"Betonki": Russia also wants to build "eternal" roads

Both the Soviet Union and modern Russia have no reason to complain about the lack of concrete in the country. Both before and after the war, this material was actively used in construction. Moreover, in 1962, the USSR became a world leader in concrete production. Houses, hydroelectric dams, fences – and many other things – were built from it! But roads were not made.


Meanwhile, concrete pavement is more durable compared to asphalt. In the USA, for example, 62% of highways are made of cement-sand mortar. In China, this figure is 63%, in Germany, the number of "concrete" roads is half of all highways. In Russia - 2,6%. Curiously, in France, cement roads are also "not favored" - they are only 0,2%. Strange statistics. But, as in any complex issue, there are nuances here.

Where and when did concrete highways come from?

The idea appeared in the USA at the end of the 1930th century, but the first highway was built only in XNUMX in the state of Indiana. Having convinced themselves that the material was well suited for such a task, cement concrete began to be used everywhere: as a result, a whole network of highways was formed.


By the end of the 34th century, they began to develop special cement for highways with plasticizer additives, and tests were conducted. It turned out that concrete pavement would last an average of 8 years, while asphalt would last XNUMX.


The quality of German autobahns is well known and has already become a byword. In this country, there are roads built in 1936 that are still in service. Half-century-old "concrete roads" that have not undergone a single major overhaul are not at all uncommon in Germany.

China is the record holder

In China, they began actively constructing "concrete highways" quite recently: in the 1990s. The first highway was built between Shanghai and Beijing.


The CPC leadership quickly appreciated the advantages of such a surface and by 2020 the length of concrete highways in China reached 3 million (!) km. What is so good about cement roads and do they have any negative aspects?

Advantages and disadvantages

There are quite a few advantages, and the main one is high strength associated with wear resistance. Concrete roads can withstand the most severe operating conditions: trucks with a solid load capacity can move along them.


This means that the car will transport more at one time, i.e. it will use less fuel. This already implies the eco-friendliness of the route. Other advantages of the "concrete road":

✅ does not soften in heat, is not subject to deformation
✅ requires repairs less often than asphalt
✅ good coefficient of adhesion to wheels
✅ absence of non-renewable (oil) resources in the composition of the building material
✅ the light shade of the coating makes driving on it safer
✅ long service life

If the technology rules are followed, the road is used correctly and repaired in a timely manner, a road made of this material will last for half a century. However, this does not mean that concrete roads are ideal. There are also disadvantages, although there are fewer of them:

✅high cost of coverage
✅long construction (you can drive no earlier than in a week, or even a month, depending on weather conditions)
✅strict adherence to technology is required
✅difficulty in repair, although it is not often
✅inability to quickly (pothole) restore

In addition, a lot of special equipment, trained engineers, workers are required. And it is still unknown how concrete will withstand the long-term impact of studded tires.


There are no studies on this topic: in the USA and China, winter tires are not used in the absolute majority of regions. The author of these lines had to use military concrete roads during the Soviet era: they left the impression that they were very noisy. There are other disadvantages that are specific to a particular region.

Why Russia Doesn't Like "Concrete Roads"

If we look deeper into history, we will see that by the end of the 1950s, the oil industry in the USSR was rapidly “getting back on its feet.” Moreover, the pace of its development is incomparable with, for example, the modernization of industries producing cement.


In addition, one of the components of asphalt is bitumen, which is considered something like waste from oil refining. So why organize expensive construction of concrete highways if they can be made from cheap material? There were other reasons.

Features of climate

And in many regions it is quite severe. To build concrete highways, special grades of cement are required. It is necessary that it withstands not only low temperatures, but also their fluctuations. For example, in Siberia there are places where it is very cold in winter, and unbearable heat can set in in summer.


In Soviet times, a vicious circle was created. To build a concrete road, a special cement was needed, which was not produced in the country. And it was not produced because it was not in demand, since roads were not built from it.

About technology and financing

Making a "concrete road" (either earlier or today) is much more difficult. Accordingly, more money will be needed. The cost of a kilometer of asphalt road is about 5(!) times less than a concrete one. And it will not be possible to report on a quickly built highway here. How can you even think of a "five-year plan in two years"...


You have to wait until the concrete dries completely. And in some regions it can take a month. There was almost no necessary equipment: it, of course, existed, and still exists today, but in very small quantities. Its main area of ​​application is the construction of runways at airports.


Repairing the pavement also involves serious financial costs: quickly installed patches will not work here. And they are profitable for road organizations: with low costs and high payment, there is always work. Many readers probably know that pothole repairs are carried out almost every year.


The entire set of factors listed above determined the reluctance of the country's leadership to build concrete highways. Today the situation is changing. To be fair, it should be said: such roads were built before, too, and not only for the military.

"Betonki" in the USSR and the Russian Federation

In the 1970s, cement highways were built between Volgograd and the capital, Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk. There were highways in the Far East, in Siberia. By the 80s, such roads had ceased to be built at all, with rare exceptions. But today, half-forgotten technologies have returned. Quite recently, one of the largest cement producers in the Russian Federation, the CEMROS company, decided to build a two-kilometer experimental section of road in the Krasnodar Territory.


It connects the city with the highway to Kropotkin. The company selected the composition of the coating specifically: the climate and other features of the specific territory were taken into account. The construction used 1730 tons of cement and took more than two months. An interesting technology was used.


First, the old pavement was removed, recycled, and cement mortar was added. Then, a layer was laid on the prepared base, and then reinforced concrete 22 cm thick was laid on top of it. At the final stage, the seams were sealed and the shoulder with ramps was arranged. The section was put into operation.

Do concrete blocks have any prospects in the Russian Federation?

There is no point in talking about a widespread transition to such technologies – it is too expensive. Most likely, highways with concrete surfaces will be gradually built in regions with a warm climate: there is no need to use expensive plasticizer additives.