Advancing Innovative Materials Practice in Highway Construction

The continuous advancement in highway construction materials and technologies produces a demand for efficient data cataloging and retrieval in order to take full advantage of their benefits in highway quality, cost savings, environmental impact, and prolonged life cycle. Although there are several excellent materials libraries and database resources currently available, a single source system for quickly retrieving materials evaluation data does not exist. The research time required reviewing a material, and the duplication of evaluation efforts and expenses may be greatly reduced by merging existing resources. The basis of this study includes a descriptive summary of many modern material technologies currently being evaluated or used in highway construction. This paper summarizes existing material evaluation programs and data resources that are available and being used by State Departments of Transportation (DOTs). A national survey was formulated and offered to DOT materials engineers and representatives, where they were asked to comment on their current materials evaluation programs and procedures. The results of this survey were used to provide the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) with valuable feedback for use in developing an efficient evaluation process. A materials evaluation data research tool was developed for the purpose of simplifying the research process, and ultimately should aid in the unification of existing independent materials data resources. Finally, a New Products and Methods Evaluation Process was formulated for use by the Federal Lands Highway Divisions of the FHWA and other transportation agencies that encompasses many of the components utilized by DOTs in their evaluation procedures.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Durham, Stephan Anthony
  • Morgan, Matt T
  • Petersen, Bradley A
  • Surdahl, Roger W
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 88th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2009-1-11 to 2009-1-15
• Date: 2009

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: DVD
• Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 19p
• Monograph Title: TRB 88th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers DVD

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Building materials; Data collection; Life cycle analysis; Quality control; Road construction; Service life; State departments of transportation; Technological innovations
• Subject Areas: Construction; Highways; Materials; I50: Construction and Supervision of Construction;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01122148
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 09-1100
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Feb 19 2009 2:42PM