66th Illinois Bituminous Paving Conference highlights safety, resilience

Illinois Center for Transportation hosted the 66th Illinois Bituminous Paving Conference on Dec. 9-10, 2025, at the I Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign.

Nearly 300 industry, government and academic professionals attended to participate in technical sessions, connect with exhibitors and experts, earn professional development hours and stay informed on the latest advancements in bituminous paving.

This year’s conference focused on safe and resilient pavements, offering insights into emerging research, materials and practices aimed at improving pavement performance and sustainability.

The conference awards committee honored five individuals for their outstanding contributions to the field:

• Lara Diab, a doctoral student in The Grainger College of Engineering and ICT graduate research assistant, received the Marshall Thompson Student Research Award. Her research integrates environmental and social sustainability into asphalt and pavement engineering, including development of a pavement life cycle assessment tool to support real-world decision-making.
• Ramez Hajj, a University of Illinois professor and ICT’s asphalt materials lead, was awarded the IAPA Bituminous Innovative Research Award. He leads research on asphalt binders and mixtures, including bio-binders, and has advanced solvent-based extraction methods and binder performance testing.
• Kelly Senger, chief chemist at Illinois Department of Transportation, received the Barry Dempsey Bituminous Technical Contribution of the Year Award. Her work includes research on alternative solvents for asphalt extraction, testing of asphalt additives, and performance-based evaluation of binder behavior, along with national leadership through the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
• Patrick Koester, vice president of production at Howell Paving, was honored with the Imad Al-Qadi Leadership in Bituminous Engineering Award. He oversees hot-mix asphalt production and quality control operations and has demonstrated sustained leadership in advancing industry best practices.
• Bill Pine received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his long-standing dedication to the bituminous and flexible pavement field. He began his career with IDOT’s District 5 and now serves as quality control director of asphalt technology at Heritage Construction & Materials, guiding asphalt quality and performance across multiple companies.

Chaired by ICT Director and Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering Imad Al-Qadi, the conference has served as a cornerstone for professionals in the bituminous paving industry for more than six decades.

This year’s success was made possible by the efforts of moderators, the conference committee, IDOT, and the conference’s sponsors and exhibitors.

The 67th Illinois Bituminous Paving Conference will take place Dec. 8-9, 2026, at the I Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign.

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