Help with the Superpave System Is Only a Phone Call Away

Having trouble getting up to speed with the Superpave system? Don’t panic—the Superpave Lead States team has assembled a list of engineers and technicians who are ready and able to provide technical support and assistance with everything from Superpave binder testing to pavement construction.

The Superpave team, which includes Florida, Indiana, Maryland, New York, Texas, and Utah, is one of seven Lead States teams recently formed as part of an initiative spearheaded by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (see November 1996 Focus). The Lead States’ mission is to share what they have learned in implementing technologies developed or evaluated under the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP), so that the learning period for others can be reduced.

The Superpave Lead States team decided that its first step would be to develop a pool of technical expertise to assist with pilot projects in design, construction, implementation plan development, and troubleshooting. This pool of expertise consists of 27 representatives from highway agencies, industry, and academia in the Lead States, who were selected on the basis of their experience with the Superpave system.

"These are the personnel who are directly involved with the Superpave binders and mixes and who have hands-on experience with the technology," says Cameron Petersen, a materials engineer with the Utah Department of Transportation (DOT).

The members of the team’s pool of technical expertise will mainly provide assistance by phone.

"The contacts will primarily help in any technical matters that we can initially handle over the phone and disseminate information such as technical reports," says Petersen. "Also, some on-site assistance may be available, and depending on resources, talks can be given at conferences."

Byron Lord of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) says that FHWA has set aside money this year to support the activities of the Lead States teams.

Lord, who has been closely involved with the Lead States initiative since its inception, says the Superpave Lead States team’s list of technical contacts should be very valuable. "As States attempt to decide how they can best benefit from the Superpave system, the Superpave Lead States team’s pool of expertise will be an excellent resource to help them make informed decisions and implement the technology."

A videotape jointly produced by the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) and FHWA’s New York Division is another resource available from the Lead States team. The videotape, titled Superpave: Tomorrow’s Pavements Today, describes how the highway agency and industry are working together to move forward with implementation of the new mix design system. State highway agencies in the New England region have been sent a copy of the videotape. A limited number of copies are available from FHWA’s report center (telephone: 301-577-0818; fax: 301-577-1421). For questions about the videotape production or distribution, contact Rick Dunn in FHWA’s New York Division (telephone: 518-431-4125, ext. 240; fax: 518-431-4121; email: rjdunn@intergate.dot.gov).

Superpave Lead States Pool of Expertise

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