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-HRT-05-027
Date: June 2005
Acceleration and Advances in Steel Bridges
Advances in the use of accelerated bridge construction and high-performance steel (HPS) for bridges were the focus of the 2004 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Steel Bridge Conference, which drew 400 participants to San Antonio, Texas, in December 2004.
The New and Improved HIPERPAV II
Meet the improved and expanded version of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) HIPERPAV (HIgh PERformance PAVing) software. As in the first version of the software, HIPERPAV II provides guidance on the design and construction of concrete pavements and helps users anticipate and prevent pavement performance problems. HIPERPAV II also incorporates guidelines for the proper selection of design and construction variables to minimize early-age damage to jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP) and continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP).
Pilot Program Evaluates Quiet Pavements in Arizona
Demonstrating the effectiveness of quiet pavement technologies and evaluating their noise mitigation properties over time is the goal of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Quiet Pavement Pilot Program (QPPP). The first State to implement a QPPP in partnership with FHWA is Arizona, which is testing the noise reduction capabilities of asphalt rubber friction courses (ARFC) on 185 km (115 mi) of selected freeways in the Phoenix area. Also partnering with Arizona on the $34 million QPPP project is the Maricopa Association of Governments, the regional transportation planning body.
A Helping Hand in Preserving Our Pavement Investment
State highway agencies seeking to develop, expand, or improve their pavement preservation programs now have a valuable new resource available to them. The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Asset Management has launched a Pavement Preservation Technical Assistance Program to work with highway agencies to evaluate their pavement preservation programs. The National Center for Pavement Preservation (NCPP) at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, will coordinate with the individual State and the local FHWA division office to conduct interviews to assess procedures, policies, and programs associated with pavement preservation.
Updates on the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) Calibration Center and Operational Improvements Pooled Fund Study can be found at www.pooledfund.org (search for study number TPF-5(039)). Information available includes progress reports and details on the study's most recent Technical Advisory Committee Meeting, which was held in April 2005 in Albany, New York. Fifteen States and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) are collaborating on the study, which is designed to address issues related to aging equipment at the four Long-Term Pavement Performance program regional FWD calibration centers. The study's primary objectives include modernizing hardware and software used in the FWD calibration process, streamlining the calibration process, and developing long-term technical support mechanisms for existing and future calibration centers.
