Bus Parking Lot Finds Stability through Full-Depth Reclamation with Cement

Spotsylvania County, located halfway between Richmond, Va., and Washington, DC, is considered in the top 100 of fastest growing counties in the nation. Since the year 2000 the population has increased by 33 percent.

Due to this tremendous growth, a transportation facility was constructed with a 45,000 square yard bus parking lot to accommodate the entire fleet for the county schools. The 140-bus fleet would make two trips in and two trips out per day for the 200-day school year. This equates to more than 100,000 bus passes.

Within six months of completion of the parking lot, the pavement began to experience severe deterioration and within a year 35 percent of the surface was distressed with rutting and cracking.

Rehabilitation was necessary to restore the lot to its expected structural capacity. Removal and replacement of the aggregate base would have been extremely expensive, and with bearing capacity an issue, the use of an asphalt overlay would not solve the pavement base and subbase problems. The perfect solution was full-depth reclamation (FDR) with cement since it would restore bearing capacity to the parking lot and provide a cost-effective, durable base.

PCA, RMC Foundation Establish Concrete Sustainability Hub at MIT

To address the sustainability and environmental implications of the use of concrete as the backbone of our housing, schools, hospitals and other built infrastructure, including highways, tunnels, airports and rail systems, MIT today announced the creation of the Concrete Sustainability Hub, a research center established at MIT in collaboration with the Portland Cement Association and Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) Research & Education Foundation.

The Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSH), established with the goal of accelerating emerging breakthroughs in concrete science and engineering and transferring that science into practice, will provide $10 million of sponsored research funding during the next five years. Researchers from MIT’s School of Engineering, School of Architecture and Planning and Sloan School of Management are expected to participate in the CSH’s research activities.

CSH research will initially be organized around three focus areas: concrete materials science, building technology and the econometrics of sustainable development. The first two projects, “Green Concrete Science,” and “The Edge of Concrete: A Life-Cycle Investigation of Concrete and Concrete Structures” are already underway.
View the news release at www.cement.org/newsroom
Contact Brian McCarthy

‘Solid Stuff for Hard Times’

PCA is running a short-term, targeted ad campaign to widen distribution of Paving: The New Realities report and to build awareness that concrete’s advantages over asphalt are widening.

The ad is a continuation of the campaign used in Washington, D.C. in July and builds on the themes of durable, sustainable, and economical paving.

The on-line banner ad is live through November 13 on all 11 web sites of the McGraw-Hill regional construction magazines. It links to a splash page with more information about the report and related material. The Web sites have a combined reach of 177,000 construction professionals and government officials each month.

PCA will measure click-throughs and impressions at the McGraw-Hill sites plus track visitors and  downloads from the splash page.
Visit the McGraw-Hill Web site to access the regional sites.

PCA Offers FDR Webinar

On October 15 from 10-11 am (CDT), PCA will offer “Full-Depth Reclamation with Cement Recycles Failed Asphalt Pavements.”  This one-hour webinar (PDH credit available) will discuss applications, benefits, design, construction, testing, performance, and sustainability aspects of FDR as it relates to recycling failed flexible pavements.

Cost savings and environmental benefits result from use of existing pavement materials, reduced hauling associated with removing old materials and placing new materials, and from the longer expected life of a pavement with a cement-stabilized base.

The cost is $60 ($30 for PCA members; government officials; students and educators).
More information and purchase.

Latest Construction Forecast Available as Webcast

Bureaucratic delays in releasing funds coupled with long lags between outlays and construction activity for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) projects will lead to very little stimulatory impact on cement consumption in 2009, according to the most recent economic forecast from PCA chief economist Ed Sullivan. The forecast is now available as a Webcast on PCA’s home page, www.cement.org.

PCA expects total cement consumption to decline 22 percent during 2009 to 75 million metric tons.  The meeting of total ARRA obligations in 2010 combined with the beginning of a sustained pick-up in the residential sector will contribute to a 10.9 percent increase in total cement consumption in 2010, followed by a 13.1 percent gain in 2011.

“The letting of ARRA dollars has been slower to develop than expected,” Edward Sullivan, PCA chief economist said.  “A sustained and dramatic escalation of outlays must occur if a sizeable increase in highway construction is going to materialize in 2009.”
View the Webcast.

ACPA Annual Meeting Focuses on Tech Transfer, Recognition

The American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) has scheduled its 46th Annual Meeting for Orlando, Fla., November 30 through December 4, 2009.

With an emphasis on technology transfer and recognition of outstanding projects and members, the meeting will feature technical presentations, the Excellence in Concrete Pavement Awards, and meetings of ACPA committees and task forces.
For more information or to register, visit ACPA.org.

Webinar Discusses Benefits of RCC

"Design and Construction of Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavements" will discuss RCC applications, benefits, mix design, construction, testing, and performance.  PCA will offer the webinar on December 10, 10-11 am (CDT).

A roller-compacted concrete pavement takes its name from the construction method used to build it. It's placed with conventional or high-density asphalt paving equipment, and then compacted with rollers. RCC is used when strength, speed of construction, and economy are primary needs. It is commonly used at port, intermodal, and military facilities; parking, storage, and staging areas; streets and intersections; highway shoulders; and low-speed roads. It can also be used in a composite system as a base material.

The cost is $60 ($30 for PCA members; government officials; students and educators).
More information and purchase.