States Innovate!


Pennsylvania Bridge First to Use Electrically Isolated Post-Tensioning Tendons
Lehigh County, PA, completed the first U.S bridge installation of electrically isolated post-tensioning tendons (EITs) to conduct long-term corrosion monitoring. The project installed five EITs on the 542-foot-long Coplay-Northampton Bridge. EITs provide enhanced corrosion protection and the electrical isolation allows monitoring of each tendon’s encapsulation quality and possible corrosion initiation throughout the bridge’s service life. Project officials report that these benefits were gained with minimal added construction effort or project cost.

Pavement Preservation Techniques Reduce Backlog in Kentucky
In the past 2 years, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has improved overall road conditions by using pavement preservation techniques such as scrub seals, chip seals, cape seals, hot-mix asphalt thinlays, and microsurfacing. By implementing a pavement preservation strategy, KYTC reports an estimated $200 million reduction in its pavement project backlog and believes that by 2022 the backlog will decline by about $400 million. Visit the Federal Highway Administration pavement preservation web page for a pavement preservation checklist series, best practices, and case studies.

Tribe Develops Programmatic Agreement With Rhode Island
The Narragansett Indian Tribe, Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT), Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, and FHWA collaborated on a programmatic agreement (PA) to streamline project delivery. As a result, the tribe is now better able to participate in the conservation, preservation, and protection of Native American cultural resources or human remains that may be impacted by Federal-Aid projects. Under the PA, the Narragansett Indian Tribal Historic Preservation Office will observe archaeological fieldwork performed by the State and help identify archaeological and cultural resources significant to the tribe. The agreement helps integrate National Environmental Policy Act and permitting processes and expedite the consultation process under National Historic Preservation Act Section 106.