PAVEMENT DESIGN MANUAL

6 LOW-VOLUME ROADS
6.1 Introduction
A low-volume road (LVR) has relatively low amounts of traffic that travel at low speeds. Most roads
in rural areas are LVRs. A LVR in the right location, based on a good plan and design, with effective
construction and maintenance is essential for community development, the flow of goods and
services between communities, and management of resources. Roads and road construction,
however, can create significant soil erosion. Proper planning and design of a road system minimize
adverse impacts to water quality. Poorly planned road systems can have high maintenance and
repair costs, contribute to excessive erosion, and fail to meet the needs of the communities they
support.

This chapter describes types of LVRs and design considerations as applicable to conditions in Abu
Dhabi. Other types of LVRs, such as rigid pavement LVRs, are not applicable to Abu Dhabi.

This chapter address LVRs of two major categories:

1. Flexible pavements
2. Aggregate-surfaced roads

Selecting one of these types of roads for a particular project requires assessing several factors,
including traffic volume, land use, traffic speeds, and traffic loads.

Designs for LVRs shall be based on standards in the AASHTO Guide for Design of Pavement
Structures, 1993 (4), and the specifications in Chapter 4, Pavement rehabilitation. Designers can
refer to design charts in Appendix B and alternative design catalogues to simplify the design process.

6.2 Design considerations for LVRs

This section describes key factors that designers must consider to select the best type of LVR for
client project.

6.2.1 Land use

How communities use the lands that surround a project area is a control factor in LVR design. The
types of vehicles that are expected to use a road influence the types of surface treatments, the
drainage system, and other vital design elements.

In urban areas, local roads in residential communities are considered to be LVRs. Such areas need
sections of asphalt concrete pavement or sealed pavement to make driving and riding comfortable.
In rural areas, sections of unsealed pavement are sufficient.

6.2.2 Axle loads

Many city streets and rural roads, even when classified as LVRs, carry significant levels of heavy
vehicle traffic. For many LVRs, heavy traffic is mainly temporary construction traffic that only occurs
for a short duration rather than the road’s entire service life.

6.2.3 Traffic volumes

Traffic volumes for LVRs should not exceed one million equivalent single axle loads (ESALs).
Designs for roads with greater traffic volumes shall follow the design principles outlined in Chapter

Page 99

06- LOW VOLUME ROADS FIRST EDITION -DECEMBER 2016

 PAVEMENT DESIGN MANUAL

5, Rigid Pavement Design. A LVR shall support a minimum ESAL of 10,000. Refer to Chapter 2,
Pavement Design Components, for traffic volume estimation details.

6.2.4 Environmental impacts

Roads and streets with low-volume traffic suffer pavement distress more from environmental affects
than from traffic loading. Regardless of the sources of distress, however, a pavement’s structure is
critical. Even with low traffic volumes, a road with inadequately designed and constructed pavement
may suffer premature distress.

6.2.5 Reliability
LVR designs shall apply low reliability percentages. Refer to Chapter 4, Pavement Rehabilitation, for
reliability specifications for different road categories. Roads with low traffic volumes have a reliability
factor of 50%. Designs for roads that require higher reliability should follow the procedures listed in
chapter 4 as regular roads.

6.2.6 Drainage systems

A road’s location and the drainage of roads, construction areas, and other areas of activity are the
most significant factors that can affect water quality, erosion, and road costs. Managing drainage
includes controlling surface water and adequately passing water under roads into natural channels.

6.3 Material specifications for pavement structural layers

Pavement for a LVR’s structural layer has the same material specifications as regular traffic
pavements. Refer to Chapter 3, Pavement Material Characterization, for the appropriate material
specifications.

6.3.1 Subgrade evaluation

To determine physical and mechanical properties of the existing soil in a project area, a designer
shall evaluate the subgrade according to the DMAT Standard Specification Volume 1 for Road Works
(1). The subgrade should have a CBR of at least 10%. Soil treatments should be adopted to increase
the CBR to 10% according to the specifications.

6.3.2 Unbound granular material

A combination of factors directly impacts the quality and strength characteristics that unbound
granular materials must have. Unbound granular materials are specifically impacted by the following
factors:

x Traffic loading (which encompasses the number of vehicles and types of vehicles in regard
to their number of axles and the resulting stress caused by the contact of their tires with
pavement)
x Climate
x Pavement configuration, cross-section, and drainage
x Whether the intended use is base or subbase
x Strategic importance of the road

For example, marginal or non-standard materials can more successfully be used for LVRs in dry
environments than roads with high traffic volumes in wet environments. Pavement designs shall use
such materials only after designers have carefully considered the following criteria:

