News Archive




05/16/08:   Research Roadmap Brochure -   Brochure for the TSP Preservation Research Roadmap covering pavement and bridge preservation research needs....[more]

05/16/08:   TSP2 Brochure -   Download the TSP2 Brochure for quick reference or distribution to your colleagues...[more]

05/16/08:   TSP2 Oversight Panel -   Directory listing of the TSP2 Oversight Panel members....[more]

05/16/08:   Welcome -   Welcome to the TSP2 website....[more]

05/09/08:   RiP: Impact of WMA Mixtures in Nebraska -   The primary objective of this research is to perform various key tests, which are expected to provide essential information of mechanical property-performance of WMA mixtures implemented in Nebraska....[more]

05/09/08:   RiP: Improved Condition Monitoring for Bridge Mgmt. -   The objectives of this program are to develop and promote advanced non-destructive evaluation (NDE) and monitoring techniques with infrastructure owners. These techniques allow owners to better determine infrastructure condition and maximize useful life. A major focus of the Research Engineering Group (REG) is on bridges....[more]

05/09/08:   RiP: Evaluation of HMA Overlays in Illinois -   The proposed research will assess the overall performance of overlaid pavement sections on two subsets of the pavement network: interstate and off interstate, marked routes. Evaluations of the performance of SMART (Surface Maintenance at the Right Time) and of policy overlays for two pavement network subsets will be conducted....[more]

05/09/08:   RiP: Pavement Planning Based on Life-Cycle Analysis -   The objective of this project is to develop an advanced pavement program planning procedure based on life-cycle benefit-cost analysis. This project will conduct a study on successful pavement management programs to understand the state of the practice. Effective (yet simple) mathematical models will be developed to support pavement program planning practices. A spreadsheet-based computer program will be developed to serve as a decision-making support tool that facilitates the planning process....[more]

05/08/08:   Detroit Wins Second Place for Worst Commute -   Detroit is continuing to make national headlines, only this time as the country’s second worst city for commuters as rated by Forbes.com. Forbes estimates that the average Detroit commuter is delayed 54 hours a year....[more]

05/07/08:   States Get In on Calls for a Gas Tax Holiday -   Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida has been fighting to cut 10 cents from the state’s gasoline tax for two weeks in July. Lawmakers in Missouri, New York and Texas have also proposed a summer break from state gas taxes, while candidates for governor in Indiana and North Carolina are sparring over relief ideas of their own....[more]

05/01/08:   Yellowstone Greens Up with WMA -   The FHWA Western Federal Lands Highway Division and the Office of Pavement Technology collaborated to construct two sections of warm-mix asphalt (WMA) using different materials and one hot-mix asphalt (HMA) section between Yellowstone National Park’s east entrance, about 52 miles west of Cody, Wyoming, and Sylvan Pass, a length of approximately seven miles....[more]

05/01/08:   Idaho Board Freezes Future Road Projects -   The Idaho Transportation Board has voted to end three programs so that it can instead spend the money on keeping the state's existing roads from falling apart....[more]

05/01/08:   Summer Gas Tax Holiday Plan Still Alive -   Despite the hard work of ASCE Key Contacts that blocked Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) proposal to impose a summer gas tax holiday last week, the issue continues to garner support from policymakers. Echoing the plans set forward last week by Sen. McCain, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) this week indicated that she would also consider a gas tax holiday this summer....[more]

04/15/08:   McCain's Gas Tax Holiday Would Devastate Highways -   Presidential contender Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has called for a suspension of federal fuel taxes from Memorial Day to Labor Day. AASHTO estimates that for the average motorist driving approximately 12,000 miles per year, the savings would amount to only $28 and result in the loss of nearly 300,000 jobs....[more]

03/28/08:   Highway Trust Fund Crisis at Hand -   Unless Congress acts to increase Highway Trust Fund revenue, states could be facing a significant reduction in federal-aid highway funding in Fiscal Year 2009 according to finance experts from the U.S. Department of Transportation and Congressional staff....[more]

03/25/08:   Michigan Motorists Lose $7 Billion Annually -   Substandard roads and bridges cost Michigan drivers approximately $7 billion per year in wasted time and fuel, additional traffic crashes and increased vehicle maintenance as a result of state routes that have significant deterioration, are congested or lack adequate safety features, according to a report released today by TRIP. The report estimates that the average costs of inadequate roadways are $1,671, $1,085, and $866 annually per driver in the Detroit metro, Grand Rapids, and Lansing areas, respectively....[more]

03/25/08:   Deteriorating Roads Costs Average Motorist $413 Annually -   23% of the nation’s major metropolitan roads have pavements in poor condition, resulting costs to the average urban motorist of $413 annually in additional vehicle operating costs due to accelerated vehicle deterioration, additional maintenance needs and increased fuel consumption, according to a new report released today by TRIP....[more]

