my country is currently experiencing a period of rapid infrastructure development, with various infrastructure projects underway, among which highway construction is particularly noteworthy. In just a few decades, China's total highway mileage and density have grown rapidly.
▲ Rapid Growth in Highway Mileage
By the end of 2020, my country's total highway mileage had reached an astonishing 5.1981 million kilometers, with its expressway mileage ranking first globally.
In the future, driven by the continued expansion of infrastructure investment, sustained policy support, and continuous innovation in highway construction technology, my country's highway mileage is expected to further increase, and the highway engineering construction industry as a whole will maintain prosperity.
▲ Application and Trends of Asphalt Pavement
At the same time, we must recognize that my country's highway construction projects encompass various technical approaches. Among them, concrete pavement (i.e., cement road) and asphalt pavement are two major construction methods, with the latter being more widely used in practice.
Today, it is not difficult to find that, apart from some low-speed sections or rural roads where concrete roads can still be seen, asphalt paving technology is commonly used for urban roads and expressways. This reflects the growing preference for asphalt as a construction material in highway projects, while concrete is being used less frequently.

Why is the use of concrete in highway construction decreasing? What are the significant differences between asphalt and concrete pavements?
▲ Advantages of Asphalt Pavements
Concrete, a high-strength building material, was once widely used in highway construction. However, its use is now gradually being replaced by asphalt. Asphalt, as a key auxiliary material in road construction, exhibits unique characteristics compared to concrete. Because concrete is much stronger than asphalt, concrete pavements exhibit rigidity.
The advantages of asphalt pavements lie in their moderate flexibility, providing vibration damping for vehicles, improving driving comfort, and reducing noise. Furthermore, asphalt pavements demonstrate excellent stability, including low-temperature crack resistance, water stability, and fatigue resistance.
In addition, asphalt pavements have a significant advantage in construction speed compared to concrete pavements. Construction is fast, maintenance is simple, and multiple damages can often be repaired overnight. Meanwhile, asphalt pavement has a moderate coefficient of friction, making it very suitable for high-speed vehicles. Therefore, it is commonly used on highways.
▲ Advantages and Disadvantages of Concrete Pavement
However, concrete pavement also has some drawbacks, including relatively poor driving comfort, higher noise levels, and high maintenance costs and repair difficulties. In particular, newly poured concrete panels require a long curing period, which limits its application to some extent.
In summary, the advantages of asphalt pavement are obvious, especially in the construction of urban roads and highways, where it demonstrates greater applicability. Therefore, concrete has gradually taken a backseat in highway construction. However, in rural areas, due to the relatively lower requirements for roadbeds and the more economical construction cost of concrete pavement, it is still widely used in the paving of some rural roads.