Develop a Standard Testing Protocol for the Approval of Field-cured Products for Use on DOT Projects

State departments of transportation (DOTs) routinely receive requests from product or material vendors to approve their items for use in state DOT projects or maintenance operations. Many of these products involve a spray, foam, epoxy, or resin that requires an in-the-field cure during installation. Although manufacturers typically can provide evidence of meeting required laboratory testing standards, several studies have documented adverse effects on water quality during and after installation. These effects are often a result of insufficient curing of the material or some degree of permeability in the product designed to contain the cured material. Although some state DOTs have developed specifications for specific repair methods to mitigate these effects, it is difficult for state DOTs to keep pace as new technologies and products are marketed. As new infrastructure construction and rehabilitation materials are continually introduced into the transportation market, the costs of evaluating the environmental impact of each product are not sustainable for state DOTs. This research will result in guidelines for the testing protocols and transferring the testing responsibility to the manufacturers, saving state DOTs costs and reducing the risks of approving products that may result in adverse environmental effects. It will also provide a level of reliability against stream contamination by putting in place safeguards against the use of materials that could adversely affect aquatic life. The objective of this research is to develop a standardized material testing protocol for materials that require an in-the-field cure (e.g., resin, spray, foam, or epoxy) and are primarily used in applications that convey streams or are in direct contact with bodies of water. The standardized test method developed should apply to a wide range of products and installation procedures. Such a protocol will allow state DOTs to transfer the responsibility for testing the environmental impacts to the vendors prior to approval. The project findings should also be used to recommend restrictions and specifications for the use of these products.

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5507
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $350000
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 10-126

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Wadsworth, Trey

• Start Date: 20230828
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Environmental impacts; Evaluation; Manufactures; Materials tests; Specifications; State departments of transportation; Streams; Test procedures; Water quality management
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01883934
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 10-126
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: May 30 2023 7:43PM