Publication Number: FHWA-SA-96-015
Date: April 1996

Articles in this Issue

AASHTO Approves 10 New Provisional Standards

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has approved 10 new provisional standards for products of the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP), bringing the total number of SHRP-related standards to 59.

Binder Expert Task Group Considers Improved Models for Fatigue, Critical Cracking of Modified Binders

Data from pavement test sections have been used to determine the critical cracking temperature of neat (unmodified) asphalt binders, but not modified binders. As a result, the Superpave binder specification relies on a model based on neat asphalt, and thus does not correlate well with the performance of modified binders. The redesigned direct tension test device will be used to determine all binders' critical cracking temperature. The Binder ETG is developing a plan for validating the use of the direct tension test in this application.

Pennsylvania Shines New Light on Flagging

The temporary work zone is an inherently dangerous place for maintenance crews. Concerned about worker safety, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (DOT) decided to experiment with the flashing stop/slow paddle, which was designed under the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) as a tool for increasing safety in highway work zones.

International Coordinators Meet in Washington

For the fourth time in as many years, the international coordinators for the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) assembled in Washington, D.C., to share ideas and information on the implementation of SHRP products and the continuation of the international long-term pavement performance (LTPP) studies. The meeting, held in conjunction with the Transportation Research Board (TRB) annual meeting and hosted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and TRB, brought together 32 people from 20 countries. FHWA's Joe Toole, director of the Office of Technology Applications, and John Clements, associate administrator for research and development, were also in attendance, as was Frank Francois, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and Neil Hawks, director of special programs for TRB.

SHRP Asphalt Materials Available

Do your research plans call for samples of materials used in the original Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) asphalt studies? To make sure the material will be available when you need it, request samples now from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Materials Reference Library (MRL).

Snow Fences Benefit Motorists--and Farmers

Now that one of the country's worst winters in decades has finally come to an end, it's time to start preparing for next year's snow. Anti-icing chemicals and snowplows are great for clearing pavements of ice and snow, but imagine how much easier it would be if we could prevent the snow from accumulating on roads to begin with.

Superpave Technology Delivery Team Formed

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has formed a cross-cutting Superpave Technology Delivery Team (TDT) to serve as the focal point for all Superpave implementation activities.

SHRP Implementation Calendar