Concrete & aggregates

ASTM releases standard supporting concrete recycling

ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, has released a new standard that is expected to help manufacturing plants better recycle returned fresh concrete. The organization says the standard will support the growth in sustainable construction practices.

The standard was developed by ASTM’s committee on concrete. It covers process, verification and record keeping procedures for such recycling.

“In other words, recycled fresh concrete can be treated as a raw-material component just like water, aggregates and cement,” says Rich Szecsy, an ASTM member.

ASTM says owners and end users will benefit since from the new standard as it will help lower the environmental impacts of construction.

Florida I-4 Ultimate Improvement project receives Envision Platinum recognition

The Interstate 4 (I-4) Ultimate Improvement Project in central Florida has earned the Envision Platinum recognition from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI), Washington, for its sustainability efforts on the I-4 reconstruction project. This is reportedly the first project in Florida to receive recognition from ISI’s Envision sustainable infrastructure rating system.

The I-4 Ultimate Project involves the reconstruction of 21 miles of roadway infrastructure from west of Kirkman Road in Orange County, Florida, through downtown Orlando, extending to the east of State Road 434 in Seminole County.

The I-4 Mobility Partners (I-4MP), the public-private partnership rebuilding Interstate 4 through Central Florida, earned the Envision Platinum award for its ongoing programs to minimize environmental impacts, including recycling 99 percent of the concrete and steel removed from roads and bridges, relocating protected wildlife, using efficient machinery, controlling stormwater runoff and planting non-invasive vegetation. The project also facilitates the use of alternative transportation by integrating rail projects and improving pedestrian crossings and connections with bike trails.

A benefit of the project will be the improvement of traffic flow by easing congestion with the addition of four new variable toll express lanes and the reconstruction of 15 major interchanges, which includes widening 13 bridges, replacing 74 bridges and adding 53 new bridges along with a pedestrian overpass on Kirkman Road and a pedestrian bridge at Maitland interchange.

Several industry leaders formed the I-4MP team to design, build, finance and operate the project through a 40-year public-private partnership concession agreement with a total design and construction cost of $2.32 billion dollars.