ACPA’s Chief of Engineering and Construction, Gary Mitchell, and former ACPA Chairman, Jim Mack, participated in the REDAC Airport Subcommittee meeting last week. Mitchell and Mack represent the concrete pavement industry on the standing advisory committee. The Airport’s Subcommittee provides advice and recommendations to the FAA on its airport technology research and development program. The advice and recommendations provided by the Subcommittee address both near- and mid-term priorities; the committee also identifies areas for new research, explores areas to increase, decrease, or cancel investment, and areas where leveraging or partnerships are possible.

The FAA Test Center is researching Advanced Paving Materials, Recyclable Pavement Materials, Pavement Design & Evaluation, Software Program Development & Support, Extended Airport Pavement Life, and Nondestructive Testing Technology. Mitchell and Mack provide insight from the concrete pavement industry’s perspective on various pavement-related research topics. They recommended research on concrete pavement’s role in sustainability and resiliency, which will be considered in future updates to the FAA design procedure. “We are pleased to see the FAA considering how concrete pavement may play a role in reducing the industry’s carbon footprint and improving an airport’s resiliency,” said ACPA’s Mitchell. Mack added, “I couldn’t agree with Gary more. One of the key moments during this discussion came when it was recognized that while resilience and sustainability are inter-related, they are different and therefore need to be addressed differently in future pavement design.”