03/25/08:   MSU-NCPP Sign China Agreement -   On November 30, 2007, NCPP Director Larry Galehouse and MSU Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Chairman, Ron Harichandran, signed a historic agreement with representatives of South China University of Technology (SCUT) to increase cooperation between the two universities. Click to read an English translation of the announcement....[more]

03/25/08:   Exemptions from CWA for Irrigation and Drainage Ditches -   U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Regulatory Guidance Letter (RGL) 07– 02: Exemptions for Construction or Maintenance of Irrigation Ditches and Maintenance of Drainage Ditches under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA)...[more]

03/25/08:   FHWA Releases New Sign Retroreflectivity Requirements -   Traffic signs provide important information to drivers at all times, both day and night. To be effective, their visibility must be maintained. The 2003 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) addresses sign visibility in several Sections which address factors such as uniformity, design, placement, operation, and maintenance. Previously, the MUTCD did not specify minimum retroreflectivity levels....[more]

03/25/08:   NEPPP Mintues and Presentations Posted -   The meeting minutes and presentations from the December 2007 meeting of the Northeast Pavement Preservation Partnership held in Warwick, Rhode Island, have been posted to the NCPP website....[more]

03/18/08:   NTSB Details Loads on Fallen Bridge -   From the Associated Press: "More than 191 tons of construction material was piled over the weakest areas of the Interstate 35W bridge shortly before the span collapsed into the Mississippi River, federal investigators said."...[more]

03/12/08:   12th Maintenance Mgmt. Conference -   The AASHTO Highway Subcommittee on Maintenance and the TRB Maintenance Committee are requesting abstracts for the 12th Annual Maintenance Management Conference to be held in Maryland in July 2009. Topics include bridges, contract maintenance, equipment, management systems, pavements, performance measures, research, roadside & environment, snow & ice, traffic services & safety, and workforce development....[more]

03/11/08:   Thin-Lift Warm-Mix Protects Road -   Public works officials utilize a new thin-lift "warm" maintenance mix on a road subject to high-volume traffic in Wellesley, Mass. This warm-mix technology allows the material to be worked at lower temperatures than HMA, and can be produced with decreased energy costs....[more]

03/11/08:   2008 SEPPP Meeting -   The next meeting of the Southeastern Pavement Preservation Partnership (SEPPP) will be held May 6th through 8th, 2008, at the Westin Atlanta Airport Hotel, Atlanta Georgia...[more]

03/06/08:   TSP Research Roadmap Survey -   A survey is now available on the recently completed TSP Preservation Research Roadmap. Preservation practitioners are encouraged to complete the survey, and express their interest in the proposed research topic areas....[more]

02/07/08:   Pavement Preservation ETG -   PP ETG has recently compiled a list of recent pavement preservation research needs and active projects related to asphalt recycling and other forms of preservation treatment. The research "catalog" has been broken down by treatment type / topic area, or may be downloaded as a single document....[more]

01/18/08:   NACE Update: January 2008 -   The almost bi-weekly newsletter for Board members & Committee Chairs. January 16, 2008- Volume 08 Number 2...[more]

01/18/08:   AASHTO Responds to Transportation Commission Report -   The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission has put forth some bold and groundbreaking concepts to deliver on the promise of mobility for this and future generations.” says Pete Rahn, President of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)....[more]

01/15/08:   KDOT Issues New Bridge Design Manual -   The 2007 version of the KDOT Bridge Design Manual is available for download. This manual supersedes all previous versions in their entirety....[more]

01/15/08:   RiP: Bottom-up Bridge Management System -   A Bridge Management System is proposed which would optimize life cycle maintenance while using time-dependent deterioration models and preserving bridge-specific details. A bottom-up approach can be used. Moreover, robust optimization techniques can be applied at the facility-level, in order to mitigate the epistemic uncertainty in the deterioration process. Recommendations for each component can be aggregated and selected to meet network-level constraints. The proposed approach will provide long-term maintenance costs savings, and improve long-term performance and mainstreamed maintenance management....[more]

01/15/08:   RiP: Waste Tire Rubber in Roads & Bridges -   In this study, the mechanical response of expansive soil rubber (ESR) mixtures and the beneficial use of waste tire rubber on the swell potential mitigation of local expansive soils are evaluated through a systematic and comprehensive experimental investigation. The adequacy of ESR mixtures as an alternative road construction material is evaluated through computational modeling of sections of highway embankments designed with these mixtures. The main objectives of this project are: (i) to evaluate the geotechnical properties of ESR mixtures in low-volume road embankments and bridge abutments, (ii) to design a typical low-volume road embankment cross-section using a mechanistically-based pavement design computer model, (iii) to construct a test section to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed technology, and (iv) to disseminate the project findings through the publication of technical papers and by giving a presentation to state, county, and city engineers as well as students and professionals interested in the technology....[more]

