摘要: |
Superpave, one of the major outcomes of the Strategic Highway Research Program, was at the midpoint of an extensive implementation campaign when the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) was enacted. Unfortunately, neither TEA-21 nor the transportation appropriations acts for 1998 and 1999 provided any funds to complete the implementation program. Consequently, the individual state departments of transportation, acting through the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), have assumed the financial burden for completing this work through the National Cooperative Highway Research Program in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Because of the complex, programmatic nature of the Superpave implementation efforts and the need to keep all of the players in step, AASHTO and FHWA specifically asked the Transportation Research Board (TRB) to organize and staff a Superpave oversight committee. The TRB Superpave Committee provides advice on the suitability of overall objectives, missing components in the Superpave-related work plans, the appropriateness of the research tasks in the plan, the likelihood of success of the research tasks, and the coordination of activities among all parties engaged in Superpave implementation. In addition, the committee conducts regular program reviews, provides an accounting of progress, regularly reviews the financial needs for work remaining to be done, and offers advice regarding course corrections, promising opportunities, and significant findings. |