ACPA Advocates for Pavement Design Best Practices in South Dakota

The 2026 Annual South Dakota Concrete Conference was held last week in Deadwood, SD. The conference regularly features both paving and ready-mix focused presentations and draws DOT and consultant engineers in addition to contractors and material suppliers. Eric Ferrebee, ACPA’s Senior Director of Technical Services, was on hand to teach the importance of optimized pavement design and how it can have a significant impact on the cost effectiveness of concrete in projects. The presentation was followed up by Dan Labo, Executive Director of the Concrete Paving Association of Minnesota, highlighting how upscoping projects can significantly improve life-cycle costs with very minimal impact on upfront costs. These two concepts help highlight ways that engineers can address one of the main myths about concrete pavement, which is that concrete costs too much.

ACPA Brings Concrete Preservation Solutions to Florida’s Transportation Leaders

Sarah Dalton recently represented the ACPA at the Florida Transportation Builders Association (FTBA) conference, where she delivered a presentation on Concrete Pavement Preservation. With over 2,000 attendees in residence, the event served as a premier venue for advancing technical knowledge and fostering industry collaboration. The conference provided a valuable platform to connect directly with Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) staff, local contractor members, and consultants to discuss the long-term benefits of concrete pavement assets.

ACPA Leads Contractor Panel on How Design Impacts Construction

Last week, the Wisconsin Concrete Pavement Association hosted their 2026 Annual Concrete Pavement Conference in Pewaukee, WI. The conference featured presentations on all the hot topics of concrete pavements. Eric Ferrebee, ACPA’s Senior Director of Technical Services, moderated a contractor panel discussion on Design Challenges from the Contractor’s Perspective. This panel discussion featured 4 contractor members highlighting some things that are regularly encountered on paving projects that unnecessarily increase costs of a paving project or slow down the project timeline. One such aspect is changing paving width which requires a paver change or gaps/blockouts in a project. These construction realities are often overlooked by designers who don’t have an extensive background in concrete paving and highlighting efficiencies that can be made can help make concrete even more competitive.

ACPA Highlights Overlays and Airport Specs at Indiana Chapter Workshop

ACPA’s Senior Director of Engineering and Construction, Sarah Dalton, recently participated in the 2026 Indiana Concrete Pavement Workshop. Her presentations highlighted the advantages of concrete overlays for low-volume roads, and she also provided a deep dive into the upcoming FAA AC 150/5370-10J specifications and the latest research from the Airport Concrete Pavement Technology Program (ACPTP). The workshop saw a robust turnout, fostering vital technical exchange between Indiana DOT officials, industry members, and engineering consultants.

ACPA Engages at the 2026 MN Materials Conference – Toward Net Zero

Recently, the local Minnesota paving and materials industries and the Minnesota Department of Transportation hosted the 2026 Minnesota Materials Conference – Towards Net Zero. The conference focused on efforts to lower carbon emissions in transportation projects. With local legislation causing MnDOT to require material EPDs on upcoming projects, this conference helped to highlight both national and local efforts to quantify and reduce emissions. Eric Ferrebee, ACPA’s Senior Director of Technical Services, was engaged in the workshop and participated in an hour-long panel discussion on national industries perspectives on progress and status of Net Zero Goals along with Brian Killingsworth (NRMCA), Kyle Brashear (NSSGA), and Amlan Mukherjee (NAPA). ACPA’s participation in this conference ensures the concrete pavement industry has a strong voice in shaping how emerging sustainability requirements are understood and implemented. The event highlighted how local efforts partnered with national coordination continue to move sustainability goals forward, and ACPA’s engagement allows us to provide technical expertise, share national data, and help decision-makers understand the full life-cycle environmental benefits of concrete pavements.

ACPA at Upcoming Conferences: Where to Find Us Next

ACPA’s team of technical experts will be speaking at these upcoming conferences and workshops.

  • Pavement Design Showdown – What to Use and Why; Back to Basics – Inspection of Concrete Pavements; Concrete Overlays for Airports; and FAA Specification & ACPTP Updates, Annual Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Conference, February 23-25, Eric Ferrebee and Sarah Dalton
  • Building for the Future – Overlay Design; FAA Specification Updates and FAARFIELD for Airport Design, CO/WY Annual Concrete Pavement Workshop, March 12, Sarah Dalton
  • Pavement Design and Optimization, CPAM Annual Concrete Paving Workshop, March 12-13, Eric Ferrebee