What are all the notches cut on the highways?

[bbriscoe]

Lately I've noticed them on 169, 75, and on I-44 I think.  There has been a pattern where they have cut notches about 4 inches wide and 12 inches long and there are three of them side by side on either side of each lane.  The pattern repeats every 10-15 feet of highway.  After being cut with a concrete saw the notches are filled with mortar or something - now they are bumpy spots in the roads.  They skip the bridges.  What are these for?

[RecycleMichael]

They are the new crop circles.

[AngieB]

I believe it's an expansion joint kinda thing.

[sgrizzle]

Reinforcing the expansion joints. I believe once they are done, they put a new road surface on top of it.

[Aa5drvr]

On the Creek Tpk they did the same thing.  After the reinforcements go in, they put in a "grout" (for lack of a better work) on top of the cuts.  
Then the come back and grind the surface smooth.

Everyone gripes that its rougher until the realize that the excess grout is ground off.

[Breadburner]

They lock the panels together....

[dsjeffries]

quote:Originally posted by Aa5drvr

On the Creek Tpk they did the same thing.  After the reinforcements go in, they put in a "grout" (for lack of a better work) on top of the cuts.  
Then the come back and grind the surface smooth.

Everyone gripes that its rougher until the realize that the excess grout is ground off.

They just did this to northbound Hwy 75 from the IDL to ~36th St N., too.  They grind the expansion joint mortar and the road and let me tell ya, 75 is MUCH more pleasant to drive, now.

[Gaspar]

I thought they were preemptive pot holes?

[citizen72]

The expressway from Alma Arkansas to Little Rock had a big problem with uneven paving joints. The engineers devised this "control rod" installation to solve that problem. They did the same thing on the expressway from Tulsa to Siloam Springs. It really works in keeping everything smooth. Not sure that grinding the finish surface off the  paving is a good idea.

[breitee]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

Reinforcing the expansion joints. I believe once they are done, they put a new road surface on top of it.

They didn't on the Keystone Expressway.

[Wilbur]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

Reinforcing the expansion joints. I believe once they are done, they put a new road surface on top of it.

When they are done, they will shave the top of the road off (not resurface), which has already been done on I-244 in West Tulsa, Hwy 75 north of downtown and much of the Creek Turnpike.  OKC has a lot of theirs done too.  Makes for a very smooth road.

[Breadburner]

quote:Originally posted by breitee

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

Reinforcing the expansion joints. I believe once they are done, they put a new road surface on top of it.

They didn't on the Keystone Expressway.

Yes they did....

[Ibanez]

quote:Originally posted by breitee

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

Reinforcing the expansion joints. I believe once they are done, they put a new road surface on top of it.

They didn't on the Keystone Expressway.

Yes they did. I drove it this weekend.

[citizen72]

quote:Originally posted by Wilbur

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

Reinforcing the expansion joints. I believe once they are done, they put a new road surface on top of it.

When they are done, they will shave the top of the road off (not resurface), which has already been done on I-244 in West Tulsa, Hwy 75 north of downtown and much of the Creek Turnpike.  OKC has a lot of theirs done too.  Makes for a very smooth road.

But, with the very real possibility of having a very porous surface. Concrete by its nature has many tiny bubbles in it which makes it somewhat porous. The most dense of a concrete slab is its surface. This is because of the agitation of various forms during the placement of the concrete. This agitation reduces the bubbles in the surface layer.

Removing this surface layer is not usually a good idea unless a good exterior sealer is applied. Even then the sealer has a finite effective life.

[breitee]

There is NO new road suface. You can still see where the expansion joints are.