History
Since its inception in 2000, the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center (CP Tech Center) has been uniting public agencies, industry, and academia to change practice, resulting in direct, comprehensive, and national impacts for the entire concrete pavement community.
View the expanded historical timeline below.
2000–2009
2000
The Center for Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Technology (PCC Center) is established at Iowa State University (Iowa State) with support from the Iowa Concrete Paving Association (ICPA) and the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT). Dale Harrington serves as its first Director.
2002
The Portland Cement Concrete Pavement and Materials Research Laboratory (PCC Lab), is dedicated in Iowa State’s Town Engineering building, with funding from ICPA, Iowa State, and Iowa DOT.
2003
The Material and Construction Optimization for Prevention of Premature Pavement Distress in PCC Pavements (MCO) Pooled Fund effort gets underway. Sixteen states participate in this five-year pooled fund study.
2005
The PCC Center is nationally chartered as the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center (CP Tech Center), with additional support from the American Concrete Pavement (ACPA) (and later the Portland Cement Association [PCA]).
Tom Cackler is appointed Director.
The CP Road Map (or Long-Term Plan for Concrete Pavement Research and Technology) first publishes, aiming to prioritize and coordinate the nation’s concrete pavement research.
2006
The first edition of the Integrated Materials and Construction Practices for Concrete Pavement: A State-of-the-Practice Manual (IMCP Manual) is published.
2007
The first edition of the popular Guide to Concrete Overlay Solutions is published, helping practitioners understand concrete overlays and develop confidence in their application. Three subsequent editions of this guide have since been published.
2008
The National Concrete Consortium (NC2) is established. This pooled fund (currently supported by 36 states) organizes biannual NC2 meetings, attracting nearly 200 concrete stakeholders from industry, agency, and academia.
2010–2019
2012
The Next Generation Concrete Pavement Road Map, a holistic strategic plan for concrete pavement research and technology transfer is published.
The CP Tech Center is awarded $2.5 million for a five-year Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) cooperative agreement titled Technology Transfer of Concrete Pavement Technologies. The funding is later raised to ~$5 million.
2015
Peter Taylor is appointed as the new Director of the CP Tech Center in the wake of Tom Cackler’s retirement from Iowa State.
2016
The CP Tech Center signs a membership agreement with the National Road Research Alliance (NRRA), which operates the world-class MnROAD test facility.
The Performance Engineered Concrete Pavement Mixtures (PEM) Pooled Fund starts. The FHWA, 19 state DOTs, and 4 national associations representing the concrete paving industry unite to fund this five-year effort.
2018
The CP Tech Center is awarded its second competitively bid five-year FHWA cooperative agreement (totaling $10 million), titled Advancing Concrete Pavement Technology Solutions.
The second edition of the IMCP Manual is published.
2020–2025
2020
The CP Tech Center is awarded the management of the Airport Concrete Pavement Technology Program (ACPTP), a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-funded, $3 million annual cooperative agreement focused on applied research.
2021
Dale Harrington is recognized with an honorary membership in the International Society for Concrete Pavements (ISCP), which is given to “individuals that have provided exemplary service to the Society and/or to the improvement of concrete pavement technology.” The CP Tech Center holds a celebration to mark the occasion.
2022
The Performance Centered Concrete Construction (P3C) Pooled Fund is initiated. With support from 12 state agencies, this P3C initiative will assure that any new concrete pavement or overlay will last for the intended period, with a minimum of distress, at a low life-cycle cost in an increasingly sustainable way.
2023
The National Concrete Pavement Technology Center concluded a joint five-year project with the Federal Highway Administration, 19 state transportation agencies, 7 paving chapters, and 4 national associations that focused on improving the long-term performance of concrete pavements through performance-engineered mixtures (PEM).
2024
The CP Tech Center is awarded a five-year $6.7 million FHWA cooperative agreement, with a focus on Development and Deployment of Innovative Technologies for Concrete Pavements. The agreement supports the six Accelerated Implementation and Deployment of Pavement Technologies (AID-PT) program goals, the PEM program, and P3C program and will harness the imagination of experienced experts and energetic emerging leaders to rapidly move innovations through implementation to improve everyday practice.
2025
The CP Tech Center celebrates 25 years since its inception.
