ILLINOIS HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL By JOHN W. McCREE, Illinois Department of Transportation

How many times have you, as a local elected official, been contacted in the last month or two by representatives of commercial interest, promoting new products which would solve all of your local highway problems? Living in a rapidly changing world, each coming year promises new ideas, more advanced technology and more difficult challenges. You, at the local agency level, as well as we at the State level, need innovation and new ideas. Some of these new products and materials have value so evident that use can be made of them at once. Others require at least a few trial installations to determine their value, others require additional research and development before being used and others have little or no value except to make somebody rich.

The desire of the Department in keeping abreast of new developments in products, materials, and procedures, is obvious and the introduction of new ideas should be encouraged. Everyone who has something to offer should be encouraged to do so and should receive an adequate hearing. To facilitate the development and application of new products, materials and processes by the Department, the Illinois Highway Development Council was formulated in late 1963. This Council acts as a clearinghouse where the proposals of manufacturers and producers can be reviewed and given proper consideration. It is composed of ten people representing the Director of Highways' and Aeronautics' Offices, two district offices and seven bureaus from within the Division of Highways. Other expertise can be called upon for advise as the need arises.

The specific duties of the Council are two-fold;

1. On the basis of review and evaluation, recommend appropriate action to be taken by the Department, including:

(a) immediate adoption
(b) trial usage for further evaluation
(c) additional review, development or research by the Department
(d) refer back to initiator for additional information, and
(e) rejection.

2. Encourage development and introduction into the highway field of new and improved products, materials and processes.

The Chairman and Secretary of the Council is Ms. Arti J. Patel, Engineer of Products Evaluation. She is employed in the Department's Bureau of Materials and Physical Research. While there is no prescribed schedule of meetings, the Council does meet approximately three or four times a year.

During the 25 plus years the Council has been in existence they have evaluated, or now have under evaluation, a total of 409 proposals. Of this total, approximately 35 are in active status at this time. Many of these have been accepted and are now in the Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction. Others have been accepted for limited or specific usage; still others have been rejected as having no value.

The next time you are approached by representatives of commercial interests, promoting such new products, ask them if the product has been reviewed and/or approved by the Department's Development Council. If the answer is negative, we recommend you have them contact the persons mentioned above or your District Engineer's Office. They should request a copy of the 3-page form, