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. At the conclusion of the test, over  70% of the 368 concrete test sections were not considered to be in a state of failure. The results and observations of this road test were used to develop the AASHTO Guide for Design of Pavement Structures. After the road test many of the concrete sections were incorporated into I-80.

Four of the test loops were built with tangent lengths of 6,800 ft. The south tangents and west turnarounds of each loop were built in concrete with each test section being 120 or 240 feet, depending on the type of rigid pavement used.  Sections were built between 6 and 12.5 inches. Different levels of reinforcement were also used.