Disappearing Websites
The site which I am sad to see is a deceased website is that of the Aggregate Information Service (AIS). I believe not only the website has gone but also the AIS, so no AIS no website.
This service was a subsidiary of Viridis which itself is a branch of the Transport Research Laboratory, which I find a superb source of information on highway related topics.
( If you are not downloading their monthly newsletter, you ought to think about doing so.)
I really liked the way the AIS presented the information, nice and simply, a list, abstracts describing what a particular digest contained and the ability to download the report in .pdf format. 
It also struck me that the little man, or authority, got their chance to have information on his product or process appraised and included in a suitable digest, which I believe is important.
However all is not lost, the existing digests can be found on the new website,
www.aggregain.org.uk
which is a subsidiary of the new organisation, WRAP, which has been created to cover all aspects of recycling in whatever form.
To find the AIS digests, you need to enter "digests" in the search for box, and choose the selected sources option in the second box, press the button that instigates the search to obtain a list of the digests.
I will leave you to peruse the various digests as to what you think may be useful, but may I be so bold as to suggest, if you are involved in highways materials, Digest 82, 
and Digest 101 (all parts), excellent concise well presented useful information for student and practitioner of our industry.
But I am sure you will benefit from checking out other of the available options.

Surface Dressing
It is now March so next month is April, and is usually the start of the surface dressing season for most areas of England and Wales, Scotland usually starts a little later for obvious reasons.  
So if you are not already aware I have pulled together all the pages on the this site relevant to surface dressing under one menu.
If you are going to be involved in surface dressing this season and you have not yet accessed the guidance available on this site may I suggest you do so. It is unlikely to do you any harm and it may be of some benefit.  
Also in the appendix you will find a fairly comprehensive list of specifications, reports, codes of practice, that will provide you with even more information if you are able to obtain copies of them, perhaps they should be in the technical library of your employer.

BS 594 : 2002 : Hot rolled asphalt for roads and other paved areas:
The above specification as you will see from the date has recently been revised, and for those in the UK, especially Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland where this material is still used on motorways and trunk roads it is important to be up to date.  
It is no less important to be aware of the new specification in England where this material is still widely used, because of its long life and economical use of high PSV aggregate, contrary to what some sources would have you believe.
Brief notes of the changes from the previous edition can be found on the page,
www.highwaysmaintenance.com/HRAdata.html
but you really should buy the new editions, i.e. Parts 1 & 2, for your technical library they are money well spent if you are involved in specifying, purchasing or laying hot rolled asphalt.

Highways Agency : Maintaining England's Motorways and Trunk Roads
The National Audit Office published the above report on the 5th. of March 2003, it is a large report going in to some detail relating to the performance of the Highways Agency in supervising this very important part of the road network in England. The report voices some criticism on certain aspects of the HA's performance, including particular reference to new procurement methods (cost control),  neglecting to prioritise some aspects of maintenance, and lack of independent supervision of the contractor.
These matters being highlighted in "Surveyor" and "New Civil Engineer", both journals being published on the 6th. March 2003.
Fortunately there is a concise executive summary of the full report which I feel you should download and browse if you are serious about keeping up to date with a very significant sector of highways maintenance industry within the UK, and if you are really keen you can download the whole report, both are available in .pdf format form the National Audit Office .

Motto of the Month

"For one word a man is often deemed to be wise, and for one word he is often deemed to be foolish.
We should be careful indeed what we say."