About the CP Road Map

What is the CP Road Map?

It's a 10-year innovative, strategic plan (published late 2005) outlining approximately $250 million in needed concrete pavement research. The CP Road Map's official title is the Long-Term Plan for Concrete Pavement Research and Technology. Learn more:

Why a Road Map?

The concrete pavement industry experienced more changes during the last 15 years than in the previous 90. Today’s new materials, construction equipment and methods, project requirements, and customer expectations require more dynamic solutions.

Research outlined in the CP Road Map is proactively reinventing concrete pavement systems to deliver 21st century results. The goal: A comprehensive, integrated, and fully functional system of concrete pavement technologies.

How was the Road Map developed?

Iowa State University-led team

  • Dale Harrington, National Concrete Pavement Technology Center (then the Center for Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Technology), principal administrator
  • Ted Ferragut, TDC Partners, Ltd, outreach team leader
  • Rob Rasmussen, The Transtec Group, research database developer
  • Michael Darter, ERES Consultants
  • Dan Zollinger, Texas A&M
  • Dave Fowler, University of Texas
  • Jim Cable, Iowa State University
  • Kejin Wang, Iowa State University
  • Scott Schlorholtz, Iowa State University
  • Frank McCullough, University of Texas

A team led by Iowa State University and sponsored by the FHWA conducted 5 major brainstorming sessions with stakeholders across the country between October 2003 and October 2004. More than 400 people participated, representing

  • State and local departments of transportation
  • FHWA
  • American Concrete Pavement Association, including several state chapters
  • Portland Cement Association
  • American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
  • National Ready Mixed Concrete Association
  • TRB/National Cooperative Highway Research Program committees
  • American Public Works Association
  • National Association of County Engineers
  • Contractors
  • Materials suppliers
  • Research universities especially departments conducting applied research
  • Private concrete testing laboratories

They provided input about critical needs related to 4 topics:

  1. Mixtures and materials
  2. Design
  3. Construction
  4. Pavement management/business systems

The team compared critical needs identified by stakeholders with a database of recent, current, and planned concrete pavement research. Obvious gaps not being filled by existing research became problem statements in the CP Road Map. The problem statements were categorized by track and subtrack, and critical links between them were established.

What’s innovative about it?

No tie to one agency or pot of money—The CP Road Map is by and for the national concrete pavement community.

New business model for funding and sharing research—Stakeholders voluntarily align opportunities to pool funds and intellectual resources in ad hoc research collaboratives. They share administrative costs.

Strategic—The CP Road Map combines more than 250 problem statements into 12 integrated research tracks. Each track has specific goals and a path for reaching the goals.

Rapid implementation—All research outlined in the CP Road Map includes mechanisms for quickly moving useful new products and systems to the field.

What are the tracks?

Volume 2 of the CP Road Map details 12 research tracks, numerous subtracks, and approximately 250 problem statements:

  1. Performance-Based Concrete Pavement Mix Design System
  2. Performance-Based Design Guide for New and Rehabilitated Concrete Pavements
  3. High-Speed Nondestructive Testing and Intelligent Construction Systems
  4. Optimized Surface Characteristics for Safe, Quiet, and Smooth Concrete Pavements
  5. Concrete Pavement Equipment Automation and Advancements
  6. Innovative Concrete Pavement Joint Design, Materials, and Construction
  7. High-Speed Concrete Pavement Rehabilitation and Construction
  8. Long-Life Concrete Pavements
  9. Concrete Pavement Accelerated and Long-Term Data Collection
  10. Concrete Pavement Performance
  11. Concrete Pavement Business Systems and Economics
  12. Advanced Concrete Pavement Materials
  13. Concrete Pavement Sustainability

Who’s involved?

Directory of people involved in the CP Road Map.

Executive Committee

The role of the Executive Committee is to provide overall guidance and coordination of the National CP Road Map Program. Responsibilities generally include the following:

  • Obtaining executive-level buy-in to the Road Map of stakeholder organizations.
  • Prioritizing tracks and determining track leaders.
  • Fostering collaborative sponsorships of research.
  • Globally reviewing research and identifying new or developing research areas.
  • Fostering research integration within and between the CP Road Maps 12 tracks.
  • Suggesting/promoting technology transfer activities and training activities.
  • Regularly evaluating progress of CP Road Map regularly.
  • Leading conduct of Track 11 (Business Systems).

