Resilience Is Key Topic at AASHTO COMP Meeting

AASHTO’s Committee on Materials and Pavements (COMP) met July 31 through August 4 in Miami to share the latest information on materials testing, specifications, performance, and pavement design, testing, and management. ACPA’s Senior Director of Technical Services, Eric Ferrebee, P.E., and Engineering Services Consultant, Tim Martin, P.E., attended to promote ACPA’s activities and meet with DOT officials. Ferrebee presented to AASHTO COMP’s Technical Subcommittee on Pavement Design on ACPA’s activities and support for advancing sustainable design. Resilience was a major focus of the meeting, exploring ways to increase the resiliency of infrastructure systems; concrete pavement can play a critical role in helping transportation infrastructure networks survive and support recovery from extreme weather. The agenda and meeting materials can be found here.

 

Sustainability Focus at the NYS Chapter Annual Conference

The New York State Chapter of ACPA held its Annual Conference from August 11 to 12 in Albany, New York. The New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez, Esq., welcomed members, DOT officials, and participants with an address emphasizing sustainability’s importance. ACPA’s Vice President and Chief of Construction, Gary Mitchell, P.E., presented on concrete overlays for general aviation airports, continuing his push to extend the life of airfields with sensible concrete solutions. ACPA’s Senior Director of Technical Services, Eric Ferrebee, P.E., led a discussion on the sustainable attributes of concrete pavement, further expanding ACPA’s work on the subject. Mitchell and Ferrebee presented alongside industry partners, including the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, the Portland Cement Association, the CP Tech Center, and the Wisconsin Concrete Pavement Association. Thanks to ACPA NYS Chapter’s Executive Director Bill Cuerdon and Director of Operations Heather Steffek for hosting a great event. The full meeting agenda is linked here.

 

Surface Texture Testing Shows Continued Benefits of NGCS

The 14th Annual Equipment Rodeo was conducted at the SMART ROAD test facility near Blacksburg, VA, home of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. Between 35 and 50 personnel participated in the event, with nine presentations such as pavement measurement equipment, friction testing, automated pavement data collection, the use of big data generated by passenger vehicles, and construction techniques such as diamond grinding. ACPA Pavement Innovation expert Larry Scofield, P.E, provided a presentation on the construction of diamond-ground surfaces. Agency personnel attending the event included FHWA Transportation Pooled Fund-5(345/463) Pavement Surface Properties Pooled Fund members.

One of the changes the FHWA is promoting is the use of continuous friction measurement devices (SCRIM-Sideway-Force Coefficient Routine Investigation Machine). These devices measure friction differently from the traditional ASTM Locked-Wheel Friction Trailer (LWFT). By conducting these and other equipment rodeos, it is possible to compare European technology (SCRIM) to U.S. technology (LWFT) on various surfaces. Testing of these surfaces on the 2.2-mile research facility confirms the investment in Next Generation Concrete Surface (NGCS) made more than a decade ago continues to provide tangible benefits today