This synthesis presents a review of the current practices associated with the techniques and policies employed by state and local transportation agencies to address the many project development issues required for the reconstruction of existing urban and suburban freeways and expressways. This topic is of special interest because there is a need to reconstruct many highway facilities that have been in existence for over 40 years. The need arises both from the deterioration of the infrastructure and from changes in capacity requirements. This synthesis will be of interest to state and local highway design engineers, traffic engineers, finance and contracting specialists, and contracting personnel in these agencies. It will also be of interest to consultants who are engaged in freeway/expressway reconstruction projects. While many of the project development methodologies in practice for reconstruction of urban and suburban freeways and expressways are similar to those used for new construction, there are unique differences that apply primarily to the reconstruction of major urban highway facilities. This report of the Transportation Research Board highlights the similarities and differences in the planning and management of projects as well as in contracting and financing innovations. Methods for effectively managing traffic during the reconstruction process are important to the process, as are traffic control procedures in the work zone. Public participation and public information dissemination related to traffic changes are vitally important to the effective completion of a reconstruction project. Other aspects, such as the design process, including the use of 3-D and 4-D visualization, pavement renewal procedures, environmental impact mitigation and enhancement activities, that are considered in the process are also addressed.

This synthesis will be of interest to pavement construction, maintenance, design, and materials engineers; pavement contractors; and others interested in the use of open-graded friction course (OGFC) mixes. It describes the current state of the practice on the use of OGFC mixes, including information regarding design, materials, construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation strategies. Alternative treatments to traditional OGFC are also identified and discussed. Information was collected by surveying U.S. and Canadian transportation agencies and by conducting a literature search to gather additional insight into North American and European practices. This TRB report describes the recent performance of North American OGFC mixes and European porous asphalt by identifying benefits and stress indicators. A new generation of OGFC mixes has evolved over the last 5 years with changes that have been reported to dramatically improve performance. This synthesis describes new materials and design methods being used, as well as the applicability of the new generation of open-graded mixtures to North American use.

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 293: Reducing and Mitigating Impacts of Lane Occupancy During Construction and Maintenance describes the current state of the practice for reducing and mitigating the impacts of lane occupancy during construction and maintenance.

Well-implemented public involvement programs have many potential benefits for transportation agencies including enhanced credibility with the public, decisions reflecting community values, and reduced risks of litigation (O'Connor et al., 2000). The objectives of this study included a broad assessment of the Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT's) public involvement practices and the development of a public involvement "toolkit" for use by VDOT staff. The toolkit describes an array of techniques that may be used from the earliest planning stages of transportation projects through their construction, noting advantages, disadvantages, special considerations in the use of each technique, and references and website links for further reading. The assessment of VDOT's current public outreach practices included information gathering from citizens and VDOT staff. A total of 948 citizens attending several types of VDOT meetings and hearings completed written surveys that included questions about how they prefer to be notified about upcoming VDOT meetings, how they prefer to be informed about projects, and how they prefer to be updated on the status of plans or projects. Focus groups and written "self evaluation" surveys provided information on the perceptions of VDOT staff about the effectiveness of VDOT's public involvement approaches and their suggestions for improving communication with the public and public involvement... Study recommendations include the following: VDOT staff should use the toolkit and a soon-to-be released interactive public involvement tool by the Federal Highway Administration to choose effective public involvement approaches; VDOT divisions should collaborate on ways to increase the public's understanding of the planning, project development, and public involvement processes; and as soon as the state budget situation permits, the Outreach Section of VDOT's Office of Public Affairs proposed by the Governor's Commission on Transportation Policy should be staffed to provide greater in-house strategic communications planning and evaluation capability for major projects.