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U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration

MEMORANDUM

This memorandum introduces the FHWA High Performance Concrete (HPC) Technology Delivery Team (TDT). This team will be the FHWA's focal point for the area of the HPC for highway bridge structures. Team members will coordinate and direct HPC bridge initiatives in all the FHWA offices in Headquarters, and will provide support and leadership for field initiatives. The formation of the HPC Bridge TDT will allow us to better support our program, research, and technology transfer needs by providing direction and service to our customers for technical assistance. It will also allow us to better prioritize the allocation of time, staff, and money.

The TDT will be working with the recently formed AASHTO HPC Lead States Team and the concrete industry to coordinate activities in high performance concrete and will rely upon other key staff involved with the HPC for continued support to meet overall implementation objectives. Even before the formalization of the HPC Bridge TDT, the team has worked the past 3 years in partnerships with State highway agencies, local universities, and contractors to implement the HPC technology through:

• The development of a definition of the HPC technology as it is applied to highway bridges (copy attached);
• The development of instrumentation guidelines for HPC bridges, and test girders;
• The coordination of bridge girder testing and data collection that led to the recision of the 1988 FHWA memorandum disallowing the use of 0.6-inch diameter strands in prestressed bridge girder applications;
• The construction of the HPC bridges in Texas, Nebraska, Virginia, and New Hampshire;
• The initiation of the HPC bridge construction projects in Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, and Washington;
• Dissemination of the HPC information through publications, presentations, and the FHWA Internet sites;
• The presentation of Regional HPC Showcases in Texas and Nebraska, and local 1-day seminars in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Florida; and
• Initiation of other Regional HPC Showcases to be presented later this year.

Implementation of the HPC will continue through the construction of additional HPC bridges and the presentation of Regional HPC Showcases and local 1-day minishowcases. It should be noted that for States that wish to utilize the HPC, the use of Federal-aid funds for mix designs, instrumentation, and long-term monitoring is permitted.

A goal of the AASHTO HPC Lead States Team and of the HPC Bridge TDT is the completion of at least one HPC bridge project in every State by the Year 2002. I encourage our field office personnel to cooperate with and assist the HPC Bridge TDT in implementing this proven technology. It is strongly recommended that your staff and the divisions work with each State to ensure their active participation in regional showcases and regional technical working groups. A list of the HPC TDT members is attached. Please feel free to contact them for technical assistance.

/s/ original signed by
Anthony R. Kane

HPC Technology Delivery Team