April 2011
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Editor's Note
This issue of Paving Solutions has been redesigned to better match the look and feel of PCA's paving-related promotional materials. The goal is to make both member and allied communications, such as this newsletter, and resources such as the Integrated Paving Solutions materials part of the Think Harder. Concrete marketing brand that anchors PCA's advertising program.
Another goal is to integrate newsletter content with another important communications tool, the Think Harder blog. Housed on the Think Harder web site, the Blog is updated daily with paving-related news, projects, and other industry information.
If you have ideas for either newsletter or blog content, contact Bruce McIntosh or Patti Flesher at PCA.
Paving Solutions is published monthly by the Portland Cement Association as an internal communications vehicle to keep members, stakeholders, and partners informed about developments in the promotion of concrete paving and infrastructure funding.
Utah Highway Moves Up from Asphalt to Concrete, Garners ACPA Award
A major east-west urban arterial, 3500 South Bangerter Highway to 2700 West, links two major thoroughfares, Bangerter Highway and I-215 in Salt Lake Valley, Utah.
The road handles about 45,000 vehicles per day, more than it was originally designed to accommodate.
Initially designed as an asphalt corridor, the project changed to concrete because of the volatility of oil prices. The project involved reconstructing one mile of the existing five-lane asphalt roadway into a six-lane concrete facility and adding two dedicated center lanes for the Utah Transit Authority’s first rapid bus system.
For the first time in an urban area in Utah, a moveable concrete barrier system helped manage traffic flow through the construction zone.
The goal was to construct this project in an effective and efficient manner while reducing the overall impact to the traveling public during construction. A Community Coordination Team was established to assess local business owners' and local residents' satisfaction with the contractor. The overall satisfaction increased as the project progressed and a 90 percent approval rating was achieved on the final vote.
The overall project was completed eight months ahead of schedule and was open in time for the holiday shopping season.
The project was honored as a gold winner in the urban arterials and collectors division of the American Concrete Pavement Association's 21st annual “Excellence in Concrete Pavement” awards, which recognize quality concrete pavements constructed in the United States and Canada. Granite Construction Company was the project engineer and Geneva Rock Products was the contractor.
More at the Think Harder. Concrete blog
Photo courtesy of the American Concrete Pavement Association.
MIT Issues Research Brief on Pavement LCA, LCCA
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) last month released a special research brief examining concrete pavements during a 50-year analysis period using life-cycle assessment (LCA) and life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) principles.
The research was carried out by the Concrete Sustainability Hub at MIT with sponsorship provided by the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and the Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) Research & Education Foundation.
The brief concludes that the use of optimized pavement design thicknesses helps reduce costs and CO2 emissions by minimizing the materials needed to construct a pavement. The economic and environmental benefits are significant and can help transportation agencies reduce their carbon footprint while working within tight budgetary constraints.
For the three case studies reviewed, the optimized designs reduce agency net present cost by roughly 40 to 50 percent and CO2 emissions by roughly 30 percent. These are likely to be conservative estimates, as other life-cycle implications, such as shorter construction times and reduced transportation, are not considered in the current demonstration studies. User costs due to traffic delay may also be reduced using optimized design thicknesses.
View the brief
Contact Mark Justman
Minnesota Ads Call for the End of Pothole Seasons
The PCA North Central Region is using the infamous “pothole season” as a vehicle for promoting the advantages of concrete pavement and maintenance technologies.
Billboards strategically located on a pothole-riddled section of I-94 debuted today throughout the Twin Cities. The signs proclaim "Pothole Season: It’s Not Your Fault. It’s Asphalt." Similar ads, appearing on bus shelters, include a QR code that leads viewers to a web site where they can send a letter directly to mayors and public works officials informing them that choosing concrete instead of asphalt is the smart choice for roads and the best use of taxpayer funds.
The ads will run for several weeks in March and April. PCA also distributed news releases to local media outlets announcing the campaign and highlighting the advantages of concrete roads, including durability and low-maintenance costs.
In addition, regional promoters and allies plan to contact members of the Minnesota House and Senate Transportation Committees with specific details on how concrete roads incur fewer lifecycle costs than asphalt roads, resulting in a savings for the taxpayer and less time spent in traffic due to construction delays.
