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Adapting to New Ways of Working and Preparing for More Challenges Ahead

As Colorado’s concrete paving industry continues to work through
the coronavirus outbreak, their focus remains on providing a safe
working environment for their employees, project partners, and the
traveling public.
The staff of the CO/WY Chapter of ACPA is working closely with our
colleagues across the country, and we’ve partnered with the National
Concrete Pavement Technology Center to develop webinar programs to provide ongoing education about all things concrete pavement. While our traditional gatherings at conferences and workshops
are on hold, we’re providing alternative ways to support your planning, design and construction efforts. Registration for all upcoming
webinars will be available at https://go.acpa.org/cp-tech-center2020. If you have education needs on additional topics or missed
the concrete overlays or ADA series and would like to access the
webinars, please email Sarah Sanders (ssanders@pavement.com).

The concrete paving industry recognizes that the challenges of funding transportation are becoming greater as transportation revenues
in Colorado continue to decrease. Data on the impacts of a lack of
transportation funding can be found at www.tripnet.org. ACPA has
been actively advocating for increased infrastructure funding both in
Washington DC in partnership with other national organizations and
in Colorado through our involvement with the Colorado Construction
Industry Coalition.

We ask that you join us in reaching out to the
legislators who represent you on both the state and national level to
reinforce our message on the importance of funding infrastructure.
While we work with the limited amount of funding available, it
becomes even more important that the money is spent wisely and
includes longer term fixes with concrete pavement that reduce the
annual maintenance costs and frequency of rehabilitation activities.
ACPA staff is continuing to work remotely, and we’re available to
assist with any of your concrete pavement questions and challenges.
Congratulations to all the Excellence in Concrete Pavement Award
winners we recognized this spring! Learn more about their projects
in the center section of the magazine. We enjoyed seeing many of
you at our annual concrete pavement workshop in early March,
and we look forward to when the time is right to see you all again!

Upcoming Concrete Pavement Inspector Certification

The upcoming Concrete Pavement Inspector Certification will be held on June 09 as a virtual training. If you are registered you should have received an email letting you that the training has been moved online. 

The exam portion of the certification will be held in person on June 12. Registrants should contact Sarah Sanders (ssanders@pavement.com) to schedule their exam.

Registration for the certification is required and there are still spaces open for the June training/exam. Click here to register!

Contact Sarah Sanders with any questions, ssanders@pavement.com

ACPA and CP Tech Center Upcoming Webinars

 

ADA Webinar Series

Register for our ADA Webinar Series by clicking here – it’s a 2-part webinar on May 12 and 19 @ 11 am MDT.  Engineers are faced with ongoing planning, design, and construction challenges when it comes to following ADA guidelines. Whether you are with a DOT, county, city, consultant, or contractor there will be lots to learn on implementing your ADA program.

This ADA Webinar Series is offering Professional Development Hours (PDH’s).  Attendees will:

  • Learn the requirements and importance of an ADA Transition Plan
  • Learn the design and construction requirements detailed in PROWAG 2011
  • See how these guidelines are being implemented in Wisconsin and Missouri

Sign up is required, and we have an improved two-step process to ensure proper processing for PDH’s.  Please click here to register.

Construction in CO & WY During COVID-19

As Colorado and Wyoming’s concrete paving industry continues to work through the coronavirus outbreak, their focus remains on providing a safe working environment for their employees, project partners, and the traveling public.  The staff of the CO/WY Chapter of ACPA is working closely with our colleagues across the country and our partners throughout our states, and we’ve developed a list of resources related to COVID-19 and construction.

Strategies currently being employed by contractors include a number of practices that the general public is following, such as social distancing and requiring sick employees to stay home.  In addition, contractors are educating employees on how to protect themselves and to recognize the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, monitoring/limiting who enters jobsites and ensuring the use of proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).  In Colorado, this includes following Multi-Industry Construction Guidance published by the CDPHE.

CO/WY ACPA staff has been working remotely since March 16th and will continue to be available to assist with your needs.  All Concrete Pavement Inspector Certification Classes have been cancelled through the end of May, and the next class is scheduled for June 9th.


Colorado

Gov. Jared Polis announced a statewide stay-at-home order on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.  The state’s order began at 8 a.m., Thursday, March 26 and lasts through April 11. Under the order residents are allowed to leave their homes to shop for essential needs, such as groceries and medications, exercise and go to work if their job qualifies for an exemption, although they are encouraged to practice social distancing under all circumstances. 

Click here to read the updated order.

Wyoming
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has issued several statewide public health orders closing non-essential personal services, restaurants, and schools, and forbidding gatherings of 10 or more people. 

The Wyoming DOT is continuing with their monthly lettings, and bid openings are being modified to be read through electronic means  beginning with the April letting. 
 

Nationwide
ACPA is asking members to engage in an industry grassroots campaign and contact your Representatives and Senators using a prewritten letter asking Congress to include ACPA’s priorities within a future stimulus package.  Specifically, this letter is asking Congress to take immediate action to:

  1. Aid businesses to ensure they can pay their workers and maintain operations.
  2. Ensure that building materials remain available for construction of vital infrastructure projects.
  3. Support a long-term recovery through investing in our nation’s infrastructure.  Click here to access the North American Concrete Alliance’s website and click on Take Action for a pre-written message to your Members of Congress that can be customized with personal information on how this issue impacts you and your business.

 

Sustainability in Concrete Pavements


Content provided by Shaped by Concrete

The role of concrete in connecting us to our daily lives and keeping our economy moving

The roadways and airstrips connecting our nation are integral to our society and daily lives. We expect smooth drives and safe landings, yet we rarely stop to think about the foundation of those expectations: the best material that can be used to surface roads, runways and other infrastructure.

Concrete pavements are a staple of our infrastructure – a durable, economical and sustainable solution for our roadways, airstrips, military bases, parking lots and sidewalks. Additionally, concrete pavements offer many safety benefits to drivers.

Durability
Simply put, concrete pavements have the longest lifespan of any paving material. It can withstand the freezing winters of the upper Midwest to the scorching summers of the Southwest, with an average service life of 30 to 50 years.

Sustainability
Concrete pavements consume minimal materials, energy and other resources throughout its lifespan, giving it a lower overall energy footprint, and offers better fuel efficiency for drivers. Concrete pavements have a lower energy footprint associated with production, delivery and maintenance than asphalt pavement.

  • Concrete’s lighter color reduces the amount of power necessary for illumination and mitigates the urban heat island effect.
  • Tires driving over smoother roads get better mileage per tank of gas; the overall better condition of concrete pavement compared to asphalt gives drivers better roads and better mileage.
  • Concrete can be 100% recycled at the end of its service life, making it a renewable pavement option.

Economical
Concrete pavements require minimal materials and energy for initial construction and do not require repeated resurfacing, spot repairs or patching. Compared to other road surfacing materials which require constant maintenance, concrete is cheaper to use at the outset and less expensive throughout its lifespan because it does not require extensive upkeep.

  • It was estimated that using life-cycle cost analysis for pavements alone can save an average $91 million for every $1 billion spent, or 9.1 %, when comparing equivalent concrete and asphalt pavement alternatives.
  • The use of concrete pavement is less disruptive to traffic – the construction of concrete pavements does not require lengthy lane closures and roads can be reopened in as short as six hours.
  • Concrete pavement can dramatically increase the life of transportation systems, cutting the amount of yearly repairs and spreading them out over longer time periods.

 For more information visit: www.shapedbyconcrete.com

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