Bound Block Pavement with Drainage Concrete Base Course in Urban Roads: A Long-Term Engineering Case Study and Practical Implications for Transport Infrastructure

This paper presents a documented long-term engineering case study of a bound block pavement constructed with a drainage concrete base course in an urban traffic area in Austria. The investigated pavement consists of concrete block paving supported by a 200 mm open-graded drainage concrete base designed for load class LK 0.1. The study describes the structural configuration, materials, and construction execution, including mechanized placement, compaction, and curing of the base layer as well as joint detailing of the paving system. A semi-quantitative field condition assessment conducted approximately 18 years after construction indicates stable long-term structural performance with no visible settlement or cracking and only minor local rutting without structural relevance. The observations are interpreted in relation to construction practice, boundary conditions, and real traffic exposure. Although based on a single infrastructure project and without instrumented monitoring, the study provides practice-oriented engineering evidence and transferable insights into durability mechanisms, execution-related performance factors, and design considerations for bound block pavement systems in urban transport infrastructure.