P.E. Katherine Holtz Welcomes the
South Central Superpave Center

 P.E. Katherine Holtz


In September of 1995 the inaugural meeting of the South Central Superpave Center Advisory Committee took place. At that time all Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) had was binder equipment and ideas -- no mixture equipment and no place to house the center. In our quest to make this a truly regional, state-shared center, we called together all the players to set direction and priorities. The user states (Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas), the Texas Hot Mix Asphalt Pavement Association, various universities and FHWA representatives created the mission statement and envisioned the future of this cooperative center. The goals of this collective group are to evaluate, advance, promote and implement the Superpave technology, be an information resource, provide training, and coordinate with the other regional centers.

Each Advisory Committee member was assigned the task of developing an action plan for one of the goals. This is the framework that the Superpave co-directors, Mr. Maghsoud Tahmoressi (TxDOT Bituminous Engineer and Center Director) and Dr. Tom Kennedy (Center Technical Director) are working under.

Staff training and information sharing for the user states is currently underway. In order for all states, contractors, suppliers and universities to achieve maximum benefit, they must participate. Now that the Center has received the majority of its equipment and has moved into a state-of-the-art laboratory and training facility, the chance to participate is here. I urge you to contact your state materials engineer, local trade associations or the South Central Superpave Center and take advantage of what we have to offer. It is only through the participation of all stake holders that the goals set forth by the Advisory Committee and the AASHTO SHRP Implementation Task Force will be achieved. There is plenty of work for everyone.

For fiscal year 1996, the FHWA will be contributing $100,000 plus Superpave test equipment worth over $350,000. TxDOT has committed an annual budget of $300,000 as well for South Central Superpave Center operations. It is estimated that this total, $400,000 will allow the Center to provide basic, expected services to participating states and FHWA. The Advisory Committee is also asking for additional financial participation. FHWA has authorized states to use SP&R research funds to participate in funding Superpave Centers. Additional information on possible ways you can help this and other Centers can be discussed with TxDOT's Mr. Bobbie F. Templeton, Chair of the AASHTO SHRP Implementation Task Force (512-305-9504).

The Advisory Committee will be meeting again this month to check on the progress of the Center and prioritize the work for next year. I welcome any ideas or questions on how to continue serving the entire region as we move forward towards improving our pavements.



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