In Brief
The Transportation Curriculum Coordination Council (TCCC), which was
formed in 2000 to improve training opportunities for transportation
workers (see Septem-ber 2001 Focus), recently launched a new
Web site to share information nationwide. The site (www.nhi.
fhwa.dot.gov/tccc/) includes information on training courses
and State programs and contacts, as well as links to regional training
and certification programs and news on the latest TCCC work. Recent
TCCC initiatives include a proposal for a new pooled-fund study led
by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), “Transportation Curriculum
Coordination Council Training Management and Development.” The
5-year study is designed to facilitate national management of the TCCC
and develop curriculum and core training materials. For more information
on the TCCC or the pooled-fund study, contact Howe Crockett at FHWA,
619-696-7750 (fax: 619-696-7846; email: howe.crockett@
fhwa.dot.gov), or Jim Sorenson at FHWA, 202-366-1333 (email: james.sorenson@
fhwa.dot.gov).
The Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program will soon be adding
data from an Edgedrain Evaluation study to the LTPP database.
Edgedrains, which are installed along roadways, are designed to draw
potentially harmful moisture away from the pavement structure. The LTPP
program installed the drains at 45 test sites across the country. Under
the evaluation performed by the engineering firm Fugro-BRE, inspectors
snaked cameras into the drainage pipes to look at the subterranean condition
of the drainage systems. The cameras revealed that while some systems
were functioning well, others had collapsed, blocked, or otherwise damaged
pipes, sometimes caused by rodent or snake nests. Making this data part
of the LTPP database means that pavement designers will be able to learn
more about when and in what situations edgedrains function the best.
“Designers know that edgedrains can work, and the database is
there to provide assistance in identifying the most appropriate situation
for edgedrain use,” says Jack Springer of FHWA.
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| The TCCC's goal is to improve training opportunities for transportation
workers. |
Previous FHWA edgedrain studies included Experimental Project No. 12,
“Concrete Pavement Drainage Rehabilitation,” which began in
1987. Following this project, Demonstration Project No. 87 on “Drainable
Pavement Systems” was held in various States in the early 1990s.
Currently, a National Highway Institute (NHI) course on “Pavement
Subsurface Drainage Design” (Course No. 131026) is available to
State highway agencies. The course provides detailed information on
pavement subsurface drainage design for new and reconstructed portland
cement concrete or asphalt pavements. For more information on the NHI
course, contact Robert Baumgardner at FHWA, 202-366-4612 (email: robert.baumgardner@fhwa.
dot.gov).
The LTPP team expects to have the site-specific drainage data reports
integrated into its database this month. The team will also be releasing
a CD containing much of the study’s video footage. For more information
on the edgedrain study, contact Jack Springer at FHWA, 202-493-3144
(email: jack.springer@fhwa.dot.gov).
For more information on the LTPP database, contact the LTPP help desk
at 865-481-2967 (email: LTPPINFO@fhwa.dot.
gov).
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Articles in this issue:
Avoiding Utility Delays: What Works
Finite Element Analysis: A Powerful Tool for Structures
FHWA Course Ushers in New Pavement Design Era
All HPC All the Time
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