Material Performance and Selection are critical elements of most highway projects. There are significant opportunities for highway agencies and industry to save resources, lower environmental impacts and improve performance through the use of Sustainable Materials.   In July 2014, the FHWA partnered with the Industrial Resources Council (IRC) to offer two new Sustainable Materials Webinars.

FHWA Recycling Materials Policy, adopted in 2002, states that “Recycled materials should receive first consideration in overall materials selection” because recycling can offer engineering, environmental and economic benefits.

Environmental Stewardship is one of FHWA’s fundamental principles in designing, building and maintaining sustainable pavement systems.  To assist state agencies in increasing selection and reuse of sustainable materials, FHWA’s Office of Asset Management, Pavements and Construction, and FHWA’s Office of Technical Services, Pavement and Materials, joined with the Industrial Resources Council (IRC) to offer two free materials webinars.  Each webinar consisted of three 30-minute presentations, bracketed by introductory and closing remarks from FHWA management, so that six presenations were given over the course of two days.

The IRC is a non-profit coalition of Industry associations whose mission is to advance the sustainable reuse of hundreds of millions of tons of industrial resource materials generated annually in the United States.  The webinars showcased transportation applications for the following materials; scrap tire rubber, shingles, coal combustion products, steel slags, foundry sands, and recycled concrete aggregates. The webinars are appropriate viewing for Federal, State, and local governmental and Industry representatives interested in using recycled materials.

To view each presentation, CLICK ON the presentation title in the listings below. 

Webinar #1 included discussions on:

• FHWA Sustainable Materials Efforts - John Bukowski, FHWA Materials and QATeam Leader
• Use of Shingles in Hot Mix Asphalt - Richard Willis, National Center for Asphalt Technology, Auburn University
• Scrap Tires in Asphalt and as Embankment Material - Michael Blumenthal, Rubber Manufacturers Association
• Fly Ash and Bottom Ash in High Performance Concrete, Bases, and Dual Pavement Systems - Tom Adams, American Coal Ash Association
• FHWA Recycling Program Efforts - Lee Gallivan, FHWA Pavements Engineer

Webinar #2 included discussions on:

• FHWA Sustainable Materials Efforts - John Bukowski, FHWA Materials and QATeam Leader
• Recycled Concrete Aggregate Use in Road Base and Highway Embankments - Cecil Jones, P.E., Diversified Engineering Services, Inc.
• Foundry Sand in Construction Applications for Embankments, Fills, and Bases - John Dingeldein, P.E., Soils and Materials Engineers
• Steel Slag in Asphalt Aggregates, Base and Embankments  - John Yzenas, Edward C. Levy Co.
• FHWA Recycling Program Efforts - Lee Gallivan, FHWA Pavements Engineer

For more information, contact Victor (Lee) Gallivan, FHWA Office of Asset Management, Pavement and Construction BY EMAIL or by phone at (317) 226-7493.