Memorandum
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration

The Geotechnical Group of the Office of Bridge Technology has been involved in the development and national acceptance of mechanically stabilized earth walls (MSEW) and reinforced soil slopes (RSS). These combined technologies have been extensively implemented into national transportation practice and provide significant cost-savings and pleasing aesthetics compared to other earth retention systems. The majority of FHWA's technology development and deployment activities on this subject were accomplished within the scope of the Demonstration Project No. 82 which concluded in September 2000. The workshop segments of the demonstration project have been recently updated and are available as National Highway Institute Courses 132042 (Design and Construction) and 132043 (Inspection). Additional information on these NHI courses can be found at http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/. Concurrently with the course updates, design and construction reference materials have been updated to reflect the latest recommendations in soil reinforcement technology. The revised publications are available from the FHWA Reports Center (FHWA-NHI-00-043 and FHWA-NHI-00-044). The Reports Center can be reached by phone at 301-577-0818 or by email at report.center@fhwa.dot.gov.

This memorandum announces the availability of the computer program ReSSA 1.0 developed by ADAMA Engineering, Inc. The program follows the latest reinforced slope design guidelines and recommendations as presented in the new NHI course and reference manual, and it will be of interest to geologists, and geotechnical and structural engineers. The ReSSA program permits the user to design or analyze a range of reinforced slope problems by a variety of slope stability methods. There is a wide range of options specifically designed to accommodate most input variables encountered on both simple and complex reinforced slope problems. The program interface is modeled after the widely popular program, MSEW, and users are provided extensive help and output options.

The ReSSA 1.0 program is copyrighted and password protected. The FHWA is authorized by the developer to distribute a limited number of copies of the program to Federal agencies and State departments of transportation. Complete details on obtaining the ReSSA 1.0 program can be found in the attachment.

Please forward the above information to appropriate individuals within your office and State DOT offices. Organizations and individuals interested in the program who are not covered under the FHWA license can contact ADAMA Engineering, Inc., at 302 368-3197, or http://www.geoprograms.com/ for additional information. General questions regarding the subject program may be directed to Mr. Chien-Tan Chang at 202 366-6749. Specific technical questions should be directed to Mr. Jerry DiMaggio at 202 366-1569. Program updates will be posted on the Geotechnical Section of the Office of Bridge Technology Web site (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/engineering/geotech/).

Attachment

Request of ReSSA 1.0 Program

Distribution of the ReSSA 1.0 program is a two step process.

1. To receive the ReSSA 1.0 CD, completely fill out the request form below. Fax or email the form to Ms. Michelle Cribbs at address listed below. The program will then be mailed to the user.

2. When the ReSSA 1.0 CD is received, install the program. The program will look for the password. If a password has not been assigned, select the 'request password' button. Fill out the authorization form and fax it to Ms. Ora Leshchinsky at 302-731-1001.

Please Note:

• Each State DOT and Federal Agency (other than FHWA) can request 10 passwords. Passwords will be assigned on a first requested, first assigned basis. Requesting and receiving the ReSSA installation CD does not ensure that a password will be available.

• One ReSSA 1.0 CD can be used to install the program on more than one computer. For each installation, the program authorization form will need to be run, and a password assigned as describe in Step 2.

• The password is unique for the computer. It will only be valid for use on the computer, which generated the registration form.

ReSSA 1.0 Installation CD Request Form

Ms. Michelle Cribbs
Federal Highway Administration HIBT-20
400, 7^th St. SW. Washington D.C. 20590
Tel: (202) 366-8792
Fax: (202) 366-3077
e-mail: michelle.cribbs@fhwa.dot.gov

NAME:_____________________________________________________________

JOB TITLE:__________________________________________________________

STATE OR FEDERAL AGENCY:________________________________________

STREET:____________________________________________________________

CITY, STATE & ZIP:___________________________________________________

TELEPHONE:________________________________________________________

Related Features

• Geotech Publications
• Geotech Software
• National Highway Institute

Contact:

Silas Nichols
Office of Bridge Technology
202-366-1554
silas.nichols@fhwa.dot.gov