H I G H W A Y    R E S E A R C H    C E N T E R

The highway system, the major component of the state's and the nation's transportation infrastructure, must be well designed, well constructed, and well maintained if it is to move people and goods efficiently. In primarily rural Alabama, with its commercial base built on agriculture, timber, mining, and manufacturing, such a highway system is essential to sustain economic development and, therefore, to improve the quality of life for its citizens.

Auburn University's Highway Research Center (HRC) supports Alabama's highway industry through research and education. It is a resource that is available to the entire industry, including state, county, and local governments, as well as material suppliers and road building contractors. Research programs are coordinated to address the needs of these groups individually and collectively. Inquiries and requests for proposals are solicited from any organization with highway- or transportation-related problems.

The HRC conducts basic research in civil engineering subdisciplines required for highway design, construction, and maintenance. These subdisciplines include bridges, geotechnical engineering/foundations, hydraulics/hydrology, pavements/materials, and traffic/safety.
The HRC also coordinates applied research with state and national programs to maximize efforts in solving critical highway problems.

In conjunction with the National Center for Asphalt Technology, the HRC has developed a state-of-the-art pavements/ materials laboratory that is staffed with world-class researchers and technicians. Facilities and staff are available for processing, sample preparation, conditioning, and testing of highway construction materials to simulate a range of in-service conditions. The staff measure paving material properties and apply advanced analysis techniques to solve critical pavement performance problems.

Field and laboratory testing of bridges and foundations has allowed the coordinated development of a versatile instrumentation and loading system. The hub is the structural research laboratory in which full-scale bridge and foundation components can be fabricated and loaded, in a variety of modes. Researchers measure the responses of full-scale bridge and foundation components to loads and use these measurements in conjunction with analytical procedures to solve critical bridge performance problems.

Increased research, expanded facilities, and broadened faculty expertise in the HRC have enhanced Auburn's civil engineering curriculum by providing comprehensive undergraduate and graduate education programs in highway engineering. Students participate in research programs that are educationally and financially rewarding.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Auburn University Highway Research Center
238 Harbert Center
Auburn University, AL 36849-5337

Tel: 334-844-5250
Fax: 334-844-6290

Director: Frazier Parker fparker@eng.auburn.edu