AASHTO Journal, 1 May 2015
The second Strategic Highway Research Program will begin taking applications May 29 for financial awards and technical support under the next round of its Implementation Assistance Program, and starting May 6 will hold a series of webinars to explain the products and application process for those incentives.
But those who may join in the first webinars need to act quickly, by checking on advance requirements to participate.
Pamela Hutton, AASHTO’s SHRP2 implementation manager, emphasized that anyone interested in the webinars needs to be aware of changes that have been made in how participants register for those events. She said the new system requires many to register at least several days in advance, a change from earlier events where participants could log in just minutes before the day’s event would begin.
A message on the SHRP2 website says the Federal Highway Administration is using a new registration system for the webinars.
“In the new system, external users (those without a @dot.gov email address) must request an account before they can register,” it says. “If you are an external user, your first step is to request an account. Within two business days, you will receive e-mails with your temporary password and approval information. You will then be able to register for the webinars by clicking on the registration links.”
Hutton said officials in each webinar will describe available funding levels for incentives to use the research products, and what is expected in the competitive application process for this sixth round of the IAP program.
Round 6 has incentives for state departments of transportation and other agencies to use six products, which will be detailed in four webinars through mid-May. They take place at varying times of day, as described on the SHRP2 site.
The May 6 event will be about SHRP2’s “work zone impacts and strategies estimator software,” a program tool to analyze the construction impacts of multiple, concurrent work zones.
On May 7, a “pavement solutions” webinar will explain two products qualifying for Round 6 incentives – one on models and processes to build low-cost, long-life composite pavement systems and one on using precast concrete pavement to reduce the length of construction closures on critical roadways.
A May 13 webinar looks at two products involving utilities. One on utility investigation technologies is about high-tech ways to locate underground utility lines, while the other is focused on ways to improve cooperation among highway agencies and utilities for faster project delivery.
The final webinar on May 14 reviews “PlanWorks,”which SHRP2 describes as a “systematic web-based resource that supports collaborative decision-making to deliver projects that meet environmental, community, and mobility needs.”