Publication Number: FHWA-RD-03-020
Date: August 2003

Articles in this Issue

New Web Site Puts Highway Specifications at Your Fingertips

Thousands of highway construction specifications from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico are now instantly available online at the new National Highway Specifications Web site (http://specs.fhwa.dot.gov/nhswp/index.jsp).

FHWA Launches Transportation Security Web Site

Since September 11, 2001, considerable Federal, State, and local resources have been devoted to ensuring the safety and security of the Nation's transportation system. A new Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Operations Security Web site (www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/OpsSecurity/) was recently launched to provide agencies with streamlined access to information on improving surface transportation security.

Proposed Work Zone Regulations to Improve Safety, Mobility

Maintaining and preserving the Nation's aging highway system means that motorists increasingly encounter work zones as part of daily travel. At the same time, traffic volumes and congestion continue to grow. From 1980 to 2000, total vehicle miles traveled in the United States increased 80 percent, while total lane miles of public roads increased by only 2.4 percent.

Foamed Asphalt a Success on Federal Lands Highway

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently reconstructed the Nation's oldest Federal highway using reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) treated with foamed asphalt. Combining cold water with hot asphalt to temporarily create a binding foam is not a new idea; it has been widely applied to virgin and recycled road projects in other countries. To date though, it has only been used sporadically on State and local roads across the United States (see October 2002 Focus).

Moving from Theory to Practice at the Fifth National Conferences on Asset Management

Moving from theory to practice is the focus of the upcoming Fifth National Conferences on Asset Management, which will detail how State and local governments have adopted Asset Management programs. An east coast conference will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, from September 29-30, 2003, with a west coast version scheduled for October 21-22, 2003, in Seattle, Washington.

Highway Technology Calendar