Page 100

06- LOW VOLUME ROADS FIRST EDITION -DECEMBER 2016

 PAVEMENT DESIGN MANUAL

x Documented performance history of the proposed material

x Costs related to standard materials for their entire expected service life
x Predicted traffic loading
x Climate at the site
x Moisture sensitivity of the proposed subgrade
x Quality and uniformity of the materials, as verified by laboratory testing
x Consequences of poor performance

Designers shall obtain advice from specialists regarding appropriate laboratory characterizations
procedures for non-standard materials. Marginal or non-standard materials are generally less stiff
(that is, they have lower modulus) and are less durable than standard granular materials. In addition,
because the stiffness and strength of a non-standard material are usually more sensitive to moisture
content that standard materials, non-standard materials must be thicker than standard materials to
provide equivalent subgrade protection. Although both standard and non-standard materials exhibit
similar degrees of rutting, the use of the non-standard materials may result in greater rutting of the
pavement materials under traffic loading. Therefore, controlling moisture entry into these pavements
is a significant design consideration.

The surfaces of pavements with thin bituminous surfacing need higher quality materials. For LVRs
base and subbase, the minimum CBR required is 65%.

6.3.3 Asphalt concrete

LVRs require asphalt with different properties than asphalt for roads with high traffic volumes. This
is especially true for granular pavements with thin asphalt surfacing and for pavements with low
traffic loads. Because LVRs are based on performance, mix design and aggregate requirements,
they are less restrictive than for roads with high traffic loads.

Asphalts for LVR are generally more flexible and durable and less permeable than those for heavier
traffic applications. These properties make such asphalts useful in thinner layers on more resilient
pavements and less likely to compact after construction, but make them more susceptible to common
distress modes of cracking and ravelling, which are related to the oxidation of the binder rather than
vehicle loads.

Asphalt mixes for light traffic applications generally have a lower air void content than asphalts for
more heavily trafficked applications. For Abu Dhabi, designers shall follow the general specification
for asphalt concrete mixture design with the air voids closer to the lower value of the given range.

6.4 Maintenance strategy for LVRs

A local road network, particularly in urban areas, is unlikely to change significantly in alignment or
level for many years, remaining aligned and level for perhaps more than 100 years. Given the
expected longevity of such roads, designers shall consider a future maintenance and rehabilitation
strategy when determining appropriate pavement structures. Such strategies need to reflect both
social constraints (such as the impact on local residents in terms of noise and restricted property
access) and physical constraints (such as the fixed levels or kerbing) on future work. Pavement
levels shall allow for drainage of crossovers and footpath areas. Such constraints may largely
determine a practical strategy.

Rural roads require maintenance during active use, after periodic operations have been completed,
and after major storm events to ensure that the drainage structures are functioning properly. Heavy
rainstorms cause cut slope failures that block ditches, water flow on road surfaces, and erosion to
road surfaces and fill slopes. Debris that moves down natural channels during heavy rains can block
Page 101

06- LOW VOLUME ROADS FIRST EDITION -DECEMBER 2016

 PAVEMENT DESIGN MANUAL

drainage structures, causing water to overtop the road and erode the fill. Ruts, washboards, and
potholes in the road surface will pond water, weaken the roadway structural section, accelerate
surface damage, and make driving difficult. All roads need routine maintenance to remain
serviceable with properly working drainage systems. A well-maintained road will reduce road user
costs, prevent road damage, and minimize sediment production.

Refer to Chapter 8, Flexible Pavement Maintenance, for maintenance details, including methods to
repair damaged asphalt surface roads. Maintenance methods outlined in chapter 8 include patching
and surface sealing techniques, such as micro surfacing, fog sealing, and chip sealing.

For a road with an aggregate surface, routine maintenance can involve compacting the surface to
regain level surface, patching potholes, and reapplying surface stabilization treatments.

6.5 Sustainability for LVRs

LVRs are ideal for sustainable designs and the use of sustainable materials. Although budgets
allocated for LVRs are typically not as high as budgets for high-volume roads, LVRs represent a
higher percentage of the length of roads within a network.

For many years, gravelling has been the preferred option for surfacing when upgrading from earth
roads. Natural gravel materials are usually excavated from borrows pits or quarries and hauled by
trucks to be laid on the previously shaped formation or road surface. A gravel road surface can be
appropriate and cost effective in many specific circumstances, including the following:

x Sufficient quantities of gravel are available that meets the required surfacing specifications
x Haul distances are relatively short
x Rainfall is low or moderate
x Traffic is relatively low

Even for sections of AC pavement, it is sustainable to use minimum AC pavement section, which is
totally controlled by construction factors and is usually used in residential development communities.

Using surface stabilization treatments, such as cement or asphalt, reduces the environmental impact
of dust and air pollution. Surface treatments increase the life of a road and reduce the amount of
maintenance that is required over its life span.

