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July/August 2008 · Vol. 72 · No. 1
July/August 2008
Internet Watch
by Tim Breen
Resource Center Web Site Open For One-Stop Shopping
Whether finding solutions to transportation problems, delivering training, or helping State highway officials comply with Federal regulations, the Resource Center is FHWA’s one-stop shop for technical assistance to the division offices and the States. All the center’s offerings are easily accessible through its Web site, www.fhwa.dot.gov/resourcecenter.
“Think of the FHWA Resource Center as a hub for transportation solutions — a core group of can-do professionals with the expertise and know-how to help solve transportation challenges,” says Marie Roybal, marketing specialist for the Resource Center.
Reflecting the center’s goal of being an “organization without borders,” the Resource Center has sites in Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Lakewood, CO; Olympia Fields, IL; and San Francisco, CA. The center can send personnel to sites that need assistance, generally within 24 hours.
Technical Service Teams
The Resource Center is home to 12 technical service teams (TSTs) responsible for deploying market-ready technologies and innovations in their respective areas of expertise.
Air Quality. The team has expertise in vehicle emissions modeling; particulate matter, air toxics, and pollution health effects; and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program.
Civil Rights. Team members are experts on subjects including the Americans with Disabilities Act, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, contract compliance, environmental justice, and equal opportunity employment.
Construction and Project Management. Accelerated construction, contract administration and innovative contracting, and quality assurance programs and regulations are among the many issues this team covers.
Environment. The team has expertise in context sensitive solutions, the National Environmental Policy Act, forest and wetland ecology, and water quality.
Finance Services. The team is expert in such things as traditional Federal-aid financing, internal controls, accounting system transition, and indirect cost allocation plans.
Geotech and Hydraulics. Deep foundations, soil and rock testing, culvert hydraulics, and stream stability and scour are among the topics covered by this team.
Innovative Finance. The team has expertise in Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle bonds, grant anticipation notes, and State Infrastructure Bank capitalization; credit instruments such as Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act funding; and tax incentives such as private activity bonds and tax-oriented leasing.
Operations. This team offers expertise in adaptive traffic signal control systems, corridor management systems and technology, work zone safety, intelligent transportation systems, and freight.
Pavement and Materials. The team advises on topics including asphalt mix design, accelerated pavement construction technology, and pavement recycling.
Planning. The team is expert in planning and the environment, metropolitan planning, freight planning, and travel demand forecasting.
Safety and Design. Road safety audits, work zones, and the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices are among this team’s specialty areas.
Structures. This team focuses on bridge design, construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance; accelerated bridge construction and prefabricated bridge elements; and high-performance concrete and steel.
The Resource Center also has three teams involved in corporate management: Administrative, Information and Management, and Marketing and Communications.
Training and Technology Transfer
The center’s Web site describes the courses, seminars, and workshops offered by each TST and hosts quarterly newsletters published by each. Links to the National Highway Institute’s Web site provide easy access to additional training.
The site includes a “Technology Deployment” page with information on the various market-ready technologies and innovations that the TSTs are working to bring into the mainstream. For example, the Pavement and Materials team has information on using global positioning systems for surveying.
A link to “Success Stories” offers archives of two Resource Center newsletters: Centered on Service is a quarterly that focuses on the work of the TSTs, while Successful features one indepth success story per issue from an FHWA division office, sharing information about using a new technology or highlighting lessons learned from a completed project.
“In establishing a relationship with the Resource Center,” says Roybal, “you can expect to save time and money while getting more done to dramatically advance the transportation system in your State and across the country.”
For more information, visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/resourcecenter, or contact Marie Roybal at 720–963–3241 or marie.roybal@dot.gov.
Brittany Boughter is a contributing editor for Public Roads.
Other Articles in this issue:
Did You Help Lead the Safety Initiative Today?
CSD Avoids Delays on New Tolling Project
Applying "Fuzzy Concept" To Bridge Management
Gaining Traction In Roadway Safety
July/August 2008 · Vol. 72 · No. 1
