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Focus

Federal Highway Administration / Publications / Focus / December 2008

Accelerating Infrastructure Innovations

Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-09-009
Date: December 2008

Pavement Preservation at Your Fingertips: FHWA Resources Offer Guidance and Training

From CDs and pocket guides to workshops and online training, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) offers transportation agencies and others a comprehensive set of resources to learn more about transportation system preservation.

A 4-hour Webinar offered by FHWA's National Highway Institute (NHI), "Pavement Preservation: Optimal Timing of Pavement Preservation Treatments" (NHI Course No. 131114), highlights work performed under National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Project 14-14, "Guide for Optimal Timing of Pavement Preventive Maintenance Treatment Applications." This work included development of the OPTime tool, which helps users identify the best time to apply preventive maintenance treatments. Webinar topics also include characteristics of good pavement preservation programs, the collection of treatment performance data, and key cost and benefit considerations.

Figure 1. Photo. A close-up view of a chip seal being applied to a roadway.
FHWA offers numerous resources to learn more about pavement preservation.

The target audience for the Webinar includes upper and mid-level highway agency professionals who are responsible for pavement preservation and management. The minimum class size is 15, with a maximum of 30. The course fee is $100 per participant. For more information, visit the NHI Web site at www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov, or contact Chris Newman at FHWA, 202-366-2023 (email: christopher.newman@fhwa.dot.gov).

FHWA is also working to schedule regional workshops in 2009 on in-place pavement recycling, following the successful Western Region In-Place Recycling Workshop held in Salt Lake City, Utah, in June 2008. The workshop highlighted the economic, environmental, and engineering benefits of incorporating previously used high-quality materials into roadway networks (see July 2008 Focus). Presentations and videos from the workshop are available on the Utah Local Technical Assistance Program Web site at www.utahltap.org (click on "Document Repository and Downloads" and then select "Western Region In-Place Recycling Workshop").

Figure 2. Photo. A chip seal is applied to a rural roadway. Two workers are visible on the spreader truck.
The online Pavement Preservation Treatment Construction Guide offers information on specific treatments to extend the life of pavements, such as the chip seal shown here.

An online resource is the Pavement Preservation Treatment Construction Guide, which was created by FHWA and the California Department of Transportation. The guide covers basic pavement preservation concepts, as well as information on specific treatments to extend the life of pavements and how to best select a treatment. To access the guide, visit http://fhwapap34.fhwa.dot.gov/NHI-PPTCG/index.htm.

The second edition of FHWA's Pavement Preservation Toolbox CD, released in 2007, remains a handy one-stop library of information on the latest technologies, concepts, and practices in pavement preservation. "The CDs have been a very popular item, providing transportation agencies with an easily accessible collection of documents and resources to help them manage their highway pavement assets," says Joe Gregory in FHWA's Office of Asset Management. Resources on the CD include FHWA's A Quick Check of Your Highway Network Health brochure, NCHRP reports on preventive maintenance, FHWA technical and policy memos on pavement preservation, and pavement preservation publications from various industry associations. To obtain a copy of the CD, send an email to Joe Gregory at joseph.gregory@fhwa.dot.gov.

The Pavement Preservation Checklist Series created by FHWA and the Foundation for Pavement Preservation, meanwhile, offers easy-to-use, portable guidance on implementing innovative pavement preventive maintenance processes. The 13 topics in the series cover various asphalt and portland cement concrete pavement applications, such as crack and joint sealing, dowel bar retrofit, surface seals, diamond grinding, partial and full-depth repair, and in-place recycling. The complete checklist series is available online at www.fhwa.dot.gov/preservation.

FHWA is also supporting regional pavement and bridge preservation partnerships that have been established through work with State agencies, industry, academia, and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' Transportation System Preservation Technical Services Program (TSP•2). Now active across the country, these partnerships facilitate the exchange of information on preservation techniques and provide support to State and industry efforts. Regional Pavement Preservation Partnerships have been formally established for the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Rocky Mountain, and Western regions during the past 3 years, while similar Regional Bridge Preservation Partnerships have been formed in the past year for the Northeast, Midwest, and Southwest regions. More information on the partnerships and their activities is available at www.tsp2.org.

FHWA is identifying field staff to work with each of the pavement and bridge preservation partnerships. Expert task groups will also assist the partnerships with technical issues, new products and materials, and other national issues raised by the regional groups. For more information on transportation system preservation, visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/preservation, or contact your local FHWA division office or Joe Gregory in FHWA's Office of Asset Management, 202-366-1557 (email: joseph.gregory@fhwa.dot.gov). Information and resources are also available from the FHWA Resource Center's Pavement and Materials Technical Service Team. To learn more, visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/resourcecenter/teams/pavement/index.cfm.

First International Conference on Pavement Preservation

Make plans now to attend the First International Conference on Pavement Preservation, scheduled for April 12-16, 2010, in Newport Beach, California. The conference is being organized by the California Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Foundation for Pavement Preservation. Conference topics will include benefits of pavement preservation, integrating pavement preservation into a pavement management system, pavement preservation treatments for flexible and rigid pavements, and funding of pavement preservation. For more information on the conference, visit www.pavementpreservation.org/icpp, or contact Patte Hahn at the National Center for Pavement Preservation, 517-432-8220 (email: hahnp@egr.msu.edu).

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Updated: 06/27/2017
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