01/14/08:   Research Roadmap Available -   The FHWA in partnership with AASHTO, the FPP and the preservation industry, have completed a study to delineate the most critical knowledge gaps in pavement and bridge preservation and the research which is necessary to fill those gaps. This Transportation System Preservation (TSP) Research, Development, and Implementation Roadmap is the output of that partnership effort, and is now available for download...[more]

01/11/08:   AASHTO Partnership Resolution -   AASHTO passes Resolution to authorize an addtional voluntary assessment to implement Phase II of the TSP2 program to create Regional Preservation Partnership groups....[more]

01/11/08:   NHI Preservation Course -   Description of the 6.5 hour web-based training course in Pavement Preservation (FHWA-NHI-131110). The course is free. Contact Sherron M. Monts at (703) 235-0534 for course scheduling information....[more]

11/26/07:   TRB Asset Mgmt. Presentations Posted -   The PowerPoint presentations from the New Directions in Asset Management and Economic Analysis Conference have now been linked to the Final Program and can be accessed through the TRB website....[more]

11/26/07:   Infrastructure: Priorities Hit a Pothole -   Business Week Q&A with U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters on the Congressional budget process and the need for preventive maintenance....[more]

11/12/07:   TSP2 Panel Meeting -   A TSP2 Panel Meeting is scheduled to be held immediately following the NEPPP Meeting in Warwick, Rhode Island on December 12-13, 2007. The Panel will vote on a resolution to incorporate bridge preservation into the TSP2 Help Desk and website....[more]

11/02/07:   NEPPP 2007 Meeting Brochure -   The new brochure for the NEPPP December 2007 meeting in Warwick, Rhode Island is now available for download....[more]

10/09/07:   TCCC Update -   Press release from the FHWA on accomplishments, activities, and planned future work of the TCCC....[more]

10/09/07:   TSP2 Research Roadmap -   Press release from the FHWA on the TSP2 Research Roadmap for Bridge and Pavement Preservation....[more]

10/09/07:   NHI Web-Based Training -   The FHWA announces a new NHI web-based training course in Pavement Preservation (FHWA-NHI-131110) developed in collaboration between FHWA, CALTRANS, and private industry....[more]

09/27/07:   Alberta Preservation Specs -   Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation has recently provided the TSP2 and NCPP with permission to post its specification and guidebook entitled: "Guidelines for Assessing Pavement Preservation Treatments and Strategies." This document contains information on toolbox treatments, preservation design, life-cycle analysis, and service life extensions....[more]

09/12/07:   New AASHTO Bridge Information Site -   The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)has announced a website of resource information regarding bridges for the use of the media and the general public...[more]

09/05/07:   Infrastructure Priorities Hit a Pothole -   In the wake of the Minneapolis bridge disaster, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters talks about who's to blame for our neglected roadways....[more]

09/05/07:   Upcoming MPPP Meeting -   The next meeting of the Midwestern Pavement Preservation Partnership (MPPP) will be held October 23-25, 2007 at the Doubletree Hotel in Missoula, Montana. Click here for a brochure...[more]

08/29/07:   FHWA Roads & Bridges Fact Sheet -   The nation's roads and highways are the backbone of the U.S. transportation system, allowing Americans to travel approximately 3 trillion miles annually. Americans depend on good roads in their communities to commute to work, to carry out everyday errands and to enjoy recreational activities. Businesses rely on a smooth and efficient transportation system to move goods throughout the nation and around the globe. But there are problems on our nation’s roads, highways and bridges. With traffic congestion worsening and road and bridge deterioration continuing, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that the current backlog of unfunded but needed road, highway and bridge repairs and improvements is $461 billion....[more]

08/20/07:   Reuse the Abused -   "As roads deteriorate and costs rise, benefits of asphalt recycling become more apparent" A Roads & Bridges article by Stephanie Harris, Associate Editor...[more]

08/06/07:   Glossary of Preservation Terms -   Available for the lay-person, this glossary of pavement preservation terms is available for download and covers topics such as treatments, asset management, and basic pavement terminology....[more]

07/24/07:   Review of "At the Crossroads" -   Street Talk publishes an in-depth review of the new NCPP book "At the Crossroads" - an examination of the need for and obstacles impeding the adoption of sound pavement preservation practices....[more]

07/24/07:   Oil Supplies vs. Asphalt Costs -   Presentation by Chevron expert at the NEPPP annual meeting held in Glastonbury, CT....[more]

05/21/07:   The Maintenance Manager April 2007 -   A quarterly newsletter of the AASHTO Highway Subcommittee on Maintenance (SCOM)....[more]

