Summary of this issue:

Roundabout test-drive puts truckers behind the wheel before construction

• Sometimes, seeing is believing. When Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) proposed a roundabout at the intersection of two state highways in Skagit County, some truck drivers were pessimistic. But given the opportunity to see and drive a temporary version of the roundabout before the real one was built, truckers gave engineers the thumbs-up.

Links to additional resources
Roundabouts: An Informational Guide

"Blacktop cookies" for patching potholes

• To simplify the process of filling potholes, the Pittsfield, Massachusetts' Department of Public Works devised a recipe for making "blacktop cookie"� that are easy to handle and stockpile for use during the winter season when potholes develop.

Asphalt pavement: a great material for recycling

• Zhanping You, P.E., Ph.D., associate professor of transportation engineering and materials at Michigan Technological University, appreciates the City of Pittsfield's innovative approach to "storing" hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavement.

Links to additional resources
Dr. Zhanping You's Web Page

LTAP Bucks Awarded

• Paula Diem (City of Saginaw), Paul Ivey (City of Saline), and Scott Eckstorm (Roscommon County Road Commission) won "LTAP Bucks" certificates recently through random drawings among people who responded to recent surveys.

FHWA urges road agencies to consider top nine life-saving strategies

• The FHWA Safety Program urges State and local roadway officials to consider implementation of nine safety countermeasures that show great potential to reduce highway fatalities and injuries.

Links to additional resources
FHWA Safety Program
Road Safety Audits
Shoulder and Centerline Rumble Strips
Median Barriers
Safety Edge
Roundabouts
Turn Lanes at Stop Controlled Intersections and Yellow Change Intervals
Medians, Pedestrian Refuge Areas, and Walkways

Other Bridge issues can be found here.