Massachusetts Concrete & Aggregate Producers Association Executive Director Craig Dauphinais recently was called into a situation at the University of Massachusetts' Amherst campus by NRMCA member Ralph Olds with Construction Services, Inc., a division of Carroll Concrete in NH. The university has experienced some deterioration on some sidewalks on campus and is planning more sidewalk construction for the spring and summer. NRMCA’s Senior Director, Local Paving, Doug O’Neill was also called in to assist them in addressing school officials' concerns.

The promotion team of Olds, O'Neill and Dauphinais met with university facilities personnel, members of the design team, the general contractor and the concrete contractor. They visited the sites of concern beforehand and then addressed the specific issues associated with the deteriorated pavement. One of the contributing factors was that the university had been specifying 5,000 psi concrete in an attempt to improve the performance, yet it may have added to some of the problems since it made placement more difficult for the contractor, O'Neill said. Proper placement techniques, proper curing and jointing were also discussed and a follow-up meeting has been scheduled to help them understand ACI 330, and review steps they can take to prevent further scaling and cracking problems. A Design Assistance Program project customized for the university has also been completed; the promotion team stressed that future parking lot paving projects should include a legitimate concrete alternate in order to provide a competitive balance.