On 21/03/2021 11:11 am, Max Demian wrote:
On 21/03/2021 09:34, Chris J Dixon wrote:
Peter Johnson wrote:

(I remember when the A50 Uttoxeter bypass was built towards Stoke on
Trent, within a few weeks of opening a local village (somewhere near
Checkley) erected signs on it complaining of the traffic noise from
the concrete road surface.)

I'm sure there was a time when the powers that be accepted that
the noise from busy concrete roads was unacceptable, and gave
dates for their replacement. Seems like they then moved on and
forgot about it.

The concrete can be stroked with a wire brush before it's set but wears
smooth quickly.

Grooves can be made before the concrete sets but makes a noise. If the
grooves are pseudo-random a white noise is produced but it's still
noisy. I think there was a place where the grooves were made that played
a tune. (Brushing was used near residential districts to reduce the noise.)

Well, a "tune" of sorts: southbound on the original concrete surface of
M1 between A6 (Luton) and A5 (Markyate).

Once the concrete wears smooth it's hard to restore the texture so they
usually just cover it with asphalt.

The expansion joints are actually called contraction joints on "proper"
roads like motorways, as they are produced while the concrete sets and
contracts, with strips of wood underneath and on top to start the crack
so the joint is rough. The strips on top are removed and the joint
sealed with bitumen. There are also steel rods in cardboard tubes to
stop the slabs from tilting.

Concrete motorway carriageways are made in one go with a "concrete
train" which is impressive to watch.

Here endeth the lesson.