This unit is intended to refresh students’ knowledge across the very broad area of road pavement engineering and technology and provide a foundation for further studies in their program. The unit initially covers some of the main aspects of roads including; their role in the national economy, route selection, types of road pavement, how they transfer wheel loads from the surface to the subgrade, route selection and geometric alignment.

After route selection it is essential to investigate and classify the soils that would be encountered along the route and to predict their behaviour under various operating environments. Prior to actual pavement design the types of construction materials that can be utilised must be considered and their uses evaluated.

Pavement design is introduced through the use of design charts for sealed granular and bound flexible pavements and rigid pavements. Pavement construction is introduced with a focus on compaction control. Whole of Life concepts for road pavements are introduced covering design, construction, maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement. Finally, road pavements are considered as infrastructure assets.