June 2011
Print This Page
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.
Precast Pavements Showcased in California
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) – San Francisco Bay Region has embarked on a major pavement rehabilitation project using a combination of jointed precast prestressed concrete pavement and traditional precast prestressed concrete pavement.
The state will replace damaged concrete on Interstate 680 near Oakland with concrete panels. Innovative approaches include the use of two-way pretensioning (longitudinal and transverse directions), elimination of stressing pockets, reduction in the number of post-tensioning ducts, and utilization of longer panels ranging from 18-36 feet in length. Work began in January and will be near completion this summer.
To minimize disturbance and keep on schedule, concrete removal, grinding, saw-cutting, and heavy equipment operations will occur mostly at night.
Caltrans showcased the project during an open house in Pleasanton, Calif., on June 15. In addition to workshop presentations, attendees had the opportunity to tour steel strand and precast manufacturing plants and visit the project.
Photo Courtesy of Caltrans
More at the Think Harder. Concrete blog
Paving Summit Addresses MIT Results, Local Advocacy
PCA will host an industry-wide paving summit meeting on July 21 to review current efforts in promotion and advocacy and explore next steps. Called “Market Size to Market Share: Thinking Harder About Concrete Pavement Advocacy,” the one-day session will address the following issues and topics:> Results from the MIT Sustainability Hub, particularly its model for life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA).
>
Federal advocacy on LCCA by Mercury LLC.
>
Implications of MIT and Mercury initiatives on local promotion and advocacy.
>
Tools and support to be developed by industry associations that are needed for local initiatives.
>
Metrics and measurement criteria for promotion and advocacy.
The meeting will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel near Chicago's O'Hare Airport.
For more information and a detailed agenda, contact John Prentice.
MIT to Host Concrete Industry Day
The MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub will host its second annual concrete industry day on August 11, 2011, at the school's Cambridge campus. Lead investigators from the hub's two inaugural projects—The Edge of Concrete: A Life-Cycle Investigation of Concrete and Concrete Structures; and From Liquid to Stone: The Genesis of Concrete—will be on hand to present their findings, answer questions, and hear feedback from stakeholders on the future.
The 2011 Concrete Industry Day is being held in cooperation with the 2011 International Concrete Sustainability Conference, August 9-11, and conference attendees are automatically registered for Concrete Industry Day.
The Concrete Sustainability Hub was established by PCA and Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) Research & Education Foundation. CSH will focus on quantifying and enhancing the sustainable nature of concrete as the call for an increased emphasis on environmental issues grows louder. Both organizations are committing significant effort and resources with the goal of accelerating emerging breakthroughs in concrete science and engineering and transferring that science into practice.
Download a registration form and housing information (PDF)
More at the Think Harder. Concrete blog
Contact Mark Justman
Ad Campaign Makes the Case for Life-Cycle Budgeting
The Beltway version of the “What Are the Real Costs” ad campaign supports PCA's federal advocacy program. A combination of on-line and print ads target political and policy opinion leaders in Washington, D.C. The campaign includes print ads in Rollcall and CQ Daily plus online ads on the web editions of Rollcall, Politico, and Engineering News-Record. The ads appear for two weeks, June 20 through July 1, and will elevate the issue of life-cycle budgeting in transportation and infrastructure policy.
The ads bring home the point that highways needs to be a long-term investment with an understanding of the costs over the entire life-cycle of the road. “America must invest in its infrastructure to drive economic growth. But taxpayers need to know they are getting their money’s worth – both in the short term and for years down the road.
“To that end, a new report details how performance measure reforms are ‘powerful tools’ that ‘enhance an agency’s ability to provide better value to . . . taxpayers, enable federal and state governments to build infrastructure with ‘the greatest efficiency,’ and could save ‘hundreds of millions of dollars at the national level’ through a process that ‘fosters competition.’”
