Technology Partnerships

The Federal Highway Administration announced a grant award on April 3, 2009, under the Highways for LIFE Technology Partnerships program. The innovation, Fully Precast Bridge Bents for Use in Seismic Regions, supports Accelerated Bridge Construction techniques across the country and consists of a totally precast concrete bridge bent system, including precast columns and beams. The use of prefabrication increases safety by reducing time spent on site and reduces congestion by not always requiring full lane closures.

To construct precast elements in high seismic zones requires ductile detailing which permits the structure to deform rather than have a sudden unexpected brittle failure. This has not been practiced to date. The connections are made with a small number of large-diameter reinforcing bars that are grouted into much larger-diameter ducts. This will be the first project in the US where it will become a standard practice to use precast, segmental construction for bridge bents in high seismic regions. The project will develop guidelines and specifications from which Engineers will design and construct a bridge in Washington State. If successful, the specifications will be included in Washington State's Bridge Design Manual and be presented to the American Association of State Highway Transportation Organization Technical Committee to be adopted as a Guide Specification for Seismic Design of precast construction. The recipient is Berger/Abam Engineers. The Award amount is $400,397.

In January 2008, five grants were awarded to accelerate the adoption of innovations that have the potential to reduce congestion and improve highway quality and safety. The grants will encourage the use of innovative equipment, materials, practices or processes in the design, construction or financing of highways.

The awards will help the five companies refine and test technologies currently at the prototype stage in a real-world highway setting in partnership with state departments of transportation and local transportation agencies.

• All-Weather Pavement Marking System (3M Company). Wet road conditions make it difficult for drivers to see conventional pavement markings, a situation that is especially hazardous in work zones where lane shifts are common. The All-weather Pavement Marking System incorporates specially designed wet reflective optical materials into pavement marking paint to make it easier for drivers to see markings on wet roads and respond appropriately. 3M will use the grant to adapt its product for cost-effective temporary use in work zones. Award amount: $499,277.

  • More Information on the All-Weather Pavement Marking System

• Intelligent Asphalt Compaction Analyzer (Haskell Lemon Construction Company). Improper compaction during construction is a leading cause of asphalt pavement degradation. The prototype Intelligent Asphalt Compaction analyzer is a device mounted to compaction equipment to provide real-time data so compaction inconsistencies can be remedied while asphalt is still pliable. Replacing the time-consuming manual process currently used will reduce construction time and make pavements last longer. Award amount: $200,000.

  • More Information on the Intelligent Asphalt Compaction Analyzer

• Aggregate Imaging System (Pine Instrument Company). The composition of aggregates used in pavement surfaces affects durability and skid resistance. The Aggregate Imaging System combines hardware that captures real-time digital images of paving material samples, and software that analyzes shape, texture and ratio characteristics of aggregates such as Hot Mix asphalt and hydraulic cement concrete, to improve the speed and accuracy of testing. Award amount: $200,000.

  • More Information on the Aggregate Imaging System

• Automated Pavement Marker Placement System (Stay Alert Safety Services Inc). Applying raised pavement markers manually is time-consuming and dangerous for workers. The prototype device, which can be mounted on standard equipment, will automate the process of reflective marker installation on roads. Initial tests showed the system reduced labor hours, construction time and risk of worker injury. Award amount: $451,660.

  • More Information on the Automated Pavement Marker Placement System

• Asphalt Binder Cracking Device (EZ Asphalt Technology LLC). The way asphalt responds to low temperatures is critical to its performance. The Asphalt Binder Cracking Device provides a simple and reliable method to test the cracking potential at different temperatures of the binders used in asphalt. The device will assist the industry in predicting and preventing asphalt failure due to cracking at low temperatures, extending the life of pavements and reducing the need for patching or repaving. Award amount: $239,386.

  • More information on the Asphalt Binder Cracking Device

FHWA is expected to announce the awards from the August 2008 solicitation in February 2009.

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