Reducing congestion on the road network: Part 3 Early strength gain (rapid cure) concrete for reinstatements

The use of rapid-cure concrete should help to speed up road and street works and, hence, reduce the traffic congestion from those works. A laboratory investigation shows that the strength gain of various cementitious mixtures can be accelerated so as to provide early age strengths without an excessive final strength. However, the extent of any accelerated strength gain and of the final increase varied considerably, showing that the performance depends on many things. Nevertheless, the use of rapid-cure concrete needs to be quantitatively defined before its full benefits can be utilised for the benefit of all parties. Proposals for a system of classifications and the means to gain them are discussed as well as the need for better definition of when reinstatement materials should be allowed to be overlaid and/or trafficked. The report also examines the cost benefits to be gained.