LINKS TO WEBSITES I HAVE FOUND INTERESTING AND REWARDING

PERSONAL NOTE
Below are links to a few of the websites I have found extremely beneficial in finding information relevant to Highways Maintenance, and reference to books, reports and articles associated with the subject.
The inclusion of a site on this page is in no way an endorsement of any product or process they market, the site is there for you to browse if you wish to and make any judgment as to its usefulness, and of the product or process it supports. However, you will obtain good information on some aspect of the Highways Maintenance process or I would not have included it. Most of the sites give you access to other links for those of you who wish to research further on a subject, this can be useful and rewarding. It does help if you know a little bit about what you are looking for, but you should have some background if you have taken the time to browse this guide.
So, happy surfing fellow "sad" people who want to know all about Highways Maintenance, it can be an absorbing and rewarding pastime.

All these links did work when I set them up, but the "web" is, I have found, a continually changing environment so if you find one of these links does not work over a period of a few days, allow for problems at the other end, we all have them, perhaps you could let me know and I will remove the redundant link from the page, thank you.

I can be contacted by using the email address shown to the right, 

A.J. McCormack & Son
A Guide to UK Paving Materials and Methods ----------------->www.pavingexpert.com
( this gentleman has put a huge amount of work into this well presented site to provide a wealth of information on paving in general, and "block" paving in particular, it includes guidance on many other topics which are related to highway maintenance )

A "Ditch in Time" -------------------------------------------------------------> www.ruralhometech.com
( a very refreshing site informing you of the fundamentals of road building in rural areas, and although written for the U.S.A. market, the guidance could be used anywhere in the world )

American Concrete Pavement Association ---------------------> www.pavement.com
( this website provides excellent information on concrete road pavements, including pages on design, construction and maintenance, the Pavement Technology section is where most of the technical information is to be found but a wider study of the site is recommended, this website is making a re-appearance on my links page after I had lost its address  after it had been upgraded )

ARRB Transport Research,
(formerly the Australian Road Research Board)----------------> www. arrb.org.au
( I believe this to be the Australian equivalent of the TRL )

Bardon-Aggregates -----------------------------------------------> www.bardon-aggregates.com/index.html
( I include this website, at this time [30-12-07] because, it offers excellent help and information on the changeover from specifying bituminous mixtures using BS 594 and BS 4987 to the BS EN 13108 family of bituminous mixture standards, I particularly recommend downloading the 14 page .pdf document, "European Standards for Asphalt - EN Harmonisation", which is relatively user friendly providing you have some knowledge of specifying bituminous materials, there is also other useful guidance present )

"Better Roads" -----------------------------------------------------------------> www.betterroads.com/sitemap.htm
( a gateway to many other highway related sites that is certainly worth a visit )

Blacklidge Emulsions -------------------------------------------------------> www.blacklidgeemulsions.com
(an excellent site regarding many aspects of bitumen emulsion production and its use in products such as slurry seal and micro asphalt / slurry macadam)

Blackwells, Maps Online----------------------------------------------------> www.maps.blackwell.co.uk
( if you need a map or plan of the U.K., for business or pleasure, this is a good site to check out, it provides previews of many of the products, advice and guidance, and even explains your eastings from your northings )

BP Bitumen -----------------------------------------------------------------------> www.bpbitumen.com
( an absolutely first class site, this site has been revamped to have a global feel to it, but you can still access sites that are specific to countries and continents, there is a wealth of information on these sites relevant to bitumen and bituminous mixtures, there is information on here that ought to be available on the sites of bituminous mixture producers, it leads me to believe that some bitumen producers/suppliers want you to know more about their products and how they should be used )

Building Research Establishment --------------------------------------> www.bre.co.uk

British Board of Agrement -------------------------------------------------> www.bbacerts.co.uk
( check on those HAPAS certificates )

British Cement Association ------------------------------------------------> www.bca.org.uk
( if you want information on cement or concrete this is a site worth visiting )

