Monitoring Performance of Geosynthetic-Reinforced and Lime-Treated Low-Volume Roads under Traffic Loading and Environmental Conditions

Abstract

Geosynthetic reinforcements have shown effective performances in basal reinforcement of low volume roads under traffic loads. In recent years, these reinforcements have also been used to improve roads against environmental loading. This study evaluates the performance of geosynthetic-reinforced and lime-treated low volume roads under both traffic loads and environmental conditions. Thirty two test sections were constructed in 2006 over expansive clay subgrade in Grimes County, TX. The sections involved eight different cross sections, including control (unreinforced) sections, subbase lime-treated sections, base geosynthetic-reinforced sections with three geosynthetics types, and combinations of subbase lime-treated with base geosynthetic-reinforced systems. An index of pavement performance was used to compare and rank the overall performance of the road sections. The geogrid reinforced sections were found to significantly enhance the performance of the road sections by preventing the development of longitudinal cracks in paved area. On the other hand, lime treatment showed only limited improvements to the performance of the reinforced sections.