The National Concrete Pavement Technology Center (CP Tech Center) has received a cooperative agreement by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), funded under the Accelerated Implementation and Deployment of Pavement Technologies (AID-PT) Program. AID-PT was the result of a legislative provision championed by the American Concrete Paving Association (ACPA) and first included in the “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act” (MAP 21). In December 2015, with strong support by ACPA and other stakeholder groups, Congress included the program in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act—to provide long-term funding certainty for surface transportation infrastructure planning and investment—which provides funding through 2020.
AID-PT created both a mechanism and funding for the delivery of pavement technology for both the concrete- and asphalt-pavement industries. Since its inception in December 2012, the program has resulted in benefits to the concrete pavement community, including other contracts and cooperative agreements with the CP Tech Center, an ISCP and ACPA Technology Partner. The FHWA has administered AID-PT with direct input from industry, which remains actively involved in assisting FHWA with support for the program, including continuing to advocate for renewal of the program in highway reauthorization efforts, as well as communicating program results and benefits to the concrete pavement industry.
AID-PT has had direct and tangible benefits for highway agencies, contractors, consultants, and academia. Concrete overlays and performance-engineered concrete mixtures—including the use of recycled concrete aggregates—are two technology initiatives that have received support in the form of outreach, education & training, and technology transfer. Jerry Voigt, ACPA President/CEO (quoted in the report) stated at ACPA’s 55th annual meeting in November, 2018, “Dividends from the AID-PT investments can be seen in technology advancements such as performance-engineered concrete mixtures, which is a program striving to ensure that agencies can specify—and contractors can deliver—durable pavements every time.” He cited a number of other benefits, including the FHWA’s Mobile Concrete Trailer. Additional information about this cooperative agreement was presented, as well.
For other government affairs news, and ACPA’s government affairs repository, please to to: www.acpa.org/category/legislative-affairs/
For the PDF of the 28-page AID-PT Annual Report, please go to: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/pubs/hif16031.pdf
For the PDF of the 32-page AID-PT Annual Report, please go to:
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/pubs/hif18058.pdf
For more information on AID-PT pertaining to concrete pavements, please contact:
Gina Ahlstrom, Team Leader-Pavement Design and Analysis Team
P: 202–366–4612 | E-mail: gina.ahlstrom@dot.gov