Publication Number: FHWA-RD-02-006
Date: January 2002

Articles in this Issue

Champions of Highway Quality Honored

Champions for continuous quality improvements of America's highways were recognized at the National Partnership for Highway Quality's (NPHQ) awards banquet in Fort Worth, Texas, in November 2001. Winners in five categories were announced, including the 2001 "National Achievement" award honoree.

Highway Infrastructure: Protecting the nation's investment

With an Interstate system that spans more than 67,000 Km (42,000 mi) and many thousands more miles of local and State roads from coast to coast, mobility is crucial to our country's well-being and quality of life. Whether it means being able to get to work, to take a family vacation, or to ship goods from one State to another, both citizens and businesses alike expect safe and reliable roads. A sound infrastructure is the backbone that provides this reliability.

In Brief

The Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program will soon make available the updated LTPP resilient modulus testing start-up procedure, which directs labs on how to check their equipment before initiating resilient modulus tests. Advancements in testing equipment necessitated the procedural update. The updated procedure will be submitted for consideration to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. The procedure is expected to become standard practice and will be posted on the Web: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/ltpp/index.cfm. For more information, contact Jack Springer at FHWA, 202-493-3144 (fax: 202-493-3161; email: jack.springer@fhwa.dot.gov).

International Conference Showcases Recycled Material Uses

From recycling asphalt pavement to finding new uses for lead paint removed from steel bridges, the first international conference on the "Beneficial Use of Recycled Materials in Transportation Applications," held in Washington, DC, in November 2001, provided a broad forum for sharing best practices and innovations. The conference brought together more than 160 experts from 15 countries in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia to address the use of recycled materials generated from transportation, industrial, municipal, and mining processes in transportation applications.

Carolina Takes a New Approach to Financing Road Maintenance

Faced with a problem confronting many States-where to find money to maintain highways-North Carolina turned to a process known as cash flow financing, or cash management, to obtain the needed funds. As part of the process, North Carolina's General Assembly passed a special provision in September 2001 authorizing the State Department of Transportation (DOT) to use $470 million in State Highway Trust Fund cash balances to restore primary routes that range from fair or poor condition to good condition.

Highway Technology Calendar