Street Smarts: Stiffer Pavements Can Reduce Fuel Use

MIT researchers have found that a pavement property called “deflection” could save more that $15 billion in annual fuel costs.

Pavement deflection occurs when a car makes slight indentations in the road, from which it must constantly drive out of, and which then results in burning more fuel. The effect is similar to someone walking on sand: with each step, the person’s feet sink and create a dip.

MIT researchers found that using stiffer pavements decreases deflection and reduces fuel consumption by as much as 3 percent—a savings that could add up to 273 million barrels of crude oil per year, equivalent to $15.6 billion.

Concrete pavements, inherently stiffer than asphalt, can reduce a car’s “footprint” and gas costs.

By reducing the environmental footprint of our pavement systems, MIT researchers hope to achieve a more sustainable national infrastructure.

The Concrete Sustainability Hub is a research center established at MIT in collaboration with the Portland Cement Association and the Ready Mixed Concrete Research and Education Foundation.

For more information on concrete pavements and the Concrete Sustainability Hub, contact Patti Flesher, (847) 972-9136, pflesher[at]cement[dot]org.

At MIT, contact Donna Hudson, (617)715-4654, donnaon[at]mit[dot]edu.