Today’s signing of an Agreement on Standards between ASTM International and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) solidifies coordination between two organizations working in the common interest of highway construction, safety, maintenance and sustainability.
ASTM International President James A. Thomas and AASHTO Executive Director John Horsley entered into the agreement at AASHTO headquarters in Washington, D.C. The document is an outgrowth of the ongoing relationship between the two groups and serves as a future basis for continued mutual cooperation on the development and publication of standards related to highway construction.
“ASTM International is pleased to enter into this agreement with AASHTO,” says ASTM’s Thomas. “We hope that it will foster better coordination in mutual areas of interest, reduce unnecessary duplication of effort and be responsive to industry needs in an efficient and collaborative manner.”
By supporting the science and technology of highway construction, road safety maintenance and sustainability, ASTM International standards help to ensure that roadways are reliable, safe and built to last. In the transportation field, several ASTM technical committees develop the standards relied upon by the industry, such as ASTM Committees C01 on Cement; C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates; D04 on Road and Paving Materials; D18 on Soil and Rock; D35 on Geosynthetics and others. For over 100 years, ASTM has developed more than 1,000 standards that address the needs of road construction and transportation.
Through AASHTO, the nation’s preeminent transportation experts provide an unparalleled resource for the development of more than 125 volumes of standards and guidelines that are used worldwide in the design, construction, maintenance, operation, and administration of highways, bridges and other transportation facilities.
“A top priority at AASHTO is to find faster and smarter ways to build the transportation systems that the economy and communities depend on,” said AASHTO’s Horsley. “This agreement will help our organizations to avoid duplication of effort and streamline the process saving both time and precious resources.”
ASTM International is one of the largest international standards development and delivery systems in the world. ASTM International meets the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles for the development of international standards: coherence, consensus, development dimension, effectiveness, impartiality, openness, relevance and transparency. ASTM standards are accepted and used in research and development, product testing, quality systems and commercial transactions around the world. ASTM International welcomes participation in the development of its standards. For more information on becoming an ASTM member, visit www.astm.org/JOIN.
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is the "Voice of Transportation" representing State Departments of Transportation in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association serving as a catalyst for excellence in transportation. Follow AASHTO on Twitter at twitter.com/aashtospeaks.
ASTM Staff Contact: Dan Smith, Phone: 610-832-9727; dsmith@astm.org
ASTM PR Contact: Barbara Schindler; Phone: 610-832-9603; bschindl@astm.org
AASHTO PR Contact: Tony Dorsey, Phone: 202-624-3690; tdorsey@aashto.org
Release #9322
November 6, 2012
