Award Winning Bridge Replaces 100-Year Old Structure

When the city of Batavia, Ill., needed to replace the Wilson Street Bridge, matching the existing 100-year-old structure was vital. 

The new bridge, which crosses the Fox River, consists of a three-span concrete variable depth post-tensioned slab with post-tensioned arched piers, river observation outlooks, and stairs leading down from the bridge to pedestrian walkways at the river level. By using high performance concrete and post-tensioning in the superstructure, the designers were able to minimize the depth of the structure as well as enhance its long-term durability and stiffness. Designers chose micropile foundations at each abutment to minimize labor, excavation depth, and risk to nearby buildings. 

Communication with the citizens and businesses in and around Batavia was of paramount importance to the project principals.  Meetings, tours, a newsletter, a bridge telephone hotline, a bridge Web site with webcam, and Bridge Construction Coffees were all established so that citizens and businesses could learn about the progress of the bridge construction.

A winner of the 2010 PCA Bridge Awards (see below), the jurors noted “…The bridge takes advantage of the thin superstructure allowed by the cast-in-place post-tensioned concrete to create a very attractive space below the bridge and a very attractive bridge within its community.”
Contact Sue Lane

EPA Again Names CEMEX USA 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year

The U.S. EPA has named CEMEX USA a 2010 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year for outstanding energy management and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.  This is the second year in a row that CEMEX received this recognition.

CEMEX, an ENERGY STAR partner since 2004, will be honored for strategic energy management and a commitment to save energy across its entire operation that resulted in significant energy and financial savings.

In 2009, the company reduced its overall energy intensity by 2.2 percent as a result of its Energy Management Program using ENERGY STAR guidelines. More than 1.1 million MMBTUs were saved through such measures as commissioning two new cement lines using state-of-the-art vertical roller mills for finish grinding, replacing and repairing compressed air systems, and upgrading plant lighting. This energy savings resulted in cutting 107,500 metric tons of CO2 emissions and is equal to providing electricity to 14,900 American homes for one year, or avoiding emissions from about 19,700 passenger vehicles.

"Our work through the ENERGY STAR program is a part of our commitment to sustainability. And, it's achieving real results: for two years in a row, we have smartly managed our energy, reducing our usage and thereby cutting our CO2 footprint," said Gilberto Perez, President of CEMEX USA. "We are honored that our achievements have caught the EPA's eye and that we will continue to be industry leaders pushing the bar for sustainability."

The 2010 Partner of the Year Awards recognize efforts to use energy efficiently in facility operations and to integrate superior energy management into overall organizational strategy. Award winners are selected from more than 17,000 organizations. CEMEX's accomplishments will be recognized at an awards ceremony later this month in Washington, D.C.

PCA Launches On-Line Toolkit for Pavement Promotion

The latest element of PCA’s marketing program for pavements—Integrated Paving Solutions—is a Web-based toolkit of brochures and fact sheets for use in promotion and government affairs programs. The two-page pieces profile concrete and cement-based products and applications for paving and address topics such as sustainability, carbon footprint, and pavement noise. A second phase of the project will focus on collateral materials for government affairs initiatives, such as state fact sheets and issue briefings. Additional promotion materials are also in the works.

The goal is to provide all allied promoters with materials that are consistent and integrated in terms of messages, proofpoints, and cited statistics.

The materials could be used for a variety of purposes: Handouts at trade shows or conferences, face-to-face presentations, leave behinds at seminars or workshops, direct mail or e-mail, or to answer inquiries.
The project was a joint effort of PCA national and regional offices.

The materials are offered as html content on the Web site, or as print-resolution PDFs that promoters can e-mail or download and print. Both versions are free. PCA will also co-brand the pieces with the logo of regional or allied allied groups upon request.
Contact Susan Newman
Visit the site

Free MACT Webinar Available for PCA Members

To help the cement industry understand the power industry MACT and educate the power industry on the cement MACT, The McIlvaine Company is conducting a series of webinars that are available at no charge for PCA members.

“Hot Topic” sessions will be held March 12 and March 19 at 10 am (CST).  Issues to be addressed include potential solutions for mercury control in the cement industry, sources of carbon dioxide emissions and conventional control technologies, and a general overview of the emissions monitoring requirements of the cement MACT.

