PAVEMENT DESIGN PAPER

HISTORY OF THE PAVEMENT STRUCTURES DEVELOPMENT IN INDONESIA

Raihan Alisha Nabila

1306437126

CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTEMENT

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM
ENGINEERING FACULTY
UNIVERSITY OF INDONESIA
DEPOK
2015

HISTORY OF THE PAVEMENT STRUCTURES DEVELOPMENT IN INDONESIA

According to Wikipedia, pavement is the durable surface material laid down on an

area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic, such as a road or walkway. Other definition
of pavement also defines the actual travel surface especially made durable and serviceable to
withstand the traffic load commuting upon it. If we see from general perspective, pavement is
the surface laid down on an area for people and vehicles to move from one area to another
area, constructed by materials that can support the loads above them and to faster the
movement between areas or locations. Pavement can be functioned as the direction pointer to
make the footsteps, so that the footsteps transformed into uneven pavement.
A soon as the development of traditional transportation, the pavement became more
flattened structure. Meanwhile Romanians have developed the pavement construction, they
even have laid down several layers to build the pavements, the pavement structures in
Indonesia developed gradually.
In 1595, Trinidad Asphalt Lake is found by Sir Walter Religh. This started as the
pioneer of pavement technology history used for the layer of road surface. In 1764, Pierre
Marie Jereme Tresaquet from France introduced road construction by scientific method. It
consisted of lower layer with large rocks covered by gravels as the upper layer. According to
Romanian theory the lower layer was used to transfer the load of the road itself and the loads
on the soil surface. The lower part of the layer can protect soil from deformation because of
the load given will be divided evenly. In the late 18th century, Thomas Telford from Scotland
(1757-1834) created pavement construction, with the principle of a stampede by using rocks
that mounted by hands. The construction then called Telford Sysytem .

Picture 1. Telford System

By seeing the process of Telford system, it takes more time and very not practical
because we have to arrange the rocks one by one by hands.
From 1756 to 1836, John Mc Adam introduced pavement construction with the
overlap principle by using big-size rocks and small-size rocks. This pavement construction
system succeed and was the principle of pavement construction mechanically. The system
then called Mc.Adam system.

Picture 2. Mc Adam System

Until now both pavement constructions is still used in some areas in Indonesia by
combining the systems into Telford-Mc Adams that Telford system is for the lower layer and
for the upper layer is from Mc. Adam. Mc Adam has several benefits than the other system,
He lifted the road surface so it was higher than its surroundings.
The very first pavement development in Indonesia was Jalan Raya Pos ( De Groote
Postweg) by The Governor-general Herman Willem Daendels. The roads length was more
less 1000 kilometers. It passed through Anyer, in Banten to Panarukan in East Java,
Indonesia. The construction was done in just one year in 1809. If we compare to the
definition and the function of the pavement construction, Jalan Raya Pos was constructed to
mobilize easily, reduce the time to reach some areas and spread news and information in short
time. In fact there was no specific identification of what system they used while constructing
the pavement but if we see from the year they constructed the pavement, they must have been
used Telford-Mcadam system or close to that. Because of Jalan Raya Pos construction, The
journey from Batavia-Surabaya only took 7 days instead of 40 days.
In Indonesia The development of asphalt pavement construction started in the early
stage of Telford and Mcadam construction that later the wear layer was given, it used asphalt
as the binder and hoggin was added, they would expand and became penetration layer. In
1980 asphalt pavement was introduced: emulsion and butas. In 1990 the variant of asphalt
ingredients was completed by mastic concrete technology and the development of pavement

construction. In 1975 the use of Hot asphalt of Hot mix was developed and later with the
other variation, it was asphalt concrete (AC). Pavement construction using cement or
concrete pavement was first used in a large-scale in the early 1970 was constructed on Tol
Prof. Sediyatmo Street. This method had produced a water-proof street relatively and it also
took short time. Generally, pavement construction development in Indonesia started to grow
rapidly since 1970, it was the first time the construction of pavement was built according to
its purposes and functions. Meanwhile road geometrical plan that we know today was first
known in mid 60s and grows rapidly since 1980.
In the West, highways construction has to focus on the calculation of pavement
thickness, pavement construction, cover layer, and geometrical plan. The technology was
widely spread including Indonesia from 1980s until now. Road geometrical plan is part of the
road plans than concern about the physical plan so that it can fulfill the basic function such as
optimum service (The safety and comfort) on the traffic flow and access to the houses. The
purposes of road geometrical is to produce safe infrastructure, an efficient traffic flow
service, and maximize the ratio of the implementation cost level.
Layers of pavement
The type of pavement construction that is commonly used until now is shown in the
picture below:

