Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-06-022
Date: January/February 2006

In Brief

The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) Customer Support Service Center has relocated from Oakridge, Tennessee, to FHWA's Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean, Virginia. The service center was established in 1997 to provide a single point of contact for LTPP data and information requests. Services include distribution of LTPP data, software, and resource documents; guidance in selecting appropriate LTPP data; information on the database structure, tools, data collection methods, and data files; and customer follow-up support. Also available upon request is ancillary LTPP data that are not stored in the LTPP database. This includes information such as distress maps and photographs, drainage videos, raw profile data, falling weight deflectometer time-history data, and construction reports.

The Customer Support Service Center can be contacted at:

The latest edition of the world's largest pavement performance database is now available from FHWA's LTPP program. LTPP Standard Data Release (SDR) 20 can be obtained as a six-CD set or as a single DVD and one CD. The SDR is in Microsoft Access^® format.

New features on the release include a Reference Library CD, which gives users the capability to search for software utilities, resource documents, and research reports that support the database. For those new to using the SDR, a tutorial feature, "Accessing LTPP Data," includes step-by-step examples of working with the data release files and building queries for data extraction. Also included are "Release Notes," which contain information about the SDR's organization, content, and updates made since previous releases. For more information, or to obtain a copy, contact the LTPP Customer Support Service Center at 202-493-3035 (fax: 202-493-3161; email: ltppinfo@fhwa.dot.gov).

The National Partnership for Highway Quality (NHPQ) is now accepting nominations for its 2006 Making a Difference Awards. NPHQ brings together State, Federal, and highway industry leaders to encourage the use of quality practices that will improve safety and service for highway users. The awards honor outstanding highway projects, activities, or programs in the categories of partnering, breaking the mold, risk taking, and state quality partnership. A new award category has also been added this year for public communication. This award will recognize project teams who have excelled in informing the driving public of work zone conditions and enabled drivers to navigate work zones in a safer manner.

Those who can submit nominations include State departments of transportation (DOTs); contractors or consulting engineering firms on behalf of State DOTs; FHWA; and cities, counties, port authorities, and other public agencies. The deadline for submissions is May 8, 2006. For more information or to obtain a nomination form, visit www.nphq.org, or contact Bob Templeton at NPHQ, 512-301-9899 (email: btemplenphq@aol.com).

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