Concrete Facts

• Sixty percent of the 47,744 mile U.S. Interstate Highway System was built of concrete. Concrete was selected because of its superior durability, safety, higher reflection of light at night, and greater traction.
  
  
• Concrete Pavement consistently serves 20-30 years without needing major repair, while asphalt generally lasts only 8-12 years before resurfacing, or significant repairs are required.
  
  
• Concrete naturally can support the heaviest loads, such as truck traffic and increasingly larger vehicles like jumbo-jets.
  
  
• There is less deformation with concrete as compared to asphalt and although the initial cost of concrete can be higher than asphalt, concrete usually has a useful life that is twice as long as asphalt.
  
  
• Because of concrete's light color, concrete reflects from 33 to 50 percent more light than asphalt. **By using more heat-reflecting concrete instead of asphalt, Atlanta officials lowered their average city temperature by six degrees!
  
  
• A ten year survey conducted in the mid-1980's of 2,000 miles of municipal streets in Kansas revealed that asphalt pavement was nine times more expensive to maintain than concrete.
  
  
• America's first concrete street, built in 1891 in Bellefontaine, Ohio, is still in service today!
  
  
• If America's 47,744 miles of Interstate Highways were paved with concrete, 11,000,000 gallons of fuel would be saved EACH DAY!