Traumatic Brain Injury in Iowa: An Analysis of Core Surveillance Data 2006-2008, July 15, 2011

Termed the “silent epidemic”, traumatic brain injury is the most debilitating outcome of injury characterized by the irreversibility of its damages, long-term effects on quality of life, and healthcare costs. The latest data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that nationally 50,000 people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) die each year; three times as many are hospitalized and more than twenty times as many are released from emergency room departments (ED) (CDC, 2008)1. The purpose of this report is to describe the epidemiology of TBI in Iowa to help guide policy and programming. TBI is a result of an external force which transfers energy to the brain. Stroke is caused by a disruption of blood flow in the brain that leads to brain injury. Though stroke is recognized as the 3rd leading cause of death nationally2, and is an injury that affects the brain it does not meet the definition a traumatic brain injury and is not included in this report.

Thin Bonded Concrete Overlay with Fast Track Concrete, Final Report, HR-531, 1990

Pavements have been overlaid with thin bonded portland cement concrete (PCC) for several years. These projects have had traffic detoured for a period of 5-10 days. These detours are unacceptable to the traveling public and result in severe criticism. The use of thin bonded fast track overlay was promoted to allow a thin bonded PCC overlay with minimal disruption of local traffic. This project demonstrated the concept of using one lane of the roadway to maintain traffic while the overlay was placed on the other and then with the rapid strength gain of the fast track concrete, the construction and local traffic is maintained on the newly placed, thin bonded overlay. The goals of this project were: 1. Traffic usage immediately after placement and finishing. 2. Reduce traffic disruption on a single lane to less than 5 hours. 3. Reduce traffic disruption on a given section of two-lane roadway to less than 2 days. 4. The procedure must be economically viable and competitive with existing alternatives. 5. Design life for new construction equivalent to or in excess of conventional pavements. 6. A 20 year minimum design life for rehabilitated pavements.

Fast Track and Fast Track II - Cedar Rapids, Iowa, HR-544, Construction Report, 1989

Two lanes of a major four lane arterial street needed to be reconstructed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The traffic volumes and difficulty of detouring the traffic necessitated closure for construction be held to an absolute minimum. Closure of the intersections, even for one day, was not politically feasible. Therefore, Fast Track and Fast Track II was specified for the project. Fast Track concrete paving has been used successfully in Iowa since 1986. The mainline portion of the project was specified to be Fast Track and achieved the opening strength of 400 psi in less than twelve hours. The intersections were allowed to be closed between 6 PM and 6 AM. This could occur twice - once to remove the old pavement and place the base and temporary surface and the second time to pave and cure the new concrete. The contractor was able to meet these restrictions. The Fast Track II used in the intersections achieved the opening strength of 350 psi in six to seven hours. Two test sections were selected in the mainline Fast Track and two intersections were chosen to test the Fast Tract II. Both flexural and compression specimens were tested. Pulse velocity tests were conducted on the pavement and test specimens. Maturity curves were developed through monitoring of the temperatures. Correlations were performed between the maturity and pulse velocity and the flexural strengths. The project was successful in establishing the feasibility of construction at night, with no disruption of traffic in the daytime, using fast Track II. Both the Fast Track II pavements were performing well four years after construction.