Hoover Dam Bridge Proclaimed "In a Class By Itself"

The Hoover Dam Bypass/Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, spanning Clark County, Nev. and Mohave County, Ariz., is the western hemisphere’s longest single-span concrete arch bridge. Exemplifying innovation at work, it is the cornerstone in a new, efficient highway system funneling commercial traffic between the states of Nevada and Arizona. 

With a 1060-foot main span, the bridge is the fourth-longest, single-span concrete arch bridge in the world.  Each half-arch rib is made up of 26 cast-in-place sections, with construction starting from the can­yon walls and a closure pour that locks the two halves together.  Approximately 9,000 cubic yards of high-strength concrete is cast in the arches.  The outer dimensions of each hollow arch rib are 20 feet wide by 14 feet tall. 

The world’s tallest at 290 feet, precast concrete panels cover the structural steel struts that connect the arches at each column. The 440, 10-foot-tall concrete segments were each precast off site and erected to form the pier columns. 

The bridge was selected for special recognition in the 2012 PCA Bridge Award program.  Jurors commented, “The bridge designers have gone above and beyond to provide a beautifully engineered and constructed bridge.  It stands in a class by itself.  Stunning.  A monumental achievement.”

PCA Hosts Community Event in Joplin

PCA and local professionals dedicated to rebuilding a strong and sustainable Joplin, Mo., will offer a free fair to provide area residents an opportunity to learn more about green and resilient building.  

Framed around the theme “Think Harder.  Concrete,” the event, “Ideas for a Stronger Joplin” will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, October 20, 2012, at the Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center, 201 W. Riviera Drive, Joplin.  The event is free and open to the public.

The community will have an opportunity to tour Convoy of Hope/TF insulated concrete form (ICF) homes and have one-on-one interaction with building professionals.  There will also be group presentations on a variety of rebuilding initiatives.  Free lunch and children's activities will also be provided.

More than a dozen local companies dedicated to resilient and green building will join PCA at the event, including:

> Concrete Promotion Council of the Ozarks
> GreenTown Joplin
> Global Green Building
> Joplin Concrete Company Inc
> Monarch Cement
> TF Concrete Forming Systems
> Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center

Walter Wulf, president and CEO of Monarch Cement, the parent company of Joplin Concrete, will be master of ceremonies.  Wulf lived in Joplin during the 1970s and still has close ties to the community and as such Joplin Concrete is actively involved in rebuilding the city.  Other speakers include George Van Hoesen of Global Green Building and contractor for the Convoy of Hope/TF homes, Mary Guccione from TF Concrete Forming Systems, and Catherine Hart from GreenTown Joplin.

PCA Yearbook Illustrates Industry Trends

The PCA North American Cement Industry 2012 Annual Yearbook is now available.  The Yearbook is the starting place for the historical perspective on the U.S. and Canadian construction and cement industries. It provides long-term historical data tables and graphs for indicators most relevant to the cement industry which can show the development of trends over time.

The Yearbook contains detailed information covering U.S. and Canadian economic activity, cement consumption and supply, infrastructure, industry operating characteristics, and international economic trends.  In addition, the Yearbook includes an analysis of construction activity trends, company rankings, cement trade, and energy consumption.
Visit PCA’s bookstore to order

2012 Concrete Bridge Award Winners Announced

Seven winners have been named in PCA's Thirteenth Biennial Bridge Awards Competition.  The competition, instituted in 1988, recognizes excellence in design and construction of concrete bridges.  Roads and Bridges magazine was a cosponsor.

< The jurors honored the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, spanning the Black Canyon between Arizona and Nevada, with special recognition as an outstanding achievement.  “The bridge designers have gone above and beyond to provide a beautifully engineered and constructed bridge.  It stands in a class by itself.”

Additional winning projects were:

> Delta Ponds Pedestrian Bridge — Eugene, Oregon
> Bridge No. 207, Twyckenham Drive over St. Joseph River — South Bend, Indiana
> US 191 Colorado River Bridge — Moab, Utah
> I-64 Kanawha River Bridge — Kanawaha County, West Virginia
> South Maple Street Bridge — Enfield, Connecticut
> Wapello County Bridge — Wapello County, Iowa

The 2012 program attracted 22 entries from Canada and the United States, covering a variety of structure types and construction methods.  All structures were essentially completed between September 2009 and September 2011.

PCA will recognize the winners at the American Concrete Institute Fall 2012 Convention on October 21, in Toronto, Ontario.

Winning projects were selected based on creativity, functionality, aesthetics, sustainability, and economy in design and construction 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 Malcolm Kerley, chief engineer, Virginia Department of Transportation.
Contact Alpa Swinger

Old Dominion Freight Line Specs Concrete for the Future

Recognizing concrete’s superior performance in industrial settings, the management of Old Dominion Freight Lines recently specified concrete for the parking and loading area surrounding their green field inland port facility in Billings, Mont.

Although it was originally specified as asphalt, the new 10-acre parking lot will now be paved with about 11,000 cubic yards of long-lasting concrete.  The concrete parking lot will compliment the facility’s pre-cast concrete building and make the location a showcase for the concrete industry.  The project will be managed by Knife River Corporation’s office in Billings.
Contact Don A. Clem, PE

Free Registration to World of Concrete

World of Concrete 2013 will be held in Las Vegas on February 4-8, 2013.

The largest, most comprehensive commercial concrete and masonry event for the concrete industry features more than 1,500 exhibitors and more than 100 seminars and conference sessions.

As a cosponsor, PCA offers free admission and a discount on seminars to anyone who registers through our web site.

Additionally, PCA receives a rebate from Hanley-Wood based on the number of pre-registered attendees who come to the show.
For free registration and discounts on seminar fees, click here

NRMCA Adopts the 2030 Challenge for Products

The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) announced last week that it has signed on to the 2030 Challenge for Products to help concrete producers reduce their carbon footprint.

The 2030 Challenge for Products is a global challenge to specify and manufacture products that meet a carbon footprint of 30 percent below the product average through 2014, and subsequently improve on this reduction: 35 percent in 2015; 40 percent in 2020; 45 percent in 2025 and 50 percent in 2030.  Issued by Architecture 2030, the 2030 Challenge for Products builds on the widely adopted original 2030 Challenge, which calls for the operation of all new buildings and major renovations to be carbon neutral by 2030.

In support of the Challenge, NRMCA has become an EPD Program Operator to facilitate the development and verification of environmental product declarations (EPDs) and establish industry baselines for concrete.  EPDs are third-party verified (certified) reports published by product manufacturers that provide quality assured and comparable information regarding environmental performance of their products.  NRMCA has also helped develop a product category rule that provides instructions on how to conduct and report EPDs.

“Through NRMCA’s participation in the process of establishing industry baselines and facilitating the movement towards product reporting through EPDs, we hope to accelerate the concrete industry’s movement towards meeting the 2030 Challenge,” said Robert Garbini, NRMCA’s president.

Fall Board Meeting to be Held November 11-13

PCA’s Board of Directors will meet November 11-13, 2012, at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C.  

Also on the agenda are meetings of the CTLGroup Board and the Government Affairs Council. In addition, PCA chief economist Ed Sullivan will present his updated outlook for cement. A guest program is also planned. On-line registration is available at PCA’s Web site for both the hotel and the meeting.
Register at www.cement.org
Contact Jan Farnsworth