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EUPAVE workshop showcases the evolution of load transfer in concrete pavements

19/05/2025

On Wednesday, 14 May 2025, EUPAVE held its 10th Workshop on Best Practices in Concrete Paving at its offices in Brussels and online. This hybrid event focused on “Dowels and tie-bars in concrete pavements” and brought together around 15 participants in person and 50 online attendees.

The workshop explored both theoretical concepts and field experience related to load transfer systems in concrete pavements.

Luc Rens, Technical Director of EUPAVE, opened the event with an introduction to the topic.

The first presentation was given by Dirk Brentzel, CEO of Otto Brentzel. Dirk shared his perspective on “More than 50 years of reliable load transfer solutions in Europe,” highlighting the durability and performance of established dowel technologies.

The second presentation on “Glass fibre reinforced products, are you ready for the future?” was delivered by Tom Roos, CEO of Roos Groep. He introduced innovative materials and discussed their potential to shape the future of pavement reinforcement.

Anne Beeldens, owner of AB-Roads, followed with a talk titled “From design to practice,” bridging the gap between theoretical design principles and real-world implementation.

After a short coffee break Pascal Buys, owner of Robuco, discussed “the techniques of dowel bar retrofitting and cross stitching”. He detailed practical methods for enhancing pavement performance through post-construction interventions.

The final presentation was given by Luc Rens who presented “Standardisation of dowels – where are we now?”, offering a comprehensive overview of current developments and harmonisation efforts at European level.

The event and Q&A session was moderated by Jeroen de Vrieze from Cement&Beton Centrum, Chairman of EUPAVE’s Working Group on Best Practices.

A cocktail reception for in-person attendees concluded the workshop.

EUPAVE thanks all the speakers for their valuable contributions, as well as all participants for their interest and active engagement throughout the event.

More information on FRP dowels

Recently, the American Concrete Institute Center for NonMetallic Materials (ACI-NEx) published a new report on the use of “FRP dowels in concrete pavements” – including all aspects: materials, design, construction and performance (in the U.S.). It also includes references from Europe (Belgium) and Québec (see Appendix A). The document is available for free through the following link; you will find it in the lower right hand corner : Publications | NEx