# Presentation: 382471

## Highways for LIFE

- J. Richard Capka
- Deputy Administrator
- Federal Highway Administration

## It’s been done

**New Mexico 44**

**Mitchell Gulch Bridge, CO**

**. . .**

**Notes:**
This afternoon you heard three presentations describing projects and innovations that clearly demonstrate a better way of building highways.

There are more examples such as New Mexico 44, the Mitchell Gulch Bridge and others

## Highways for LIFE

**L**ong lasting
**     ****I**nnovative
**         ****F**ast construction
**              ****E**fficient and safe

**Notes:**
 Proven technology and practices exist.
Technology and practices needed to achieve improved safety, reduced congestion due to construction, and improved quality have been proven, but have seen only sporadic use.  

 Highways for LIFE is highly responsive to the demands of the public.  
Three national surveys conducted in 2000 found that “improvements in traffic flow, pavement conditions, and work zones may result in the greatest rise in traveler satisfaction.  Work zones are especially critical as travelers view road repairs as a major reason for traffic delays.”

The highway industry needs to leap, not creep.
Absent dramatic changes in our approach to promoting technology and innovation, realizing the full potential of these advancements will take decades. 

 Leadership is critical!
Our stakeholders are demanding national leadership.

Highways for LIFE is a solution!
We have conceived a plan that will bring about a tremendous leap forward in highway construction practices, instead of the creep that is currently ongoing.

LIFE is an acronym that stands for:

## 

Improve safety
Reduce congestion due to construction 
Improve quality

- Improve safety
- Reduce congestion due to construction
- Improve quality

- Vision and Goals

- In 4 years, widely demonstrate the ability to dramatically improve the American driving experience

**Notes:**
Key words “ widely demonstrate”

Improve safety
Reduce exposure as a result of shorter construction and better quality, i.e., longer maintenance and rehabilitation cycles
Inclusion of improved safety features 
Delivering the project much quicker has paybacks in reducing crashes injuries and fatalities.

Reduce congestion due to construction
Again shorter construction combined with the latest technologies on work zone management

Improved quality
Representative of the best that we can produce

## Highways for LIFE Plan

**Performance Standards**

**Technology Partnerships**

**Stakeholder Involvement**

**Evaluation & Documentation**

**Communication & Marketing**

**Technology Transfer**

**Projects**

- Highways for LIFE Plan

- Elements to accelerate and sustain change

**Notes:**
Read elements as they are revealed on the slide.

All of these steps are necessary to achieve the desired outcome.

Removing one of the steps leaves a gap in the puzzle.

## Highways for LIFE

**Stakeholder Involvement**
-  Help determine “How”
-  Support in the implementation
-  Build Projects
-  Form partnerships
-  Sustain the change

**Notes:**
We are looking to the stakeholders to help us determine how best to accomplish the Highways for LIFE vision and goals

Specifically we intend to:
 involve the stakeholders in the development of the Highways for LIFE Roadmap, Performance Standards and Tool Box.
Work with the States to build Highways for LIFE projects

And obviously, it will be the stakeholders who must maintain the change after the Highways for LIFE pilot program is over.

## Highways for LIFE

- Highways for LIFE

-   Performance Standards
-   Safety
-   Construction-related congestion
-   Quality
-  Tool Box
-  Technical assistance
-  Funding assistance
-  Diverse (Materials, type, size, location)

**Projects**

**Notes:**
The purpose of the Highways for LIFE construction projects is to demonstrate and document the improvements in safety, construction-related congestion and quality that can be achieved.  
The demonstrations will involve showing the highway community, the public and media how the Highways for LIFE projects are built.  
Widespread demonstration of successes will in turn provide the impetus for more widespread application of the Highways for LIFE methods and technologies in the future.  

The Highways for LIFE Projects will be built under Performance Standards. The Performance Standards will be set at levels that represent the best of what the highway industry can produce.  We believe performance standards are needed to:
 Drive change 
 Define outcomes without prescribing how
 Elevate performance
 Elevate expectations

The performance standards will cover 
Safety, both during construction and after construction
Delay or congestion caused by the construction and 
Quality

The Highways for LIFE Tool Box will contain the best in technologies, practices, procedures and methodologies; contracting practices and innovative finance.  These tools are to assist the owners and industry in achieving the Highways for LIFE Performance Standards.  Use of the Highways for LIFE tools is not mandatory for Highways for LIFE projects

Technical assistance will be available for both the States and the highway industry in using the tools

We propose to provide financial incentives to States who build Highways for LIFE projects.

And lastly we are looking for a wide diversity in the type, size and location of projects.

## Highways for LIFE

**Technology Partnerships**

-   Proven success
-   Highway industry
-   Other industries
-  Internationally
-   Adapt for routine highway use
-   Incentive funding

**Notes:**
The technology partnerships component is intended to foster the improvement and implementation of innovative technologies or facilities that will enhance the safety and speed of highway construction and the safety characteristics, quality and durability of pavements and bridges.  

We will look for opportunities from within the highway industry, other industries such as building construction and internationally. 

The Highways for LIFE Technology Partnerships are intended to provide the financial impetus needed to move proven but under- or un-utilized market-ready technologies and methods into practice in the highway industry.  

## Highways for LIFE

**Technology Transfer**
-  Grow and equip the workforce
-  Introduce and assist
-  Public and private sectors

**Notes:**
The Highways for LIFE Technology Transfer program is intended to grow, prepare and equip the workforce and decision makers to achieve the Highways for LIFE vision and goals. 

