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| Abbreviation | AASHTO |
|---|---|
| Formation | December 12, 1914; 110 years ago (1914-12-12) |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| 53-0204654 | |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3)[1][2] |
| Purpose | Coordination among statedepartments of transportation |
| Headquarters | 555 12th Street NW, Suite 1000 Washington, D.C. 20004 |
Region served | United States |
| Jim Tymon[4] | |
| Craig Thompson,WisDOT[4] | |
| Garrett Eucalitto,CTDOT[4] | |
| Russell McMurry,GDOT[4] | |
| Affiliations | 50 state departments of transportation and in District of Columbia and Puerto Rico |
| Revenue | $88.86 million[3] (2019) |
| Expenses | $81.58 million[3] (2019) |
| Employees | 134[2] (2016) |
| Volunteers | 150[2] (2016) |
| Website | www |
Formerly called | American Association of State Highway Officials |
TheAmerican Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, testprotocols, andguidelines that are used inhighway design and construction throughout the United States. Despite its name, the association represents not only highways but air, rail, water, and public transportation as well.[5]
Although AASHTO sets transportation standards and policy for the United States as a whole, AASHTO is not an agency of the federal government; rather it is an organization of the states themselves. Policies of AASHTO are not federal laws or policies, but rather are ways to coordinate state laws and policies in the field of transportation.[6][dubious –discuss]
The American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) was founded on December 12, 1914.[6] Its name was changed to American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials on November 13, 1973. The name change reflects a broadened scope to cover all modes of transportation, although most of its activities are still specific to highways.
While AASHTO is not a government body, it does possess quasi-governmental powers in the sense that the organizations that supply its members customarily obey most AASHTO decisions.
The voting membership of AASHTO consists of theDepartment of Transportation of each state in the United States, as well as those ofPuerto Rico and theDistrict of Columbia.
TheUnited States Department of Transportation has a non-voting associate membership.[7]
Some noteworthy AASHTO publications are:[8]
In addition to its publications, AASHTO performs or cooperates inresearch projects. One such project is theAASHTO Road Test, which is a primary source of data used when considering transport policies and the structural design of roads. Much of AASHTO's current research is performed by theNational Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) which is administered by theTransportation Research Board (TRB), a division of theNational Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
AASHTO re:source, formerly the AASHTO Materials Reference Laboratory (AMRL), accredits laboratories. Accreditation is often required to submit test results to state DOTs. For example, a contract for the construction of a highway bridge may require a minimumcompressive strength for theconcrete used. The contract will specify AASHTO Test Designation T 22, "Compressive Strength of Cylindrical Concrete Specimens," as the means of determining compressive strength. The laboratory performing T 22 will be required to be accredited in that test.
AASHTO Product Evaluation and Audit Solution (AASHTO PEAS), formerly National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP) provides audits and product acceptance testing. The program is widely used by many state DOTs to populate their approved product lists or approved supplier lists.
AASHTO coordinates the numbering ofInterstate Highways,U.S. Highways, andU.S. Bicycle Routes.
Current and withdrawn AASHTO standards include:
