March/April
2002
Arkansas
Combines Best Practices for an Innovative Interstate Rehabilitation
Program
by Dan
Flowers and Sandra L. Otto
So,
you think you might complete the rehabilitation of 380 miles (612
kilometers) or 60 percent of your states interstate highways
in five years? No way! You also think you can come up with
some creative financing to do this. Probably not. On top of
that, you think you can do this with the approval of the voters in
your state. Really no way! And finally, you think you might
receive honors for this innovative program — five awards in the
first seven months of the program. Highly unlikely.
Actually,
the big news is that the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation
Department (AHTD) is making this all happen through its Interstate
Rehabilitation Program (IRP) and the accompanying Pave The Way
information and safety campaign. The department has put together numerous
best practices —in financing, project management, construction,
and communications — that together create a compelling model
for tackling a project of this scope.
What
isnt news is aging interstate highways with surfaces in need
of repair, bridges in need of improvement to withstand todays
load requirements, and limited resources to begin those repairs. As
many of our countrys interstate highways get on in years, state
departments of transportation are searching for answers to a host
of interstate rehabilitation issues.
Because
Arkansas was the first state to complete its original allotment of
interstate highway miles, the Arkansas Highway Commission and AHTD
faced the problem of needingto
rehabilitate some of the oldest interstate highways in the United
States. Designed to accommodate the countrys revived commerce
in the post-World War II era, Arkansas interstate construction began
in the early 1950s and was completed in the mid-1970s. More than 30
years of wear and tear resulted in one of the roughest interstate
systems in the country.
Arkansas
Creative Financing
Finding
a solution to the funding problem presented the first and most challenging
obstacle. The cost for the states original 542-mile (872-kilometer)
interstate system was $837 million, with much of the funding supplied
by the federal government. The estimate for repairing about 60 percent
of those miles in todays market was $950 million.
As
in most states, Arkansas had used the pay-as-you-go method
of regular road maintenance and rehabilitation, and the state repaired
only what they could afford in each annual budget. But with a program
of this size, this method just wasnt an option.
By
conducting research into past and present methods, the department
identified several previously successful concepts, developed a few
new ones, and built an innovative program for Arkansas. Critical issues
involved overcoming financial constraints, determining what rehabilitative
methods would be used, addressing work schedules, and communicating
with the public.
For
the Arkansas program, the innovation is in the mix or combination
of previously established processes and procedures. By combining these
best practices into a single program, Arkansas IRP
has become a model program.
AHTDs
problem-solving strategies for funding began with a review of preferred
financial practices; however, the agency also developed a few new
and innovative ones along the way. Officials soon realized that participation
and cooperation from several groups, including federal and state governments
as well as the public, were needed for a project of this magnitude.
The
department recognized that this issue needed to go to a higher level
and involve the governor, state legislature, and most likely the Arkansas
voters. This was a monumental commitment of money as well as a major
inconvenience issue, and AHTD believed the support of the public was
a high priority.
In
early 1998, the Arkansas Highway Commission began exploring the use
of Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle (GARVEE) bonds for the rehabilitation
project. These bonds may be retired with future anticipated federal
funds in a buy now, pay later payment arrangement.
In
that same year and at the request of the Arkansas Highway Commission,
Gloria Jeff, the deputy administrator of the Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA); Jack Basso, the chief financial officer for the U.S. Department
of Transportation;and
David Seltzer, an FHWA innovative financing specialist, came to Arkansas
to brief the commission on innovative financing opportunities. In
early 1999, another FHWA innovative financing specialist, Max Inman,
was invited to speak to the legislature on financing issues.
![Photo of quarry used to gather stones for retaining wall](images/02img01.jpg) |
Arkansas
Interstate Rehabilitation Program was approved by the states
voters and will rehabilitate 60 percent of the states
interstate highways in five years. The peak year of work is
2002.
|
With
the support of the governor, the 1999 legislature expressed a desire
to provide funding for all roads — not just interstate highways.
The legislature passed phased-in increases for a three-cents-per-gallon
gas tax over three years and a diesel tax of four-cents-per-gallon
over two years. Legislators also authorized the Highway Commission
to sell GARVEE bonds subject to a vote by the public. Gov. Mike Huckabee
campaigned for the program and made interstate rehabilitation a major
part of his state infrastructure and roadway agenda.
Voters,
no doubt tired of driving on interstate highways in poor condition,
approved the bond program in June 1999. The approval ratio was an
overwhelming 4-to-1.
Under
the voter-approved Interstate Rehabilitation Program, the Arkansas
Highway Commission was authorized to sell up to $575 million in GARVEE
bonds to provide financing.
The
commission issued the initial bonds through a competitive sale, in
which the buyers (investment banks) bid by specifying the rate or
yield that they would accept and the state may accept or reject the
bid. Throughout the multiyear program, the commission will evaluate
each successive sale independently to determine whether a competitive
or negotiated sale is appropriate. In a negotiated sale, the state
selects a buyer and works with the buyer to determine the market rate
or yield.
A+B
Bidding
Using
a tried-and-true practice for bidding, AHTD decided to adopt the A+B
bidding process for the rehabilitation program. A+B bidding is a cost-plus-time
bidding procedure that selects the lowest bidder based on a contractors
bid for the cost of a specific project (A) and the time needed to
complete the project or, as in this case of rehabilitation rather
than construction, the contractors estimate of the number of
days during which lane closures will occur (B). To determine a total
bid, AHTD assessed an additional cost per day for the
inconvenience to motorists, multiplied this assessment by the number
of days of lane closures, and added this amount to the contractors
bid.
A
Great Combination of Well-Researched Rehabilitation Methods
With
funding established and a strong bidding process in place, AHTD set
out to meet the second challenge of finding the best ways to repair
interstate highways that were constructed of reinforced, jointed concrete
9 to 10 inches- (23 to 25 centimeters-) thick. After years of patching
and overlaying on portland cement concrete pavement (PCCP), the roadways
continued to deteriorate because of the increase in traffic
and heavy loads as well as an unstable base. AHTD had to find a better
way.
![Photo of rubblization process](images/02img02.jpg) |
AHTD
officials and contractors chose rubblization as a rehabilitation
method because it provides an excellent base for overlaying a
hot-asphalt mix, and it is cost-effective. |
Using
information gathered by AHTD officials and FHWA and by drawing on
past experiences and positive outcomes in a few recent projects, AHTD
identified a solution for the rehabilitation project. They opted to
use rubblization as one method of rehabilitation.
Rubblization
is a construction technique in which deteriorating PCCP pavement is
broken into 2- to 6-inch (5- to 15-centimeter) pieces to become a
base for a hot-mix asphalt overlay. Besides its performance characteristics,
this process was chosen for two other important reasons: it saves
time and money.
By
using rubblization, there is no need to haul unused material to another
site or recycle the old concrete pavement. Also, the rubblization
machine, a resonant-frequency pavement breaker, moves quickly at a
production rate of approximately one lane-mile (1.6 lane-kilometers)
per day. Fewer days, fewer contracted employees, and fewer pieces
of equipment all add up to reduced costs.
Another
reason for using rubblization is that the crushed PCCP base reduces
the chance that cracks, joints, and other defects will reflect through
the asphalt overlay and negatively affect performance.
The
rubblization process actually makes the base an interlocked matrix
of pieces as you break the concrete, said Bob Walters, AHTD
chief engineer. It functions much like a jigsaw puzzle with
broken pieces fitting together in a pattern. The six-step rehabilitation
process includes setting up the work zone, installing underdrains,
rubblizing, rolling the rubblized surface, paving or overlaying, and
smoothing the surface. With each step, AHTD found that conducting
research and reviewing improved practices pay off in the long run.
Developing
extensive quality-control methods in a new state-of-the-art, materials
testing laboratory is also adding to the programs success,
Walters said. Throughout the project, persistent testing of
the asphalt mix with a focus on minimizing rutting has ensured the
highest quality product.
Setting
Up Work Zones
Innovation
played an important part in the Arkansas IRP work zones. Every work
zone of the construction program used many of the same techniques
to provide consistency for the traveling public.
One
of the techniques is to have traffic merge to the left lane initially
regardless of which side of the road is under construction. For lane
closures, traffic is first diverted to the left and then gradually
directed by strategically placed barrels and arrow signs to the appropriate
lane. Repeating this pattern for motorists helps them quickly recognize
what to do when approaching IRP projects throughout the state. Merge
Left warning signs are located two miles (3.2 kilometers) before
the actual work zone. Merge Now reminders are posted one
mile (1.6 kilometers) out and again with enforceable No Passing
Zones at 1500 feet (about 460 meters) before the lane closure.
Projects
are worked either one lane at a time with traffic adjacent to the
work or both lanes simultaneously on one side of the interstate while
the other side carries traffic in both directions.
