U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
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Focus
Accelerating Infrastructure Innovations |
Publication Number: FHWA-SA-98-018
Date: January 1998
Superpave System and Pavement Rehabilitation Prove a Winning Mix at Alabama
The Superpave mix design system is not just for new construction; it's also for rehabilitation projects. That means it's often used over an existing pavement-and even over a base consisting of the rubblized remains of a pavement (see sidebar). The Alabama Department of Transportation (DOT) and the State's local hot-mix asphalt industry recently held a 1-day showcase to share what they have learned about the use of rubblization techniques and the Superpave system on a massive project to rehabilitate a stretch of Interstate 65.
LTPP Tech Briefs Available on the Internet
FHWA's supply of printed Tech Briefs, a new series of summaries of reports from the long-term pavement performance (LTPP) program (see October 1997 Focus), is temporarily depleted. But you can easily download copies of the Tech Briefs from the LTPP program's Web site (www.advancenet.net/~fhwa/documents/tech.html).
Doug Shaffer, SHRP Implementation Coordinator at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) has returned to Colorado, where he is now working for private industry. His duties at TRB will be taken over by loaned staffers.
A Chance to Help Shape Pavement Construction and Reconstruction Practices
Are you interested in helping to update one of the field's preeminent asphalt paving handbooks? Coordinating a national workshop on innovative ways to rehabilitate pavements on urban highways? If the answer is "yes," consider serving as a loaned staffer at the Transportation Research Board's (TRB) offices in Washington, D.C.
Training Is Key to Successful Anti-Icing Strategy in Pennsylvania
After last winter's successful anti-icing pilot projects, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (DOT) is making anti-icing techniques part of its winter maintenance strategy for the 93,000 lane-mi (150,000 lane-km) of roads it maintains. Combining anti-icing techniques with traditional deicing practices will require changes in the timing and method of applying chemicals to pavements. To make sure everyone involved is prepared for these changes, the Pennsylvania DOT, which is one of the members of the Lead States team for road weather information systems (RWIS) and anti-icing, is conducting training sessions on anti-icing techniques, materials, and equipment for managers and crew chiefs.
Assessing the condition of concrete bridges and planning a repair and rehabilitation strategy is a complex task, but one made easier by several of the innovative technologies developed or evaluated under the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP). Encouraging States to use these technologies is the job of the Lead States team for assessment, protection, and rehabilitation of reinforced concrete structures.
The Superpave System: Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts
The Superpave system promises longer-life asphalt pavements, but to fully collect on that promise, highway agencies and contractors will have to implement all the components of the system, says a joint statement from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Associated General Contractors (AGC), and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA).