Nevada rocks! – And so did NICC 2022!

“Nevada rocks!” was how NDOT Director Kristina Swallow described the State’s Sustainability efforts through the State of Nevada Climate Initiative, as she kicked off the 20th Annual Nevada Infrastructure Concrete Conference, which took place on November 2^nd at the Atlantis Casino Resort in Reno.

“Concrete is an essential construction material that helps us build infrastructure to keep our communities safe and connected,” Swallow stated. “Concrete provides strength behind bridges, hydraulics facilities, pavements, and more.

“We worked with industry experts and stakeholders, such as the Nevada AGC and the California Nevada Cement Association, to draft new state standards to use Portland limestone cement (PLC),” she continued. “The new standards will reduce carbon emissions within the production process by about 9% while performing similarly to standard cement. Overall, by using PLC, we anticipate reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 4,000 tons per year, equivalent to approximately 870 fewer cars on the road!

“It’s about reducing the carbon footprint of Nevada highway construction while maintaining quality, durability, and longevity.”

That opening statement from NDOT Director Swallow set the tone for the conference and reflected the content of many of the presentations at NICC 2022. From Big-Picture Sustainability to Carbon Reduction Methodologies to Recycling Concrete, the 21 speakers on this year’s agenda took the audience through all of the current practices that the industry is developing and implementing to minimize the carbon output from cement manufacturing. Presentations also included new monitoring and evaluation systems that are coming into use that will provide verifiable data on products’ and procedures’ reduced carbon output.

In the NICC 2022 afternoon session, two breakouts were featured: Innovations in Pavement & Materials and Innovations in Bridge Construction, with specialized presentations that covered technical concrete subjects.

This year, more than 180 individuals participated in the conference, including 24 Graduate and Undergrad Engineering Students from the University of Nevada, Reno, who were generously sponsored by Ames Construction.

Enjoy this pictorial account of the Speakers and Presentations that made NICC 2022 such a dynamic, engaging, and rewarding experience.

Deputy Director Darin Tedford acknowledged the outstanding efforts of the NDOT Teams over the past year.

NDOT Assistant Chief Project Management Lynnette Russell and Chris Koenig, Design-Build Contract Manager at Kiewit presented the NICC 2022 Spotlight Project – The I-15 Tropicana Project, which has proven to require as much diplomatic schedule coordination as concrete paving expertise, due to all of the high-rolling stakeholders that the project directly affects in the Las Vegas metropolitan area.

Dr. Tom Van Dam, Principal of NCE, expounded on the balance of efficiently building concrete infrastructure in his presentation, Sustainability, Carbon Reduction & The BIG Picture.

Jacquelyn Wong, Chief, Office of Central Laboratories, Materials Engineering and Testing Services at Caltrans, provided insight from the client’s point-of-view with her presentation,The Owner’s Perspective: Putting All of the Sustainable Pieces Together.

Efficient Design of Concrete Mixtures with Alternative SCM – Design-Efficient Concrete Mixtures Reduce the Carbon Footprint was expertly presented by Dr. Jason Weiss, Edwards Distinguished Professor at Oregon State University.

Dr. Tara Cavalline of UNC Charlotte examined the essential green principle of reuse with her presentation, Recycling Concrete Pavement into Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA).

Dr. Milena Rangelov of VitalMetrics Group, at the podium, was a member of the distinguished panel that presented The Current Role of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Their Future Impact on the Industry. Moderating the panel was Dr. Tom Van Dam, left, with panelists Lianna Miller and Jacquelyn Wong.

Lianna Miller, EPD Automation Lead at WAP Sustainability Consulting, actively engaged the audience during her panel presentation and generated more than a few smiles.

Aesthetics and a bit of alchemy were elements of the luncheon presentation by Euclid Chemical’s Brent Coulson on Decorative/Architectural Colored Concrete.

Nathan Forrest, Technical Director at the California Nevada Cement Association (CNCA), presented the sustainability efforts underway within the industry with Moving Towards Carbon-Neutral Cement & Concrete.

Dr. Peter Taylor, Director of the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center at Iowa State University, launched the Innovations in Pavement & Materials breakout session with his presentation, Internal Curing for Concrete Pavements.

Dr. Somayeh Nassiri, Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Pavement Research Center (UCPRC), followed Dr. Taylor with her presentation on Concrete Pavement Overlays.

Bringing his extensive experience from his work in Colorado, Matt Fonte, Fonte & Co. shared his knowledge on Paving Sub-50 IRI Concrete Pavements – The Ins and Outs.

Wrapping up Innovations in Pavement & Materials, Matt Murphy, Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Precision Concrete Materials, spoke on the benefits of Volumetric Mixing.

In the other breakout session, Innovations in Bridge Construction, Oscar Antommattei, Chief Concrete Engineer & Materials, Engineering Manager at Kiewit, opened up the session with his presentation on the Thermal Aspects of Concrete Design & Construction.

Following Antommattei was Zach Haber, Structural Engineer, Bridge Engineering Team, Office of Infrastructure Research and Development, FHWA, who presented UHPC for Bridge Preservation & Repair: State of the Practice in the U.S.

Greg Guecia of Master Builders took the room on a road trip, traveling away from metro work, and offered Concrete Solutions for Remote Project Locations.

Wrapping up the afternoon, David Chase, NDOT Assistant Chief Structures Engineer – Design, and Nathan Harrison, Senior Structures Engineer, Structures Division, NDOT, brought everyone back to the Spotlight Project in Las Vegas and jointly presented Precast Concrete Tub Girders on Centennial Bowl Phase 3D.

A Tip of the Hard Hat to Our Exhibiting Sponsors!

A big thanks goes out to the host of companies that support and exhibit at the Nevada Infrastructure Concrete Conference each year. Here are this year’s Exhibitors & Sponsors.

Ames Construction, with many of the UNR Engineering students they sponsored to attend NICC 2022. Dr. Elie Hajj, Professor at UNR, far right, was a partner in bringing the students to the conference.