Insights from abroad: FHWA's international scanning program identifies world-class technologies for application on U.S. highways

Public Roads, May-June, 2004 by Edward Rodriguez, Ted Ferragut

For years, the United States has reached beyond its borders to expand transportation knowledge. One of the most visible elements of this outreach is the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) 12-year-old International Technology Scanning Program, more commonly known as the scan program. As of early 2004, the program has conducted 54 scans, resulting in a wealth of information and benefits to the motoring public in the United States.

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Participants in the first international scan, sponsored by FHWA in 1991, visited five European countries to explore asphalt pavement technologies. Since then, FHWA--now in formal partnership with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)--has conducted scans on subjects ranging from geotechnology to pedestrian-crossing technologies and intermodal transportation facilities.

Each scan is a 2-week interaction between senior U.S. transportation officials and their counterparts in other countries. The scans stimulate the implementation of emerging technologies. "Literally hundreds of ideas and new technologies have been identified by scan team members and are taking root in FHWA, State departments of transportation [DOTs], cities and counties, private companies, and universities," says Commissioner Jim Byrnes of the Connecticut DOT and chair of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program's (NCHRP) Panel 20-36, which provides AASHTO's share of the funding for the scan program.

Ed Rice, safety engineer with the Florida DOT, visited Sweden, Germany, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom while participating in a scan tour on highway safety. "Through a collaborative planning process involving the district and central offices, the Florida DOT is implementing a strategic highway safety plan that sets the framework for addressing safety in the department for the next 5 years," he says. "I never would have been so knowledgeable and motivated to take bold steps and a new direction in safety in Florida if I had not experienced the success stories in Europe."

Benefits of Scanning

Scans normally are conducted early in the innovation cycle, helping put the technology or policy in context by evaluating it in practice outside the U.S. environment. The actual implementation is accomplished when leaders in State and local transportation agencies, who may have only a peripheral knowledge of the scan program, put the new concepts and technologies into practice. The long-term benefits are tangible, manifesting themselves in practical applications within the United States and through savings of time, money, and effort afforded by new technology and innovations.

The benefits of the scan process can be grouped into four broad areas. The first is cost savings attributed directly to the application of technologies identified by scan teams. The second is filling the toolboxes of FHWA and State DOTs with ideas generated as a result of participating in the scans. Third is the creation of new programs and policies, or validation of current U.S. practices. The fourth broad area is the evolution of future benefits as the technology or policy continues to develop.

Individual scans cost about $200,000 on average, totaling less than $10 million since the inception of the program. This cost is relatively low for the significant benefits described in the final reports prepared at the end of each tour. FHWA and AASHTO also derive value from the continuous interaction between U.S. engineers and their foreign colleagues, the acceleration of experimentation and adaptation, and the official credibility and support that corroborates the implementation of new technologies.

The impact of the scan program on U.S. policy and technology has been dramatic, ranging from the use of stone matrix asphalt surfaces to key policies like design-build contracting. The following snapshots of these and other innovations help demonstrate the depth and breadth of the scan program's impact on the U.S. highway community--and the traveling public.

Stone Matrix Asphalt

When a team of pavement experts visited Europe during the first scanning study in 1991, the technology that impressed them most was stone matrix asphalt (SMA). A strong, stone skeleton held together by rich asphalt cement, SMA is an innovative pavement mix used widely in Europe for its ability to withstand rutting on heavily traveled roads. After the scan, U.S. government and industry experts formed a technical working group to evaluate the asphalt mix and develop specifications for its use in the United States.

The group conducted national research, developed mix procedures, set standards, hosted conferences, and delivered training courses. Since scan members introduced SMA in the United States, about 9.07 million metric tons (10 million tons) of the material have been used on more than 250 projects in 25 States. Surfaces paved with the mix are projected to last up to 20 years with minimal maintenance, and SMA now is the premium asphalt pavement solution for U.S. roads subject to heavy loads and high traffic volumes.