NPCA extends engineer, DOT outreach in 2022 Specifier Webinar series

Source: National Precast Concrete Association, Carmel, Ind.  The National Precast Concrete Association has scheduled four webinars designed specifically for engineers, department of transportation personnel and others who specify construction materials and methods in primarily non-building work. The 2022 Specifier Webinar lineup includes:

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DOT Advisory Board guides FRP reinforcement certification

Sources: Regulatory Resources LLC, Westfield, Ind.; CP staff Engineering and construction consultancy Regulatory Resources, along with the DOT Advisory Board it administers, have created an auditing program to certify the quality of structural concrete-grade fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs). Scheduled for early-2022 release, their FRP Quality Control Manual will serve as a guidance document for an auditing program currently under American…

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Transportation funding ballot measures prevail coast to coast

Voters in 18 states approved a record 94 percent of state and local ballot initiatives on Election Day 2020, providing an additional $14 billion in one-time or recurring revenue for transportation improvements throughout the country. The American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Investment Advocacy Center finds that voters approved 303 of 322 initiatives before them on November 3—the highest…

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Final FMCSA driver hours rule remains friendly to construction materials hauling

Sources: U.S. Department of Transportation; National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Alexandria, Va.; CP staff

A final U.S. DOT rule updating Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration hours of service (HOS) terms increases flexibility for the 30-minute break provision by requiring a work pause after eight hours of consecutive driving and allowing it to be satisfied by a driver using on-duty, not driving status, rather than off-duty status. Effective in August, the rule also changes the short-haul exception available to certain commercial drivers by lengthening their maximum on duty period from 12 to 14 hours and extending the distance limit within which they can operate from 100 to 150 air miles.

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Lawmakers recognize aggregates’ pivotal role in DOT supply chains

Sources: National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, Alexandria, Va.; Office of U.S. Representative Greg Stanton; CP staff

U.S. Representatives Greg Stanton (D-AZ-09) and Troy Balderson (R-OH-12) have introduced the Rebuilding Our Communities by Keeping aggregates Sustainable (ROCKS) Act bill, citing its potential “to foster local access to stone, sand and gravel essential to construction and public works projects.” The legislation calls for the Secretary of Transportation to establish a working group of federal, state, tribal and local stakeholders to study the use of aggregates and recommend policies ensuring continued access to such materials. 

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White House reform outline moves Corps duties to DOT, Interior

Sources: White House Office of Management and Budget; CP staff

As part of sweeping Executive Branch reform, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposes to move Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works functions—coastal and inland commercial navigation programs; flood and storm damage reduction; and, aquatic ecosystem restoration—from the Department of Defense to the Departments of Transportation and Interior (DOT, DOI).

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Pennstress helps DOT take six-bridge schedule from months to weeks

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Capturing the essence of the Federal Highway Administration’s Every Day Counts initiative, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 5-0 hit a grand slam by initiating, awarding and successfully completing a milestone, multiple-bridge contract designed and constructed with precast concrete components. The 2017-18 project took place along Interstate 78 in Berks County; innovative construction practices, coupled with precast girders and abutment elements, reduced the schedule for each structure from several months to several weeks.

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