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Resources

A NEWSLETTER FOR OUR PARTNERS

June–July 2021

Airport concrete pavement program takes off

With an initial list of upcoming projects posted as well as the first request for proposals (RFP) issued, the CP Tech Center's $6.5 million Airport Concrete Pavement Technology Program (ACPTP) has now taken off.
The ACPTP aims to address the research needs for concrete pavements at airports so that technologies demonstrated to extend the life of airfield pavement and to improve airfield reliability, efficiency, and safety are increasingly implemented.
The ultimate goal? To keep America moving forward in the air as well as on the road.

PEM: Where next?

Four years ago, fourteen State Highway Agencies (SHAs), FHWA, and the concrete paving industry pooled resources to embark on a path that would lead to changes in specifications and tests to ensure that pavement mixtures perform as needed over the long term.

We continue to focus on the things that matter with respect to the concrete-durability-related properties defined in AASHTO PP 84 Developing Performance-Engineered Concrete Pavements. Today, with nineteen SHAs implementing or considering implementation of the performance-engineered mixture (PEM) principles, the five-year project is nearing a milestone: Where do we go from here?

While researchers, agencies, and industry will continue to embrace and implement PEM for years to come, it is time to cast our eyes to future initiatives that will continue to improve concrete. Here is where our conversations are pointing:
  • Consideration and improvement of the construction processes that impact pavement performance—e.g., development of new technologies for monitoring and responding to challenges at the batch plant or the paver as well as during subsequent operations like curing and sawing
  • Focus on the increased importance of contractor quality control
  • Application of PEM principles to structural concrete
  • Continued refinement and standardization of PEM specifications and tests
  • Definition of timely maintenance activities that optimize pavement life
It may be time to consider pooling our resources to support the next chapter in the art and science of concrete pavement design, construction, and preservation. Think about it—and if you have any ideas, let’s talk.

Join upcoming CP Tech Center webinars
on Tuesdays at 12 pm (CST)

 August 10: 
Resiliency: Proper Planning Prevents Disaster and Aids in Crisis Management—A Concrete Perspective

 September 14: 
Advancements in Performance-Engineered Mixtures (PEMs)

 October 12: 
Sustainability: Recycle & Bicycle



All webinars offer Professional Development Hours (PDHs)
and are available for signup here.

(Previous webinar recordings, slide handouts, and speakers' Q&A responses are available here.)

On the road again to talk concrete pavements

Following the long hiatus due to COVID in travel and face-to-face meetings, CP Tech Center staff have again begun to fill their calendars with meetings, many of which are now being held in person.

Concrete overlays have been a key topic of discussion
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) hosted CP Tech Center Director Peter Taylor and Gary Fick of the Transtec Group, Inc., for a May 18th webinar to provide a technical overview of "Concrete Overlays: A Proven Technology."
Arranging for social distancing during meetings and meals, the Oklahoma/Arkansas ACPA chapter worked hard to ensure the safety of nearly 150 participants in the 2021 Oklahoma Concrete Pavement Conference held in person in Oklahoma City on June 1st. At this conference, CP Tech Center Associate Director Gordon Smith presented new insight on "Concrete Overlays: The Value Proposition."

At Session #2 (held June 30th) of the 3rd virtual meeting of the FHWA's Concrete Pavement and Materials Technical Feedback Group (TFG), CP Tech Center Program Manager John Adam provided a status update on the EDC-6 Targeted Overlay Pavement Solutions (TOPS) program, whose aim is fostering overlay designs intentionally targeted to fit the condition of the existing pavement.

A month earlier during Session #1 (held May 25th) of the same TFG meeting, Peter Taylor presented on mixture proportioning. Taylor also shared research on another mixture design topic—slag cement dosage—at a June 3rd Illinois Ready Mixed Concrete Association meeting focused on high slag replacement.

By the ACPA Mid-Year Meeting on June 22nd and 23rd, everyone was ready to see one another face-to-face and visit. ACPA’s inaugural post-COVID event in Milwaukee welcomed nearly 150 attendees, including Peter Taylor, Steve Tritsch, Gordon Smith, and John Adam from the CP Tech Center. Participants attended a focus workshop on concrete and sustainability as well as various committee meetings relative to the ACPA's new operating structure. Best wishes were also extended to long-time ACPA president Jerry Voigt on his retirement from ACPA leadership and new ACPA President Laura O'Neill-Kaumo was introduced and welcomed.

During the ACPA meeting, the CP Tech Center hosted its own executive board meeting, welcoming a record-setting 14 attendees for discussion. New members, John Becker of the Pennsylvania Chapter/ACPA and Rob Kish of Milestone Contractors, LP, were welcomed to their first such meeting.
Recent CP Tech Center Concrete Pavement Technology Tuesday webinars have included Tara Cavalline and Matt Fonte's May 11th presentation to 495 participants on "An Introduction to Recycled Concrete Aggregates."
Summer event attendance characteristically drops, yet the June 15th Concrete Pavement Technology Tuesday webinar on "Roller-Compacted Concrete for Roadway Applications" by Fares Abdo, Andy Johnson, and Chris Carwie nevertheless attracted 297 participants.
The July 13th webinar on "Innovation with Concrete Overlays for DOTs and Municipalities" led by CP Tech Center Associate Directors Steve Tritsch and Gordon Smith along with Charles Stuart, Executive Director of the Southwest Concrete Pavement Association, attracted 330 participants.
With the improved COVID situation, CP Tech Center travel is returning more and more toward normalcy. CP Tech Center staff are again spending more time on the road and—slightly—less time at their desks.

Meet the board members

Key to the CP Tech Center's goal of improving how concrete pavements are specified, built, and maintained is our position at the intersection of agencies, industry, and academia.

The longstanding involvement of Iowa DOT staff on our executive board to represent agency concerns is therefore highly valued.

John Hart, PCC Field Engineer with the Iowa DOT's Construction and Materials Bureau, brings to the table more than a decade of agency experience. Co-presenter with Jerod Gross, the CP Tech Center's Technology Transfer Engineer, for our March 2021 "Concrete Lunch & Learn" webinar on PCC Paving Inspection, Hart has contributed before to the CP Tech Center's mission of advancing concrete paving.

In light of Hart's dedication to quality concrete paving, maintenance, and inspection, we are pleased to announce he has recently joined the CP Tech Center executive board as our new Iowa DOT alternate to serve in conjunction with Mitchell Dillavou, Director and Chief Engineer of the Iowa DOT's Highway Administration Division.

Paving Association Execs

Please forward this newsletter to your members as appropriate.
Copyright © 2021 National Concrete Pavement Technology Center. All rights reserved.

The goal of Resources is to let our partners know about publications and other products, events, and training opportunities provided by the National Concrete Pavement Technology (CP Tech) Center at Iowa State University.

CP Tech Center / 2711 S Loop Drive / Suite 4700 / Ames, IA 50010

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