City of Chico - Bruce Road Construction

The City of Chico is Thinking Long-Term as the City Uses Roller Compacted Concrete for Bruce Road’s Expansion

Above: Chico, CA. The contractor is applying a membrane forming curing compound to the concrete pavement that keeps the water (a vital ingredient in concrete) from evaporating away during the hot summer days on Bruce Road’s Reconstruction.

Project Description and Need

Chico, the most populous city in Butte County, is growing and expanding in every direction. Wildfires have pushed people out of mountain communities and increased the population in cities like Chico speeding up the planned developments that expand the southeast corner of the city. Major arterial streets like Bruce Road act as vital thoroughfares through town and even as evacuation routes during emergencies. Time had come for the road to be expanded into 4 lanes.  Like many cities in California, Chico has focused on cost-saving pavement solutions for reconstruction of several streets and found Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) to be a perfect solution. Where Chico is excelling is adding community-centric additions to the project like bike lanes and dedicated paths of travel for active transportation. Chico is truly building for the future.

“Today, the City of Chico’s contractors began paving as part of the Bruce Road Reconstruction project, utilizing Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) rather than traditional asphalt paving. This is the first Capital Improvement Project in the City’s history to implement RCC paving, and the first roadway project of its kind north of Sacramento. Once complete, this roadway is anticipated to have a 40-year design life, meaning it will require little to no maintenance for at least 40 years, ultimately saving the City money.” the City commented on their LinkedIn page.