The Synthesis Project Committee for Project 20-05 of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) has asked for proposed topics for 2012. Topics are solicited from the highway community, including AASHTO committees, member States, and FHWA. Please e-mail suggested topics to Jean Landolt and Jack D. Jernigan by COB, Wednesday, February 1, 2012, using the attached format.

In developing a proposed topic, you may want to consider the following guidance, since these are the factors that are considered in the selection process:

• The topic should address a problem that is widespread enough to generate broad interest in the synthesis.
• The topic should be timely and critical with respect to safety, economic, or social impact.
• The topic is appropriate if current practice is non-uniform or inconsistent from agency to agency, or if the validity of some practices appears to be questionable.
• The quality and quantity of useful available information should indicate a need to organize and compress that which has already been learned and written on the topic.
• The topic should not be one where ongoing research or other activities in progress might be expected to render the synthesis obsolete shortly after completion.

Through NCHRP Project 20-05, particular highway problems or sets of closely related problems, are designated as topics for information synthesis. For each topic the project objectives are as follows:

(1) Locate and assemble documented information.
(2) Learn what engineering practice has been used for solving or alleviating the problem.
(3) Identify all ongoing research.
(4) Learn what problems remain largely unsolved.
(5) Organize, evaluate, and document the useful information that is acquired.
(6) Evaluate the effectiveness of the synthesis after it has been in the hands of its users for a period of time.

A list of current syntheses is located at http://www.trb.org/Studies/Synthesis/SynthesesNCHRPCurrent.asp. In addition to suggestions for new topics of study, please feel free to suggest updates of published syntheses. To date, more than 400 syntheses of highway practice have been prepared and published in the NCHRP report series, Synthesis of Highway Practices.

The topics submitted by FHWA staff will be reviewed by Michael Trentacoste, Associate Administrator for RD&T, prior to being submitted to the panel. Part of the reason for the review is to ensure that the highest priority topics receive the best chance for consideration. The NCHRP 20-05 panel will consider the proposed topics in its ballot this spring and will meet in May 2012 to select 12 topics to be synthesized.

External Links:

More Information: www.trb.org/Studies/Synthesis/SynthesesNCHRPCurrent.asp

Further Reading:

Suggested Format for Topics Recommended for NCHRP Project 20-5