Better Roads

RoadScience FHWA Rolls Out INVEST The INVEST sustainable pavements rating system was rolled out in October. INVEST is a voluntary, web-based self-eval- uation tool for assessing sustainability during the lifecycle of a transportation project or program. It addresses project environmental sustainability from system and project plan- ning, through design and construction, to operations and maintenance. INVEST 1.0 – which was radically changed from an ini- tial 1.0 pilot version – was released via webinar on October 10. For sustainability to be fully integrated into highway and transit programs, FHWA says, it must be considered throughout the project lifecycle. Therefore INVEST focuses on three fundamental themes in agency operations: System Planning and Processes, Project Development, and Transportation Systems Management, Operations and Maintenance. "INVEST is Federal Highway's tool to encourage sustain- ability," said Heather Holsinger, environmental protection specialist in FHWA's Offi ce of Planning, Environment and Realty, also at the National Pavement Preservation Confer- ence in Nashville. "It's a web-based, voluntary, and is not mandatory. It looks at project development through public planning, through design and construction, and fi nally through operations and maintenance." Goals of INVEST are to support the U.S. DOT's aims for livability and sustainable transportation, increase the body of knowledge regarding sustainability aspects of both asphalt and concrete materials in pavement design, construction, preservation and maintenance, and to boost use of sustain- able technologies and practices in pavement design, con- struction, preservation and maintenance, Holsinger said. "The program allows agencies to assess individual or multiple projects," she told the conference. "Projects can be looked at prospectively in a design phase, or retrospectively look back to get a sense of what was done. And it helps agencies communicate sustainability goals, which is a really important aspect of the tool itself." More information – and the program – may be down- loaded at www.sustainablehighways.org. Two More Rating Systems Two other transportation infrastructure rating systems are worth mentioning, Envision and CEEQUAL Envision. A new infrastructure rating system, Envision 24 November 2012 Better Roads

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• Better Bridges: Inventory Improvement- Our annual (since 1979) inventory of Americas bridges. We survey bridge engineers from every state and Washington, D.C., with both quantitave and qualitative questions. The result is rich, up-to-the-minute data and a
• ROADSCIENCE: Rating Raod Green-ness - Now you can choose from several options-and find one that fits best- to evaluate and rate the green-ness of a pavement, to certify its sustainability. Unlike the nationally recognized LEED system- the only accepted en
• Highway Contractor: Paving as Art: a job story- Its work, its science, its engineering. But among these and other qualities, paving is also something that requires the people behind the operation to have an artists touch with machinery, mixes and measurem
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