At a recent ASCE chapter meeting, the Director of Engineering of the Gulfport Port Authority gave a presentation on various projects related to the Port. I mention this because PCI recently formed a Ports and Marine Committee to support the growing interaction with ports and other facilities in the marine environment. Anyone living along the coast understands how destructive (and beautiful) a water environment can be, and the amount of infrastructure it takes to build in this environment.
One aspect that surprised me the most about the presentation was the amount of work the port gives to the local community (design consultants, construction, and employment) and the state where it resides. For example, $ 114.8 million in state and local taxes are paid annually, and over the last three projects, $ 91 million has been paid to local engineering, geotechnical, and consultant firms. This doesn’t even account for employment and infrastructure development that is needed for local commerce. This figure provides a small insight into the impact a major storm like Katrina can have on the ports along the Gulf Coast. We must ensure that design and construction meet these growing challenges as the newly formed Ports and Marine Committee embarks in this new territory.
Meet Our Associates:
Mixer Systems
Mixer Systems prides itself on being a one-stop resource for precast concrete batch plants. An 86,000-square-foot facility houses advanced product planning, state-of-the-art manufacturing, and the capability of designing and constructing concrete batch plants from the ground up. The product line is the largest family of equipment in the industry, with concrete technologies made in America and built with American reliability to stand up to the challenges of the world of concrete.
Precast Content We Think You Might Like!
Free Transportation eLearning Module Courses Available
PCI is proud to announce the availability of four more free transportation-related eLearning modules in the new Learning Management System (LMS). They are: Course T515: Geometry of Straight Bridges; Course T517: Curved Bridge Geometry; Course T350: Introduction, Implementation, and Delivery; Course T353: Modeling, Analysis, and Design.
PCIGS Project Profile: Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
To improve safety on the heavily traveled Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, a major upgrade added twelve 1008’-long precast pullover lanes using a Construction-Manager-At-Risk (CMAR) approach. Innovative offsite precast fabrication and barge-mounted erection methods allowed construction to proceed with minimal disruption to traffic, addressing the bridge’s lack of shoulders while enhancing safety and durability.
PCGS Blog: Evaluating the Life Cycle of Precast Concrete
Precast concrete is unique among building materials because of its affordability, toughness, and adaptability. By analyzing its extensive life cycle assessment, affordability, resilience, and environmental sustainability, we reveal its significant influence on contemporary building methods and infrastructure advancement.
Boost Your Expertise Over Lunch with PCI!
Take a break, grab your lunch, and power up your knowledge! PCI’s Learn at Lunch sessions offer architects and engineers a convenient, one-hour deep dive into key topics like precast concrete hollow-core floors and walls, architectural precast, parking structures, GFRC, high-performance precast, and more. Perfectly designed for a conference room or classroom setting, these sessions make it easy to stay current, sharpen your skills, and discover innovative solutions—all without missing a beat in your busy day.
2025 Gulf Coast Student Symposium
The 2025 ASCE Gulf Coast Student Symposium this year turned out to be a huge success!
The first day of events was held at Lake Tiak O’Khata, in Louisville, MS, about 45 minutes south of Starkville. That was the location this year’s Prestressed Mini-beam competition construction and casting took place. The competition was comprised of 10 teams from Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, which competed in the two-day event. Starting at 8 am, the students had until 3 pm to design, build, and cast their mini beams. The cured beams were loaded and transported to the Richard A. Rula Engineering and Science Complex at Mississippi State University on Saturday morning. The students removed the casting forms and submitted their final estimated load calculations.
As has been done in the last two years, a test beam, made by the judges, was broken as a reference for the teams. With no prestressing forces (or any other reinforcement), the test beam broke at 100 lbs. of load. The competition has two criteria upon which the teams are judged. The maximum load the beam can carry and the difference between the estimated and maximum load. The heaviest load carried this year was 652 lbs. by Mississippi State. It was a regional record, I might add. The smallest percentage difference between actual and estimated load was Louisiana Tech with a percent difference of .8%. Yes, less than 1%! The overall winner was Mississippi State, followed by Auburn University and Louisiana Tech, rounding out at third.
Looking forward to seeing the teams next year at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa!
2025 Louisiana Transportation Conference
Held at the Raising Cane Convention Center in Baton Rouge, LA, the biannual Louisiana Transportation Conference began on March 17th, 2025. The conference had two venues. The first was the education portion of the event, which included topics from bridge maintenance to innovations to traffic engineering design.
The second part of the conference was the exhibitor area. During breaks, the attendees cruised through the vendor area and spoke with various companies about their expertise and knowledge on topics from design, materials, services, projects, and processes such as hydro demolition.
The attendees, which was what really made the conference shine, ranged from every department within DOTD to design professionals/consultants to academic research fellows to students. This year, the conference had a graduate student poster competition.
The city of Baton Rouge made visitors feel welcome, with the downtown development and wonderful parks along the Mississippi River. Here’s to 2027!
This new publication is a comprehensive presentation of practical information on current design, detailing, fabrication, transportation, and installation procedures for prestressed concrete piles used to support buildings, bridges, marine, or other ancillary structures.
Bridge Design Manual Chapter 15 Fourth Edition 2025
We’re excited to announce the release of the 2023 PCI Bridge Design Manual 4th Edition. This update comes after many years of committee and expert efforts. This manual has been recognized as a comprehensive guide since 1997.
BM 20-25 Precast, Prestressed Piles 2nd Edition 2025
The Bridge Design Manual, Fourth Edition, Chapter 15 includes many new examples, which reference the latest research in seismic design. Chapter 15 was also reorganized, with background information moved to an appendix, to simplify its use.
PCI Bridge Design Manual Update
ASPIRE - Spring 2025
Discover the latest issue of ASPIRE and explore how precast is being used across the country for bridge projects of all sizes. Read through studies highlighting concrete bridge technology and get insights from professors and engineers alike on the future of precast in bridge design.
Highlights from the Spring 2025 issue includes:
U.S. Route 395 North Spokane Corridor Spokane River Crossing
More Greek for You to Consider
A Crack Is Not a Crack: End Region Cracking in Prestressed Concrete Components
PCI Gulf South Events
2025 Productivity Tour
May 6-8, 2025
Austin, TX
PCI Gulf South Summer Meeting
July 10-12, 2025
Fort Walton Beach, FL