The UCPRC advances concrete pavement design and materials through research that connects mechanistic-empirical (ME) methods to observed pavement performance. By aligning design approaches with data from pilot projects and updated models, this work helps ensure that rigid pavement designs reflect actual field behavior. UCPRC evaluates and refines new materials, including supplementary cementitious materials, recycled fibers, and cold-recycled bases, and develops guidelines to support their use in practice. This approach improves durability, promotes sustainability, and strengthens the link between research, design, and long-term performance of California’s concrete pavements.
Current projects
PPRC Implementation Projects:
Sub-task: Provide support for rigid pavement design (known as Pavement ME) Concrete (SPE 2.12)
Sub-task: Monitor pilot projects of new rigid paving technologies Concrete (SPE 2.15)
Objective: Assist Caltrans with implementation projects, including providing support for the pavement management system (PaveM); flexible pavement design (CalME); rigid pavement design (Pavement ME); environmental life-cycle assessment (eLCAP); life-cycle cost assessment (RealCost-CA); and monitor pilot projects of new rigid paving technologies.
Project Manager: Jeremy Lea
Sponsor: Caltrans Division of Maintenance
Task Order: TO-017
(Also Asphalt pavements, Sustainability in pavements, and Pavement management systems)
Concrete and Asphalt Pavement Smoothness and Asphalt Quality Incentive/Disincentive Analysis (SPE 3.60)
Objective: Develop a web-based user-friendly tool for calculating pay factors for pavement smoothness for Caltrans concrete and asphalt pavements and for asphalt concrete (AC) materials.
Project Manager: John Harvey
Sponsor: Caltrans
Task Order: TO-006
(Also Asphalt Pavements)
Further Development and Piloting of Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs) in Concrete (SPE: 4.94)
Objective: Identify suitable substitute materials that can effectively replace the declining supplies of traditional SCMs (coal fly ash and GGBFS), ensuring the continued progress towards sustainable concrete production practices by reducing clinker content in the concrete.
Project Manager: Somayeh Nassiri
Sponsor: Caltrans
Task Order: TO-008
Regional and New Materials in Standard Materials Library and Implementation of Design Guidance (SPE: 3.61)
Objective: Continue expanding the CalME Standard Materials Library to improve design for flexible pavements in California.
Project Manager: Rongzong Wu
Sponsor: Caltrans
Task Order: TO-009
(Also Asphalt pavements and Recycling end of life pavements)
PPRC 20: Further Development Towards Implementation of Likely Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs) (SPE: 4.95)
Objective: Continue to identify and test alternative ASCMs that are abundantly available in California and help Caltrans move toward implementing these materials into concrete as they become available.
Project Manager: Somayeh Nassiri
Sponsor: Caltrans
Task Order: TO-011
PPRC 20: Towards Implementation of Recycled Fibers from Novel and Existing Source Materials in Concrete (SPE: 4.97)
Objective: Evaluate and identify the potential environmental and economic benefits of fibers in concrete pavements.
Project Manager: Somayeh Nassiri
Sponsor: Caltrans
Task Order: TO-016
Use of Cold Recycling as Base for Concrete Pavements
Objective: Evaluate the use of cold recycled (CR) materials as base for concrete pavements and develop guidelines for pilot implementation in the field. (SPE: 4.98)
Project Manager: Angel Mateos
Sponsor: Caltrans
Task Order: TO-018
(Also Recycling end of life pavements)
Modify CRCP Mechanistic-Empirical Models used in Pavement ME and Update Rigid Pavement Design Catalog for CRCP (SPE: 3.66)
Objective: Develop a mechanistic-empirical model for predicting the performance of continuously-reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP); work with AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) Committee on Materials and Pavements to implement the model in AASHTOWare Pavement ME software and, once the model is implemented, update CRCP section designs in the Caltrans Rigid Pavement Design Catalog.
Project Manager: Angel Mateos
Sponsor: Caltrans
Task Order: TO-019
Piloting of Cold Recycling and New Asphalt Base Designs and Interlayers for Concrete Pavements (SPE: 4.99)
Objective: Develop recommendations for designing new hot mix asphalt (HMA) bases for jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP) and continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP), and interlayers (bond-breakers) to be used between the JPCP slabs and the lean concrete bases (LCB).
Project Manager: Angel Mateos
Sponsor: Caltrans
Task Order: TO-020
(Also Asphalt pavements and Recycling end of life pavements)
Related Roadmaps
