AUSTIN, TX, November 5, 2010—On Friday, Oct. 15, 2010, The Transtec Group’s (Transtec) Vice President and Chief Engineer Dr. Robert Rasmussen accepted an award for “Best Technical Paper” at the 11th International Symposium on Concrete Roads (ISCR) in Seville, Spain. Rasmussen presented the paper, “Exposed Aggregate Concrete Pavement Design, Construction, and Functional Performance: A Comparison of European and U.S. Experiences,” on behalf of its seven contributors at the symposium’s closing session.

The Best Technical Paper Award was given for the first time in ISCR’s 50-year history, upon the initiative of EUPAVE, the European Concrete Paving Association. The paper was the only one among over 100 accepted and 150 submitted abstracts to receive the award. There were over 500 of the world’s top pavement scientists, researchers and engineers in attendance at the symposium.

According to Carlos Jofré Ibáñez, Chairman of the International Programme Technical Committee for ISCR, the paper received the honor because it gave an excellent description of technology transfer between Europe and the U.S., as well as a comprehensive portrayal of how exposed aggregate finishes are used in different countries.

The paper documents are an in-depth study of current practices for the design, construction, maintenance and rehabilitation of concrete pavements.  It presents concrete surfaces with exposed aggregates as a viable option to potentially reduce noise and increase safety and durability in the U.S., and identifies the possibility of applying lessons learned in the U.S. to projects in Europe. It was written as a cooperative effort by Rasmussen, Transtec project manager Sabrina Garber, Hermann Sommer (Wien, Austria), E. Tom Cackler (National Concrete Pavement Technology Center, Iowa State University, USA), Andrew Gisi (Kansas Department of Transportation, USA) and Gary Fick (Trinity Construction Management Services, Inc., USA).

About Dr. Robert Rasmussen: Dr. Rasmussen is internationally recognized for his exceptional technical abilities in all aspects of pavements, from materials to design to construction.  He has served as a Principal Investigator on numerous national level research projects and has overseen over $15 million of research, largely funded by FHWA and various state DOTs. He has authored dozens of papers and published reports, developed over 100 software applications, and conducted hundreds of presentations, workshops and short courses worldwide.

About the 11th International Symposium on Concrete Roads: From its first assembly held in Paris in 1969 the symposium has taken the lead in improving and promoting concrete pavement technologies on an international scale.  The 11th meeting focused on climate change, economical constraints, skills shortages, rising oil prices, careful planning, cost efficient designs, sustainable construction and a review of past experiences to promote innovation. This year’s event was cooperatively organized by EUPAVE, Oficemen (Spanish Cement Association), IECA (Spanish Institute of Cement and its Applications) and AFCA (Andalusian Cement Association). To learn more about the 11th International Symposium on Concrete Roads, please refer to EUPAVE’s summary of the symposium.

About The Transtec Group: The Transtec Group is a pavement engineering firm that provides expertise in pavement design, research, construction, rehabilitation, software development, Public-Private Partnership (P3) projects and technology transfer for the transportation industry. A DBE and MBE firm, Transtec is a leader in Design-Build transportation projects worldwide. Transtec is based in Austin, Texas and serves clients throughout the world. For more information, please visit www.TheTranstecGroup.com.