The American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) announced several 2021 meetings—in-person and virtual—that will occur in June, and has participated in several national meetings.
ACPA Urges Members to Make Plans for
World of Concrete 2021
Las Vegas Convention Center | Las Vegas, Nevada
June 7-10: Education & Training Tracks
June 8-10: Event & Trade Show
DATES: Registration for WOC 2021 will open online in March 2021. DETAILS on the WOC360 VIRTUAL INDUSTRY FORUM NOW ON DEMAND UNTIL 3/30/21!
Following a late-stage postponement of World of Concrete 2021 (WOC2021), show organizers have reset the dates for the trade show and educational event. The event is now scheduled for June 8-10, 2021 with the education & training tracks scheduled for June 7-10. The event will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
As a result of recently-completed reconstruction of the convention center, show organizers have made changes to the exhibit areas. ACPA, Portland Cement Association (PCA), and International Grooving and Grinding Association (IGGA) will once again be sharing booth space in the adjoining spaces in W2720, W2619, W2718—located in the West Pavilion.
Due to changes in layout of the show, visitors and those planning to exhibit are encouraged to look at the new floor plan. Additional details, including registration information, will be announced in the weeks ahead.
LINKS:
FLOOR PLAN: www.worldofconcrete.com/en/info/floor-plan.html
WOC 2021: www.worldofconcrete.com/en/attendee.html
ISCP article titled “Update! World of Concrete 2021: Nov. 2020 Launch of “WOC360.com” Online & WOC In-Person Jun. 7-10, 2021 in Las Vegas, NV”: www.concretepavements.org/2020/10/18/update-world-of-concrete-2021-nov-020-launch-of-woc360com-online-woc-in-person-jun-7-10-2021-in-las-vegas-nv/
The Pre-Show Planner is a digital resource: www.worldofconcrete.com/content/dam/Informa/Worldofconcrete/en/2021/pdf/CRE21WOC-SP-WOC-GCP-Advertising-Units_sp.pdf
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SAVE THE DATE!
ACPA Mid-Year Meeting
June 22-24, 2021 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin
For the ACPA mid-Year Meeting information, please go to: http://2020meeting.acpa.org/save-the-date/
ACPA & CP Tech Center
Webinar Topics Requested:
ACPA and the CP Tech Center’s monthly WEBINAR SERIES, “Technology Tuesdays”, has been a great success since the program was first launched May 2020. More than 15,000 professionals have participated in the program! To continue expanding their reach to state highway agencies and engineers as well as to more professionals in municipal and county agencies, they’re asking members, chapters, technology partners, and others to recommend topics and other ideas for future webinars. Suggesting ideas is quick and easy! To fill out a quick 3-minute survey, please click on this link: www.surveymonkey.com/r/2021WebinarProgP
ROUNDTABLE:
On February 11, the American Highway Users Alliance held a policy roundtable with key Congressional staff. Roundtable panelists included transportation officials from the Senate Majority Leader’s office, the House T&I Committee, the Subcommittee on Highway and Transit, and the Senate EPW Committee. Brief recap of key discussion points from the web-based discussion:
• Transportation investment: Next priority for Congress is the President’s ‘Build Back Better’ initiative. “Officials want to see climate and infrastructure addressed
• Economic recovery through infrastructure and surface transportation investment. The Senate EPW Committee is striving for bipartisan support and has a goal of passing the reauthorization bill by Memorial DayThe Senate EPW Committee will hold a hearing on ‘Build Back Better’ on February 24th
• EPW will be soliciting priorities this month from committee members and other senators for the reauthorization bill
• There is support for resilience being included in a surface transportation bill
• There is a recognition that any transition to a VMT will take time.
In addition, Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) published a year-end summary of passenger travel. The report describes COVID-19 impacts on passenger transportation in 2020. REPORT: www.acpa.org/?mailpoet_router&endpoint=track&action=click&data=WyIyNTE3IiwiOTYyNzJmIiwiMTc1IiwiY2Q5ZjMzZmY0ZGY3IixmYWxzZV0
For this article on the ACPA website, please go to: www.acpa.org/legislative-affairs/27980/
TRIP:
Dave Howard, Chairman-ACPA and Koss Construction Co. and Jerry Voigt, President & CEO-ACPA, represented ACPA in The Road Information Program (TRIP) first quarter board meeting on February 10. ACPA has participated as a partner and member of TRIP for two decades, and 2021 marks TRIP’s 50th Anniversary.