04/18/07:   Specifications Added -   A standard specifications topic area for member agencies of the Northeast Pavement Preservation Partnership has been added to the TSP2 bulletin board area. Watch for a collection of all state specifications coming within the next month....[more]

04/03/07:   Fog Seal Study -   An FHWA / FP2 sponsored study on fog seal performance and best practices has recently been released in draft form and is available through the TSP2 website....[more]

03/12/07:   Network Evaluation Worksheet -   NCPP has developed a Network Evaluation Worksheet which can be downloaded, printed, and used to evaluate the impact of project selection decisions for reconstruction, rehabilitation, and preservation projects....[more]

03/09/07:   Tech. Talks Late Feb 07 -   Infrastructure and transportation news from across the country....[more]

03/09/07:   Technology Talks Mid-Feb 07 -   Transportation and Infrastructure news from around the nation....[more]

03/09/07:   CP2 Newsletter -   Inaugural newsletter of the California Pavement Preservation CP2, March 2007....[more]

02/09/07:   Quick Network Checkup -   NCPP and FHWA have developed a readable 8-page guide to evaluating a highway network. Examples of network evaluations are provided, and the concepts of "remaining service life" (RSL) and "Lane-Mile-Years" are discussed....[more]

02/09/07:   Technology Talks Feb 07 -   Transportation and infrastructure news from around the U.S....[more]

02/09/07:   Technology Talks Late-Jan 07 -   Transportation and infrastructure news from around the U.S....[more]

02/09/07:   Technology Talks Mid-Jan 07 -   Transportation and infrastructure news from around the U.S....[more]

01/08/07:   Asphalt Emulsion Technology -   TRB has made Circular E-C102 available for download on-line. Articles include primers on asphalt emulsions, emulsion manufacturing, applications, and testing....[more]

01/08/07:   Traffic Congestion in Utah -   October 2006 report on the 25 worst traffic jams in Utah. The report estimates up to $1,275 per motorist per annum losses....[more]

01/08/07:   Louisiana's Roads -   An analysis of the ability of Louisiana’s transportation System to meet the State’s need for safe and efficient mobility. Prepared by TRIP....[more]

01/08/07:   Rough Ride Ahead -   Updated October 2006 report from TRIP on ride quality in major U.S. metropolitan areas. Includes user cost information....[more]

01/08/07:   Technology Talks Dec 06 -   Transportation and infrastructure news from around the U.S....[more]

11/27/06:   Preservation in Kent County -   Michigan's Kent County Road Commission's Maintenance Division increases preservation efforts to maximize overall network investment....[more]

11/13/06:   Technology Talks Nov 06 -   FHWA Technology Talks for early November 2006...[more]

11/13/06:   Technology Talks Oct. 06 -   Transportation and infrastructure news from around the U.S....[more]

11/10/06:   FHWA and the ADA -   FHWA has released a memo covering the agency's role and responsibilities in overseeing compliance on pedestrian access required by the ADA of 1990...[more]

11/10/06:   Hawaii Partnership -   The FHWA, Hawaii Department of Transportation, Hawaii Asphalt Paving Industry, and Cement and Concrete Product Industry of Hawaii, entered into an historic pavement preservation partnership in October 2006...[more]

11/10/06:   Photo Gallery -   A preservation photo gallery representing a variety of treatment operations is now available. Do you have some photos you'd like us to feature? Email: john1545@egr.msu.edu....[more]

11/02/06:   Chip Seal Class Jan. 30th -   NCPP will conduct a Chip Seal Best Practices class on January 30, 2007, at the Hayes County Administration Building in Delaware Ohio. Click the following link for a course brochure....[more]

10/24/06:   Technology Talks Sept. 06 -   Transportation and infrastructure news from around the U.S....[more]

10/24/06:   Treatment Selection Tool -   An interactive preservation treatment screening tool has recently been completed and deployed on the TSP2 website. This tool is based upon the CALTRANS MTAG treatment matrix, and is a useful first step to screening potential pavement preservation treatment technologies....[more]

10/24/06:   Applied Asset Mgmt. Class -   The NCPP is offering its two-day course in Applied Asset Management, November 15-16, 2006. The class will be held at the Spring Hill Suites in Lansing, Michigan. To register, or for more information, click the following link....[more]

10/24/06:   Chip Seal Course -   The NCPP has completed development of one-day chip seal course. The first class was held September 2006 at the MPPP meeting in St. Louis. The response to this new class has been extremely well-received. View the brochure (following link) for more information...[more]

10/10/06:   BASF Webinar on 10/20 -   A BASF Webinar on Polymer-Modified Asphalt Emulsions Technology will be held on 10/20 starting at 11:00am. Call 866-703-0793 up to 15 minutes before meeting for the audio portion. The presentation may be viewed at the following link....[more]