Specification

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Preamble to Section 8 & 9 Block Paving, Kerbs and Footways
It should be noted that in large areas of Oxfordshire the geological strata is Oxford, Gault and
other clays. Clays are subject to shrinking and heave, depending on the amount of pore water.
Where any footway/cycleway is founded on any clays, then the normal construction will be
modified to take account of the clays.
It is the County policy, and in line with District Council policy, that development are
constructed using high grade materials, therefore, it is essential that all kerb types are
considered, not just the normal pre-cast concrete. It should be noted that in Conservation
Areas natural stone products are the most likely material to be used, and special requirements
may apply in the Chilterns AONB area of South Oxfordshire.
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Section 8 - Block Paving and Flags
801: General
Block paving may be used for all roads, footways, cycleways, pedestrian areas, access lay-
bys and adoptable parking areas. The design of pavements constructed with block paving
shall in general conform to BS 7533. Block paving shall be laid only by an approved
Contractor.
802: Materials
Paving blocks shall comply with BS 6717 Part 1 and BS 6677 having a work size thickness
of 65mm where used in non-vehicle trafficked areas and 80mm where used in carriageways,
lay-bys and parking areas and having chamfered wearing surfaces. The tensile splitting
strength of the blocks shall be 3.5 n/mm.
803: Sub-base
The sub-base material shall be Type 1 granular material complying with clause 602. The
finished surface level of the sub-base shall not deviate from the design levels by more than
10mm. The finished surface shall be free of any soft patches and shall be close knit so that
the laying course material cannot penetrate downwards. Where any soft patches are removed
they shall be replaced with Type 1 granular material. Under no circumstances may laying
course material be used to replace soft patches or for levelling the surface of the sub-base.
804: Road Base
Where the pavement construction is not completed before building construction commences
a road base shall be laid consisting of either dense bitumen road base complying with clause
606 or cement bound base complying with clause 607. The finished surface level of the road
base shall not deviate from the design levels by more than 10mm. Prior to laying the laying
course the roadbase shall be punctured on a 1m grid with holes of diameter < 50mm.
805: Laying Course
The laying course sand shall be in accordance with Table D2 of BS7533: Part 3: 1997 (Annex
D). The sand shall be precompacted with a plate vibrator and then levelled by screeding.
The surface level of the bedding/laying course shall be treated with an approved active pre
and post emergence residual weed killer, at the rate of spread recommended by the
manufacturer for total control. Special care must be taken near shrubs and trees, and
arboricultural advice sought.
The moisture content of the bedding sand needs to be a uniform 6-7%, it is therefore essential
that the sand should be stored in an area which is well drained and that it be kept covered
during periods of hot, dry weather or wet weather.
In some locations where a degree of rigidity is considered essential in the pavement surface,
e.g adjacent to drainage furniture, the incorporation of 5.6% by weight OPC may be
permitted.
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Only sufficient material for one day's work shall be prepared and in any case such that the
position of this boundary shall not be more than one metre from the laying face at the end of
the working period. Disturbance of the prepared laying course by pedestrian or wheeled
traffic prior to placing of the blocks shall be avoided.
The course shall have a minimum sand thickness of 30mm for a bound road base and 50mm
for a type 1 road base. The screeding of sand is very important and a surcharge of sand is
required from the start.
806: Edge Restraints
Edge restraint shall be provided at the perimeter of all paved areas and shall be adequate to
support traffic loads and prevent the escape of laying course material from beneath the paved
surface. Edge restraints shall consist of pre-cast concrete kerbs and channels complying with
clause 9 or approved made blocks. Where the block pavement abuts an existing structure, the
Engineer's approval shall be obtained before laying commences so that any necessary
strengthening or damp proofing precautions which the Engineer may require, can be carried
out prior to laying the block pavement.
807: Ironwork
Frames and covers for gullies and manholes in block paving areas shall comply with clause
317 and shall be properly bedded on clause 10.09 mortar in accordance with clause 320
before laying commences.
Frames and covers for gullies and manholes in block paving areas shall comply with the
requirements of clause 317 and shall be without flanges, and shall be set 5mm lower than the
finished block level. There shall be a minimum of one course of stretcher bond adjacent to
all ironwork with the aim to have flush. A 300mm to 500mm wide piece of a suitable filter
geotextile shall be laid under the laying sand and up the face of any ironwork or cover slab
to prevent the migration of the laying sand.
808: Bond
The blocks shall be laid hand-tight working from an existing face or edge restraint and shall
be laid to a herringbone pattern in carriageways. Stretcher bond shall only be used in footway
and non-trafficked areas.