Other
communication means being used to increase work-zone safety and reduce
congestion include variable message signs, an extensive network of
highway advisory radio stations, use of speed-detection trailers,
visible presence of Arkansas Highway
Police, and an intense public information and education campaign.
Lessons
Learned
AHTD
offers a laundry list of what we learned. One item is
the departments renewed emphasis on effective subsurface drainage.
AHTD
engineers revised the departments underdrain materials and design,
and they instituted video inspection to ensure a properly functioning
system. This provides a dry base material to improve pavement performance.
AHTD also specifies that contractors roll the rubblized surfaces with
a 10-ton (9-metric
ton) vibratory roller to consolidate the rubblized PCCP before paving.
In
addition, they also learned that string-line usage was very important
to ensure successful paving. A string line is also called a grade
line, and it is an erected string or wire line used to establish a
reference to control the pavers screed, which is the part of
an asphalt paver that smoothes and compacts the asphalt mix. Setting
string-line profiles based on the profile of the old PCCP will not
provide the proper thickness or ride quality for the new surface.
Therefore, the contractor must submit profile grades that meet the
overlay thickness requirements and provide a smooth pavement surface
profile. The designed thickness of the asphalt surface ranges from
11 to 12 inches (28 to 30 centimeters) and consists of 440 to 550
pounds (200 to 250 kilograms) per square yard (0.84 square meter)
of base course, 330 pounds (150 kilograms) per square yard of binder
course, and 440 pounds per square yard of surface course. The base
mix is composed of 1.5-inch (almost 4-centimeter) top-size aggregate,
a binder mix that has a 1-inch (2.5-centimeter) top size, and finally
a surface mix with a 0.5-inch (1.27-centimeter) top size.
To
ensure a smooth ride, AHTD contracts also offer smoothness incentives
of up to 3 percent and disincentives of up to 4 percent of surface
cost by measuring the accumulation of surface irregularities. Contractors
measure ride quality on not only the finished surface, but on every
lift of the asphalt overlay. By doing this, a problem area is identified
early and can be dealt with right away. Contractors use lightweight
profilers traveling at speeds of 15 miles per hour (25 kilometers
per hour) to measure the ride quality of the asphalt overlay to meet
specifications required by AHTD.
AHTD
also seized the opportunity to incorporate procedures and new products
that were not available when the original interstate highways were
built. Rumble strips on the shoulders, reflective pavement striping
that is designed to be highly visible under rainy conditions, and
plowable pavement markers are also included in the IRP projects.
AHTD
is also doing some full-depth reconstruction and replacement with
concrete pavement. This technique is being applied both on high-volume,
high-truck-traffic urban interstate highways where new lanes are being
added and in areas with weak subgrade conditions.
Arkansas
is on its way to much smoother motoring ahead.
!["Pave the Way" logo used in informational campaign](images/02img03.gif) |
The
Pave The Way logo was the cornerstone and identity
of the informational campaign. |
Communicating
to the Public
As
Arkansas Interstate Rehabilitation Program began, AHTD encountered
its third obstacle — communicating with the people of Arkansas
at a level of targeted communications never before undertaken by AHTD.
Voters
approved the rehabilitation of 60 percent of the interstate highway
surface in the state in a mere five years. Traditionally, the state
has repaired about 12 to 15 miles (20 to 25 kilometers) of interstate
each year, but this project multiplied that number eight times and
required that approximately 125 miles (201 kilometers) be under construction
each year to meet the compressed schedule of five years. Because construction
takes more than one year, the projects overlap, and thus, it requires
the reconstruction of about 125 miles per year to reconstruct the
entire 380 miles in five years.
Maintaining
public support as motorists experience an unprecedented number of
work zones and keeping the public informed about the depth, time frame,
repair methods, safety issues, and progress of this multiyear project
would be extremely challenging. Turning again to a solid business
practice model, AHTD began the search for a communications agency.
The
Highway Commission wanted to hire a partner that would extend resources
and provide valuable communications expertise. Bringing this partner
to the table early on was a very good decision. Having a communications
partner to help plan, guide, and assist in implementation of the huge
public education and statewide media relations component of this campaign
was a top priority.
![Photo of pavement being smoothed](images/02img04.jpg) |
AHTD
found that offering smoothness incentives as part of their contracts
helped ensure the best ride quality. |
Thoma
Thoma Creative, a full-service marketing and communications firm in
Little Rock, was hired in 2000 to develop a program that would communicate
all the elements of the campaign with all identified audiences.
