BENEFICIATION
ROAD BUILDING
– CONCRETE IS MORE COST-EFFECTIVE
By Eamonn Ryan
The answer to more cost-effective roads lies in a composite of asphalt and concrete: using concrete for
structural longevity and reduced maintenance, and asphalt to ensure riding quality and reduced noise.
Concrete roads cost a bit more than asphalt roads but require far less maintenance over the long term.
B
ryan Perrie, MD of The
Concrete Institute (TCI), says
that TCI has been trying to
convince government officials
for over 50 years to use concrete. It is
critical to assess pavements using life-
cycle costing, which takes into account
initial construction, maintenance, and
26 _ QUARRY SA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018
reconstruction cost over the life of the
pavement, as well as road user delay costs.
While concrete may be slightly more
expensive in terms of initial costs, it has
been shown to be cheaper in terms of
maintenance costs over 40 years. When
road user delay costs are considered,
concrete is a significantly more cost-
effective option. This is especially the case
on very heavily trafficked routes.
Waterloo, Iowa, is one of the few
US towns that calls for bids from both
concrete pavers and asphalt pavers when
constructing and maintaining its roads.
Concrete contractors had even stopped
bidding, as asphalt contractors had