The MACT rule for cement plants has been proposed and will be promulgated in June.  Since HAP emissions from power plants are much greater than from cement plants, utilities can expect at least equally stringent regulations.
Contact Rick Bohan
Register at www.mcilvainecompany.com

Free Webinar Highlights Economy of Cement-Stabalized Bases

PCA will offer the free webinar "Save Money and Resources with Cement-Stabilized Bases and Subgrades" on March 18, 10-11 a.m. (CST).

With shrinking budgets and the need for longer lasting pavements, cement-stabilized bases and subgrades can provide agencies with sustainable and cost-effective pavement materials.

This webinar cover cement-stabilized base and subgrade applications, benefits, mix design, construction, and QC/QA. The cement-modification of soils will also be discussed.

All participants will receive a free PDF copy of PCA publications Soil-Cement Technology for Pavements: Different Products for Different Applications, and Evaluating the Performance of Soil-Cement and Cement-Modified Soil for Pavements: A Laboratory Investigation.
More information or to register

Technical Conference Hosts Joint MTC, Safety Meeting

PCA’s Manufacturing Technical Committee (MTC) and Occupational Health and Safety Committees will meeting jointly at the 52nd annual IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference, March 28-April 1 in Colorado Springs.
 
 Among the presentations on the agenda:
> Alice Madden, climate change coordinator for the State of Colorado—on Colorado's climate change initiative
> Tom Hethmon, senior vice present, health, safety and environment at Dyno Nobel Inc.—on the safety challenges of changing workforce demographics
> Dr. Martin Schneider, chief executive of VDZ and chairman of the Research Institute of the German Cement Industry—on carbon capture and sequestration

An environmental workshop scheduled for Tuesday, March 30, will focus on NESHAP and climate change issues.
For more information and to register for the conference

2010 Concrete Bridge Conference a Success

The National Concrete Bridge Council hosted the 2010 Concrete Bridge Conference February 24-26 in Phoenix, Ariz.  More than 175 consulting engineers, DOT and Federal Highway Administration officials, contractors, concrete industry professionals, and professors exchanged ideas and information on all aspects of concrete bridge design and construction.

The theme of this year’s Conference was “Achieving Safe, Smart, and Sustainable Bridges” and included seventeen technical sessions, a tour of local bridges, a friendly but competitive “Name That Bridge” contest, a reception featuring the presentation of the 2010 Concrete Bridge Awards (see below), and an exhibit area. The conference focused on five areas: Sustainable Bridges, Smart Bridges, Non-Destructive Evaluations of Bridges, Durable Bridge Decks, and Innovative Design and Construction. Concrete experts also presented a half-day workshop on Mitigating Alkali Silica Reactivity in Structures.

The conference was co-sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration, and organized by PCA.
Contact Sue Lane

2010 Concrete Bridge Award Winners Announced

Seven winners have been named in PCA Twelfth Biennial Bridge Awards Competition.  The competition, instituted in 1988, recognizes excellence in design and construction of concrete bridges.  Roads and Bridges magazine was a co-sponsor.

This year's winning projects:
> Seattle Sound Transit Central Link Light Rail-Tukwila Segment — Seattle
> Pedestrian Bridge Over Interstate 5 — Eugene and Springfield, Ore.
> New I-35W Bridge — Minneapolis
> 106th Street and 126th Street Bridges — Carmel, Ind.
> Wilson Street Bridge Replacement — Batavia, Ill. (see above)
> Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Bridge — Matagorda, Texas
> Hawk Lake Bridge — Thunder Bay, Ontario

The 2010 program attracted 38 entries from Canada and the United States, covering a variety of structure types and construction methods.  All structures were essentially completed between April 2008 and September 2009.

The winners were recognized at the 2010 Concrete Bridge Conference on February 25 in Phoenix, Ariz. (see above)

Winning projects were selected based on creativity, functionality, and economy by a jury of three prominent bridge professionals: Fred Gottemoeller, principal, Bridgescape LLC, Columbia, MD; Myint Lwin, director, Office of Bridge Technology, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC; and Kendal Walus, state structure and bridge engineer, Virginia Department of Transportation.

The next installment of the bridge awards is scheduled for 2012.