More at the Think Harder. Concrete blog
View or download a copy of the print ad
White Paper Outlines Best Practices in Performance Management
The ad campaign noted above also amplifies the findings of a new white paper, "Delivering Taxpayer Value: Three Tools That Can Help Ensure a More Efficient, Cost-Effective Infrastructure." Written by John W. Fischer, a transportation policy consultant who spent over three decades with the Congressional Research Service, the white paper examines performance management techniques – life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA), alternate design/alternate bid (ADAB), and mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG) – used by state Departments of Transportation (DOT) and the construction industry to maximize taxpayer investment, efficiency, and transparency. Fischer also takes the pulse of current state DOT practices with a survey of current practices regarding LCCA, ADAB, and MEPDG.
More at the Think Harder. Concrete blog
View or download a PDF of the white paper.
Hundreds Attend "Rally for Roads"
The Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) hosted its annual Fly-In in Washington, D.C., May 24-25. The event was attended by nearly 500 representatives of the transportation and construction industry, including many PCA members. Participants heard from several congressional and administration officials during the Legislative Briefing about the need to pass a new surface transportation bill, as well as the bill’s current progress in Congress.
In conjunction with the Fly-In, on May 25, more than 400 construction workers from around the greater Washington area gathered on the National Mall for the first annual “Rally for Roads.” Sponsored by PCA and several other allied industry associations, the rally sought to reinforce the message that building roads is key to getting the economy back on track and that a new surface transportation bill needs to be passed now. Nine members of Congress, representing both branches and both political parties, addressed the cheering crowd behind a backdrop of industry equipment and the U.S. Capitol. Several PCA members sent employees and/or equipment, giving the cement industry a strong showing at the rally.
The TCC also hosted a reception on Capitol Hill, allowing PCA members to speak directly with many members of Congress about their priorities and the critical need to get a new bill through Congress soon. The Fly-In was capped off by a day of meetings on the Hill, where participants continued to stress the ability of a new highway bill to create jobs, help rebuild America’s infrastructure, and get the economy moving again.
More at the Think Harder. Concrete blog
Contact Lauren Schapker
Unbonded Concrete Overlay Finds Spotlight for Nebraska County
In 2008, Pierce County in Nebraska planned to a paving project as an asphalt overlay. However, due to escalating asphalt prices, they rejected all bids and abandoned that plan.
The designer suggested to the Pierce County Board that an unbonded concrete overlay could be placed for nearly the same initial costs and actually save money if life cycle costs were considered. The designer made some preliminary cost estimates and discussed the benefits of the overlay with the Board at a number of public meetings.
The project was bid as a pavement overlay of four inches of asphalt or six inches concrete. After reviewing the bids, the County found that the initial cost of concrete was actually cheaper than that of asphalt if the same pavement thickness was compared. The County Board awarded the project as a 6-inch by 220-foot wide unbounded concrete overlay over existing asphalt pavement in spite of the fact that few examples of this type of construction existed in Nebraska. The County was impressed with the final results.
No special materials or equipment were needed to complete the construction. The existing asphalt pavement was cleaned, minor repairs made, and the pavement was placed using a slip form paving machine. Closure to traffic and placement of pavement hubs were the only additional requirements necessary when compared to an asphalt paving project. The project was phased in two pours in order to provide property owner(s) access to their homes.
A ribbon cutting was held at the end of April with the County Board and design firm, JEO Consulting Group, in attendance.
More at the Think Harder. Concrete blog
Contact Doug Burns
Nebraska Passes Transportation Funding
The passage of LB 84 in May marked a dramatic commitment by the Nebraska legislature and governor to fund infrastructure construction and keep state transportation systems efficient and competitive in a global economy. The bill earmarks a quarter of one cent of the existing state sales tax for additional road funding. This revenue currently goes into the General Fund. Collection starts in 2013 and continues for 20 years. The measure will generate $65-$67 million annually or an estimated $1.4 billion total during a 20-year period. There is no cap on the revenues created allowing for growth. Industry interests worked diligently through the entire legislative process to educate the public and generate support for the bill. This included active grassroots lobbying and operation of the Better Nebraska Association inactive web and social media site.
