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The SHRP Success Story
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The bridge in Houston, Texas, was the first in the country to
use high-performance concrete, one of the many technologies researched
under SHRP, in all aspects of its construction. |
It's been described as one of the greatest success stories in the history
of applied research. What began as a 5-year program in 1987 has changed
the way State highway agencies design and build pavements, repair roads,
clean up after winter storms, and build bridges. As the seven American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Lead
States teams for Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) implementation
wrap up their work and the AASHTO Task Force on SHRP Implementation sunsets
this fall, the success of SHRP and the efforts to implement its products
and technologies are being realized across the country.
It is estimated, for example, that Superpave pavements will represent
41 percent of States' total hot-mix asphalt road projects this year, up
from a mere 1 percent in 1996. Awareness that alkali-silica reactivity
(ASR) in bridges is a problem that needs to be dealt with has risen from
13 States when the ASR Lead States team began its work to 40 States today.
And because of dedicated activities ranging from developing and distributing
videotapes, newsletters, and brochures to holding training courses, the
Lead States teams and the Federal Highway Administration have guided States
in implementing anti-icing techniques, building high-performance concrete
pavements and bridges, and using pavement preservation strategies, among
other technologies.Implementing SHRP products has proven to be beneficial
economically. Boulder, Colorado, for example, found that using an anti-icing
strategycost only half of what a conventional sanding and deicing strategy
would have required. The Michigan Department of Transportation (DOT)
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The success of SHRP can be seen in the implementation of such
technologies as tests for alkali-silica reactivity, road weather information
systems, and the Superpave system. |
estimates that applying preventive maintenance treatments, such as chip
sealing, to roads saved the State an estimated $700 million between 1992
and 1996. And the Virginia DOT estimates that using electrochemical chloride
extraction technology added 12 to 15 years to the service life of two
of its bridges.
Are these success stories the final chapter in SHRP implementation?
While focused SHRP implementation activities by entities such as the Lead
States teams are coming to a close, the various AASHTO subcommittees will
continue to promote and advise States on the implementation of the SHRP
technologies. Recognizing the success of the deployment of SHRP technology,
AASHTO has formed a steering group for technology deployment to facilitate
the implementation of high payoff, ready-to-use innovative technologies
in the future (see sidebar). Focus, which started out chronicling the
progress of SHRP research in 1987, will continue to report on these technology
implementation efforts, as well as the real-life experiences of States
using the SHRP products. But we're also expanding our coverage to include
a broader range of infrastructure-related topics and developments. This
expansion reflects the results of the 1999 reader survey, where the majority
of respondents cited infrastructure as a key area to be emphasized. The
expanded coverage is symbolized by our new look this month. We hope that
you like it. And we hope that you continue to share both your SHRP implementation
stories and your suggestions as to what you would like to see in future
issues of Focus, so that we can continue to meet your needs. Focus, above
all, remains dedicated to bringing innovations to infrastructure professionals
worldwide.
Members of AASHTO Steering Group for Technology Deployment
John Conrad, Washington State DOT (chair) Michael Behrens, Texas DOT
Joe Denault, West Virginia DOT Randy Isawsaki, California DOT Doug
Rose, Maryland DOT Warren Sick, Kansas DOT Freddie Simmons, Florida
DOT Gary Taylor, Michigan DOT Paul Well, New York State DOT. |
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