Pavement researcher EB Lee receives Global Road Achievement Award
(click on the picture or this link to run the simulation pictured at left or download the wmv file)
Eul-Bum Lee, associate researcher at the UC Pavement Research Center and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), received a Global Road Achievement Award in October from the International Road Federation for the development of a software program used in highway rehabilitation. (See NewsBITS Spring 2007 article, "Software that speeds up pavement rehabilitation.")
The program, “Construction Analysis for Pavement Rehabilitation Strategies,” or CA4PRS, received the IRF’s Global Road Achievement Award for research, one of 12 categories recognized by the international organization.
The software program weighs variables such as the construction window of time, number of lanes to be closed during construction, material selection, pavement base type, and contractor logistics to come up with the optimal balance to achieve the greatest efficiency in use of time and resources.
The software program, which is under license by the UC Regents, has been field-tested on various high-traffic urban freeway rehabilitation projects, including I-10 and I-710 in southern California, where it has saved time and money, according to Randell Iwasaki, Chief Deputy Director, California Department of Transportation.
It is especially welcome at a time when most of the busiest highways in the U.S. are long overdue for rehabilitation.
The International Road Federation is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1948 to bring together public and private entities committed to road development. The annual awards program was established in 2000 and was aimed at recognizing outstanding achievements in research, innovation, design, environmental responsibility, safety, and management.