Thoma
Thoma began the process by identifying the audience and evaluating
their understanding of the overall project. A survey quickly discovered
that the public had voted for a program that they understood was badly
needed but knew little or nothing about. In other words, they had
no idea of the level of construction activity that they would be facing
over the next five years.
We
discovered that the audience was split into two groups: one traditional
and the other what professional communicators refer to as a nontraditional
audience — or inaccessible by traditional methods, said
Martin Thoma, chief executive officer of Thoma Thoma. The two
audiences were the statewide Arkansans who could be reached in their
homes before they traveled and an audience of out-of-state and
trucking
industry motorists who must be reached on the road. The challenge
became how to reach an audience from everywhere who were already in
their vehicles driving the interstate highways.
With
the help of an advisory board of statewide municipal, hospitality,
emergency management, and business leaders, AHTD staff and Thoma Thoma
developed a multilevel campaign called Pave The Way. The
campaign has won national awards for its creative format for offering
information and enhancing safety as well as for its innovative distribution
methods.
Driving
Your Message Home
by
Martin E. Thoma
Imagine
tearing up and rebuilding 60 percent of your states interstate
highways in a period of just five years. A recipe for gridlock,
road rage, and public outcry? Perhaps, but with expert communications
planning, you can mitigate much of the anger, dismay, and frustration
of your traveling public.
Research
shows that motorists have a fairly fatalistic attitude about
traffic — they tend to frown and bear it. Any
information, however, helps reduce blood pressure — even
if it doesnt give them an alternate route or other actionable
information.
Here
are several rules of thumb that were helpful in creating Arkansas
award-winning Pave The Way public information and
safety awareness campaign.
Do
Your Homework
Research
is important in any communications undertaking. Know your audience
and gain insights into how and what they think.
We
conducted a survey of 400-plus motorists on Arkansas interstate
highways. This poll told us about their preferred methods
of
receiving information and provided a benchmark against which
to measure future progress. The study also revealed a breathtaking
lack of awareness about the scope, duration, and location of
this massive road rehabilitation. We knew we had our work cut
out for us.
Be
Proactive
Start
out on the offensive and never let up. Push out information
through every conceivable vehicle and for every possible circumstance.
News
events were conducted for the program launch, multiple sign
unveilings, and job completions. News releases were broadcast
with holiday travel advisories, sports travel advisories, and
progress updates.
If
the media gets ahead of you and you start reacting, it will
take a long time to turn the situation around. The best defense
is a good offense. Keep the information flowing outward.
Arkansas
went public in a news conference announcing the
information program and with a massive regionwide mailing to
officials, opinion leaders, law enforcement officers, and media.
About six weeks later when the press started covering a particular
work zone that was
beset
by fatal crashes, AHTD public affairs officials had an extensive
library of graphics, background information, and safety tips
for the media to share with the public. Any potential backlash
was preempted because it was clear that AHTD was doing everything
possible to inform the public and to encourage safe driving
through work zones on interstate highways.
Take
Some Risks
Dont
be afraid to use humor or a light touch. One cant be glib
or flippant when talking about subjects such as preventing crashes
and saving lives, but experience shows that a little humor goes
a long way.
Billboards
at the entry points to the state announce, Theres
a Whole Lot of Paving Going On. A subhead informs, 8
work zones next 120 miles. On the radio, the spokes-characters,
Highway Guy and Anita Buckleup, have
developed a real following. Theyre funny, but they have
a serious message to convey. The contrast works.
Be
Real
Dont
pull punches. Never shrink from telling the public that its
going to get hairy out there. When youve got a peak of
300 miles (500 kilometers) of interstate highway rehabilitation
under contract at one time (summer 2002), theres no use
pretending that there wont be delays, problems, and inconvenience.
So dont sugarcoat it.
Be
Positive
There
is a reason for all this construction. Arkansas interstate
highways have repeatedly been voted the worst in the country.
In 1999, Gov. Mike Huckabee lobbied aggressively for this program,
and the public voted overwhelmingly for it. The light at the
end of the tunnel is an interstate highway system that will
be second to none in the United States. We never miss an opportunity
to remind our motorists of that.
Hit
the Road
Traditional
media planning fails miserably when confronted with a communication
problem of this nature. There is not a target audience that
can be defined by conventional demographics. They dont
live anywhere in particular, they dont have a certain
household income, they dont have a particular musical
taste. They are simply those who drive or ride on the interstate
highways now or will in the future.
So
a blend of off-the-road and on-the-road communications was used
to reach motorists both before they travel and after they set
out.
