Location – Historical Concrete Pavement Explorer

Coplay Cement Plant

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Year Built: 1871

Pavement Type: Other

Although this is not a pavement, without Portland Cement, a concrete pavement we cannot construct. Pennsylvania is our Nation’s Birthplace of the Portland Cement Industry. In 1871, David O. Saylor applies for patent for the cement manufacturing process. The Coplay Company facility still exists as a historic site in Northumberland, Pennsylvania. Read more...

Pennsylvania Turnpike

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Recognized by ACPA/National in 2013 with the lifetime pavement performance award, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, opened to vehicular traffic on October 1, 1940, is known as America’s First Super-highway. Read more...

Mountain Ave

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Year Built: 1917-1922

Pavement Type: Plain Jointed

Mountain Avenue paved 1917-1922 City of Fort Collins built 8.53 miles from 1916-1927 all over town 5.69 miles still in service Read more...

Central Ave., Urbana between Park and University

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Year Built: August 21, 1919

Pavement Type: Plain Jointed

Excerpted from Notice of Public Hearing, Central Ave. Improvement No. 2, March 1, 1919 ————————————- ESTIMATE Urbana, Illinois, March 1, 1919. To the Board of Local Improvements of the City of Urbana. Illinois, : Gentlemen: . . I (10 hereby certify that the estimate of the cost of the local improvement of Central Avenue from the North Property Line of University Read more...

East Third & Oak Streets Delevan, IL

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Year Built: 1914

Pavement Type: Jointed Reinforced

The section consist of several blocks of concrete remaining from the original 22 blocks of concrete pavement construction in the City of Delevan, IL in 1914. Located on East Third street, the longest section ranges from 32-feet wide to 42-feet wide back to back of curb and is steel reinforced with a long panel design. We believe the steel to have Read more...

First and Oldest Concrete Pavements in U.S. – Main Street and Court Avenue, City Square in Bellefontaine, OH

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Year Built: 1891 and 1893

Pavement Type: Plain Jointed

The first concrete pavement constructed in the U.S. was Main Street, built next to Logan County Courthouse in Bellefontaine, Ohio. George W. Bartholomew who founded the Buckeye Portland Cement Company, built the section in 1891 after advocating for it for a few years. He had to post a $5,000 bond for a five year guarantee. After the success of Main Street, Read more...

AASHO Road Test – Ottawa, IL

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Year Built: 1958

Pavement Type: Plain Jointed

The AASHO Road Test was one of the most ambitious test sections ever built and analyzed. Six test loops were built in Ottawa, Illinois between 1956 and 1958 and the test was performed from 1958 to 1960. The test was designed to analyze the various structural responses of different pavement designs exposed to highway loadings in a typical northern climate. Read more...

Original Seedling Mile – Lincoln Highway – Mount Vernon Road, Mt. Vernon, IL

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Pavement Type: Plain Jointed

In 1918 the original Lincoln Highway Seedling Mile was placed just west of Mount Vernon, Illinois. Seedling miles were popular in the 1910’s as the industry hoped that building these would drive for lobbying of more paved roads. Most of these seedling miles were one lane that was 9 feet wide. A plaque near the site commemorates the location. This Read more...

First Concrete Runway – Ford Field – Dearborn, MI

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Year Built: 1928-1929

Pavement Type: Plain Jointed

With the development of the airplane in the early 20th century, airfields and runways were quickly needed. The first concrete runway was placed in Dearborn, Michigan at Ford Field in 1928. The runways were originally grass when the airfield opened in 1924. The early concrete runways were built in a similar manner to highways in that many of them featured Read more...

Oldest Still in Service Pavement in Iowa – Eddyville Cemetery Road, Eddyville, IA

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Year Built: 1909

Pavement Type: Plain Jointed

Eddyville Cemetery Road was built in 1909 in Eddyville, Iowa. The pavement was built because residents were upset with the deep sand during dry periods. It is the oldest farm to market road in Iowa. The pavement is still in service today. Read more...

First Concrete Pavement in Iowa – First Street, Le Mars, IA

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Year Built: 1904

Pavement Type: Plain Jointed

The first concrete pavement in Iowa was First Street or Eagle Street placed in Le Mars in 1904. The decision to pave the street was made to eliminate the dust and mud associated with the existing dirt roads. The 6.5 inch street was built in two lifts with the bottom 5 inches having less cement than the top lift. To prevent horses Read more...

First Airport Whitetopping – Storm Lake Airport, IA

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Year Built: 1971

Pavement Type: Unbonded Overlay

In 1971, the first concrete overlay of an existing asphalt runway was built. The project was performed at Storm Lake Airport in Buena Vista County, Iowa. The project consisted of 20,000 square yards of 5 inch concrete being placed on the existing asphalt. The project was opened 7 days after paving once the opening strength of 4,000 psi was achieved. Read more...

1909-Woodward-Ave-Detroit-First-Mile-of-PCCP

First Mile of Concrete Pavement – Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI

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Year Built: 1909

Pavement Type: Plain Jointed

The first mile of concrete pavement was placed in Detroit, Michigan on Woodward Avenue. The pavement stretched from Six Mile Road to Seven Mile Road and was built in 1909. The cost at the time was $14,000. Woodward Avenue would later be one of the first street’s to have a painted centerline and electronic traffic signal. Read more...

First Concrete Pavement in Chicago – Front Street – Chicago, IL

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Year Built: 1905

Pavement Type: Plain Jointed

Front Street is the earliest known concrete pavement built in Chicago and one of the earliest built in Illinois. The pavement was built in 1905 and lasted more than 60 years before being replaced. Read more...

Pittsburg Test Road – Second Test Road in U.S.

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Year Built: 1921

Pavement Type: Plain Jointed

The Pittsburg Test Road was sponsored by Columbia Steel Company. The test loops were built off of the roadway between Pittsburg and Antioch, California. The purpose of the test was to determine the benefits of using reinforcing steel in concrete pavements. This was the second known test road site in the U.S. It included thirteen test sections to look at Read more...

Cutoff Road and Main Street

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Year Built: 1914

Pavement Type: Plain Jointed

Cutoff Road and Main Street is a member of the 100 Year Club as it was paved in 1914. The project is 1.37 miles long and lies east of Columbus Junction and provides a cutoff from Highway 92 to 214th Ave. The project was built by convict labor at a cost of $9,950 per mile. This pavement is still in Read more...

Bates Road Test – Old US 54, New Berlin, IL

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Pavement Type: Plain Jointed

The Bates Road Test was constructed in 1920 with over 63 test sections (32 PCC). Additional thickened edge sections were built in 1922. Liberty trucks with dual 5-inch solid rubber tires on rear axle were used. The Associated Press reported in 1926 that highway officials estimated that the pavement tests saved the state $9 million in construction costs. Thickness design procedures Read more...

Dollarway – Old Rt 365, Jefferson County, AK

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Year Built: 1913-1914

Pavement Type: Plain Jointed

This concrete pavement was built by Jefferson County Road Improvement District No. 4 near Redfield Arkansas between 1913 and 1914. At the time, Arkansas did not have a state highway commission and instead left the task of building and maintaining good roads to farmers and residents in local districts. It was called the Dollorway because it was proposed to cost Read more...