Cherry blossoms are in full bloom, the Braves bested the Nationals in the home opener, and Congress is holding hearings on the implementation of the Bi-Partisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) – all signs that spring in Washington, DC has sprung. The BIL, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), was a historic piece of legislation enacted approximately a year and a half ago that injected unprecedented amounts of money into rebuilding our nation’s struggling infrastructure. The BIL is, in part, a surface transportation bill, but questions are emerging whether the intended funding is making its way to paving or is inflation limiting project planning. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing included testimony from AASHTO Board Member and TXDOT Executive Director Marc Williams. Of interest is the acknowledgement before Congress that, while conditions may be leveling, we have experienced “unique unpredictability” in the market and supply chain and Congress and the DOT should be prepared if additional measures need to be considered.  

Regardless of the impacts of inflation, money is in fact flowing from the federal government to the states. In March, the White House released a state by state breakdown of IIJA money and detailed how the money is being spent. It’s a mixed bag across the country as to whether concrete pavers are seeing more work as a result, but the money for maintenance is certainly there. Also, the opportunity to tell concrete paving’s role in climate change, sustainability and equity narratives continues to present itself across the country.  

Two concrete promoters in New York, Bill Cuerdon and Heather Steffek of our New York State Chapter, have jumped at the opportunities and promoted the relevancy of concrete in such conversations. New York State DOT (NYSDOT) has implemented a policy that better identifies paving projects requiring Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCAs). The policy also identifies conditions where concrete pavements may be selected without conducting a LCCA. One of those conditions is new or reconstructed pavements in urban areas. This policy change comes on the heels of Governor Hochul’s Executive Order 22, which requires examination of Urban Heat Islands in communities of need. Another bill that has become law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), otherwise known as the Climate Act, sets goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and move toward zero emission vehicles and buildings. ACPA/NYS is on the NYS Low Embodied Carbon Concrete Stakeholder group, which is implementing lower carbon concrete standards to help achieve the Climate Act’s goals. Lower carbon concrete, of course, dovetails nicely with the Performance Engineered Mixture effort already underway in the pavement industry to make concrete even more durable. Sustainability, resiliency, and equity are moving from vague concepts to policy and codified law and ACPA/NYS is meeting these new climate efforts head on. Great job!  

With the signs of spring around us, summer and our Mid-Year Meeting will be here before we know it. We encourage you to register soon as hotel space is limited. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Please contact Anna McMullen at amcmullen@acpa.org if you are interested.  

Cheers!