As part of its 2015 strategic objectives, ACPA is pursuing two new initiatives which will be key focal points for association staff, Chapter/States, and members moving forward. These include:
- Formation of a Task Force on maintenance of traffic (MOT) – Commenting on the Strategic Advisory Committee’s decision to form the task force, ACPA President & CEO Jerry Voigt said, “This was the number one request of the Chapter/State Committee, and is aimed at helping create new information on staging construction and maintaining traffic during concrete pavement projects.” Voigt explained options for concrete pavement construction are often overlooked or misunderstood, and as a result, concrete pavements sometimes get ‘scoped out’ in the planning process for potential projects.
“We expect the task force will present opportunities to educate people on the myriad of options available; highlight where concrete projects have employed unique traffic management schemes; and develop information to help the speed of construction.” Voigt said about 15 people have expressed an interest in participating in the task force, and encouraged anyone else who is interested to contact ACPA. ACPA’s Technical Engineer, Eric Ferrebee, will be the staff liaison to the task force. As part of the effort, Ferrebee will make field visits to document MOT on members’ projects to use as both case studies and best practices. - Exploration of a unified pavement design software approach that includes current asphalt design methodologies – “We’re going to explore the development of a pavement thickness design software that will allow an engineer to design any facility, including highways, airports, streets, or industrial pavements from one software program,” Voigt announced.
“The idea is to wrap all of ACPA’s design methods into one program and add new features and criteria in the process. We will need to determine the challenges and how we may overcome them, as well as the costs of the endeavor. This initiative was discussed during the Strategic Advisory Committee meeting last month and recommended to the ACPA Board of Directors,” Voigt said, adding, “ACPA board members confirmed the directive and felt the association was the ideal organization to lead such an effort on behalf of the industry.”