British Standards Institute --------------------------------------------------> www.bsi.org.uk
( keep up to date with what new specifications are being released and if the old ones are still in use )

Cedex - Laboratory Testing ------------------------------------------------> www.cedex.es/cec/documenti/laborato.htm#equlabbit
( a site that indicates the highest levels of testing that it is possible to perform on bituminous and concrete road pavement materials, very interesting for those that already have a background knowledge in materials testing, although translated into English this is a Spanish site for all Spanish speaking countries )

Cloburn Quarry Company Ltd. --------------------------------------------> www.cloburn.co.uk
( an excellent quarry site, a lot of information and good pictures, the aggregate is red )

CNS Farnell - "Products for Soil Testing"  --------------------------> www.cnsfarnell.com
( CNSFarnell is a company that offers a large range of testing equipment for the construction and highways maintenance industry, it is all interesting to browse, with informative "downloads" available, I particularly like the "Products for Soil Testing" page, which shows a range of instruments that are particularly useful for hand use on site, if the new design/performance methods in road pavement design are to be employed successfully the pieces of apparatus featured will need to be available for the engineer and technician )

CSS ( Formerly the County Surveyors Society )-------------------> www.cssnet.org.uk
( they have some excellent reports available on highways maintenance processes and materials, in my opinion this website has taken a step backwards in providing information to Engineers and Engineering Technicians with its recent "rebranding" exercise, with information now being largely restricted to members, but you should still visit it  )

Cycling by Design ---------------------------------------------------------------> www.scotland.gov.uk/library2/cbd/cbd-00.asp
( if you want to know about practically all aspects of cycle-ways, this is your site )

Data Collection for the Purpose of Highway Maintenance, ( MARCH, CHART, RMMS, etc. )
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> www.civil.port.ac.uk/projects/hmaint/project.htm#main
( connection to this site can be sporadic but it is well worth a try as it contains good information relating to road condition surveys )

Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, ( from the Highways Agency )
-----------------------------------------------------------------------> www.standardsforhighways.co.uk/dmrb/index.htm
( a "mega" resource, all 15 volumes of the manual in .pdf format, in handy manageable sections, this site is an absolute must for UK engineers and technicians, and a valuable learning tool for the rest of the world, Volume 7 is the section most applicable to this site, and you can also access the Specification for Highway Works, Volumes 1 & 2 )

Digger's Streetworks -------------------------------------> www.streetworks.fsnet.co.uk
( a very comprehensive site on the subject of utility streetworks with lots of up to date information relevant to nearly all aspects of the subject )

Ducast ------------------------------------------------------------> www.ducast.com
( an excellent site for finding out information on the manufacture, specification and choice of manhole covers, gulleys, gratings and other inspection covers )

Dynatest ---------------------------------------------------------> www.dynatest.com
( an excellent site to visit to find out about the modern sophisticated testing equipment that is available for road pavement and road surface investigation, included are excellent pictures, descriptions, technical information and downloads on the falling weight deflectometer and the pavement friction tester, and do not miss taking a look at the heavy vehicle simulator for accelerated pavement testing, it is not your "average" bit of testing kit )

Edu2:Civil Engineering -----------------------------------> www.my-edu2.com/EDU/enginr1.htm
( a phenomenal resource of hundreds of links to all kinds of civil engineering information )

European Asphalt Association-------------------------> www.eapa.org

Federal Highway Administration of the US Dept. of Transport -------> www.fhwa.dot.gov/index.html
( you must visit this site, it is the gateway to so much more )

Foster Contracting  Limited ------------------------------------------------------------> www.fostercontracting.co.uk
( this is a website that provides useful information and case studies on the subject of asphalt reinforcing, worth a browse if you are considering this option as part of your highways maintenance programme )