MEETING HIGHLIGHTS:
• TRIP has generated significant news media year-to-date, drawing attention to issues such as road conditions, traffic congestion, and the need for increased investment. Coverage includes:
—80 TV/Radio news broadcasts
—12 daily newspaper and internet news site articles
—Media coverage so far has highlighted issues in North Carolina and Maine: In N.C., TRIP focused on traffic congestion and poor road conditions, which cost Charlotte-area drivers $2000 per year. Traffic congestion is up 37% and has returned to pre-pandemic levels. TRIP emphasized the need for funding to address highway capacity expansion and inadequate bridges.
• TRIP is also exploring the nationwide impact of COVID on vehicle miles traveled and the implications for highway funding
TRIP’s mission is to provide educational, scientific, and public information relating to highway transportation, including the need for and benefits flowing from the construction of adequate highways, roads, and other surface transportation facilities, as well as to promote interest and expansion in highway engineering as a profession. TRIP article: www.acpa.org/industry-news/27986/
Annual Tri-Service &
Industry Review Meeting:
On February 23, ACPA participated in the Virtual Annual Meeting with the military Tri-Services—US Army Corps of Engineers, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, and Air Force Civil Engineer Center—which presented an opportunity for the military’s engineering commands to interact with key stakeholders involved in airfield pavement and other heavy construction projects. The meeting was open to interested individuals from the Department of Defense (DoD), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and industry. Jerry Voigt, Gary Mitchell, and Leif Wathne participated in the web meeting with 83 participants. ACPA appreciated the opportunity to communicate with the agencies involved in this annual review and acknowledged that this communication is vital to fostering collaboration, which is central to the Airport Pavement Technology Program.
Agency representatives provided an overview of modifications to specifications and standards. On the FAA requirements, Harold Honey, Civil Pavement Engineer–FAA, outlined the following standards currently in modification:
• Airport Pavement Design & Evaluation (AC 150/5320-6F)–Revision expected to be released 2021 2nd Q, and will include an update to FAARFIELD (pavement thickness design program) to version 2.0.
• Standard Method of Reporting Airport Pavement Strength – PCN (AC 150/5335-5C)–Revision expected to be released March 2021
• Development of State Standards for Nonprimary Airports (AC 150/5100-13C)–Revision December 2019 updated how state standards may be used at non-primary public-use airports
Kevin Pavlik, Materials Engineer-US Army Corps of Engineers, and Dr. Craig Rutland, Pavement Engineer-US Air Force Civil Engineer Center, outlined upcoming modifications to the military’s UFSG 32 13 14.13 specification for concrete paving for airfields and other heavy-duty pavements. Updates are scheduled to be published in November 2021.
Gary Mitchell provided an overview of the Airport Pavement Technology Program (APTP), described the cooperative agreement with the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center (CPTech Center), and relayed the top priorities outlined by the Program Coordination Group. Leif Wathne provided comments on ACPA’s work:
• With FAA to secure the APTP in the 2018 authorization
• With Congress to ensure funding is appropriated accordingly for the program each year into the future—a collaborative approach with PCA and NAPA. ACPA ARTICLE: https://www.acpa.org/industry-news/28026/
ACPA & FAA Discuss Key Policy Issues:
In an ongoing effort to maintain a strong and productive relationship with FAA, ACPA senior staff had an introductory meeting with several new personnel in key leadership positions the last week of February. The meeting touched on several high-priority policy issues for the concrete pavement industry. Jerry Voigt, Leif Wathne, and Gary Mitchell represented ACPA and the concrete pavement industry.
Jerry Voigt said, “Meetings of this type with key FAA staff build on ACPA‘s long-standing relationship and offer the opportunity to have candid and straightforward conversations about issues and concerns of our contractors, national staff, and chapters. FAA expressed an earnest interest in our issues, and committed to doing a deep dive to provide agile and enduring solutions. We look forward to follow-up discussions in the coming weeks.” ARTICLE: www.acpa.org/legislative-affairs/28110/