U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Focus
| Accelerating Infrastructure Innovations |
Publication Number: FHWA-RD-02-012
Date: July 2002
Managing Bridges the Pontis Way
Pontis, the bridge management system of choice for a growing number of States, is now better than ever with the release of Version 4.1. The software can assist highway agencies in organizing their bridge data and analyzing complex engineering and economic factors to make smart decisions about maintaining, improving, and replacing structures. It also allows States to look into the future and show those making funding decisions how much needs to be invested in bridges to minimize the long-term preservation costs and the consequences of different investment levels on bridge condition and performance.
A Positive Verdict for Precast Concrete
Is your concrete's future precast? In 1998, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) contracted with the Center for Transportation Research (CTR) at the University of Texas at Austin to perform a study on the feasibility of using precast concrete pavements for roadway repair and reconstruction. Now, the positive verdict is in.
FHWA Rolls Out New HERS-ST Software
Get a first look at the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) new Highway Economic Requirements System-State version (HERS-ST) software at a conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, scheduled for September 24-25, 2002. HERS-ST is a computer model used to evaluate the relationship between highway investment and system condition, performance, and user cost levels. The software simulates future highway condition and performance levels and identifies deficiencies using engineering principles. It then simulates the selection of improvements for implementation, relying on economic criteria. Current system information is obtained from State-supplied data.
In a recent survey asking motorists what they wanted in their highways, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) found that the way to a driver's heart is lined with smooth pavement. Road condition was cited as the public's number one criteria for satisfaction. This fact helped spawn FHWA's pavement smoothness initiative, which calls for the improvement of the national highway network's smoothness level by 2008.
