A representative for the portland cement industry in Kansas and a former Kansas Department of Transportation pavement engineer recently penned a letter to a Kansas newspaper explaining the many factors that influence the long-term performance of concrete pavements in the area — subgrade and subbase preparation, concrete mix design, finishing and curing, jointing, traffic loading, the environment and materials (which include aggregates). The representative, Todd Latorella, executive director of the Missouri/Kansas Chapter of the American Concrete Pavement Association, calls for "raising the bar" on aggregates.