Handbook of Vehicle-Road Interaction ---------------> www-mech.eng.cam.ac.uk/trg/dcbook/preface.html
( in promoting his book Dr. David Cebon has provided a site with a large amount of information relating to road pavement failure, possible causes and proposals for failure prevention )

Highways Agency -----------------------------------------------> www.highways.gov.uk

Highways Maintenance Products -----------------------> www.maintinc.com
( a more openly commercial site than I normally include, but an interesting site with a lot of information on products and tools that really can maintain a highway in good condition if used correctly, there are prices of many products, USA $'s, which is always useful )

Hot Mix Asphalt for the Undergraduate ---------------------------> www.fhwa.dot.gov/asphtech/
( a very special site from the Federal Highway Administration of the US Department of Transport, that offers a course of instruction on hot mix asphalt that is all able to be downloaded from this site, some of the files are rather large, but it is certainly worth checking out )

International Slurry Surfacing Association (ISSA) ----------> www.slurry.org
( a first-class site for if you are looking for information on slurry seal and micro asphalt/slurry macadam, it has excellent guideline specifications in .pdf format which are easy to download )

Irish Cement -------------------------------------------------------------------> www.irishcement.ie/default.htm
( includes useful information on cement production and the various types of cement available, use the "site map" and browse this site carefully to obtain full benefit of all it contains )

Jetpatcher Corporation Limited -------------------------------------> www.jetpatcher.co.nz/index.html
Jetpatcher UK Limited ---------------------------------------------------> www.jetpatcher.co.uk/
( jetpatcher has been around for some years now, but it is not until recently that I have felt their websites have included the type of information and pictures that I look for before including a link on my website to commercial websites, I have included the two links because I feel the New Zealand site offers more information on the actual jetpatcher, these sites are well worth browsing if you wish to know more about the jetpatcher equipment and process )

Keizer- Morris --------------------------------------------------------> www.kminfrared/infraprocess.htm
( this is an excellent site to find information on the in-situ recycling/refurbishment of failed areas of asphalt pavement using infra red technology as the means of reheating the failed areas of road surface prior to reworking )

Local Authority Estate Development Spec. -----------> www.leics.gov.uk/index/highways.htm/road_improvements/htd.htm
( an excellent site provided by Leicestershire County Council, with a huge amount of information and drawings appropriate to this subject, but be aware this information will not apply to all authorities )

Maryland Asphalt Association --------------------------------> www.mdasphalt.org/brochures/designman/designguide1.html
( "Hot Mix Asphalt, Pavement Design Guide", and an extremely useful guide, another examle of what the "web" can provide once you find the good sites )

MASTRAD (testing and equipment information) -----> www.mastrad.com
( this site is a MUST if you want to know about almost ALL aspects relating to the testing of roads and road making materials, from road marking reflectivity to bitumen viscosity to aggregate crushing values, its range of topics is comprehensive, with detailed information and pictures)

Marini -------------------------------------------------------------------> www.marini-spa.com
( I thought some of you might want to look at the type of plant needed to produce bituminous mixtures / asphalt, and this site has some excellent photographs )

Materials Testing Equipment ----------------------------------> www.materialstestingequip.com
( a site that is concise yet comprehensive in displaying the range of equipment that is necessary to create a good materials laboratory, lots of pictures, price information is also given which is unusual but very useful, well worth a browse )

Midland Quarry Products (MQP) ------------------------------> www.mqp.co.uk
( I particularly recommend the "products page" on this site as it shows the large diversity of materials produced by typical quarrying production units, it also has a very useful section comparing older and new specifications) 

Mini-roundabouts - Getting them Right -------------------> members.aol.com/penntraff/mini-roundabout
( well worth taking a look if you need information about mini roundabouts )

National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) -----> www.hotmix.org
(this is an excellent website which I am surprised has escaped my attention for so long as it contains a wealth of information on the complete subject of the production and use of hot bituminous mixtures, although intended for the USA the site is useful for the whole of the world because of the climatic differences in the North American Continent, you may have to look for the technical information that is available, but it is there)

