The Federal Highway Administration recently awarded $1.59 million in grants to five companies developing innovative technologies to improve highway quality and safety. The grants will help move technologies from the prototype to the testing phase and were awarded as part of the Highways for LIFE program.
The grants will finance the development of 3M’s wet reflective pavement markings more easily seen under rainy conditions, as well as the Pine Instrument Co.’s imaging technology that tells if changes are needed to make pavement mix more durable before surfacing, saving time and money.
The grants also will fund Haskell Lemon Construction sensors that determine in real time when asphalt is set, saving the time it takes to compact the material; Stay Alert Safety Services Inc., devices that install pavement markers quickly into the roadway, reducing time and risk for workers who treat the highways; and EZ Asphalt Technology LLC devices that can indicate at what temperature levels asphalt can crack.
