Association News

ACPA Opens Annual Meeting Registration

Tuesday, 14 August 2018 09:54

ACPA has officially launched the event and registration website for our 55th Annual Meeting. The annual meeting, “Celebrating Concrete Victories,” is scheduled for Tues., Nov. 27, through Thurs., Nov. 29, at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa, Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Our new event website is easy to navigate, and includes quick access to the schedule of events, optional activity details, hotel information, and registration. You can also reserve a hotel room at ACPA’s discounted group rate and view photos from last year’s meeting.

Visit http://2018meeting.acpa.org to view the event website. To reserve a room at the Marriott at a discounted rate of $219/night, follow this reservation link or visit the event website.

ACPA members are eligible to receive a 20% discount off any registration ticket type, including those for your spouse and guests for whom you are paying. To receive the discount, please enter the following promotional code at the top of the ticket selection screen before you proceed to checkout: member20.

VDOT Meeting Sharpens Focus on Competition

Tuesday, 14 August 2018 09:00

A meeting with the Chief Engineer of the Virginia DOT on August 13 resulted in an agreement to form a joint industry/agency ad hoc committee to explore potential projects where concrete pavements may provide solutions for ramps, intersections, interchanges, overlays, etc.

Working closely with Ray Seipp of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter, Leif Wathne, P.E., met with Garrett Moore, P.E., to discuss competition and “the opportunity for VDOT to send a clear signal to both the concrete and asphalt industries that VDOT is serious about finding ways to better marshal competition between the paving industries to the benefit of Virginia taxpayers,” Wathne says.

He underscored how the concrete pavement industry looks forward to a constructive dialogue about where concrete solutions can be a good fit for VDOT moving forward, specifically in the context of enhancing industry competition and improving network life-cycle cost efficiencies.

Moore has been Chief Engineer since 2012, having served the department in different roles, including administrator of the Staunton and Northern Virginia district offices, assistant resident engineer in Fredericksburg, and resident engineer in Warrenton.

The meeting is one of the latest examples of the “ConcreteCOMPETES,” program initiated by Chairman Chuck Niederriter (Golden Triangle Construction Co., Inc.) in January.

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Photo caption: Garrett W. Moore, P.E., VDOT Chief Engineer. (Credit: VDOT)

ACPA Presents Industry Overview at AASHTO COMP Meeting

Tuesday, 14 August 2018 08:23

At the recent AASHTO Committee on Materials and Pavements (COMP) annual meeting, ACPA presented an overview of association activities in support of the concrete pavement industry and highway agencies throughout the country.

Leif Wathne discussed ACPA’s organizational focus, partnership activities with the IGGA/ACPA CP3, the CP Tech Center, and the affiliated chapter network. He also highlighted ACPA’s robust contractor membership and the steady increase in membership overall; the addition of the Florida Chapter; and projections for continued concrete pavement market growth for 2018. As ACPA looks to the future, the association is also investing in future leadership through its Emerging Leaders Group and Interns for the Future program, he said.

Wathne also provided an overview of ACPA’s VISION2040 initiative to the materials and pavement engineers and other technical experts from highway departments and other agencies throughout the United States.

During his presentation, Wathne emphasized the work the industry is doing in support of performance engineered mixtures, “which are aimed at delivering on the promise of concrete durability every time,” he said. He also discussed improved concrete pavement design methods, the value and contributions of concrete pavements to meet sustainability, equipment enhancements, and ACPA and CP Tech Center resources aimed at educating and informing contractors and engineers of best practices and ways to achieve quality concrete pavements.

The meeting was held in Cincinnati, OH, from Aug. 5 through 10. The AASHTO COMP is focused on materials testing, specification and performance, as well as pavement design, testing and management. The committee’s next annual meeting is scheduled for August 5 through 9, 2019, in Baltimore, MD.

ACPA’s Previews Annual Meeting Program

Wednesday, 08 August 2018 12:50

“Celebrating Concrete Victories,” is the theme for our 55th Annual Meeting, which runs Tues., Nov. 27, through Thurs., Nov. 29, at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa, Fort Lauderdale, FL.

The meeting begins Tuesday, Nov. 27, with the ACPA Chapter Committee meeting, followed by a choice of two optional activities: a golf outing or airboat tour/alligator show.

Task force meetings begin Wed., Nov. 28, followed by a luncheon and the Annual Meeting of Members. The Legislative Issues Committee meeting is scheduled for early afternoon, followed by the ACPA Strategic Advisory Committee business session and plenary session for new promotion strategies/plans. A “Beach Bash” theme reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. caps the day’s scheduled events.

Thurs., Nov. 28, begins with the ACPA’s Distinguished Service Awards breakfast, followed by our popular “Concrete Pavement University,” which will feature eight tech transfer & education tracks. The “Excellence in Concrete Pavements” award reception and banquet rounds out the evening and closes out the formal program. For those interested in adventure, however, a deep-sea fishing excursion is scheduled Friday morning.

Be sure to check ACPA TODAY next week for more details about our CPU program and other meeting details. Additional details also will be posted soon to ACPA’s dedicated annual meeting website.

ACPA to Address Steel Tariffs

Wednesday, 08 August 2018 08:22

In response to questions on the impact of trade tariffs, ACPA staff and members have joined together to discuss the issue and formulate a response to address current and potential concerns about steel pricing and supply among state and local agencies. During a Jointing Task Force conference call last week, a group comprised of dowel bar and other steel product manufacturers discussed the issue.

Several ACPA members provided perspectives and background information. The next step will be for ACPA to develop a consensus statement for review and discussion by a small working group comprised of Glenn Eder (Simplex); Matt Nicholas (Dowel Bars & Baskets, LLC); Chris Schenk (O-Dowel, Inc.); and Roger Stutzman (MMFX Technologies).

When finalized, the statement will be distributed to chapter/state affiliates for their use to answer further questions from states DOTs and other agencies.