Saving Superpave
A national team of partners has been recognized by the American Association
of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Standing Committee
on Quality for "Saving Superpave" by mobilizing support
for the technology in the wake of Federal funding cuts.
Developed under the Strategic Highway Research Program, the Superpave
system has given highway engineers and contractors the tools they
need to design and construct asphalt pavements that will perform better
and last longer under all traffic levels and a range of temperatures.
However, the 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century did
not contain any special funding provisions to continue Superpave implementation.
The team, which included representatives from State departments of
transportation, the Transportation Research Board, AASHTO, and FHWA,
has worked to obtain sufficient additional funding from such sources
as the National Cooperative Highway Research Program to continue advancing
Superpave implementation.
The additional funding, including about $2.5 million in 2001, has
enabled continued growth in the use of the Superpave system. The number
of Superpave projects leaped from 95 in 1996 to almost 4,000 in 2000.
To date, more than 40 States have used the Superpave system to design
and construct pavements.
For more information on the Superpave system, contact John D'Angelo
at FHWA, 202-366-0121 (email: john.d'angelo@fhwa.dot.gov),
John Bukowski at FHWA, 202-366-1297 (email: john.bukowski@fhwa.dot.gov)
or, Tom Harman at FHWA, 202-493-3072 (email: tom.harman@fhwa.dot.gov).
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