U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration

Every Day Counts (EDC), a State-based initiative of FHWA’s Center for Accelerating 

Innovation, works with State, local and private sector partners to encourage the adoption of 

proven technologies and innovations aimed at shortening and enhancing project delivery

PROJECT CASE STUDY

HIGH FRICTION 

SURFACE TREATMENTS

The Federal Highway Administration’s Every Day Counts (EDC) initiative is designed to identify and deploy innovations aimed at 

shortening project delivery, enhancing the safety of our roadways and improving environmental sustainability. Building projects 

more quickly depends on the highway community advancing innovative practices to a level of routine use by highway agencies 

and contractors. One focus area of the EDC initiative is a pavement overlay option – High Friction Surface Treatments (HFST).

HFST are pavement surfacing systems with exceptional skid-resistant properties that are not typically provided by conventional 

materials. Through the spot placement of a thin layer of durable high friction aggregates as a topping on specially engineered 

resin or polymer binder, these aggregate systems provide long-lasting skid resistance, while also making the overlay much 

more resistant to wear and polishing. In this way, HFST restores pavement friction surfaces where high traffic volumes have 

polished existing pavement surface aggregates and can also serve to mitigate vehicle speeds that exceed existing geometric 

designs for sharp curves and superelevations.

Joseph Cheung, P.E., HFST Lead

FHWA Office of Safety

joseph.cheung@dot.gov

Robert Peterson, Branch Chief, Caltrans

Highway Safety Improvement Program

robert.peterson@dot.ca.gov

For additional 

information, 

please contact:

Case Study: California Department of Transportation

The California Department of Transportation 

Caltrans Roadway Departure Safety Plan in 

2011 identified 179 locations and approximately 

50 other locations where HFST has been or 

will be placed.

California has placed 10 HFST applications to date. However, 

50 additional applications are planned, including one at a highspeed, signalized intersection. The majority of the applications 

will be for the end of on-ramps and on the curves of two-lane 

roadways. Caltrans is moving forward with the projects as a 

result of information obtained from other states and information 

provided during webinars. Based on the information from 

webinars, Caltrans’ specifications call for calcined bauxite only. 

Previously, Caltrans mainly used open-grade asphalt concrete 

(OGAC) to reduce wet pavement collisions along with grinding 

and grooving. However, OGAC could not be installed at locations 

where there were freezing temperatures. An additional benefit of 

HFST when compared with OGAC is the ability to install on any 

pavement surface without concern for cross drainage.

CASE STUDY – RTE. 105 SEPULVEDA BLVD ONRAMP IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. HFST 

INSTALLED IN FEBRUARY 2011

The I-105 Sepulveda Blvd. on-ramp, a primary egress point from 

the Los Angeles Airport, was notoriously closed during rain events 

to prevent expected crashes. The average daily traffic is 31,000. 

Crashes occurred as a result of the tight curvature, the low friction, 

and aggressive driving by motorists. The closure of this highly 

utilized ramp resulted in numerous complaints to Caltrans. The 

latest five years of crash data showed that 68 of the 85 crashes 

were wet pavement crashes. Since Caltrans applied HFST to about 

1,300 linear feet of the ramp, it has not been closed. The pre- and 

post-application friction values were 32 and approximately 60, 

respectively. Due to 

the volumes of crash 

data processed, 

post-application 

crash experience 

data is not available 

at this time.

www.fhwa.dot.gov/everydaycounts