Ohio Department of Transportation -----------------------> www.dot.state.oh.us/spec
( the Ohio D. of T. have been good enough to put their "Construction and Material Specification" on the web, it is extremely well presented with a wealth of excellent information on highway construction and repair, though perhaps not a beginners site )

Pavement & Geotechnical Engineering -----------------> www.nottingham.ac.uk/~evzncpe/frameindex.htm
( want to know more about pavement and geotechnical engineering, visit this site at Nottingham University, information on current pavement design thinking and lots of good references and links, if you want to be a "Materials" engineer this is one of the preferred centres of learning in the UK )

Pavestech PST Limited -------------------------------------------------------------> www.pavestech.com
( this website is a particularly impressive recent find, I say this because of the quality of the "downloads" available relevant to the work processes that they offer, the information and photographs contained in the .pdf "downloads" relevant to retexturing and skid resistance on roads and airfield runways will be most helpful to those seeking guidance on these subjects )

PCA - Portland Cement Association (Cement and Concrete Basics) ------------------------> www.cement.org/basics/index.asp
( this is an extremely well presented section of their whole site describing very effectively the composition, production and use of cement and concrete to those who do not have a background knowledge of the subject, and I recommend it to this group, I would also suggest it to the more knowledgeable as a source of instructional material )

"Planning4Minerals" 
(A part of the British Geological Society website.) -------> www.bgs.ac.uk/Planning4Minerals/Index.htm
( particularly browse the "Resources" section, the information, pictures and diagrams related to the subject of aggregates is refreshingly comprehensive and very well presented, this is just the sort of information engineers and technicians need to study )

Potters Beads ---------------------------------------------------------------> www.pottersbeads.com/markets/HighwaySafety.asp
( useful site to learn how glass beads reflect light back to the vehicle driver, and how you can test road markings / stripings for their ability to reflect light, resulting in safer night-time driving )

Quarry Products Association (QPA) -------------------------------> www.qpa.org
( an interesting site, telling you about the structure of the quarrying industry in the U.K., very informative regarding quarrying processes with excellent guidance relating to the subsequent products, their specification and use )

Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement, RAP ----------------------> www.tfhrc.gov/hnr20/recycle/waste/rap131.htm
( probably more than you wanted to know about about recycling bituminous road pavements )

Recomac ---------------------------------------------------------------> www.recomac.co.uk
( a company which offers a wide range of cost effective highway surfacing options, and where these are not covered by national standards tells you what the material/procedure entails in some detail, and in a form that you can download and study, and use as a reference document )

R.J. Maxwell & Son Ltd. ----------------------------------------> www.rjmaxwell.com
( this is a very refreshing large quarrying company website, the amount and quality of the information provided on this site is exceptional, the graphics and images are excellent and provide some of the best visual information on products and processes related to highways maintenance, which still loads quite quickly, I have found, a visit to this site is highly recommended, especially the "education" section ) 

Road design example --------------------------------------------> www.dur.ac.uk/~des0www4/cal/roads/index.html
( an excellent comprehensive site relating to road pavement design in the U.K., in its many aspects, provided by Durham University, a MUST VISIT site for the young engineer / technician, however be aware parts of it are a little out of date, but still a good learning site )

Road Emulsion Association Ltd. (REAL) -----------------> www.rea.org.uk/
( a very informative site providing an impressive amount of information on bitumen emulsion and its many uses, in well defined areas of work )

Road Surface Dressing Association (RSDA) -----------> www.rsda-gb.co.uk/
( explore this site fully as you will be rewarded to find the RSDA have many very informative concise publications on most aspects of surface dressing, these are well worth obtaining, although this site has had a link elsewhere in this website it has only recently been included on this general links page )

