Contact: Larry Galehouse, National Center for Pavement Preservation, (517) 432-8220, galehou3@msu.edu; Laura Seeley, MSU College of Engineering, (517) 432-1303, lseeley@egr.msu.edu; or Tom Oswald, University Relations, (517) 355-2281, oswald@msu.edu
11/4/2003
EAST LANSING, Mich. � Preserving and maintaining our nation�s roads and highways is the aim of the new National Center for Pavement Preservation (NCPP), established at Michigan State University in partnership with the Foundation for Pavement Preservation (FP2).
�This center is a culmination and a milestone in which industry, government and academia have come together to benefit the taxpayer,� said Larry Galehouse, director of the NCPP. �Pavement preservation is just good public policy and the center stands ready to lead the effort.�
The NCPP � the realization of a collective national vision of pavement practitioners, policymakers, and industry � will lead collaborative efforts among government, industry and academia in the advancement of pavement preservation. The center�s purpose is to advance and improve pavement preservation practices through education, research management, outreach and technical hands-on assistance.
The center is the first and only one in the world according to W.R. Ballou, president of the FP2 and one of the key partners in initiating the NCPP.
�The NCPP represents and supports an industry of thousands of companies engaged in the business of preserving and maintaining our nation�s roads and highways � almost four million miles of them, with a replacement cost of nearly $2 trillion,� said Ballou. �The center�s value was envisioned more than 10 years ago. It is a vital first step to begin to manage the $1.75 trillion investment made by American taxpayers.�
�With the strong activity in pavement research, education, and outreach in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the center was a natural fit for us,� said Ronald Harichandran, chairperson of MSU�s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. �Our faculty have a strong record of excellence in pavement engineering. Their contributions will greatly enhance the success of the center.�
Among the faculty members with expertise in these areas are:
- Gilbert Baladi, MSU professor of civil and environmental engineering and the founding director of MSU�s Pavement Research Center of Excellence sponsored by the Michigan Department of Transportation, has expertise in the material characterization, design, nondestructive testing, and management of asphalt pavements.
- Neeraj Buch, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and current director of the MSU Pavement Research Center of Excellence, has expertise in the design, performance, and rehabilitation of concrete pavements.
- Karim Chatti, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, has expertise in pavement modeling, performance, and dynamics, including truck/pavement interaction.
�We are excited to be partnering with the Foundation for Pavement Preservation in this national center,� said Janie M. Fouke, dean of the College of Engineering. �With the NCPP staff�s long history of personal experience in managing highway systems and our faculty�s research expertise in civil engineering practices, I am confident that this new center will usher in an era of increasingly reliable and cost-effective maintenance of our nation�s roadways.�
The NCPP is supported by the Foundation for Pavement Preservation, the Federal Highway Administration, MSU, the College of Engineering, and other federal and state agencies.