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Fatigue Cracking (Alligator Cracking)

Interconnected cracking with a pattern resembling alligator skin. Pavement that is fatigued or “worn out” from heavy traffic.

Cause

Inadequate structure
Accumulated damage
Age hardening
Poor drainage

Solutions - Cures

Fatigue cracking indicates a failure of the pavement structure. Full depth reclamation or thick overlays are in order.

Road Science^™ Solutions

Solutions - Prevention

The use of quality structural design and materials during construction
Adequate drainage
Preventive maintenance treatments as the pavement begins to age
Structural overlays applied at the right time to increase the pavement strength
Elastomeric polymer modified binders have been found to be especially effective