CREATING A NEW GENERATION OF CONCRETE PAVEMENTS

In the post-interstate era, the role of the Innovative Pavement Research Foundation (IPRF) in furthering applied concrete pavement research for highways is becoming more critical. The IPRF is a nonprofit organization devoted to concrete pavement research, advancement, and transfer of concrete pavement technology, as well as public education on the use of portland cement concrete pavement. In early 1999, the Federal Highway Administration, IPRF, and other industry representatives determined a specific research agenda for the early portion of a cooperative agreement. Seven research projects were identified that were considered top priorities toward reaching the five goals outlined in the American Concrete Pavement Association's Blueprint for Research: traffic management studies for reconstructing high-volume roadways; impact of texturing and surface treatment on reducing wet-weather accidents; performance and design of whitetopping overlays for heavily trafficked pavements; tests or standards to identify compatible combinations of individually acceptable concrete materials; accelerated loading tests of ultra-thin whitetopping; costs and benefits of various components of concrete pavements; and field trials of concrete pavement product and process technology.