FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 16, 1999
Contact: Karen Whitney
Telephone: 202-366-0660
FHWA 17-99
FHWA, IPRF Form
Partnership to Improve
Concrete Pavement Performance and Costs
To support Vice President Al Gore’s pledge to create a government that works better and costs less, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Innovative Pavement Research Foundation (IPRF) have signed a cooperative agreement to produce better-performing, more cost-effective concrete pavements for America’s roads.
"This partnership supports Vice President Gore’s goal for strengthening the federal government’s role as a partner in building ‘livable’ communities for the 21st century," U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater said. "Advanced highway construction products will result in safer, more efficient roads to carry American communities to strong, sustainable economic growth in the new millennium."
The cooperative agreement establishes a federal-industry partnership to develop and deliver improved concrete pavement technology that will result in smoother, more durable and cost-effective concrete pavements. The partnership will enable FHWA to pool the expertise and resources of a wide range of transportation research organizations to accomplish one of the research goals of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), which was signed into law last year. TEA-21 provides record-level investment in transportation infrastructure, including $5 million per year to carry out research on improved methods of using concrete pavement in the construction, reconstruction and repair of federal-aid highways.
"The smoothness or roughness of a road is one of the primary factors a driver considers when assessing the quality of his or her driving experience," FHWA Administrator Kenneth R. Wykle said. "This partnership is great news for the traveling public because it brings together all of the best minds and resources necessary to strategically and expeditiously improve the quality, value and durability of our roads."
Specifically, the partnership will ensure that:
The highest-priority concrete pavement technology needs are being addressed;
The expertise and resources of states, industry and FHWA are used effectively and efficiently; and
New concrete pavement technology proceeds rapidly from research to implementation.
States will be able to participate in the partnership through a newly-formed Transportation Research Board Concrete Pavement Committee which provides a mechanism for state, industry and academic input and support of the partnership’s activities.
The IPRF is a not-for-profit research and development organization formed by the American Concrete Pavement Association, the Portland Cement Association and the National Ready Mix Concrete Association. The FHWA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation, works with states and communities across the nation to build and maintain America’s roads and bridges and ensure a strong intermodal transportation system.
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