LVRs can also use sustainable materials such as recycled aggregate material that can be used for
base or subbase layers or stabilized aggregate surface layers.

6.6 Pavement design method

Anticipated traffic volumes and axle loads govern what pavement structural designs are suitable.
Two main types of LVRs are flexible pavements and aggregate pavements.

6.6.1 Flexible pavement

Flexible pavements are surfaced with an asphalt concrete layer over granular base and subbase
layers. Designing flexible pavement for LVRs is similar to designing pavements to support
conventional traffic, except that constraints and factors that govern the design are less restricting.

For flexible LVRs, designers shall use the empirical design method described in AASHTO’s Guide
for Design of Pavement Structures, 1993 (4), with the following parameters:

x Anticipated traffic can go up to one million ESALs.

x Traffic speeds associated with LVR can go up to 40 km/hr.
Page 102

06- LOW VOLUME ROADS FIRST EDITION -DECEMBER 2016

 PAVEMENT DESIGN MANUAL

x Reliability level for LVRs is 50%.

x A LVR has an initial level of service rating of 4.0
x A LVR’s minimum terminal serviceability is 2.0.
x A LVR’s subgrade has a CBR of 10%.
x A LVR has a minimum SN of 2.0.
x A LVR has a minimum AC thickness of 60 mm.
x Because reliability is 50%, the overall standard deviation will not impact the calculated SN.
x A LVR has a granular layer drainage coefficient of 1.0.

Table 6-1 provides layer coefficients for pavement materials.

Table 6-1: Layer coefficients for pavement materials

Pavement Material Coefficient ai

Asphalt Concrete 0.44
Aggregate Base 0.14
Soil Subbase 0.11
Treated Base 0.25

To design a flexible LVR, adhere to the following procedure.

1. Calculate the expected traffic volume (ESAL), as described in Chapter 2, Pavement Design
Components, for the pavement’s design life.
2. Obtain the CBR for the subgrade as described in Chapter 3, Pavement Material
Characterization. LVRs require a minimum CBR of 10%.
3. Use AASHTO’s design chart for flexible pavement design to estimate the required SN. Refer
to Appendix B for this chart.
4. If the SN is less than 2, use a value of 2.
5. Obtain the layers thicknesses, applying the SN equation.
6. For proper construction, asphalt layers for LVRs should be at least 60 mm thick.

For the minimum SN of 2, given a minimum asphalt thickness of 60 mm, a LVR’s granular base layer
should be at least 200 mm thick. Figure 6-1 shows a cross section diagram of flexible pavement for
a LVR.

Asphalt Surface

Aggregate Base

Prepared Subgrade

Figure 6-1: Flexible LVR cross section

Page 103

06- LOW VOLUME ROADS FIRST EDITION -DECEMBER 2016

 PAVEMENT DESIGN MANUAL

6.6.2 Roads with aggregate surfaces

Roads with aggregate granular surfaces are suitable for maximum traffic levels of 100,000 ESAL
applications. Maintenance crews can treat aggregate surfaces with cement, lime, or asphalt to
reduce environmental effects, increase serviceability life, and reduce road maintenance. The surface
stabilization might not add to the structural capacity of the road but will improve functionality and
reduce maintenance.

Designs for aggregate surfaced roads comply with the LVR design catalogue in AASHTO’s Guide
for Design of Pavement Structures, 1993 (4). Roads with aggregate surfaces require CBRs that are
not less than 50% for their aggregate layer.

Three levels of traffic levels (in ESALs), as follows, apply for aggregate surface roads:

x High-level traffic: 60,000 to 100,000 ESALs

x Medium-level traffic: 30,000 to 60,000 ESALs
x Low-level traffic: 10,000 to 30,000 ESALs

Based on good quality subgrade, with a CBR of 10%, and dry climate such as in Abu Dhabi,
aggregate surface layers require the following thicknesses:

x High-level traffic: 250 mm

x Medium-level traffic: 200 mm
x Low-level traffic: 120 mm

Figure 6-2 shows a typical cross section of an aggregate surface for a LVR.

Aggregate Base

Prepared Subgrade

Figure 6-2: Cross section of an aggregate surface for a LVR

Maintenance crews can stabilize aggregate surface using lime, cement, or asphalt to get the
following benefits:

x Control dust emission

x Improve quality of rides
x Increase pavement life
x Reduce required maintenance
x Improve poor material to make it suitable as a pavement layer
x Waterproof the surface layer

For more details on cement stabilization, refer to Chapter 3, Pavement Material Characterization. A
single chip seal or double chip seal application can stabilize asphalt, providing a good surface for a
higher ride quality. Refer to Chapter 8, Flexible Pavement Maintenance, for details on chip seal
application.

Page 104

06- LOW VOLUME ROADS FIRST EDITION -DECEMBER 2016