FHWA deploys bridge-inspecting robots

Amanda Bayhi - May 17, 2013

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is deploying a robot to help inspect the safety and structure of concrete bridge decks. The robotic tool, created in partnership with Rutgers University as part of the Long-Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) ...

1040

Better Roads Staff - May 13, 2013

In bridges, there’s American old and then there’s old. The Pont Vieux and the Cathedral de Sainte Cecile. You want old? The Pont Vieux (literally “old bridge”) had been in use for 657 years when the oldest surviving roadway bridge in America, ...

FHWA Administrator Mendez: Safety is top priority in innovation

Amanda Bayhi - Apr 24, 2013

Safety is the top priority when considering new innovation in transportation and infrastructure, Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez said in an interview with Better Roads during the Intelligent Transportation Society of America's (ITS America) Annual Meeting. Mendez explained that in 2011, ...

Are We Choosing Failure Over Success?

Better Roads Staff - Apr 03, 2013

Early in my career, I worked for a special interest consumer magazine that was getting beaten badly by the competition. In a series of meetings about how to save our magazine and our jobs, we identified the reasons we were ...

Pavement Preservation Coded in MAP-21

Better Roads Staff - Feb 07, 2013

Under new federal surface transportation law MAP-21, pavement preservation treatments like slurry surfacing (shown) and state and local policy elements like asset management are supported with federal funds For the first time, pavement preservation is part of national surface transportation ...

Monthly Motor Fuel Report by States released, July 2012 now posted

Tina Grady Barbaccia - Nov 26, 2012

The Monthly Motor Fuel Report by States (July 2012) was just released on the Office of Highway Policy Information, Federal Highway Administration website at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/motorfuel/jul12/jul12.pdf. (Click here for a downloable PDF of this report.) Highlights from the report include the following: Overall change ...

Roadway Environmental Ratings: What’s Best for Your Agency?

Better Roads Staff - Nov 12, 2012

There's a choice of programs to use in rating sustainable roads By Tom Kuennen, Contributing Editor The never-ending quest to define which pavements and highways can be considered “environmentally sustainable” has gotten a lot harder, just as it’s gotten easier. Cold milling of ...

Road Science

Better Roads Staff - Oct 09, 2012

What Went Wrong, and Why Forensic Studies Give Clues to Pavement Failure By Tom Kuennen, Contributing Editor Whether the pavement is black or white, flexible or rigid, asphalt or concrete, pavement forensic testing is the key to preventing future pavement failures in either ...

Road Science

Better Roads Staff - Jul 03, 2012

On the Face of It Aggregate performance depends on its surface The higher-performing bituminous and portland cement concrete mixes of today are becoming more complex, and to ensure performance, more scrutiny is being given to the chemistry and composition of the aggregates ...

Highway Contractor

Better Roads Staff - Jul 03, 2012

Smart Rollin' The developing genius of Intelligent Compaction IIntelligent Compaction (IC) for hot mix asphalt is a work in progress. IC rollers are valuable quality control tools that go a long way toward solving the shortcomings of the conventional process. With some ...

TIFIA transportation project loan program under fire

Better Roads Staff - May 07, 2012

Congress will begin reconciling Senate and House highway reauthorization bills next week that contain significantly increased funding for a loan program that’s criticized as providing credit for too many public-private toll projects. On May 8, conferees from both chambers will have ...

Lattatudes

Better Roads Staff - Apr 06, 2012

Reforming Reauthorization Much of the debate (if you can call it that) on a new highway bill has focused on the amount of funding that will be available for transportation infrastructure. Argument over the length of new legislation has also had ...

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