
Using products of the Strategic
Highway Research Program to build better, safer roads
February 1999
|
SHRP Champion Francois Retires
Francis B. Francois, executive director of the American Association of
State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the driving force
behind the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP), retired on January 29.
From the moment SHRP was first envisioned and at every milestone throughout
its research and implementation phases, Frank was there. To many people, Frank
was SHRP.
As a member of the Steering Committee for a Strategic Transportation
Research Study, he recommended the establishment of SHRP and outlined its key
features and expected benefits. He was one of the three signers of the
memorandum of understanding that established SHRP as a National Research
Council program in 1986.
Frank was one of the first to begin thinking about, and planning for, the
implementation phase of SHRP. He encouraged the Federal Highway Administration
to beef up its activities and programs for moving tried-and-proven technologies,
including those of SHRP, into practice. He was instrumental in the creation of
the AASHTO Task Force on SHRP Implementation, which is charged with furthering
the implementation of SHRP products at the State level. He created the position
of SHRP implementation coordinator on the AASHTO staff, responsible for
transferring SHRP technologies into AASHTO standards and specifications.
He initiated the AASHTO resolution that allowed States to use Federal funds
to buy Superpave equipment and thus accelerated the pace of Superpave
implementation. He helped create the SHRP Lead States teams, which are
considered a model for future technology transfer efforts.
During his 18 years at the helm of AASHTO, Frank was an unflagging advocate
for transportation research and technology innovation.
He is succeeded by John C. Horsley, who for the past 5 years has served in
the Secretary�s Office at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Prior to
joining U.S. DOT, Horsley served five terms as a county commissioner in Kitsap
County, Washington.

|