Loading ...In early June, representatives from the American Composites Manufacturers Association’s (ACMA) Transportation Structures Council (TSC) attended the International Building Code (IBC) conference in Pittsburgh. The group’s aim is to obtain language in the transportation bill that promotes the specification, design and construction of long-life bridges and other highway structures, and to also emphasize the role composites can play in this development.
According to John Busel, director of the Composites Growth Initiative for ACMA, there were representatives from 35 departments of transportation (DOT) and 12 other agencies and municipalities focused on bridge product specification. “Given that this is a down year and budgets are mostly frozen, this was very good to see,” he says.
Over 1,500 people attended the conference, and the TSC noticed a trend among the hordes of attendees stopping by their booth: more specific composites questions. Busel says that in the past, most people would not know what a composite was and would ask very broad questions as a result. This year, the inquiries were more detailed, talking about what composites could do and how they could be used in specific situations. “That tells me that FRP is becoming more mainstream, and that people understand that it’s one of the main materials that can be used for infrastructure,” he notes.
This more probing inquiry extended to the TSC’s technical workshop as well. Approximately 60 attendees spanned the six presentations of the workshop, many of whom were new faces to the TSC. Busel noted the fact that it was the first workshop in the session, was held during a closed exhibit hall and only a few technical papers running against it, helped increase its exposure to IBC attendees.
However, while people were more open and receptive to applying composites, budgetary concerns loomed over the proceedings. “Everyone was certainly bemoaning the fact that there’s not much out there,” says Busel. This is why the TSC is focusing its efforts on Congress and the Transportation Bill. DOTs can start a ripple effect by committing to suppliers of products on projects that will be built if they’re infused with the proper funding, which will then result in contractors getting their crews involved.
Buoyed by the optimistic perception change, the TSC will begin implementing tactics to help their efforts for this bill. These include monthly email updates, a briefing at the annual Composites Caucus and extending invitations to House Members and Senate District Staff for tours of manufacturing facilities and bridge installations.
