The category of rigid pavements can be further broken down into those with joints
and those without. Jointed reinforced concrete pavement (JRCP) and jointed plain concrete
pavement (JPCP) are the two basic types of jointed concrete pavement.
Continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) has no joints. JRCP is designed for
maximum joint spacing permitting cracking between joints and requires temperature
steel. JPCP is designed for no cracking between joints; thus, joint spacing is minimized
and temperature steel is eliminated. Historically, many jointed pavements were
constructed without dowelled joints. Past performance of undowelled jointed pavements—
with the exception of warm, dry climates or low-volume roadways—has been poor.
Where there are more than a few trucks per day, dowels should be considered at contraction
joints. However, low-volume roadways that do not carry significant trucks,
such as residential streets, may perform satisfactorily without dowelled joints.