ASCE has honored Gonzalo R. Rada, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, with the 2020 Wilbur S. Smith Award for leadership and dedication to quality data contributing to important advances in pavement preservation, performance measures, deflection testing and forensic investigations, and to the establishment of the Long-Term Pavement Performance database.
Rada is a distinguished highway engineer whose work has contributed to important advances in pavement technology as well as to the establishment of the Federal Highway Administration Long-Term Pavement Performance database. He was a leading figure in the field of pavement management systems, being involved in the development or implementation of more than 100 airfield, highway, port and bridge systems throughout the world.
Contributions over the course of his career include the development of guidelines and methodologies for the rehabilitation of rigid pavement using asphalt concrete overlays. He has devoted significant time to the development of performance measures in support of the pavement decision-making process and to the structural evaluation of pavements at the network level.
Rada has also taught and conducted extensive trainings. Through workshops, webinars, publications and presentations, he educates the current and future generations of civil engineers in the field of pavement engineering.
The Wilbur S. Smith Award recognizes contributions to the enhancement of the civil engineer’s role in highway engineering.
