Davidsson started his working life in a quarry as a mere boy of 14. In 1970, Davidsson was one of two men that started Vag & Trafikarbeten, and their main focus was concrete and asphalt repair. In 1981, he helped develop a grooving machine that is in use today.

“The interest for grooving here in Sweden was at the time very low when we started,” recalls Davidsson. “It wasn’t until five or six years later that the grooving took off. Our grooving skills have resulted in a lot of jobs abroad for the company.”

This year, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) has been selected as the Government Official of the Year for efforts in implementing the first Next Generation Concrete Surface (NGCS), which was installed on a stretch of Interstate 35 in Minnesota. The Government/Public Official of the Year Award recognizes leadership in transportation activities with special emphasis on grooving, grinding and CPR.

The NGCS is innovative because it is different from a typical grooved surface. It contains diamond saw-cut surfaces that are designed to provide a consistent profile absent of positive or upward texture; it’s a uniform land profile design with basically all negative texture. These textures can be used for both new construction and rehabilitation of existing surfaces.

“Mn/DOT has always been willing to work with the industry to help develop and advance concrete pavements and concrete pavement repair that will serve the taxpayers of Minnesota for decades,” said Matthew Zeller, P.E., executive director of the Concrete Paving Association of Minnesota (CPAM).