Extract from SETRA Information Note N ° 56

The crack is a defect in the impermeability of the wearing course. The sealing of the crack is necessary to avoid water infiltration into the base and its support (heavy traffic, sensitive support to water or frost, etc.). Proper sealing remains effective in terms of impermeability for a period of over three years.

Any crack evolves, more or less quickly depending on the stresses of the roadway due to the amount of traffic and bad weather.

Shrinkage cracking of materials treated with hydraulic binder is inevitable and requires specific maintenance techniques.

The plugging slows down the crack’s evolution in concrete: it seems that the plugging of cracks makes possible to delay the crack’s evolution by two to three years.

If the sealing is not made, the crack evolves and becomes a structural defect justifying more important work (in particular total repair of the roadway).