Pavements are a conglomeration of materials.

These materials like aggregates, bituminous materials (bitumen & tar), their associated properties, and their interactions determine the properties of the resultant pavement. Thus, a good understanding of these materials, how they are characterized, and how they perform is fundamental to understanding pavement. The materials which are used in the construction of highway are of intense interest to the highway engineer. This requires not only a thorough understanding of the soil and aggregate properties which affect pavement stability and durability, but also the binding materials which may be added to improve these pavement features.

The cost of equipment in a project varies from 10 to 30% of the total cost of the project depending upon the extent of mechanization. With the growing use of machinery it has become necessary for construction engineers to be thoroughly familiar with the working application and upkeep of the wide range of the modern equipment. Since modern construction projects require a huge amount of capital, we have to adopt latest technology, modern equipment and modern management techniques to achieve economy, quality & quick results.
The lectures in this module propose to introduce the modern materials in pavement construction. It discusses about the scope, application potential, evaluation, and performance expectation of the new highway materials. The second part of the lectures focus on the innovative application concepts of the conventional or the modern materials. Usage of modern materials in highway construction and their innovative application is expected to bring economy in terms of material cost as well as better reliability in performance.

The construction of concrete pavement involves sequential construction of subgrade, sub-base/ base and the concrete slab. he various types of joints and their functions have been introduced in the lecture entitled 'basic concepts of pavement analysis and design.