Conference Features Concrete Solutions for a New Century
Nearly 400 attendees from 36 countries turned out to discuss the
use of concrete in developing long-lasting pavement solutions for
the 21st century at the Seventh International Conference on Concrete
Pavements. Held September 9-13, 2001, in Orlando, Florida, the event
also featured 14 exhibits.
The conference was sponsored by the International Society for Concrete
Pavements, with cosponsors including the American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials, American Concrete Pavement Association,
Florida Department of Transportation, Innovative Pavement Research
Foundation, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
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| The Seventh International
Conference on Concrete Pavements drew nearly 400 attendees from
36 countries. |
Participants could choose from a range of breakout sessions targeted
at pavement, materials, and geotechnical engineering professionals
involved in various aspects of concrete pavement design, construction,
testing, and rehabilitation. Topics included fast track paving, Portland
cement concrete pavement (PCC) rehabilitation, concrete pavements
for high-volume urban highways, performance-related specifications
and warranties for PCC pavements, and prestressed concrete pavements.
Innovations such as these have made concrete paving faster, less expensive,
and more durable. Warranties, for example, are intended to guarantee
the pavement's workmanship, materials, and performance for normally
up to 5 years service life, thus ensuring a better product. Performance-related
specifications, meanwhile, help highway agencies better evaluate the
quality of construction work and predict the future maintenance, rehabilitation,
and other life-cycle costs of PCC pavements. And fast track paving
using high early strength PCC mixtures minimizes traffic disruptions
and cuts costs by allowing roads to reopened to traffic in less than
a day.
Also featured at the conference was FHWA's Mobile Concrete Laboratory,
which demonstrates a wide range of conventional and innovative nondestructive
concrete tests. More than 200 conference participants visited the
laboratory. "The Mobile Lab was the highlight of the exhibit
program. It allowed a lot of people to experience the latest in concrete
testing technology," says Shiraz Tayabji of Construction Technology
Laboratories, Inc.
For more information on concrete pavement technologies contact Suneel
Vanikar at FHWA's Office of Pavement Technology, 202-366-0120 (fax:
202-493-2070; email: suneel.vanikar@fhwa.dot.gov).
For more information on the Mobile Concrete Laboratory, contact Leif
Wathne at FHWA, 202-366-1335 (fax: 202-493-2070;
leif.wathne@fhwa.dot.gov).
Other articles in this issue:
DataPave 3.0: Your ticket to pavement performance
data
Arkansas paves the way to smoother roads
Conference features concrete solutions for a new century
Saving Superpave
September 11 and Beyond: Highway Agencies
Respond to Keep America Mobile and Secure
Highway technology calendar
International congress to examine new
challenges for winter road maintenance
