For South Carolina County, FDR Paves
the Way to Fame, Fortune, and Better Roads
Like many rural areas, Fairfield County, S.C., faced ongoing problems with its unpaved roads. They were a costly, dusty nuisance.

The county's 220 miles of gravel roads required frequent maintenance, consumed $200,000 worth of surface aggregate each year, and provided motorists with dust and other problems with unpaved roads.

The answer was full-depth reclamation (FDR) with cement, a process in which the existing gravel roads are blended with cement to form a stabilized base then paved with a thin asphalt surface. Cost evaluation showed that the FDR process would save the county more than $70,000 dollars per mile compared to the alternative of a standard asphalt pavement with a 2 in. surface and 6 in. aggregate base. This cost savings would allow the county to upgrade 3 miles of road using the FDR with cement process for every 2 miles of asphalt pavement that could be constructed at the same cost.

In September 2006, the county paved 13.5 miles of roads with FDR, saving the taxpayers $1.5 million while improving quality of life for local residents by paving the gravel roads. The Southeast Cement Association featured the project in a demonstration and seminar in October. The county plans to upgrade 16 more miles this year.

The Fairfield County FDR project is being recognized by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of South Carolina. As a winner of an Engineering Excellence Award, the project is eligible for the association’s highest honor, the Palmetto Award. In addition, the Fairfield County project will be considered for a national ACEC award. The regional awards will be presented February 8, 2007.

PCA has published a two-page case history report on the project, "County Uses FDR with Cement to Upgrade Unpaved Roads."
View or download the case history (PDF)

The report sees these areas as key to a growth scenario:

1. Economic growth will slow, but remain strong enough to generate nearly 1.5 million new jobs. In addition, consumer spending will grow at a rate slightly below 3%.

2. The housing market will stabilize by mid-2007.

3. Nonresidential and public construction will continue to record relatively strong gains.

4. Growth in cement intensity will offset a 1.8% decline in overall construction activity, leading to marginal growth in 2007 cement consumption.
View or download the Flash Report (PDF)
Contact Ed Sullivan

Jailhouses Rock in California
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ushered in the new year with a $10.9-billion expansion plan to ease overcrowding in the state's prisons and jails. The proposal would add 78,000 beds to state and local correctional facilities, which are housing twice their intended capacity.

The proposal represents an opportunity for concrete construction in the state, says PCA regional engineer Attila Beres. The durability and strength of concrete structural systems and other building products make them popular for correctional facilities.
Contact Attila Beres

Apparent Use Reports Available
PCA has released 2005 editions of reports allocating the use of portland cement by market and geographic region. The reports are available by state, county, or metropolitan area:

• The 2005 Apparent Use of Portland Cement by State and Market report is an allocation of portland cement by state to the fifty construction markets of U.S. Geological Survey state cement shipments.
• The 2005 Apparent Use of Portland Cement by County and Market Group report is an allocation of portland cement by state and county to the twelve construction market groups of U.S. Geological Survey state cement shipments.
• The 2005 Apparent Use of Portland Cement by Metropolitan Area and Market report is an allocation of portland cement by the top 50 cement-consuming metropolitan statistical regions to the 50 construction markets of U.S. Geological Survey state cement shipments.

More on the PCA Web site
Contact Madeline Krey

PCA Government Affairs Announces Staff Changes
Donna Wortman has been promoted to program coordinator for environment, health and safety. Wortman will take on expanded responsibilities for coordinating PCA's Environment, Energy and Health and Safety Awards programs and the activities of PCA's Occupational Health and Safety Committee. She also works to forge stronger ties to the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Brittney Celentano joined PCA's Washington, D.C., office as special assistant. She will assist the senior vice president and the legislative staff with administrative issues and special projects.