Tom KuennenHomeRecent shifts have changed the face of the concrete overlays industryNew methods, concepts, materials and even new terminology are changing how concrete overlays are being promoted, designed and built. The industry has developed an optimal joint configuration for concrete overlays, 6x6x6 for short, describing panels that are 6 feet long by 6 feet wide by 6 inches thick. This standard configuration minimizes moment axle loadings, […]March 11, 2015RoadbuildingMaking the work zone less of a war zoneEven though highway work zone fatalities have been on a big decline for the past 10 years, the highway work zone remains a dangerous place, for workers and for motorists. Despite what highway users may think, work zones are much more lethal to motorists than to construction workers. Following a peak of 165 workers killed […]February 10, 2015RoadbuildingPAVEMENT PRESERVATION: Highlight on high-volumeThe Federal Highway Administration and its allies among the state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) are leading a new emphasis on pavement preservation for high-volume, high-level highways like dual-lane federal routes and interstates. With a goal of extending service life of high-traffic volume highways, and identifying suitable techniques and methods – buttressed by active research from […]December 7, 2014RoadbuildingSound (wall) adviceNoise emissions are as much of an environmental problem for urban trafficways as exhaust pollution, but new research is showing how sound wall performance can be improved, and how traffic noise can be mitigated. Decades of research have shown that blendings of noise wall, the right choice of vegetation, and low-noise pavements such as the […]November 16, 2014RoadbuildingADA Angst over pavement preservationPavement preservation stakeholders in the United States are concerned that a reinterpretation of the Americans with Disabilities Act last year by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will lead to disruption of low-cost pavement preservation programs in this country. The technical advisory requires that curb ramps and other upgrades […]October 9, 2014RoadbuildingWhy repair cracks when you can avoid them altogether?Fibers in concrete bridges controls cracks High-performance, fiber-reinforced concrete controls cracks and provides satisfactory bond strengths in bridge deck construction, say Levon C. Hoomes, E.I.T., Celik Ozyildirim, Ph.D., P.E., principal research scientist, and Michael C. Brown, Ph.D., P.E., associate director, Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation and Research, in their 2014 TRB paper, “Evaluation of High […]September 10, 2014RoadbuildingRubber ExpandsAsphalt containing rubber continues to stretch its way into more state Department of Transportation.September 5, 2014RoadbuildingA crack-resistant road? You better believe it!Stress-absorbing membrane interlayer in Rural Nevada In Washoe County, Nev. County Highway 447 was improved by cold in-place recycling, placement of a fiber-reinforced SAMI, and finished with a Type III slurry surfacing as the final wearing surface instead of a costly total reconstruction. “With fuel prices going up, we are seeing a lot more truck […]September 4, 2014RoadbuildingA road without fibers is a road soon to be in need of repairNew research is reaffirming the benefits of steel or synthetic engineered fibers in asphalt pavements and concrete, where they enhance performance, replace fine matter, and in the case of concrete, control shrinkage cracking and keep deicing salts away from reinforcing steel. For decades, fibers of all origins have been hawked as cure-alls for pavement problems. […]August 29, 2014RoadbuildingWhy Functional Fibers in Pavement and Bridges are ImportantSteel and synthetic engineered fibers are enhancing performance in asphalt pavements and concrete.August 6, 2014Previous PagePage 2 of 2Top StoriesPickups2027 GMC Sierra 1500 Completely Redesigned, Gets GM's New 481-HP V8The next-gen pickup gets revamped inside and out and offers GM's most powerful V8 for a half-ton truck.Compact Track LoadersMeet Cat’s New Dirt-Pushing 253 Compact Track LoaderWorkforce2 Killed, 1 Injured in Workplace Shooting at United Rentals in VirginiaTechnologyLumina’s Bladerunner, Moonlander, Roadrunner Futuristic, Modular MachinesGraders/ScrapersOverlooked Earthmover — Mobile Track Solutions Focuses on Scrapers
