Chapter 1: Introduction

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) conducted a study under the International Technology Scanning Program on the topic of superior materials, advanced test methods, and specifications. The study included visits to four European nations. During the visits, representatives of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands discussed their unique approaches to introducing, approving, and specifying processes for new materials and manufactured products employed in highway construction. Issues discussed ranged from high-level policy issues to specific material evaluation procedures. The visits proved helpful in meeting the overall objectives of the scan, which will benefit the highway industry in the United States by identifying how processes for introducing new and innovative materials and products might be improved.

BACKGROUND

For decades, we in the United States have strived for more efficient and effective ways of approving and specifying new materials and manufactured products within the standard highway construction practices of State departments of transportation (DOTs). Most people in the industry recognize the benefits that can be gained from recent advancements in commonly used materials, including metals, concrete, asphalt, coatings, composites, and semiconductor technology.

While many in the U.S. highway industry desire the use of more superior materials, other industries—including national defense, energy, and to some degree, commercial construction—have adopted them more rapidly. During the scan, the team compared highway materials practices in many European nations to those in the United States. The team found a more rapid and widespread adoption of superior materials in Europe, with a fewer number of obstacles to limit the process. The impact that both the European Union (EU) and use of performance contracting have had on this adoption cannot be overstated.

For the United States to remain competitive, it is necessary to explore not only the use of more superior materials when constructing the highway infrastructure, but also more rapid ways to assess and adopt those materials. As a result, the International Technology Scanning Program, jointly funded by FHWA and AASHTO, initiated this study to be conducted as part of the fiscal year 2003 program.

SCOPE

The scan focused on the use of superior materials in the highway infrastructure. For the purposes of the scan, “superior materials” were defined as materials and manufactured products that do the following:

• Improve performance of the constructed facility significantly.
• Are cost effective from either an initial and/or life-cycle (whole-life) cost perspective.
• Improve safety for the traveling public and/or the construction worker.
• Reduce construction time.

Furthermore, projects on which the superior materials can be employed include the following:

• New construction.
• Reconstruction of existing facilities.
• Rehabilitation, repair, and preservation of existing facilities.

As part of the scan, the team asked the European hosts the following general questions:

• What do you define as a superior material?
• What is the process for approving these for use?
• How do you validate these materials as being superior after they have been in use?
• If proof of long-term performance does not exist for the material, what testing is used in its place?
• How are standard tests developed or adapted for a new material?
• If accepted for use, how is the material routinely tested to assure the required degree of quality?

The team asked specific amplifying questions, listed in Appendix C, of the various international hosts. Although not specifically answered, these questions were used as a guide to draw out the requisite information during dialogue.

Figure 1. The Scan Team in the United Kingdom.

EUROPEAN HOSTS

Before the scan trip, research was conducted to identify countries that had demonstrated materials and processes that, if studied further, may prove useful in improving U.S. practices. The following table identifies the specific locations and organizations the team visited during the study.

Table 1. Countries visited during scanning study.