The first large-scale use of Next Generation Concrete Surface for highways is drawing praise from government officials as well as nearby business owners and residents in Duluth, Minn. The 3.7-mile stretch of I-35 through the city features NGCS, a milled surface texture developed at Purdue University to produce the lowest tire-pavement noise while enhancing friction/skid resistance and improving pavement ride.

The surface provides a consistent profile without positive or upward texture. The uniform land profile design with all negative texture can be applied to new construction and existing-pavement rehab. The NGCS surface was developed through a partnership of the International Grooving and Grinding Association (IGGA), American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA), Portland Cement Association (PCA) and Purdue.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Concrete Paving Association of Minnesota and the International Grooving and IGGA recently hosted more than 50 contractors, suppliers and government agency representatives for a demonstration of NGCS construction methods and a tour of the I-35 project site, followed by a field demonstration of the On Board Sound Intensity (OBSI) tire-pavement noise testing apparatus.

The group heard was told about an enthusiastic response to thequieter road surface from the community. ”Response to the quieter ride has been overwhelming,” said John Roberts, executive director of the International Grooving and Grinding Association. “Residents have called in asking how the roads became so quiet.”

Pat Huston, a DOT construction engineer, said NGCS met the agency’s key requirements for the surface treatment: enhanced skid resistance, improved ride and reduced noise. With NGCS, a freeway with 240 vehicles will sound comparable to only 120 vehicles.