U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
David C. Gibbs
FHWA
Cochair
Randell H. Iwasaki
California DOT
Cochair
Robert J. Bernhard
Purdue University
James F. Bledsoe
Missouri DOT
Douglas D. Carlson
Rubber Pavements Association
Christopher Corbisier
FHWA
Kenneth W. Fults
University of Texas
Report Facilitator
Thomas M. Hearne, Jr.
North Carolina DOT
Kevin W. McMullen
Wisconsin Concrete Pavement Association
David E. Newcomb
National Asphalt Paving Association
John H. Roberts
IGGA/ACPA CRP Division
Judith L. Rochat
U.S. DOT
Larry A. Scofield
Arizona DOT
Mark E. Swanlund
FHWA
American Trade Initiatives, Inc.
LGB & Associates, Inc.
Federal Highway Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
National Cooperative Highway Research Program
(Panel 20-36)
April 2005
FHWA International Technology Exchange Program
The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Technology Exchange Program accesses and evaluates innovative foreign technologies and practices that could significantly benefit U.S. highway transportation systems. This approach allows for advanced technology to be adapted and put into practice much more efficiently without spending scarce research funds to recreate advances already developed by other countries.
The main channel for accessing foreign innovations is the International Technology Scanning Program. The program is undertaken jointly with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and its Special Committee on International Activity Coordination in cooperation with the Transportation Research Board’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program Project 20-36 on “Highway Research and Technology—International Information Sharing,” the private sector, and academia.
FHWA and AASHTO jointly determine priority topics for teams of U.S. experts to study. Teams in the specific areas being investigated are formed and sent to countries where significant advances and innovations have been made in technology, management practices, organizational structure, program delivery, and financing. Scanning teams usually include representatives from FHWA, State departments of transportation, local governments, transportation trade and research groups, the private sector, and academia.
After a scan is completed, team members evaluate findings and develop comprehensive reports, including recommendations for further research and pilot projects to verify the value of adapting innovations for U.S. use. Scan reports, as well as the results of pilot programs and research, are circulated throughout the country to State and local transportation officials and the private sector. Since 1990, FHWA has organized more than 60 international scans and disseminated findings nationwide on topics such as pavements, bridge construction and maintenance, contracting, intermodal transport, organizational management, winter road maintenance, safety, intelligent transportation systems, planning, and policy.
The International Technology Scanning Program has resulted in significant improvements and savings in road program technologies and practices throughout the United States. In some cases, scan studies have facilitated joint research and technology-sharing projects with international counterparts, further conserving resources and advancing the state of the art. Scan studies have also exposed transportation professionals to remarkable advancements and inspired implementation of hundreds of innovations. The result: large savings of research dollars and time, as well as significant improvements in the Nation’s transportation system.
For a complete list of International Technology Scanning Program topics and to order free copies of the reports, please see the list contained in this publication and at www.international.fhwa.dot.gov, or e-mail international@fhwa.dot.gov.
Bringing Global Innovations to U.S. Highways
Roadway Human Factors and Behavioral Safety in Europe (2005)
Traffic Safety Information Systems in Europe and Australia (2004)
Signalized Intersection Safety in Europe (2003)
Managing and Organizing Comprehensive Highway Safety in Europe (2003)
European Road Lighting Technologies (2001)
Commercial Vehicle Safety, Technology, and Practice in Europe (2000)
Methods and Procedures to Reduce Motorist Delays in European Work Zones (2000)
Innovative Traffic Control Technology and Practice in Europe (1999)
Road Safety Audits—Final Report and Case Studies (1997)
Speed Management and Enforcement Technology: Europe and Australia (1996)
Safety Management Practices in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand (1995)
Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety in England, Germany, and the Netherlands (1994)
Transportation Performance Measures in Australia, Canada, Japan, and New Zealand (2004)
European Right-of-Way and Utilities Best Practices (2002)
Geometric Design Practices for European Roads (2002)
Wildlife Habitat Connectivity Across European Highways (2002)
Sustainable Transportation Practices in Europe (2001)
Recycled Materials In European Highway Environments (1999)
European Intermodal Programs: Planning, Policy, and Technology (1999)
National Travel Surveys (1994)
European Practices in Transportation Workforce Development (2003)
Intelligent Transportation Systems and Winter Operations in Japan (2003)
