Contact: Jim Pinkelman
Tel.: 202-366-0660
FHWA 14-00

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is sponsoring a national conference in Kansas City on March 7 to pave the way for smoother highways, something the driving public has called the primary consideration for its increased satisfaction with the highway system.

"Enhancing Concrete Pavement Smoothness," also sponsored by the Kansas Department of Transportation and the Missouri/Kansas Chapter of the American Concrete Pavement Association, offers presentations by construction contractors, transportation agencies and equipment manufacturers. The all-day seminar covers smoothness measurement, best practices in construction, and the perspective of the traveling public.

"A 1995 survey showed that the top priority among users of the nation's highways is to focus on the roadway surface," FHWA Administrator Kenneth R. Wykle said. "This event is part of our ongoing campaign to raise the level of highway smoothness nationwide."

Based on the 1995 survey, which was conducted by the FHWA, smoothness of ride was found to be one of the most important factors in increasing public satisfaction with the highway system.

Since the survey was completed, the FHWA has been examining how state transportation agencies approach the challenge of getting smoother roads and has found success stories for both asphalt and portland cement concrete. A similar conference on asphalt pavement smoothness took place in Phoenix in 1998.

To enable non-participants in the conference to obtain the benefits of the presentations, a video is being prepared that outlines key techniques used by Kansas DOT and its contractors.

The FHWA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It has 2,700 employees, a field office in every state, and an annual budget of more than $28 billion.