What's New in Materials

TRB will conduct a webinar on Tuesday, October 2, 2018, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM ET that features research from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP)’s Research Report 876 : Guidelines for Integrating Safety and Cost-Effectiveness into Resurfacing, Restoration, and Rehabilitation (3R) Projects. This webinar will present updated geometric design guidance for 3R projects. These...

Register and make hotel reservations today for the TRB 98th Annual Meeting, January 13-17, 2019, in Washington, D.C. Registration is required for all Annual Meeting attendees, including session speakers, poster presenters, and those who attend the exhibit hall, career fair, or any workshops. Full Registration also includes full access to: *Annual Meeting Interactive Program (available in Novem...

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released a report that evaluates a laboratory rutting performance of warm mix asphalt (WMA) versus hot mix asphalt (HMA). In many paving projects, WMA has replaced HMA as a means of reducing environmental impacts. This report seeks to develop guidance for using WMA for commercial airport pavements.

TRB's second annual Careers in Motion Networking Fair takes place on January 13, 2019 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, during the 2019 TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The event provides an opportunity for prospective employers from a wide range of sectors and modes to meet with transportation professionals interested in working for their organizatio...

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released a report that describes a study that determines the properties of new asphalt concrete materials and the practicality of using them on airfields. Many agencies have been using reclaimed asphalt materials in new concrete mixes due to the cost savings and environmental benefits, but the current FAA specifications do not permit their use ...

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) has released a request for proposals to perform a comprehensive review of AASHTO M 180-18 and its associated AASHTO and ASTM standards. The project will include proposing revisions to the specifications so that they conform with current requirements and the state of practice for highway guardrail systems. The revised standard shall spe...

Raquelle (Kelly) Myers, staff attorney with the National Indian Justice Center (NIJC), is a featured volunteer in the TR News . Ms. Myers’ areas of interest are federal Indian law, family law, and tribal transportation programs. At NIJC, she aids the organization’s mission to improve the justice systems, health, and welfare in tribal communities, focusing on tribal transportation issues. While ...

TRB turns 100 on November 11, 2020. To commemorate this milestone, TRB has a yearlong celebration planned that will begin in January 2020 to recognize and honor the extraordinary record of achievements accomplished by TRB’s volunteers, sponsors, affiliates, friends, and staff. Please support TRB's upcoming centennial anniversary activities by contributing to the Century Club (individuals) or Ce...

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has released a report that investigates the strength-deformation characteristics of open-graded aggregates (OGAs) under common conditions in the field. OGAs are often used as structural backfill materials for retaining walls, bridge foundations, and pavement bases because of their engineering properties and general ease of use.

TRB will conduct a webinar on Wednesday, October 31 2018, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM ET that provides a practical discussion of moisture damage in asphalt pavements. The presenters will discuss real-world examples of how transportation agencies have investigated moisture damage in specific projects; useful cost-benefit considerations when addressing asphalt mixtures that may be susceptible to mois...

Mary E. Peters is the 2019 recipient of the Frank Turner Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Transportation. Ms. Peters is former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, and Director of the Arizona Department of Transportation. She is currently principal of Mary Peters Consulting Group, LLC. The Award will be presented during the Annual Meeting's Cha...

The latest edition of Research Pays Off explores the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT)'s use of alternative delivery methods to compress and accelerate the delivery of projects from engineering through construction through public–private partnerships (PPPs) and design–build (DB) methods.This article discusses the legislation that allowed Georgia DOT to build partnerships with private f...

The National Center for Asphalt Technology at Auburn University has released a report that compares the performance and life-cycle cost benefits of stone matrix asphalt (SMA) to those of polymer-modified Superpave dense-graded mixtures used on similar trafficked highways. SMA uses higher asphalt contents than conventional Superpave dense-graded mixture and includes fibers as stabilizers.

A featured article in the July-August 2018 issue of the TR News investigates how risk is addressed in both the traditional project delivery method and in alternative project delivery methods used by departments of transportation across the country.  The TR News is TRB's bimonthly magazine featuring timely articles on innovative and state-of-the-art research and practice in all modes of tra...

