GMA focus groups
April 1st, 2018
GMA provides technical guidance to outside agencies and groups seeking more information about best practices for the use of geosynthetic products. Our geotextile, geogrid, environmental and erosion control focus groups review specifications and provide industry guidance. In 2017 GMA reviewed specifications for nine states and worked closely with the American Association of State Highway and […]
AASHTO releases video of keynote address on infrastructure by Secretary of Transportation Chao
March 2nd, 2018
On Feb. 28, 2018, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) released the keynote address on YouTube of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao delivering the keynote luncheon address at the AASHTO annual Washington Briefing. Chao delivered the keynote address February 28. Chao discusses the Trump administration’s infrastructure proposal. The video […]
AASHTO criticizes Congress over lack of infrastructure funding in tax reform bills
November 21st, 2017
On Nov. 17, 2017, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) sent separate letters to House and Senate leaders, emphasizing the association’s priority to use tax reform "to address the nation's transportation investment crisis," but instead have proposed bills that not only miss the opportunity but would make it "nearly impossible" to […]
AASHTO board elects officers for 2017–18
September 29th, 2017
The AASHTO Journal announced Sept. 28, 2017, that the board of directors of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) elected Tennessee Department of Transportation commissioner John Schroer as president for the coming year; Schroer served as vice president during the past year. The board—made up of the heads of 50 state […]
NHI offers rockfall stabilization course online
September 19th, 2017
The National Highway Institute (NHI) will offer a web-based course on rockfall stabilization. The beginning-level course, developed by the Transportation Curriculum Coordination Council (TCCC) in partnership with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and NHI, will introduce the key concepts in rockfall stabilization, including tools and methods used in stabilization and […]
Trump nominates former IDOT director to lead FHWA
September 18th, 2017
President Donald J. Trump nominated Paul Trombino II, former director of the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT), to lead the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Trombino, 51, led IDOT from 2011 to 2016, resigning in November 2016 to take a position as president of McClure Engineering of Clive, Iowa. The nomination requires approval by the U.S. […]
NHI offering web-based course on rockfall stabilization
July 7th, 2017
The National Highway Institute (NHI), in partnership with the Transportation Curriculum Coordination Council (TCCC) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is offering an online training course in rockfall stabilization. The four-hour online course will cover such topics as rock reinforcement and drainage, surface stabilization, rockfall slope containment systems, and rockfall […]
Part 2: New design models for MSE walls and slopes
June 1st, 2017
Introduction The design of many geotechnical structures is based on limit-state conditions. For example, in designing gravity walls, the load exerted by the retained soil on the wall is based on an assumed active state of stresses. That is, the wall moves sufficiently outward, enabling the retained soil to mobilize its shear strength along a […]
New subcommittee ASTM D35.06 on geosynthetic product specifications
February 22nd, 2017
Notification to ASTM D35 Members During 2016, representatives of ASTM International and ASTM D35 Committee on Geosynthetics were in discussion with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO) Subcommittee on Materials (SOM), Subcommittee 4e regarding their current revision efforts on Standard Specification for Highway Applications, AASHTO M288. SOM Subcommittee 4e includes 26 […]
AASHTO, FHWA sign new environmental agreement
September 2nd, 2016
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) issued a press release Aug. 31 to announce that it has signed a new five-year cooperative agreement with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to continue the Center for Environmental Excellence. The release said that the agreement will “advance a strategic national program to maximize efficiency, […]