S D Instrumentation
Manufacturers of the Clegg Impact Soil Tester --------> www.sdinst.com
( this company manufacture and market the Clegg Impact Soil Tester, under license from Dr Baden Clegg Pty Ltd. the Australian inventors, there is far more to this apparatus, and there are a number models, than engineers and technicians realise, this website is well worth a visit to increase your knowledge, especially if you are involved in compaction monitoring and road pavement strength assessment )

Shell Bitumen ---------------------------------------------------------> www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteld=constructionuk-en
( this link gives access to the Shell site, then you need to put the word bitumen into the "search box", this search will reward you with a wealth of information on bitumen and bituminous products if you are prepared to do a bit of exploring, you ought to try it )

Sightgrip -----------------------------------------------------------------> www.sightgrip.com/bbstest.htm
( a site that is prepared to tell you a lot about the products and processes they have to offer ) 

Star - Uretech (High Friction/ Coloured Surfacings) -------------------------> www.star-uretech.com
( a site which offers a wealth of information on the process of cold applied high friction surfacing, with materials data on the resin and applied aggregate, if you are unfamiliar with this process this is a good site to visit, the website also provides a great deal of information on a number of different types of decorative surfacing )

Swarco ----------------------------------------------------------------------> www.swarco.com/english/
( this is a large European company that supplies a comprehensive range of products to the road marking industry, including glass beads, as well as fully formulated road paints and thermoplastic mixtures, a large amount of information on these products is provided, some of it in .pdf format, look under the heading "Traffic Materials" )

Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute ---------------> www.vti.se/edefault.asp
( an outstanding site for obtaining highway related information, with a particularly good search function accessing comprehensive abstracts covering the publications available from this site )

The De-Icing Business ----------------------------------------------> www.thedeicingbusiness.com
( this is a business unit of Salt Union Ltd, contains a lot of information on winter maintenance )

The Use of "I.T." in Civil Engineering ----------------------> www.kinns.org.uk/index.html
( a refreshing personal site that includes interesting information, and good "links", on how to bring "I.T." into our workplace, especially useful information on the use of "palmtops" and associated software )

Thomas Telford --------------------------------------------------------> www.thomastelford.com
( a very commercial website but one which will help you keep up with what is happening in the industry, also provides access to the purchase of appropriate technical books, journals and references, they are able to provide training courses but in the main they favour highway construction topics rather than maintenance )

Transport Research Laboratory -------------------------------> www.trl.co.uk
( it goes without saying this is an excellent site to visit, its coverage on highways and transport related topics is immense )

Trinidad Lake Asphalt ---------------------------------------------> www.trinidadlake asphalt.com/asphalt4.htm
( the original "asphalt", and in my opinion still the best bitumen modifier if you can afford it )

UKAS, United Kingdom Accreditation Service --------> www.ukas.com
( reference to Sector Scheme Documents for Highway Works, laboratory accreditation procedures, calibration and measurement traceability, and much more )

Viatop ---------------------------------------------------------------------> www.sma-viatop.com/SMAviatop/
(this website appears to have lost much of the comprehensive guidance on the specification of stone mastic asphalt that it used to contain, but never the less it still has much useful information on the development and nature of "early" SMA, still well worth a visit, but you have to "hop" around a bit to find all of the useful "stuff") 

Wainwright, Moons Hill Basalt Quarries --------------> www.wainwright.co.uk/index
( not just a commercial website, a lot of useful information about the history and modern day workings of a quarry/supplier, with examples of the technical information that such a concern should have available for a purchaser, well worth a thorough visit even though you are not in the locality, it now contains an excellent description of a modern bituminous mixture/asphalt production plant )

WDM -----------------------------------------------------------------------> www.wdm.co.uk/equipment.htm
( if it is road surveys you wish to find out about, this site is an excellent place to start, with pictures of specialised equipment, and comprehensive descriptions of procedures for examining the road pavement and the road surface, plus systems and software for recording the information )

World Road Association (PIARC) -----------------------------> www.piarc.org

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