Western NY Design Firm Sees Benefits of Moving from Prescriptive-to-Performance Specifications

A team consisting of Technical Services Manager Tom Leasure with NRMCA Producer member The Dolomite Group in Rochester, NY, and Doug O’Neill, senior director, national resources with NRMCA, recently presented to a regional design firm in the Western NY area on the concept of moving from prescriptive specifications to performance-based specifications. Leasure gave the group of civil engineers an overview of the New York Construction Materials Association's efforts through its Section 501 Committee to help rewrite the NYS DOT’s specifications allowing contractors to come in with their own designed mixes that will be pre-verified to meet certain performance requirements. The group understood the hard work the committee has been undertaking and appreciates how these changes with help make designers and contractors lives easier when dealing with DOT work.

 

O’Neill was given time to share with the group the advances of pervious concrete technology over the last few years in northern climates. Greg Novitzki with the New York Construction Materials Association provided photos of pervious projects that have been completed throughout the state; the group's questions were addressed pertaining to durability issues. New technologies, including RCC and SCC, were also discussed with some interest expressed for further information on both.

For more information, contact Doug O'Neill at doneill@nrmca.org.