Variable
message signs, highway advisory radio, rest stop posters, brochures
distributed in tourist information centers, and billboards in
the highway right-of-way reach motorists that are underway.
Media events and news releases, the World Wide Web, brochures,
speeches, and advertisements help give motorists fair warning
of what they may encounter.
The
success of this program has been a result of the concerted use
of both strategies.
Get
Partners Involved
Nobody
has all the answers, and no single department or group can do
everything. Weve actively sought out groups and individuals
to partner with us in getting our message out.
One
very effective tool has been an advisory board representing
state law enforcement, public officials, media, travel and tourism,
transportation, construction, and business. This group has not
only been instrumental in shaping communication efforts, it
has actively pitched in and told the story, inserting articles
in newsletters, mailing brochures to their members or constituents,
and sharing mailing lists.
Were
currently developing an informational tool kit for use by trucking
company safety departments, large-employer human resources personnel,
and others with an interest in advocating safe travel on interstate
highways.
Get
Out Of The Box
Getting
to people where they drive means thinking about nontraditional
approaches. Consider placemats for truck stops and restaurants
along the way. Or ads placed on gas pumps or pump handles. Create
tie-ins to businesses on alternate routes. Ask your state tourism
development office to develop tourist guides to places off the
beaten path. Ask media, travel, and weather sites and other
state departments to link to your Web site. Make Road
Gear merchandise (t-shirts, baseball caps, travel mugs,
etc.) with your logo and sell it or give it away. The possibilities
are limited only by your own creativity.
Arkansas
was the first state to complete its allotment of federal interstate
highways; so, the interstate highways in Arkansas were the first
to wear out all at once. If youre next, dont forget
to build public support while youre building roads.
Martin
E. Thoma is a principal with Thoma Thoma Creative, the marketing
and communications firm behind AHTDs award-winning Pave
The Way public information campaign. Thoma is a graduate
of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville with a degree
in journalism and has owned Thoma Thoma Creative since 1991.
|
IRP
advisory board members represent everyone from the Arkansas State
Chamber of Commerce to the Arkansas Trucking Association and the travel
and tourism industry. And they not only provided input to the program
and the communications campaign, but they also helped distribute the
messages through their own publications and presentations.
Throughout
the campaign, the message is laced with a strong emphasis on safety
with materials addressing the subtheme of Think Ahead.
The message focuses on thinking:
![Think Ahead logo](images/02img05.gif) |
Think
Ahead was developed as the safety emphasis of the campaign
and asked motorists to avoid last-minute merges by thinking minutes
ahead. |
For
the audience planning a trip or needing up-to-date information, a
Web site, www.arkansasinterstates.com, was developed. Full of user-friendly
information, the Web site offers everything from recent travel times
between major cities to printable maps showing active construction
zones and lane closures. It also includes downloadable information
in the sites Resource Center with everything from printed materials,
Web links, and prewritten newsletter articles to logos and graphics.
The regularly updated Press Room also keeps the media engaged with
easy-to-access updates and photographs.
![Screenshot of AHTD's web site](images/02img06.gif) |
AHTDs
Web site, www.arkansasinterstates.com, is full of information
for those motorists who want to check interstate highway construction
and lane closures before leaving home or the office. |
A
monthly electronic newsletter is sent via fax or e-mail to subscribers
who have requested progress updates. The advisory board, tourist information
centers, and other statewide partners distribute prewritten articles,
traditional brochures, posters, and other materials. Humorous radio
spots were designed to catch and keep the interest of the audience.
Motorists
behind the wheel are informed about real-time conditions through an
innovative combination of variable and standard signs, highway advisory
radio (HAR), commercial radio, and intelligent transportation systems
(ITS). On several of the projects, real-time data come from sensor-based
systems that identify traffic backups and current speed levels. A
statewide network of 12-foot by 24-foot (3.65-meter by 7.3-meter)
roadside signs announce Theres a Whole Lot of Paving Going
On and encourage motorists to tune their car radio to one of
eight Pave The Way HAR stations that warn of construction projects
ahead.
In
heavily populated areas of the state, AHTDs roving Motorist
Assistance Patrol functions as a frontline public relations staff
by moving vehicles safely off the roadway to keep traffic moving.
Helping stranded motorists call for help, arranging for a tow, replenishing
fuel, changing tires, restarting vehicles, extinguishing fires, or
rendering first aid are all a part of keeping interstate motorists
on their way.
