Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-08-007
Date: October 2007

Articles in this Issue

Optimizing Your Highway Construction Operations: What Can HIPERPAV II Do for You?

As highway agencies and contractors face the constant challenge of cost-effectively optimizing their highway construction operations and improving the quality of the final product, the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) free HIgh PERformance Concrete PAVing (HIPERPAV®) II software can provide quick and valuable assistance in achieving this balanced goal. The software can also be used to conduct forensic studies of premature pavement distress.

Help Desk Offers Pavement Preservation Assistance

After a successful first year launch, funding for the Transportation System Preservation Technical Services Program (TSP²) hosted by the National Center for Pavement Preservation (NCPP) has been extended for a second year. Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), TSP² offers a Help Desk that State transportation departments can call or visit online for information and resources on pavement preservation (see August 2006 Focus). The funding extension was approved in September 2007 by the AASHTO Standing Committee on Highways. The extension will also fund the continuation and further development of regional pavement preservation partnership groups. Based on strong user demand, plans are underway as well to reorganize and expand the TSP² Web site (www.tsp2.org) to increase technical content, particularly in the area of bridge preservation, and to improve user accessibility and navigation.

Better Transportation Planning in Cincinnati through Economic Analysis

For the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI), it's full STEAM ahead on using economic analysis tools to better plan transportation improvements. A new case study released by the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Asset Management, The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Council of Governments Experience (Pub. No. FHWA-IF-07-028), looks at how this metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for greater Cincinnati has adapted FHWA's Surface Transportation Efficiency Analysis Model (STEAM) software to aid in prioritizing and selecting projects. "MPOs select almost all of the Nation's urban transportation projects, and are most directly confronted with the tasks of allocating capital improvement resources to accomplish multiple objectives, including congestion relief and infrastructure replacement and reconstruction," said OKI Executive Director Mark Policinski.

Seeking the Best Solutions with Highways for LIFE

"Seeking the Best Solutions" is the goal of a new workshop available from the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Highways for LIFE (HfL) program. The workshop is designed to give States the tools to develop a process for setting customer-focused performance goals and incorporating innovations into highway projects.

Seventh International Conference on Managing Pavement Assets: Investing in the Future

The latest innovations in asset management will be on display at the Seventh International Conference on Managing Pavement Assets (ICMPA), to be held in Calgary, Canada, from June 24-28, 2008. Building on the success of the last conference held in Brisbane, Australia, in 2004, the 2008 ICMPA will offer transportation agencies from the United States, Canada, and a host of other countries the opportunity to learn about pavement management practices from around the world. "As State highway agencies move ahead in implementing asset management, pavement management is an important part of that effort," says Steve Gaj of FHWA's Office of Asset Management. "With the conference being held in North America, it's a particularly good opportunity for States to attend."

Highway Technology Calendar