Visit www.think-harder.org/minnesota
More at the Think Harder. Concrete Blog
Contact Doug Burns
Concrete Education Leads to Switches from Asphalt
What started as a meeting between the Concrete and Aggregates Association of Louisiana (CAAL) and a paving contractor in Lafayette, La., to discuss the advantages of concrete pavement over asphalt pavement, led to switching a paving project from asphalt to concrete. CAAL provided the contractor with background information on the benefits of concrete for a subsequent meeting with the Mayor of Youngsville, La., regarding La. Highway 92, a project funded by the town of Youngsville. The contractor, Cecil Perry Improvements, was the successful bidder for a 6.5-inch asphalt pavement. Following CAAL orientation, the contractor successfully proposed an 8-inch concrete pavement with tied concrete shoulders at approximately the same cost.
The Utah Chapter ACPA has successfully converted the pavement on SR-252 (1000 West) in Logan, Utah from asphalt to concrete. The pavement material for this project switched back and forth several times, but due to ACPA staff perseverance, concrete pavement was approved for the road. The project will be constructed over two years and require about 10,000 tons of cement.
More at the Think Harder. Concrete Blog
Contact Michael Young
Contact Don Clem
February PPI: Steel and Asphalt Prices Increase
Steel prices increased 4.7 percent from January to February, according to the latest Producer Price Index issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Asphalt saw a small jump of 0.9 percent, while both concrete and lumber decreased. Concrete was down 0.3 percent and lumber decreased 0.4 percent.
During the last 12 months, steel has increased 13.3 percent, asphalt is up 2.3 percent, and lumber rose 1.7 percent. Concrete prices have declined 0.5 percent during the same period.
Source: Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. PCA provides this information to aid in the promotion of concrete and cement-based products.
Contact Joe Chiappe
More information
Maryland Paving Conference Draws Hundreds
An excellent example of how education and promotion go hand-in-hand was exhibited at the “Concrete 2011...11th Annual Conference for the Maryland Transportation Industry,” on March 22 in Timonium, Md. The Maryland Ready Mixed Concrete Association, the American Concrete Pavement Association, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA) worked together in planning, developing, and executing the one-day conference filled with information about concrete paving and highway structures.
This year’s event drew an audience of nearly 250 people from the cement, concrete and admixture industry, all MSHA Districts, the Maryland Transportation Authority, several county and municipal directors of public works, the FHWA, the precast industry, and the concrete contracting industry.
Tim Smith, MSHA’s chief of materials, gave the keynote address, encouraging everyone, especially the decision-makers in the crowd to seriously consider concrete pavements for their system preservation projects. Smith noted the “asphalt culture” that exists across the state and how that influences the decision making process. He challenged the audience to move away from that kind of process and to get back to sound engineering and good statistics.
Other general session topics included the FHWA’s Everyday Counts program, an update on EPA regulations concerning the use of fly ash in concrete, and wrapped up with a back-to-basics session on materials and quality control.
Contact Roger Faulkner
Government Affairs Win in South Dakota
The South Dakota state legislature rose in support of funding local infrastructure by overriding Governor Daugaard’s veto of HB 1192. This bill increases transportation funding to cities and counties by $31 million, a 30 percent increase over current, through license tab fees.
PCA-North Central provided leadership through active participation in the South Dakota Highway Users Conference and by communicating information and alerts to industry allies. The cement, concrete paving, and ready mixed concrete industries have been vitally involved with legislator contacts during the entire process.
The override vote sends a strong message to the newly elected “no new taxes or fees” governor that the state is committed to infrastructure improvement and employment in construction. Work continues on the next South Dakota challenge, tackling the issue of additional funding for state highways and an omnibus transportation bill.
More at the Think Harder. Concrete blog
Contact Doug Burns
PCA Offers RCC Design Webinar
“Thickness Design of Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavements” will discuss discuss thickness design theory, assumptions, and methods for roller-compacted concrete (RCC). Thickness design procedures for RCC pavements for heavy industrial applications that have been developed by PCA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be presented. In addition, available design software that can be used to determine thickness of RCC pavements will be demonstrated.
PCA will offer the webinar on April 21, 10-11 am CST.
All participants will receive a free copy of the presentation as well as PDFs of pertinent RCC pavement publications.
Cost of this one hour webinar is $60. ($30 for PCA members; government officials; students and educators)
More information and registration
Contact Wayne Adaska