ICT Hosts Forum on Pavement Sustainability

Professor Imad Al-Qadi and ICT graduate student Pengcheng Shangaun explain how ground penetrating radar technology is used to Richard Wheeler, Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs; Illinois State Representative Naomi Jakobssen; Illinois State Senator David Koehler; and IDOT Secretary Ann Schnieder

 

Ensuring roadways are constructed with environmentally-friendly, safe, and durable materials is a concern that overlaps academic, government, and private sectors. The Illinois Center for Transportation (ICT) recently hosted a forum on pavement sustainability for concerned parties to discuss cutting-edge

developments in pavement sustainability and how research can be implemented to benefit the people of Illinois.
"Sustainability is one of ICT's foremost priorities," said ICT Director Imad Al-Qadi. "We are taking national leadership in saving energy, reducing emissions, and reducing reliance on natural resources. Our research is improving pavement service life while reducing costs and creating jobs." 


ICT leads the technical research portion of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT) research program. “We are leveraging two of the State’s

Illinois State Representative Chad Hays and IDOT Secretary Ann Schneider tour ICT research laboratories.

shining assets and that is the University of Illinois and our transportation system. I think it’s because we are leveraging those two assets that we are going to make Illinois a better place.” said Ann Schneider, IDOT Secretary of Transportation.

Illinois State Senator Martin A. Sandoval, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee stated, “State government would benefit from an enhanced partnership with ICT. Technology transfer and human capital development would put IDOT in a greater position to meet the challenges of the state of Illinois.”

Attendees included IDOT Secretary of Transportation Ann Schneider, Chief Operating Officer Marsha Campos, IDOT Acting Director of Highways Bill Frey, Illinois State Senators Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) and David Koehler (D-Peoria), and Illinois State Representatives Chad Hays (R-Catlin) and Naomi Jakobssen (D-Urbana). Representing the University of Illinois was Larry Schook, Vice President for Research, and representing the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were Richard Wheeler, Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost, Debashish Dutta, Dean of the Graduate College and Interim Vice Chancellor for Research, and Amr Elnashai, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Head. 

A variety of public and private sector representatives recently visited ICT to discuss pavement sustainability.