Preventive Maintenance Videos Win Public Relations Award
Two preventive maintenance videos coproduced by the Michigan Department
of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
were recently recognized with the Crystal PACE Award, one of the highest
honors in the public relations field. Presented by the Public Relations
Society of America, the award is conferred upon programs that have
successfully addressed a contemporary issue with exemplary skill,
creativity, and resourcefulness.
Protecting Our Pavements: Preventive Maintenance, released
in April 1998, targeted upper-level highway managers with a message
about the critical need for and benefits of adopting new policies
and funding strategies in support of preventive maintenance programs.
This video was followed by the June 2000 release of Preventive
Maintenance: Project Selection, which was aimed at the maintenance
supervisors and program managers who make the daily decisions to implement
various preventive maintenance treatments. These treatments, which
include such things as crack and joint sealing, surface seals, and
thin overlays, help retard pavement deterioration and can extend the
life of a structurally sound pavement by 5 to 10 years.
 |
| Preventive
maintenance treatments, such as the chip sealing show here, help
retard pavement deterioration. |
Since the videos' release, which was also made possible through support
from the Foundation for Pavement Preservation and the American Association
of State Highway and Transportation Officials Lead State Team on Pavement
Preservation, thousands of copies have been distributed across the
country and worldwide to highway agencies and contractors. The videos
have also been the subject of numerous presentations at conferences,
workshops, and national and regional meetings. "Along with highway
agency personnel and contractors, the videos have been viewed by legislators,
community groups, and local government officials, which has served
to dramatically increase public awareness of the importance of preventive
maintenance," says Jim Sorenson of FHWA.
To obtain copies of the videos, contact FHWA's Office of Asset Management
at 202-366-0392, or the Foundation for Pavement Preservation at 703-538-3542
(email: info@fp2.org). For more
information on preventive maintenance techniques, contact Jim Sorenson
at FHWA, 202-366-1333 (fax: 202-366-9981; email: james.sorenson@fhwa.dot.gov),
or Larry Galehouse at Michigan DOT, 517-322-3315 (fax: 517-322-3385;
email: galehousel@mdot.state.mi.us).
Other
articles in this issue:
In
brief
A
new model for engineering education
Highway traveler satisfaction on the rise
Your one-stop shop for better bridges
Preventive maintenance videos win public relations award
Highway Technology Calendar