Track Leadership Teams

The role of each track leadership team is to guide and coordinate the conduct of a specific research track in the CP Road Map. Responsibilities generally include the following: 

  • Validating and updating the track.
  • Facilitating partnerships to get the research funded and accomplished.
  • Establishing working groups as needed.
  • Ensuring integration within and among tracks.
  • Facilitating technology transfer and training.

Operations Support Group

The Operations Support Group is the hands and feet of the Executive Committee and, to some extent, of the Track Team Leaders. It conducts day-to-day operations that support the Executive Committee in fulfilling its responsibilities. Responsibilities generally include the following:

  • Providing technical and operations support to the Executive Committee (e.g., project management, communications activities, mechanisms for collaborative partnerships, general meeting support, etc.).
  • Conducting background research and providing suggestions to the Executive Committee.
  • Implementing Executive Committees decisions and policies.
  • Generating CP Road Map progress and financial reports for the Executive Committee and FHWA.
  • Generating progress and financial reports for the Executive Committee and FHWA regarding the pooled fund supporting the Operations Support Groups activities.
  • Developing and operating a framework for collaboration, the Collaboration Center.

Through a new pooled fund, State agencies are joining FHWA and industry in funding the critical services provided by the Operations Support Group.

Sustaining Organizations

Sustaining organizations include all concrete pavement stakeholder organizations, public and private, that participate in and support the National CP Road Map Program at some level at some time, and especially those who contribute to sustainable funding of Road Map professional operations/administrative services. Responsibilities generally include the following: 

  • Participating in the Executive Committee.
  • Participating in the Track Leadership Teams.
  • Collaboratively funding operations support services.
  • Using the Road Map to guide research priorities.
  • Funding research (individually or pooled).
  • Demonstrating commitment to the concept of collaboration for the good of the industry.
  • Conducting research as appropriate.

Organizations are participating in various ways:

Sustaining Organizations Roles
National Concrete Pavement Technology Center at Iowa State University (CP Tech Center)
American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA)
  • Passed a resolution committing its support to the CP Road Map, track 1
  • Co-leading initial implementation activities in track 1 (mix design and analysis)
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
  • Funded development of CP Road Map
  • Providing seed money for initial operations support services
  • Co-leading initial implementation activities in track 1 (mix design and analysis)
Midwest Concrete Consortium (MC2) Co-leading initial implementation activities in track 1 (mix design and analysis)
State DOTs Helping to fund operations support services through FHWA pooled fund solictation no. 1179, www.pooledfund.org/projectdetails.asp?id=1179&status=1.
ACPA
PCA
AASHTO RAC
AASHTO SCOR
FHWA/CPTP
FHWA/Turner Fairbanks Highway Research Center
National Ready-Mixed Concrete Association
TRB/NCHRP
TRB/Standing Technical Committees
SHRP-2
Texas DOT
ACRP
UTC program (to be identified)
Slag Cement Association
Coal Ash Association		 Represented on Executive Committee


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What’s happened recently?

2007

FHWA pooled fund

State agencies are demonstrating their support for the Road Map by joining an FHWA pooled fund to support operations services (solicitation no. 1179, www.pooledfund.org/projectdetails.asp?id=1179&status=1.) The extent to which state agencies step up and join FHWA and industry in funding these critical services will largely determine the extent to which the Road Map succeeds and states experience the potential benefits.

Overview of track activity as of September 2007 106kb pdf

The executive committee met biannually to strategize about how to address initial priorities:

  • Obtain executive-level buy-in from their respective organizations
  • Guide partnering and funds management
  • Prioritize tracks and identify track leaders

The National CP Tech Center began initial tasks:

  • Support executive committee and track leaders
  • Develop communication, collaboration, and reporting mechanisms
  • Implement a website and marketing plan
  • Update the Road Map database (continuing)
  • Etc.

The Midwest Concrete Consortium votes to co-lead track 1 (mix design and analysis) with FHWA and ACPA, demonstrating one model for collaborative track leadership.

2006

Stakeholders met to build momentum and begin implementing the Road Map’s management plan.

Collaborative work began on elements of track 4 (concrete pavement surface characteristics).

FHWA contracted with the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center (at Iowa State University) and provided short-term seed money for operations services.

The CP Tech Center began organizing the Road Map executive committee and updating the Road Map (a continuing process).

End 2005

The Iowa State University–led team, funded by FHWA and advised by hundreds of stakeholders via outreach activities, completed the CP Road Map (the 2-year effort is documented in volume 1 and an executive summary).