Contact Doug Burns
Northeast Kansas Road Projects to Have Major Economic Impact
Nine Northeast Kansas highway expansion projects that have an economic impact of $8.8 billion were announced earlier this month. The projects include the first two phases of the Johnson County Gateway project at I-435/I-35/K-10, one of the biggest bottlenecks in the state; and the long-discussed South Lawrence Traffic way. The announcement at the Kansas Speedway concluded a four-day, five-city tour of the state to announce $1.8 billion in highway expansion projects under the transportation program T-WORKS, passed by the 2010 Kansas Legislature. The list of expansion and modernization projects can be viewed on the T-WORKS website at www.ksdot.org/t-works/.
Contact Michael Young
Roads and Bridges Insert Targets Engineers and Government Officials
As part of the paving advertising campaign, PCA has contracted for four-page inserts to go in a specially targeted demographic edition of Roads and Bridges. These issues are sent to more than 27,000 consulting engineers and government officials at the city/municipal, township, county, state and federal levels.
The insert in the June 2011 issue of Roads and Bridges magazine focuses on the importance of evaluating the economic and environmental impacts of infrastructure using a life-cycle perspective. Based on research from the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, the report illustrates how coupling life-cycle assessment for environmental impact and life-cycle cost analysis for economic impacts provides decision makers with a comprehensive strategy.
The insert is available as a free PDF download.
Stimulus Spending Continues to Slow
According to a recent PCA Market Intelligence report, 73.1 percent of total American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) highway funds have been dispersed through May, compared to 71.3 percent in April.
Although May highway stimulus spending rose 9.7 percent from April levels to $479 million, against year-ago levels, spending volumes declined 49 percent. Spending has averaged $485 million in the last three months compared to a $708 million average for the same period last year. PCA maintains expectations of nearly $9 billion in highway stimulus spending in 2011.
Oklahoma (98.6 percent), South Dakota (98.2 percent), and Wyoming (96.4 percent) have spent the largest share of their allocated funds. Fourteen states have spent more than 90 percent of their funds, compared to seven at the start of the year. Virginia (35.6 percent) has fallen back to last in terms of spent funds as spending accelerated in Hawaii (36.9 percent). The five largest cement consuming states have 36.3 percent of their stimulus funds available—down from 38.4 percent last month.
Presently, 64 percent of ARRA infrastructure projects have been completed with 34 percent underway and 2 percent awaiting notice to proceed. In total, 37 states have completed more than 50 percent of their projects while 12 states have completed 75 percent or more of their planned projects.
Spending in April and May have been below expectations and inconsistent with the previous seasonal cycles. If this weakened trend extends into June, one of the stimulus's historically strong months, it would suggest increased unspent funds will be carried over into 2012.
More at the Think Harder. Concrete blog
Contact David Zwicke
South Carolina Concrete Partners Convene on the Hill
On May 18, the South Carolina Concrete Industries held its fourth annual legislative event. This joint government relations effort between ready mix concrete, cement, paving, and pipe associations in South Carolina is making strides with the decision makers in state government. On the grounds of the State Capitol, the General Assembly was invited to a barbecue lunch where 50 industry representatives discussed important South Carolina concrete issues with industry. More than 300 government officials attended.
Contact Roger Faulkner
Webinar Highlights Cement-Base Thickness Design
PCA will offer the webinar "Thickness Design of Cement-Stabilized Bases" on July 7, 10-11 a.m. (CST).The proper thickness of a cement-stabilized base is vital to the performance of a pavement system especially when thin surface pavements are used. By optimizing the thickness of a cement-stabilized base (CSB), unnecessary cost can be avoided.
This webinar covers techniques to arrive at a thickness for cement-stabilized materials as well as an introduction to a new pavement design software known as PCA-Pave.
All participants will receive a free PDF copy of the presentation as well as PCA publication Thickness Design for Soil-Cement Pavements and one Professional Development Hour.
Cost for the webinar is $60 ($30 for PCA members; government officials [.gov]; students and educators [.edu]).
More information or to register
Contact Wayne Adaska