In April 2004, the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) completed the construction of a precast, prestressed concrete pavement demonstration project on Interstate 10 in El Monte, California. This project allowed CALTRANS to evaluate the viability of precast concrete pavements for rapid pavement construction and rehabilitation, while also familiarizing local contractors with this innovative construction technique. The majority of construction of the 248 ft (76 m) section of precast, prestressed concrete pavement was completed at night when lane closures were permitted on I-10. The construction added 27 ft (8 m) of traffic lanes and 10 ft (3 m) of shoulder to the existing lanes on I-10. To maximize the pavement’s performance, the precast concrete panels were pretensioned in the transverse direction during fabrication and post-tensioned in the longitudinal direction after installation. This project has demonstrated the expediency of precast concrete pavement construction and has generated considerable interest for further applications.