Results
and Awards
Documenting
results is also part of AHTDs list of best practices and a vital
part of research. Thoma Thoma is following the media involvement closely
and reports the following media coverage since the campaign was launched
in April 2001:
- More
than 2,500 column-inches of print coverage in newspapers statewide
with more than 21 IRP stories in Arkansas largest statewide
newspaper, which reaches 189,000 readers.
- More
than an hour of statewide television coverage with stories ranging
from the launch of the Pave The Way campaign to the opening of
new construction zones.
- More
than 4,000 subscribers to the monthly Interstate Update electronic
newsletter.
- More
than 260 column-inches of coverage in specialty publications from
The Trucker to the Governors Electronic Newsletter.
- More
than 75,000 visits to the AHTD Pave The Way Web site.
- Web
stories and links to a multitude of informational partners, including
the sites of all statewide affiliated television stations.
- A
nine-to-one leverage for radio spots through the use of the Arkansas
Broadcasters Associations Non-Sustaining Commercial Announcement
(NSCA) program.
AHTD
believes that the national and regional awards that this program has
received indicate that others also think the program is progressive,
innovative, and results-oriented. The campaign or specific components
have been recognized by the American Road Transportation Builders
Association (ARTBA), the National Safety Council (NSC), and the American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
AASHTO presented a nationalPublic Affairs Skills Award
to AHTD, and in December, the Pave The Way campaign was awarded the
AASHTO Presidents Award for Highway Safety as an
exemplary highway department communications effort with the potential
for national as well as regional impact.
Based
on the criteria for these awards, the campaign was judged to be outstanding
in its originality and innovation, effectiveness, measurable performance
goals, sound budget, targeting of appropriate audiences, level of
promotional effort, value to the industry, and ability to be replicated.
The
campaign has held its own in competition with others outside of the
transportation industry. It won the Bronze Quill Award of Excellence,
presented by the International Association of Business Communicators
for the best statewide public affairs campaign.
AHTD
and FHWA officials, anxious to share what they have learned during
the Interstate Rehabilitation Program, hosted the Arkansas Interstate
Rubblization Showcase on June 5 and 6, 2001. Approximately 240 participants
from 17 states attended the program that included presentations held
at Arkansas Tech University and a demonstration of the rubblization
process on an Interstate 40 project near Russellville, Ark.
![Photo of section of Interstate 40 (a 4 lane highway)](images/02img07.jpg) |
Motorists
are already enjoying an example of IRPs improved highway
on a newly completed section of Interstate 40. |
Dan
Flowers is the director of the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation
Department. He is a licensed professional engineer. He began his career
with AHTD in 1969 and became the director of highways and transportation
in 1994. Flowers currently directs all planning and implementation
of the states Interstate Rehabilitation Program. He has a degree
in civil engineering from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Flowers is past president of the Southeastern Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials and of the American Association
of State Highway and Transportation Officials in 1998. He chaired
the AASHTO Subcommittee on Design from 1993 to 1995 and the Standing
Committee on Highways from 1995 to 1997. He also served as the 1997-1998
AASHTO vice president.
Sandra
L. Otto is the division administrator (DA) of the Arkansas Division
of the Federal Highway Administration. She is a licensed professional
engineer and has been employed by FHWA since 1987. Since 1995, as
assistant DA and as DA, she has been responsible for administering
the federal-aid highway program in Arkansas. Otto has a bachelors
degree in civil engineering from Montana State University and a masters
degree from The George Washington University in public administration
with a specialty
in environmental management and public policy. She is a member of
the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and she chaired ASCEs
Environmental Quality Standing Committee (Highway Division). In 2000,
Otto was named Arkansas Federal Woman of the Year. Otto and the Arkansas
FHWA team actively support the AHTD staff in planning and implementing
the current Interstate Rehabilitation Program.
For
more information about Arkansas award-winning Interstate Rehabilitation
Program and the accompanying Pave The Way information and safety campaign,
visit www.arkansasinterstates.com or contact the AHTD Public Affairs
Office via telephone at (501) 569-2227 or by e-mail at info@ahtd.state.ar.us.
Other Articles in this issue:
"Stone-Walling"
in Arkansas
Arkansas
Combines Best Practices for an Innovative Insterstate Rehabilitation
Program
Small
Investment, Dramatic Dividends — Saving Lives in "Blood
Alley"
National
Review of the Highway Safety Improvement Program
Weather:
A Research Agenda for Surface Transportation Program
Highway
Quality Awards
FHWA
Model Predicts Noise Impacts
Synergy
in Action: FHWA's Transportation Pooled-Fund Program