The Technology Transfer component provides for widespread and substantial training, education, and dissemination of knowledge, tools and information on technologies, processes and methods that can help agencies achieve improved safety, reduced congestion, and improved quality.  Highways for LIFE Technology Transfer will include training for public and private sector personnel, education at the technical, associate, undergraduate and graduate levels, a comprehensive knowledge system, a Lead States program (similar to the SHRP Implementation effort), as well as workshops and showcases 

Technology Transfer will contribute to the achievement of the goals in the four-year time frame and help to sustain the momentum of change after the Highways for LIFE program is completed.  

## Highways for LIFE

**Communication and Marketing**
-  Highway community and public
-  Information and Input
-  Change perceptions

**Notes:**
If the primary goal of Highways for LIFE were to simply build more roads, there would be little need for a comprehensive communication and marketing program. But such is not the case. In fact, the most critical aspect of the Highways for LIFE program is the requirement that, after four years of building projects using a different approach, that new approach stays with the highway industry as its standard.  

Thus, communicating the Highways for LIFE story is critical for several reasons: 
First, without a high level of communication, there would be no “technology transfer;” innovative approaches would remain with those people who initially employed them. 
Second, recounting others’ successes tends to instill a higher level of competition and peer pressure to keep up with the rest of the community. 
Third, telling the public about the highway community’s push for better roads builds goodwill and shows an appropriate level of response to the public’s need. It also has the potential to show  highway builders the benefits of using Highways for LIFE approaches on more of their projects.

## Highways for LIFE

**Evaluation and Documentation**
-  All elements
-  Factual, accurate and complete
-  Conditions, costs and results
-  Projects: pre, during and post

**Notes:**
The purpose of the evaluation and documentation element of Highways for LIFE is to fully describe and quantify the outputs, results and outcomes in the three goal areas and provide an assessment of the benefits derived from the investment.  The information provided will serve as a resource to program decision makers on the value of the technologies and innovations demonstrated in the Highways for LIFE program and help maintain the momentum needed to achieve the Highways for LIFE vision.

The documentation effort will encompass all the elements of Highways for LIFE. 
 For the Projects, information collected prior to, during and after construction will include a full array of highway condition, financing, design, contracting, construction, operations and safety data as well as user statistics and opinions.  
The costs, outcomes, impacts and benefits of the Technology Partnerships will also be fully documented.  
To the extent possible, information collected for the technology transfer and information dissemination components of Highways for LIFE will include objective measures of the effectiveness and impact of the individual activities that are undertaken, in addition to information on the cost of those activities. 

## Highways for LIFE

**HfL**

**F-SHRP**

**AASHTO**
**TIG**

**FHWA R&T**

**FHWA R&T**

**AASHTO**
**TIG**

**Notes:**
Highways for LIFE is related to a number of proposed, planned, and ongoing initiatives – some sponsored by FHWA, and others sponsored by other organizations such as the AASHTO and TRB.  

Highways for LIFE is neither in competition with, nor a replacement for the related initiatives.  Instead, where Highways for LIFE and other efforts have common or overlapping objectives, Highways for LIFE seeks to leverage and amplify impacts through a holistic, integrated approach, and by supplementing the resources that are already being brought to bear on the challenges of highway construction. 

The proposed Future Strategic Highway Research Program (F-SHRP) Accelerating the Renewal of America's Highways Research is an especially noteworthy related initiative, as the underlying motivation and the ultimate goal of the proposed F-SHRP Renewal Research, are essentially the same as those for Highways for LIFE.  The two initiatives are highly complementary in that Highways for LIFE is focused on the implementation of proven, but underutilized technologies and tools, whereas F-SHRP will conduct a program of research to develop new technologies to improve and advance the state-of-the-art.  Early experience with Highways for LIFE will inform the F-SHRP research agenda, and early products of F-SHRP could be incorporated into the Highways for LIFE Toolbox and technology transfer materials and programs.  In the longer term, the products of the F-SHRP Renewal research will help to build upon and sustain the changes in practice that Highways for LIFE is intended to bring about. 

The products of FHWA research and technology program (and those of other entities) will expand the already extensive resources “housed” in the Highways for LIFE toolbox, and thus help to build upon and sustain the changes in practice that Highways for LIFE is intended to bring about. 

## Highways for LIFE

*Show what is possible*
-  Projects: ~ 100
*Bring about and sustain change*
-  Technology Partnerships
-  Technology Transfer
-  Communication and Marketing
-  Evaluation and Documentation

**Projected Investment: $1B**

**Notes:**
We are proposing a $1 Billion investment over the 4-year period to act as a catalyst for change

The majority of funds will be used to construct approximately 100 projects across the country

In addition, significant investments will be made in technology partnerships, technology transfer, communication and marketing and evaluation and documentation.

## Outcomes
 Widespread demonstration
 Impetus to build on success
 Ability to sustain the change
 A new culture
 Encouraged Innovation

-  Widespread demonstration
-  Impetus to build on success
-  Ability to sustain the change
-  A new culture
-  Encouraged Innovation

**Highways for**** LIFE**

**Notes:**
So what is it that Highways for LIFE will accomplish after its four years? 

Four major results are expected: 
First, as expressed in the Highways for LIFE goal, “Widely demonstrate a dramatic improvement in the American driving experience.” 
Second, to create a new culture in the highway community. 
Third, to create an impetus to build on success. 
And, finally, to create an atmosphere to sustain change. 

## Bottom Line

 Move from “ad hoc” examples of excellence to Standard Practice

  Leap ... Not Creep Forward

-  Move from “ad hoc” examples of excellence to Standard Practice
-   Leap ... Not Creep Forward

**Highways for**** LIFE**

**Notes:**
Questions:

With successes on these projects why are not all projects designed to produce the same results?

What are some of the impediments to making these examples of the norm?

What risk was identified and how was the risk mitigated.

Did you have to change policy or legal limitations?

What additional tools could prove useful?

How are you expanding on the experiences