People around the world have always dreamt about what the future holds. And although the transportation system hasn’t changed as drastically as someone might have predicted (no flying cars just yet), it’s clear that innovation has flourished.

Focusing on such transportation developments around the world is the 2010 National Convention, hosted by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) in partnership with the International Road Federation (IRF), Oct. 3–6, in New York City.

On the other side of the country, engineers will learn how to incorporate sustainability practices into concrete pavement construction at the International Conference on Sustainable Concrete Pavements: Practices, Challenges, and Directions, Sept. 15–17, in Sacramento, Calif.

ARTBA National Convention
Seeking to learn more from countries outside the United States, ARTBA “has made a strategic decision to pursue new initiatives in the international arena,” according to its website. Likewise, IRF has made a commitment to raise its profile in North America and thus, work more closely with ARTBA. As a result, this year’s ARTBA National Convention and IRF’s North America Regional Congress will become a joint event.

The event’s theme is “Global Innovations in Transportation Design & Construction.” General sessions will include topics such as high-speed rail, new tunnel boring techniques, the latest research and technologies through the Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2), and new design and construction methods on two major infrastructure projects: the Trans Hudson Tunnel from New Jersey to Manhattan, and the East Side Access project. In addition, some of the sessions will offer Professional Development Hours (PDH) for topics related to the transportation construction industry.

The first general session, “International Business Opportunities Abroad,” worth one PDH, comes from H.E. Mattar Al-Tayer, chairman of the board and executive director, Roads & Transport Authority, United Arab Emirates, and Eng. Abdulaziz Alkulaib, undersecretary, Ministry of Public Works, Kuwait. Other sessions include “High Speed Rail Innovations from around the World,” worth 1.25 PDHs; “Federal Legislative and Regulatory Update, and Transportation Construction Market Report & 2010 Forecast,” worth one PDH; “The Role of Innovation in Improving Highway Transportation Today & Tomorrow: SHRP 2,” worth two PDHs; “New Techniques in Tunnel Boring,” worth 1.5 PDHs; and “Overview of Trans Hudson River Tunnel Project,” worth one PDH.

Before the convention, the 2010 ARTBA/CNA Contractor Safety Award finalists were announced. On the first day of the convention (Sunday, Oct. 3), those finalists will make a presentation before a panel of judges/safety experts. The next day, three companies will be selected and presented with the 2010 ARTBA/CNA Contractor Safety Award. CNA, a national insurance firm, and ARTBA developed the award to promote worker safety and health as core values of the transportation design and construction industry. The award recognizes those that have made outstanding accomplishments with safety efforts and publicizes their success to inspire others to follow. Unlike traditional safety award programs that are judged strictly on the OSHA/MSHA recordable rate as reported in the company’s OSHA 300 log and MSHA reports, the Contractor Safety Award requires that a company’s OSHA Recordable Rate be lower than the most recently published industry average, compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the North American Industry Classification System code 2373 — highway construction and bridge building. Awards are categorized by number of employee hours worked during the previous year, according to ARTBA.

During the convention, attendees will also have the option to visit tourist attractions with their spouses or other attendees. These events include everything from tours of the city to Broadway shows like “Wicked” or “Jersey Boys.”

The convention will be held at The New York Marriott Marquis hotel. When making reservations, attendees should notify the hotel that their stay is in conjunction with the ARTBA National Convention to receive the discounted room rate of $279 per night, which is guaranteed through Sept. 9. Registration after July 1 is $1,150 for ARTBA members; $1,325 for non-members; and $1,050 for first-timers. Visit www.artbanationalconvention.org for additional conference and registration information.

International Conference on Sustainable Concrete Pavements
Nowadays, most concrete pavements in the U.S. interstate and primary systems are designed to last at least 40 years without requiring significant repair or rehabilitation treatments. The question is, are they sustainable?

The goal of the International Conference on Sustainable Concrete Pavements is to make best-practices guidance on sustainable practices readily available to pavement design engineers, specifiers, and constructors. Sustainable words and phrases such as “green highways,” “LEED,” and “carbon footprint” are becoming more well-known, and are proving the importance and continual growth of sustainability. However, although sustainable concrete options can be integrated throughout the lifecycle of a pavement, procedures and guidelines for doing so aren’t widely accepted or clearly understood, according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) website.

To provide highway and airport agencies and engineers with the most up-to-date, sustainable concrete information, this 2.5-day conference is being held as a part of technology transfer activities under the Advanced Concrete Pavement Technology Products Program that operates within the FHWA. The conference will host attendees from around the world “to discuss the sustainable attributes of concrete pavements by presenting existing technologies, emerging research, approaches to measuring energy and environmental impact, user considerations, and international practices and experience,” the website states.

The conference kicks off Wednesday morning, Sept. 15, at 8:30 a.m. with a welcome from the FHWA, Caltrans, American Concrete Pavement Association, and others, before digging into sustainable concrete solutions. In this same session, Tom Cackler, director, National Concrete Pavement Technology Center, will discuss “Sustainable Concrete Pavements: A U.S. Perspective;” Raymond Debroux, inspecteur général, Service Public de Wallonie, Belgium, and chairman, PIARC subcommittee on concrete roads, will discuss “Sustainable Concrete Pavements: European Considerations;” and George Vorobieff, director, Head to Head International, will discuss “Challenges Confronting Sustainable Practices for Concrete Pavement Design and Construction in Australia.” Shiraz Tayabji, Fugro Consultants, Inc., will moderate the session.

Other sessions will discuss “Sustainable Concrete Pavement Design;” “Sustainability Applications to Concrete Pavements;” “Sustainable Concrete Paving Mixtures;” “Industry Innovations and Assessment of Sustainable Strategies;” and “Sustainable Design and Construction Considerations.” The conference also features two forums. The first, called “Highway Agency Sustainable PCCP Practices and Directions,” comes from Samuel S. Tyson, FHWA, Office of Pavement Technology; Gina Ahlstrom, FHWA, Office of Pavement Technology; Tom Kazmierowski, Ontaria Ministry of Transportation; Celik Ozyildirim, Virginia Transportation Research Council/Virginia DOT; Dar-Hao Chen, Texas DOT; and others. The second forum, entitled “National Concrete Consortium Reports on Highway Agency Practices and Future Directions,” comes from Mehdi Parvini, Caltrans; Tommy Nantung, Indiana DOT; Heather McLeod, Kansas DOT; Maria Masten, Minnesota DOT; Brett Trautman, Missouri DOT; and Lisa Lukefahr, Texas DOT.

During conference breaks, posters will be available for viewing and discussion with authors in the exhibit area. The posters come from representatives of several state DOTs that belong to the National Concrete Consortium who have reported on their agency practices related to sustainability, trends, and predictions for the future of concrete.

The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento in downtown Sacramento, Calif. Room rates using the discounted room rate, “2010 Concrete Conference,” are $130 per night, or $109 per night for U.S. government agency employees. Registration for the conference after July 31 will be $500 for general registration; $400 for U.S. government agencies and full-time students; $450 for authors and academia; $200 for spouses; and $2,000 for exhibitors, including one free registration. Registration includes Tuesday evening’s reception; breakfast on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday; lunch on Wednesday and Thursday; dinner on Wednesday; and refreshments at breaks.

For conference updates, visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/concrete/2010acptpconf.cfm

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