TRB conducted a webinar on Monday, September 10, 2018, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM ET that featured research from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP)’s Research Report 877 : Performance-Based Mix Design for Porous Friction Courses. This webinar provided guidelines for a performance-based mix design procedure for porous friction courses (PFC) that includes laboratory testing. A...

TRB’s Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board has released 21 early access papers addressing materials, including: Performance Assessment of Interlayers with Different Tack Coats by Considering Loading Types and Failure Modes ( link ) Modeling Stress-Dependent Anisotropic Elastoplastic Unbound Granular Base in Flexible Pavements ( link ) Development and Vali...

A featured article in the July-August 2018 issue of the TR News examines the latest application and implementation of alternative contracting methods for faster project delivery of transportation infrastructure. The TR News is TRB's bimonthly magazine featuring timely articles on innovative and state-of-the-art research and practice in all modes of transportation. It also includes brief news it...

The Virginia Department of Transportation has released a report that examines a steel-reinforced concrete and fiber-reinforced polymer structural element called the Hybrid-Composite Beam (HCB). The goal of this report is to determine how well HCB holds up as a structural component and as a bridge system.

Titles, dates, times, and brief descriptions are now available for the 100+ specialty workshops at the TRB 98th Annual Meeting, January 13-17, 2019, in Washington, D.C. Annual Meeting registration is required for all workshop attendees. The Human Factors workshops, which are those with titles beginning with “HR,” have limited attendance and require a separate registration and fee. Mark your cal...

The Florida Department of Transportation has released a report that evaluates sunlight degradation of polymeric products used in transportation-related applications. This report also recommends test protocols for quality assurance measurements.

Austroads has released a report that summarizes the mix design test methods of foamed bitumen stabilized materials developed within the context of an Austroads mix design process. This report details the construction and performance monitoring of six trial sections. The report is available for no fee after logging onto the site.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has released a report that investigates the load transfer within a composite pile composed of a steel-pipe section filled with concrete. This report analyzes axial loads on instrumented steel pipe-pile sections.

The July–August issue of TR News examines 20 years of research and TRB activities on alternative contracting methods (ACM) and success stories from implementing research innovations. Explored are pioneering tools and contracting techniques used by state departments of transportation such as Georgia and Colorado, along with tested project delivery methods, selection tools for transit, internatio...

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has released a report that evaluates the laboratory performance of plant-produced lab-compacted mixtures utilizing various warm mix asphalt (WMA) technologies. This report also compares WMA energy consumption cost and emission data to conventional hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures in terms of fuel/energy savings at the plant and in terms o...

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has released a report that examines how permeable pavements may be used in place of conventional impervious pavement materials in order to reduce stormwater runoff. This report specifically assesses the performance of porous asphalt at a VDOT-operated Park & Ride facility.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has released a report that evaluates the in-service performance of reclaimed asphalt mixtures after approximately seven years of use. In 2007, VDOT piloted a specification allowing up to 30 percent reclaimed asphalt pavement in certain dense-graded asphalt surface mixtures while changing virgin binder grade requirements.

TRB conducted a webinar on Monday, August 6, 2018, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM ET that explored construction of mass concrete structures, such as bridge piers and other large volume placements. The presenters discussed the reasons why it is important to control concrete temperatures in mass concrete construction projects, how to control in-place concrete temperatures, and the latest advances in pos...

The Iowa Department of Transportation has released a report that develops a method to identify the most appropriate rejuvenators for Iowa’s high recycled asphalt pavement mixtures. This report aims to identify a screening method for approving rejuvenators in asphalt mixtures and design a method of field evaluation for hot mix asphalt containing rejuvenators.

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) has released a pre-publication, non-edited version of Research Report 876: Guidelines for Integrating Safety and Cost-Effectiveness into Resurfacing, Restoration, and Rehabilitation (3R) Projects. The report presents an approach for estimating the cost-effectiveness of including safety and operational improvements in a resurfacing, res...

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 524: Aggregate Quality Requirements for Pavements Aggregate Quality Requirements for Pavements documents transportation agency requirements for the quality of aggregates for various pavement types. Constructing and maintaining pavements requires an abundant and dependable supply of quality aggregates. Aggregate comes from a w...