The transportation bill signed by President George W. Bush sends $10 million to Iowa State’s Center for Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Technology.

The bill, signed on Aug. 10, provides money for research projects and to leverage more funding for research from pavement industries and state transportation departments.

“We are very happy with the amount that we received in the bill, and we appreciate the support from our congressional representatives,” said Tom Cackler, director of the center.

“We were the lead agency and principal investigators in coming up the with national research budget.”

The plan calls for about $250 million of research over the next 10 years nationwide.

Research goals cover finding better ways to design concrete mixes, restoration and preservation and quieter and smoother pavement.

“We will be working with a research board to help identify projects that require research and decide with that board what areas to pursue,” Cackler said.

Part of the center’s responsibilities are to develop and use programs that allow them to identify what areas of concrete production need to be examined, researched and tested.

“We will be using some of the funds to develop a CP road map program and using that program to develop strategic plans to test different mix designs and field control of mixing,” Cackler said.

One of the new developments the center is looking forward to researching are the surface characteristics of concrete that allow drivers to experience smoother and quieter surfaces without compromising safety, said Mark Anderson-Wilk, communications specialist for the Center for Transportation Research and Education.

The center completed testing of a new type of high performance concrete this June. This high performance concrete is now being used in the construction of a bridge in Wapello County, the first in the U.S. to use the new concrete.