several kinds of shoulders were investigated first, and the reasons of failures of the shoulders were studied. A method to select an optimum cross section of the shoulder was proposed to decrease the failures. The differences between the shoulders using asphalt mixtures and using the cement concrete mixtures showed very good performance. This study will be conducted continuously for the next year.