The Concrete Pavement Road Map

Table of Contents

CP Road Map Vision

Illustration. CP Road Map goal. This image represents the vision of the CP Road Map: a comprehensive, integrated system of concrete pavement technology that provides innovative pavement solutions for the future. The illustration depicts major elements of concrete pavement projects as these elements will be enhanced through research: Mix and Materials, Design, Construction, and Pavement Management/Business Systems. First, under Mix and Materials, an advanced mix and materials laboratory that is labeled "Lab of the future," in which two researchers are using advanced computers, software, and other technology to develop innovative mix designs.

Second, under Design Construction, there is an enhanced pavement design system, in which designers use software to develop and view an unlimited variety of design scenarios is depicted as a design conference. Four designers are working around a table in front of computers. Three designers are sitting at computers; the fourth is standing behind one of the other designers. The designers are manipulating several variables in a paving project-materials, weather, structural requirements, pavement characteristics, subgrade and drainage-and can see the design implications of various scenarios projected on large screens in front of the table. The circle is labeled "Designing for desired performance."

Third, Construction, has three interrelated items. One is titled "Real-Time Adjustments: and depicts a construction supervisor using a hand-held device to monitor real-time data during construction and making real-time adjustments. The background shows a global positioning system satellite, a futuristic paving machine, and other construction equipment, as well as sunshine turning to rain to emphasize the fast decisions and immediate adjustments that must be made during a paving project. A second is titled "Scheduling and Staging" and shows a roadway system wide network of real-time and long-term pavement monitoring and data collection for improved pavement management and business systems. A series of large, futuristic screens showing calendars, rainy and sunny weather, surveyors, excavation equipment, paving equipment, and traffic on the finished roadway depict various stages in the life of a concrete pavement system. The final illustration is titled "Mix Verification" and shows a road construction worker in a van equipped with computers that use data to help the worker optimize materials and mixes, assess the weather, and finalize materials and mixes for storage and transportation. The connected circles demonstrate that research in each of these elements will be integrated with research in the others.

The fourth illustration, "Pavement Management/Business Systems," represents a roadway system-wide network of real-time and long-term pavement monitoring and data collection for improved pavement management and business systems. A map is in the center of the illustration. It is surrounded by small images of equipment and graphs that represent the data collection vehicles and the detailed information that is collected by them. It is titled "Long-Term Smart Pavements."

The elements are connected by a circle to demonstrate that research in each of these elements will be integrated with research in the others.

CP Road Map Development Process

Illustration. CP Road Map development process. This illustration depicts the steps that were taken to develop the CP Road Map. (1) A computer represents the development of a database of recent and in-progress concrete pavement-related research. It states: "A database of recent and in-progress concrete pavement-related research was developed." An arrow leads from this to (2) a circle that represents the reciprocity of five major brainstorming events, during which stakeholders identified critical issues in design, mix and materials, construction, and pavement management/business systems. It reads: "Several hundred stakeholders identified critical issues in design, mix and materials, construction, and pavement management/business systems. In a reciprocal brainstorming process, participants at each event fine-tuned and added to previous discussions." From this, an arrow leads to (3) a text box explaining that dozens of specific research objectives resulted from the brainstorming events. An arrow leads from this text box to (4) an enhanced computer, which represents the objectives being filtered through the research database to determine gaps in research. From here, an arrow leads to (5) a text box explaining that 250 problem statements were developed from the gaps in research. The next arrow leads to (6) a pile of building blocks depicting the sorting strategy used to organize the problem statements into phased tracks of research. Finally, an arrow leads to (7) a text box that lists the 12 tracks. These tracks are mix design, design guide, nondestructive testing, surface characteristics, equipment advancements, innovative joints, rehabilitation and construction, long-life concrete, data collection, pavement performance, business and economics, and advanced materials.