Concrete is a robust and durable material in road construction. It is used mostly on roads which must shoulder a high percentage of heavy traffic. As such it used frequently in highly stressed industrial areas and agricultural roads as well as the construction of motorways and airport runways.

If a concrete road is built properly, it will last for at least 30 to 40 years. Critical to the successful outcome is the adequate supply of concrete in a timely fashion in order to ensure consistency of product laid down. Important issues of the material in terms of water content, aggregate size, product and ambient temperature are all considered when assessing a successful concrete road construction.

There are essentially two methods of concrete paving –

(A) Inset paving - the paving operation takes place between the crawlers of the slipform paver and is used for wider roads and surfaces.

(B) Offset paving - the paving operation takes place on the left or right side of the machine and is used normally when paving concrete profiles such as parapets, kerbs, or drainage channels.