Picture 3. Layers of Pavement

Notes:
A : The covered layer

B : Rigid part

A1 : Surface

B1 : Base

A2 : Binder

B2 : Sub-base

C : Sub-Grade

This layers pavement construction is known as sandwich construction which is elastic

plate construction that is located in an elastic surface also. Pavement is the actual travel
surface especially made durable and serviceable to withstand the traffic load commuting upon
it. Pavement grants friction for the vehicles thus providing comfort to the driver and tranfers
the traffic load from the upper surface to the natural soil. As the road pavement construction
has been developing all over the world including Indonesia, hard road pavements usually fall
into two broad categories namely flexible pavement and rigid pavement.
Flexible pavement reflects the deformation of subgrade and the subsequent layers to
the surface. Asphalt is mainly the flexible pavement, it is laid with no reinforcement that
permits limited flow. The flexible pavement is constructed in a number of layers and the top
layer has to be strongest as the highest compressive stresses. Flexible pavement on the whole
has low or negligible flexible strength in their structural action. Flexible pavement layers
transmit the vertical or compressive stresses to the lower layers by grain transfer through
contact points of granular structure. Rigid pavement is associated with rigidity or flexural
strength or slab action so the load is distributed over a wide area of subgrade soil. Rigid
pavement is laid in slabs with steel reinforcement, it is made of cement concrete either plan,
reinforced or pre-stressed concrete, designed and analyzed by using the elastic theory.
Rigid pavement lasts much longer about 30 years compared to 5-10 years of flexible
pavements. In the long run it is about half the cost to install and maintain but the initial costs
are somewhat high. Rigid pavement has the ability to bridge small imperfections in the
subgrade, less maintenance cost and continuous traffic and flow.

Comparisons of Flexible and Rigid Pavement

Flexible Pavements
Deformation in the sub-grade is transferred to the

Rigid Pavements
Deformation in the subgrade is not transferred to

upper layers
Design is based on load distributing characteristics of

subsequent layers
Design is based on flexural strength or slab action

the component layers

Low flexural strength
Load is transferred by grain to grain contact

High flexural strength

No such phenomenon of grain to grain load transfer

Low completion cost but repairing cost is high

Low life span (High Maintenance Cost)
Surfacing cannot be laid directly on the sub grade but

exits
Low repairing cost but completion cost is high
Life span is more (Low Maintenance Cost)
Surfacing can be directly laid on the sub-grade

a sub base is needed

No thermal stresses are induced as the pavement

Thermal stresses are more vulnerable to be induced

have the ability to contract and expand freely

as the ability to contract and expand is very less in

Expansion joints are not needed

Strength of the road is highly dependent on the

concrete
Expansion joints are needed
Strength of the road is less dependent on the strength

strength of the sub-grade

Rolling of the surfacing is needed
Road can be used for traffic within 24 hours
Force of friction is less deformation in the sub-grade

of the sub-grade
Rolling of the surfacing is not needed
Road cant be used until 14 days of curing
Force of friction is high

is not transferred to the upper layers

Damaged by Oils and certain chemicals
No Damage by Oils and Greases
Table 1. Table of Rigid and Flexible Pavement Comparisons

References:
https://sites.google.com/site/kisaranteknik/assignments/rekayasa-jalan-raya, published on August 22nd,
2010, opened on September 5th 2015
http://dokumen.tips/documents/sejarah-perkembangan-jalan-raya-di-indonesia.html published on
August 2nd, 2015, opened on September 5th 2015
http://muhyazin.blogspot.co.id/2013/01/konstruksi-jalan-dalam-sejarahnya.html, published on January
29th, 2013, opened on September 5th 2015