Publication Number: FHWA-RD-02-007
Date: February 2002

Articles in this Issue

Pavement Preservation Forum II: Investing in the Future

For the nearly 200 participants of the National Pavement Preservation Forum II, held in San Diego, California, in November 2001, the numbers told the story. The Michigan Department of Transportation (DOT) estimates that it has saved more than $700 million since implementing a pavement preventive maintenance program in 1992. In California, the number of lane miles in need of repair on the Nation's most heavily traveled highway system is at its lowest level in 10 years, thanks to an infusion of pavement preservation funds. And in a recent survey, 34 of the 40 highway agencies that responded reported that they have established preventive maintenance programs.

FHWA Announces New Source of Bridge Preservation Funding

Maintenance and preservation of highway bridges received a boost in January 2002, when the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced that Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program (HBRRP) funds can now be used to perform preventive maintenance on highway bridges. This new flexibility in State highway agencies' use of the Federal funds will help extend the useful life of bridges in a cost-effective manner. The added flexibility will also assist States in using their limited highway budgets to best manage their aging highway assets.

A New and Improved High-Performance Concrete

Move over, high-performance concrete (HPC). The next generation of HPC, known as ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), is currently being evaluated at the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean, Virginia. The Center's Structures Laboratory is testing two American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Type II prestressed concrete girders fabricated from UHPC. The tests are intended to characterize the girder's structural behavior and determine how well the current AASHTO design provisions represent that behavior.

In Brief

Get the latest information on National Highway Institute (NHI) training courses and course schedules from NHI Training Update, a new monthly newsletter available by email. To subscribe to the newsletter, click on the "Newsletter" button on the NHI home page (www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov).

Fulfilling the LTPP Promise

Thirteen years ago, the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) initiative was launched with the goal of achieving longer-lasting, better performing pavements. Fulfilling the Promise of Better Roads, a new report by the Transportation Research Board's (TRB) LTPP Committee, examines what the program has accomplished so far and what remains to be done. The report also examines the level of funding needed to successfully conduct the LTPP program from 2004 to 2009.

Welcome to the Word of Nondestructive Testing

Looking to learn more about nondestructive and innovative testing (ND&IT) for concrete? A new workshop developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides a comprehensive review of the latest ND&IT for concrete in highway applications. The workshop places particular emphasis on in-place measurement of early-age properties of concrete.

Highway Technology Calendar