Road Network Health utilizes Life Cycle Cost Analysis, Remaining Service Life, and a Mix of Fixes Approach, to ensure that pavement projects and the related budgets are optimized.
Click here to learn more: https://www.acpa.org/why-concrete/road-network-health/
Inter-industry competition is an important tool to assist DOTs and municipalities with maximizing their budgets. In today’s environment, every agency faces budget constraints. Fair competition, including dual pavement system bidding, enables all owners to get the most lane miles or road for their budget. Healthy competition between pavement industries provides the highest rate of return for the public.
The MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub has studied the data on competition, and their results are insightful. Learn more here: https://cshub.mit.edu/pavements/competition
Partnership with CDOT
For the last 14 years, ACPA has partnered with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to provide a certification program for concrete pavement inspectors.
Since 2006, any person who inspects concrete pavement on CDOT
projects or projects using CDOT specifications, has been required to
hold a construction inspector certification. An inspector’s thorough
understanding of concrete pavement and the specific construction
processes required for concrete applications can lead to increased
quality and efficiencies at a project site.
Proper inspection plays a
key role in ensuring well-constructed, high quality pavement.
Attendees across the industry
Although CDOT appears in the course title, interested participants
need not be affiliated with CDOT projects to take this course and
earn the certification. By opening the class to all inspectors, ACPA
hopes to increase the understanding of good concrete paving and
inspection practices. Many local agencies have begun requiring
certification of inspectors, as well as contractor QC personnel. This
certification is offered to a wide variety of individuals across the
industry, contractors, consultants, and local agencies.
Updates to the training Program
The program is taught by Sarah Sanders, PE, Pavement Engineer for
the CO/WY Chapter of ACPA, and Val Niculae, PE, CDOT Concrete
and Physical Properties Program Support Engineer. Most classes
also feature guest speakers from the concrete pavement industry to
provide alternate perspectives. An overhaul of the curriculum was
recently completed, and updates were made to include new specifications, equipment, and best practices. The course also provides guidance on completing the required CDOT forms for documentation on a project. The focus of this course is to provide knowledge and understanding for an inspector to ensure proper paving practices are followed on the project site.
Additional topics help the inspector verify that pavement being placed will meet the long-term durability goals that are to be expected with concrete pavement.
The test was re-written to focus on the inspector’s understanding of important concrete paving and inspection topics instead of the ability to memorize specifications. Updated topics include:
• Performance Engineered Concrete Mix Designs
• Paving equipment
• Pavement placement, finishing & joints
• Smoothness Testing
• Contractor QC Plan and QC Notebook
• New testing technologies
2021 Classes
Classes are still being taught in-person following all CDOT COVID-19 Restrictions. Class sizes are limited and are filling up fast. For anyone interested in taking the class, study materials are available from the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center, Federal Highway Administration Concrete Clips series, and many other sources.
Visit the CO/WY ACPA website (www.cowyacpa.org/inspector-certification) for more information and to sign up for 2021 certification dates.