Block shapes designed to assist with the formation of boundaries and with changes of
direction may be incorporated as appropriate. Full blocks shall be laid first, closure units
shall then be laid. Each area shall be completed as far as possible in full block units. Infilling
to boundaries and obstructions shall proceed as the laying course proceeds and shall be
completed before compaction commences. Alignment of the blocks shall be checked
periodically and adjustments made where necessary to achieve straight joint lines.
809: Road Base
In agreement with the Engineer the developers are permitted to omit laying the blockwork
until after building words are completed. In such cases the top 75mm of sub-base shall be
replaced with dense bitumen macadam binder course. Prior to laying of the blockwork the
base shall be cleaned, if the surface is in a poor condition the base course shall be removed
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and replaced with MOT Type 1 granular material to the correct level. If the DBM binder
course remains it shall be punctured as Clause 804.
810: Trimming
Block shall be trimmed to shape and size in order to form boundaries and to work around
obstructions. Where trimming is required it shall be carried out using an approved block
splitting device or a powered concrete saw. No part of a block of less than one half of a whole
block in size shall be used. Where it is unavoidable to fit the blocks neatly up to an
obstruction with the Engineer's approval an in-situ granolithic concrete fillet may be formed.
The granolithic concrete shall consist of one part OPC, one part of fine aggregate and 2 parts
of 10mm granite chippings measured by volume. Wherever in-situ concrete is used, careful
selection of fine aggregate and colour pigment is required to achieve a colour match with the
blocks. Such fillets are only acceptable with a minimum 120mm width and depth.
811: Compaction
The blockwork surface shall be compacted by a plate compactor to ensure the filling of the
lower block to block joint by the laying course material and to produce an even surface finish.
The plate compactor used shall have a plan area of not less than 0.25m and shall transmit an
effective force of 75-100kN per square metre of plate area. The frequency of vibration shall
be within the range 75-100Hz.
Compaction shall follow completion of laying as soon as possible after each day's work and
shall be compacted to within one metre of the laying face. No other area shall be left
uncompacted at the completion of each day's work.
812: Joint Filling
After compaction of the blockwork surface jointing sand, free flowing silica sand complying
with Table D3 of BS7533: Part 3: 1997 Annex D shall be brushed into the joints and using a
plate vibrator compacted to refusal. The finished level of the sand shall be 5mm below the
top of the blocks. The sand shall contain no deleterious salts or other contaminants and shall
not stain the surface of the blocks.
Joint filling and final compaction shall be completed as soon as practicable after laying and
at the completion of each days work. No traffic shall be permitted on the block surface until
final compaction has been satisfactorily completed.
Note: A neoprene coated sole plate may be required on special surfaces
813: Sealer
Finally, an elastomeric prepolymer sealer shall be applied in accordance with the
manufacturer's instructions to the surface of the small element paving immediately after the
jointing sand has been brushed/vibrated in making sure it is evenly spread over the surface of
the paving and allowing it to completely fill the joints before being absorbed into the jointing
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sand. Generally rate of spread varies between 2-3m/litre. No sealant shall be left to "pond"
on the surface of the slabs. Approved sealants are Nufins Blockseal, A.C.M. Paveseal or
Resiblock Ltd's Resiblock Superior.
814: Early Trafficking
Where during the period of early trafficking any movement of the surface course occurs the
blocks shall be removed as directed by the Engineer and the cause established. After remedial
work has been carried out to the Engineer's satisfaction, the disturbed area shall be
immediately relaid and recompacted in accordance with the requirements of the foregoing
clauses.
815: Construction in Inclement Weather
No laying of concrete blocks or laying course shall take place on frozen material in the lower
layer. No frozen material or material containing ice shall be used.
816: Precast Concrete Flags and Tactile Paving
Precast concrete flags shall be manufactured in accordance with BS7265 part 1 and shall
comply with Table 3 Type F(400 x 400) and shall have a work size thickness of 65mm they
shall be used in footways only.
Tactile flags for use on pedestrian approaches to uncontrolled crossings will be the modified
blister type as shown in Guidance on the Use of Tactile Paving Surfaces - DETR January
1999 and be buff, or contrasting colour, other than red. The arrangement of the flags shall be
shown in the standard drawings or those given in the Guidance.
The use of tactile flags constitutes a traffic sign and they shall therefore not be installed or
used in a non-standard way.
Use of the different tactile surfaces e.g Cycleway paving (bar pattern), Hazard warning
pavement (corduroy) and directional guidance paving (round ended bars) shall accord with
the County Council's "Street Furniture and the Street Environment - Adraft Code of Practice
and Specification Guidance Note for Oxfordshire County".