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Highway construction

Files are in Adobe PDF format with most recent reports first.

Use of Fly-Ash in Full-Depth Reclamation, 172 pages, June 2008, (9.9 MB)
A review of transportation Web sites on the use of fly ash in full-depth pavement reclamation projects. The TSR also contains results from 22 states and three Canadian projects from a RAC survey on the same topic.

Improved Life for Longitudinal Joints in Asphalt Pavement, 7 pages, May 2008, (106 KB) 
A review of recent research and practices aimed at improving the life of longitudinal joints in asphalt pavement.

Stress-Absorbing Membrane Interlayers for Asphalt Pavement Distress, 35 pages, February 2008, (109 KB)
A review of the ability of stress-absorbing membrane interlayers to treat local asphalt pavement distress, particularly in states with winter conditions similar to Wisconsin's.

Alternative Dowel Bar Size and Placement in Concrete Pavements, 26 pages, November 2007, (189 KB)
Recent research and practice on alternative shapes and placement of dowel bars in jointed plain concrete pavement.

Joint Maintenance and Repair on Doweled, Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement, 8 pages, December 2006 (254 KB)
Survey responses from 20 states on their joint repair practices, including detailed schedules from Illinois and Louisiana.

Intelligent Compaction of Soils, 8 pages, December 2006 (93 KB)
A report on the state of the practice in intelligent compaction systems for soils and bases, including research from Minnesota and Iowa and a literature search on the topic.

Bridge Deck Surface Treatment Practices Of Five Midwest State DOTs, 5 pages, November 2006 (133 KB)
A summary of five states' responses to questions about their use of sealants on bridge decks. 

Estimating Construction Costs and Using Construction Cost Indexes, 3 pages, June 2006 (93 KB)
Construction Cost Index and Cost Estimation practices and documentation around the country.

Overlay of Shoulder Rumble Strips, 7 pages, June 2006 (543 KB)
Information from New Hampshire DOT (with illustrations) and eight other states surveyed by NHDOT on procedures for overlaying shoulders with rumble strips.

GPS in Construction Staking, 4 pages, April 2006 (96 KB)
State and national perspectives on the benefits and challenges of using GPS in construction.  

Fraud/Collusion Detection Systems, Version 2, 5 pages, April 2006 (78 KB)
FHWA guidance documents, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) committee activities and state practices related to fraud in highway contracts. 

Rapid Construction of Structural Foundations, 3 pages, April 2006 (63 KB)
A FHWA Web site highlighting innovative projects and a review of current and completed research on substructure systems.  

Pavement Surface Materials to Minimize Snowmobile Damage, 1 page, March 2006 (61 KB)
Recent research focused on surface treatments for protecting pavements at snowmobile crossings.

Slurry Backfills in Approach Embankments, 2 pages, March 2006 (69 KB)
Current research and state transportation agency practices in using slurry backfills to combat settlement in approach embankments of bridge abutments. 

Certification Programs for Survey Technicians, 5 pages, August 2005 (65 KB)
Information on state and national certification programs and classes for technicians who perform survey inspection and staking and related tasks.

Recent Developments in Concrete-on-Concrete Bridge Deck Overlays, 3 pages, February 2005 (194 KB)
National and international research and best practices on placement of concrete overlays over concrete bridge decks.

Constructability Reviews, V. 2, 6 pages, February 2005 (219 KB)
A review of 18 states' practices plus selected National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) and AASTHO publications on the topic.

Deep-Strength and Full-Depth Asphalt Pavements, 3 pages, November 2004 (142 KB)
Looks at the distinctions among these two pavements, and also how other state transportation agencies use them.

Accelerated Construction Techniques, 4 pages, October 2004 (193 KB) 
A look at key research and practices produced by FHWA, AASHTO and several other states in accelerated construction methods and technology.

Construction and Operations Applications For Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), 2 pages, October 2004 (174 KB)
A review of RFID applications in transportation, focusing on highway construction and several other intriguing and applicable uses.

Pavement Service Life, 61 pages, September 2004 (1.2 MB)
Responses from 14 states and a Canadian Province to a brief Research Advisory Committee survey; attachments and links to state descriptions of pavement service life and pavement type selection; related research from Australia and industry associations.

Program and Project Performance Measures for Highway Construction, 5 pages, December 2003 (237 KB)
A review of seven states' practices and a listing of FHWA, AASHTO and software resources.

Design-Build Implementation, 11 pages, November 2003 (357 KB)
National trends, new FHWA rule, state experiences, benefits and drawbacks, issues to consider.

Joint Spacing for Concrete Pavement, 3 pages, June 2003 (204 KB)
A review of recent research, guidelines and software for determining optimal joint spacing. Includes FHWA, AASHTO and industry information.

Alternative Dowel Bar Materials for Concrete Pavement Joints, 3 pages, June 2003 (179 KB)
Identifies current research on dowel bars that are epoxy coated or stainless steel clad, or made of fiber-reinforced polymer, glass fiber-reinforced polymer, or solid stainless steel.

Electronic Truckload Scales, 2 pages, March 2003 (181 KB)
Review of three manufacturers' systems for automated weighing of aggregate loads, ticket printing and data management.

Constructability Reviews, 4 pages, February 2003 (235 KB)
Eleven states' practices, AASHTO and NCHRP guidance, and recent journal articles on the pre-construction review process aimed at saving time and money. 

Alternative Dispute Resolution, 4 pages, February 2003 (222 KB)
Five states' practices for handling contractor disputes and a review of federal guidance, research and best practices.

Fraud/Collusion Detection Systems, 3 pages, December 2002 (207 KB)
Includes information on AASHTO's decision-support system software, FHWA guidance, presenter names and topics from a national transportation fraud conference, and a few states' experiences.

Daily Liquidated Damages, 4 pages, November 2002 (183 KB)
Review of Daily Liquidated Damages schedules and use of road user charges in Upper Midwest and other states, along with FHWA and NCHRP guidance.

Contractor Prequalification - Quality-Based Rating, 10 pages, October 2002 (343 KB)
Summary of a 2001 NCHRP study on this issue, including current state DOT practices, rating models and external certifications.

Nighttime Highway Construction, 3 pages, July 2002 (182 KB)
Two NCHRP reports, a 2001 Transportation Research Board (TRB) paper, research in progress, and TRB and academic contacts.

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Last modified: July 11, 2008