Annual reports are an opportunity to reflect on today’s achievements while also looking to the future. InTrans Director Shauna Hallmark emphasizes that the steady annual budget of $20 million is evidence of the work of the institute’s researchers and staff and moreover the confidence that state agencies, industry groups, and the federal government have in…
Recreational trails have been growing ever more popular over the past three decades, which has created the need for comprehensive guidance at a national level for constructing concrete trails. The National Concrete Pavement Technology (CP Tech) Center has recently released just such a guide to aid the ready-mixed concrete industry, contractors, design professionals, decision-makers, practitioners,…
Transportation agencies are continually being asked to do more with less when maintaining their assets, and pavements constitute a large part of transportation infrastructure. Pavement preservation treatments applied at the right time and place, using appropriate, high-quality materials and construction, can be very effective in sustainably extending performance life. To aid in the ongoing preservation…
When the Integrated Materials and Construction Practices for Concrete Pavement (IMCP) manual was first released in 2006, the goal was to bridge the gap between recent research and concrete pavement production practices. Since then, it’s had a significant impact in the industry. However, as the road-building environment has gotten more complex and research continues to…
Limited guidance is currently available on design and testing of fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) for bridge decks and overlays. Nevertheless, multiple states have required bridge decks to be constructed with macrofibers in order to reduce deck cracking. A new report and tech brief issued by the National Concrete Pavement Technology (CP Tech) Center summarize laboratory and…
A new research project, “Extended Life Concrete Bridge Decks Utilizing Internal Curing to Reduce Cracking,” prepared for the Ohio Department of Transportation addresses the ongoing concern about premature cracking of concrete bridge decks by looking into the benefits of using lightweight fine aggregate (LWFA) in concrete mixtures to provide internal curing. The report includes a…
Managing pavement assets with limited financial resources is a challenge for state highway agencies (SHAs) and public owners of transportation infrastructure all over the US. Implementation of the best available technology and practices is one route to better pavement management, and a five-year program conducted by the National Concrete Pavement Technology (CP Tech) Center offered…
The Guide for Concrete Pavement Distress Assessments and Solutions: Identification, Causes, Prevention, and Repair, a comprehensive new guide to identifying, understanding, and mitigating concrete pavement distresses, has been issued by the National Concrete Pavement Technology (CP Tech) Center. Selecting a pavement preservation strategy that does not address the root cause of a distress can result…
The National Concrete Pavement Technology (CP Tech) Center recently sponsored the presentation of three webinars to explain the most recent findings on macrofiber use in concrete production. The instructors for all three sessions in late 2018 were Jeffery Roesler, Ph.D., P.E., University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; and Amanda Bordelon, Ph.D., P.E., Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah….
The opening letter from Shauna Hallmark, director for InTrans, cites some of the milestones InTrans is marking this year. She notes that InTrans collaborates with 31 ISU engineering faculty members who work with 72 researchers, engineers, and professional staff. InTrans is also the academic research home to 140 graduate students who help carry out the…