Jeff Roesler, Ph.D., P.E., ISCP President, visited Bolivia May 6-10, 2018 for a paramount site visit and a 3-day International Seminar. Dr. Roesler was invited to demonstrate and highlight techniques of the construction of the first fiber-reinforced-concrete pavement constructed in Bolivia, as he is a researcher in the field of concrete (rigid) pavement, responsible for numerous projects in this field, and a world authority in innovation of concrete pavements. The host for the site visit was Marcelo Alfaro, General Manager-el Instituto Boliviano del Cemento y el Hormigón (the Bolivia Institute of Cement and Concrete (IBCH)). The project is expanding 18 km (11.2 miles) of a main highway—Kantutani Avenue from La Paz to El Alto—from 4 lanes to 6 lanes (35,000 ADT).
Following the site visit and demonstration, there was a three-day International Seminar: “Seminario Technologías Innovadoras para Pavimentos de Larga Duration” (“Innovative Technologies for Long-Life Concrete Pavements”), organized by IBCH in coordination with the Bolivian Road Authority (ABC), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the Bolivian Association of Roads-La Paz. The purpose of the seminar was a technical event to publicize and deepen the knowledge of little-used technologies in Bolivia, and to develop durable solutions for the paving of urban roads and highways. The seminar covered Materials, Design Mixtures, Design Methods, Building, Study Cases of Concrete Overloads, the Latest Research and Application of Structural Macro-fibers, and more… More than 180 professionals attended, of whom included The Minister of Public Works, President of ABC, President of la Sociedad de Ingenieros de Bolivia Departamental La Paz (SIB La Paz) (the Society of Engineers of Bolivia Departmental La Paz (SIB La Paz), representative of the IDB, and consulting and professional engineers, contractors, and roadway authority engineers.
Dr. Roesler also demonstrated how a flexible pavement with high deterioration, and a candidate for a reconstruction, can be recovered by using specialized machinery and application of Portland Cement to become a new base layer of high resistance stabilized material. The pavement is milled/pulverized— recycled on the spot—used in its entirety, quickly compacted by means of an on-site mixture, and then stabilized
with Portland cement—called “Pavimentos de Hormigón Compactado con Rodillo (HCR)” (“Pavement of Concrete Compacted with Roller (RCC)”. Roesler explained that it is possible to stabilize the soils with lime and cement, resulting in roller-compacted concrete pavements. “These type of projects are already carried out in the United States,” he stated. For more information on RCC, please go to the RCC Pavement Council website: rccpavementcouncil.org.
During the three days, demonstrations showed that building high-performance concrete pavements with a durability greater than 40 years is guaranteed. “It is important that roads in Bolivia are made with this technology.” The IBCH will support national engineering so that the solutions are given and will use material produced in the country.
For the brochure (Spanish), please click on the image above, or click here: Seminar Boliva Roesler
Jeffery Roesler, Ph.D., P.E., is the ISCP President, as well as Professor-Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering-University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, CEE Associate Head, Director of Graduate Studies and Research, and Associate Director of Advanced Transportation Research and Engineering Lab (ATREL).
For the website of the 3-day International Seminar “Innovative Technologies for Long-Life Concrete Pavements”, please go to: http://www.opinion.com.bo/opinion/articulos/2018/0516/noticias.php?id=254481
Home page photo: Job site with Dr. Jeff Roesler (4th from left)
and host, Marcelo Alfaro, IBCH Manager (5th from left)