Emerging Models for Delivering Transportation Programs and Services (1999)
National Travel Surveys (1994)
Acquiring Highway Transportation Information from Abroad (1994)
International Guide to Highway Transportation Information (1994)
International Contract Administration Techniques for Quality Enhancement (1994)
European Intermodal Programs: Planning, Policy, and Technology (1994)
Superior Materials, Advanced Test Methods, and Specifications in Europe (2004)
Freight Transportation: The Latin American Market (2003)
Meeting 21st Century Challenges of System Performance Through Better Operations (2003)
Traveler Information Systems in Europe (2003)
Freight Transportation: The European Market (2002)
European Road Lighting Technologies (2001)
Methods and Procedures to Reduce Motorist Delays in European Work Zones (2000)
Innovative Traffic Control Technology and Practice in Europe (1999)
European Winter Service Technology (1998)
Traffic Management and Traveler Information Systems (1997)
European Traffic Monitoring (1997)
Highway/Commercial Vehicle Interaction (1996)
Winter Maintenance Technology and Practices—Learning from Abroad (1995)
Advanced Transportation Technology (1994)
Snowbreak Forest Book—Highway Snowstorm Countermeasure Manual (1990)
Construction Management Practices in Canada and Europe (2005)
European Practices in Transportation Workforce Development (2003)
Contract Administration: Technology and Practice in Europe (2002)
European Road Lighting Technologies (2001)
Geometric Design Practices for European Roads (2001)
Geotechnical Engineering Practices in Canada and Europe (1999)
Geotechnology —Soil Nailing (1993)
Quiet Pavement Systems in Europe (2005)
Pavement Preservation Technology in France, South Africa, and Australia (2003)
Recycled Materials In European Highway Environments (1999)
South African Pavement and Other Highway Technologies and Practices (1997)
Highway/Commercial Vehicle Interaction (1996)
European Concrete Highways (1992)
European Asphalt Technology (1990)
Prefabricated Bridge Elements and Systems in Japan and Europe (2005)
Bridge Preservation and Maintenance in Europe and South Africa (2005)
Performance of Concrete Segmental and Cable-Stayed Bridges in Europe (2001)
Steel Bridge Fabrication Technologies in Europe and Japan (2001)
European Practices for Bridge Scour and Stream Instability Countermeasures (1999)
Advanced Composites in Bridges in Europe and Japan (1997)
Asian Bridge Structures (1997)
Bridge Maintenance Coatings (1997)
Northumberland Strait Crossing Project (1996)
European Bridge Structures (1995)
All publications are available on the Internet at www.international.fhwa.dot.gov
| AASHTO | American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials |
| AB | Asphalt base |
| ADT | Average daily traffic |
| CPB | Controlled pass-by |
| CPX | Close-proximity methodology |
| CRCP | Continuously reinforced concrete pavement |
| CRTN | Calculation of road traffic noise |
| DA | Drainage (porous) asphalt |
| DAC | Dense asphalt concrete |
| DGA | Dense-grade asphalt |
| DKK | Danish krone |
| DOT | Department of transportation |
| DRAST | Direction de la Recherche et des Affairs Scientifiques et Techniques (France) |
| DRI | Danish Road Institute |
| DWW | Rijkswaterstaat (Dienst Weg-en Waterbouwkunde Rijkswaterstaat, Ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat—Ministry of Transport, Public Works, and Water Management, the Netherlands) |
| EAC | Exposed aggregate concrete |
| ECI | Early contractor involvement |
| END | Environmental Noise Directive |
| EU | European Union |
| FHWA | Federal Highway Administration |
| HAPAS | Highway Product Approval System |
| HARMONOISE | Harmonised, Accurate, and Reliable Prediction Methods for the EU Directive on the Assessment and Management of Environmental Noise |
| HMA | Hot mix asphalt |
| HRA | Hot rolled asphalt |
| IMAGINE | Improved Methods for the Assessment of the Generic Impact of Noise in the Environment |
| IPG | Innovation Program (the Netherlands) |
| ISO | International Organization for Standardization |
| LCPC | Laboratoie Central des Ponts et Chaussées (France) |
| MLS | Multiple load simulator |
| MPD | Mean profile density |
| NORD2000 | Scandinavian traffic noise prediction model |
| OEM | Original equipment manufacturer |
| PA | Porous asphalt |
| PCC | Portland cement concrete |
| PERS | Poroelastic road surface |
| PIARC | World Road Association |
| PM | Pavement management |
| PREDIT | Program of Research, Experimentation, and Innovation in Land Transport |
| R&D | Research and development |
| RTF | Roads to the Future program (the Netherlands) |
| SMA | Stone mastic asphalt |
| SEL | Sound exposure level |
| Sétra | Service d’Etudes Techniques des Routes et Autoroutes (France) |
| SILVIA | Silenda Via (Sustainable Road Surfaces for Traffic Noise Control) |
| SIRUUS | Silent Roads for Urban and Extra-Urban Use |
| SPB | Statistical pass-by |
| SPBI | Statistical pass-by index |
| SRM2 | Dutch noise prediction model |
| TLPA | Two-layer porous asphalt |
| TRL | Transport Research Laboratory (United Kingdom) |
| U.S. DOT | U. S. Department of Transportation |
| VINNOVA | Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems |
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