Transportation groups cheer as DOT walks back GHG reporting

Consistent with a White House order to scrutinize pre-2025 agency measures, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy moved in late April to repeal a 2023 Federal Highway Administration rule known as National Performance Management Measures; Assessing Performance of the National Highway System, Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Set for official repeal this month, the rule required state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning…

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FHWA contextualizes SCM reactivity, test methods

Sources: Federal Highway Administration; National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Alexandria, Va.; CP staff The latest Federal Highway Administration TechNote sheds critical light on a metric that concrete practitioners will weigh as the supplementary cementitious materials universe expands and market conditions compel a lower portland cement clinker factor in mix designs.  FHWA HRT-25-050 Reactivity of Supplementary Cementitious Materials authors assess the chemical reactions…

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FHWA sets Low Carbon Materials Program Concrete Thresholds

Sources: Federal Highway Administration; CP staff The Federal Highway Administration has published the driving metric—global warming potential (GWP), measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per cubic yard (kgCO2e/yd.)—attending nine concrete mix classes specified for cast-in-place or precast transportation pavements, elements and structures. The Concrete Thresholds tables provide GWP data that Low Carbon Transportation Materials (LCTM) Grants recipients require to meet…

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39 state DOTs land Low Carbon Transportation Materials grants

Sources: Federal Highway Administration; CP staff The Inflation Reduction Act-funded Low Carbon Transportation Materials Discretionary Grant Program will provide $1.2 billion with reimbursement and incentive funding to purchase American-made low carbon construction materials and products, primarily concrete, asphalt, glass and steel. The program is part of the White House Buy Clean Initiative, which leverages federal government buying power to spur…

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FRP Institute names leadership team, outlines market development vision

Sources: FRP Institute, Westfield, Ind.; CP staff After two years of work with American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, state department of transportation and composite manufacturer representatives, the FRP Institute is poised to act on its primary purpose: Promoting the increased use of fiber-based polymer reinforcement in concrete transportation and environmental infrastructure. Fiber reinforced polymer is a generic…

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UC Davis Lab-to-Slab team tests Purebase metakaolin SCM

Sources: Purebase Corp., Ione, Calif.; CP staff The Sustainable Concrete Lab-to-Slab Initiative under the University of California, Davis Pavement Research Center will see testing of three slabs bearing 2.5 yd. or more of concrete mixes designed with novel binders, including a supplementary cementitious blend from metakaolin producer Purebase. Through prequalification testing, QA/QC, mid-term monitoring, plus environmental, constructability and life cycle…

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Reduced Carbon Concrete Consortium assists FHWA grant-eligible parties 

Sources: Reduced Carbon Concrete Consortium, Rosemont, Ill.; CP staff The American Concrete Pavement Association-led Reduced Carbon Concrete Consortium (RC3) is reaffirming its commitment to assist non-State agencies or organizations in Federal Highway Administration Low-Carbon Transportation Materials (LCTM) program grant pursuits. The FHWA just announced an LCTM Notice of Funding Opportunity for non-State applicants seeking assistance on projects using concrete, asphalt,…

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Groups challenge FHWA greenhouse gas emissions measure

In a letter to U.S. House and Senate members, 14 associations representing construction materials, products and downstream interests question the Federal Highway Administration’s authority to proceed with a greenhouse gas performance measure on projects the agency funds. Their argument traces the absence of a legal basis for a November 2023 FHWA rule, “National Performance Management Measures; Assessing Performance of the…

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FHWA-allied pavement interests form Reduced Carbon Concrete Consortium 

Sources: American Concrete Pavement Association, Rosemont, Ill.; CP staff The American Concrete Pavement Association, Iowa State University-hosted National Concrete Pavement Technology Center and allies have formed the Reduced Carbon Concrete Consortium (RC3) to assist state departments of transportation and other qualifying entities eyeing grants under the just-announced Federal Highway Administration Low-Carbon Transportation Materials (LCTM) program. RC3 will provide DOTs technical…

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Materials, manufactured concrete groups challenge FHWA GHG yardstick

Sources: National Precast Concrete Association, Carmel, Ind.; CP staff In a letter to U.S. House and Senate members, 14 associations representing construction materials, products and downstream interests question the Federal Highway Administration’s authority to proceed with a greenhouse gas performance measure on projects the agency funds. Their argument traces the absence of a legal basis for a November 2023 FHWA…

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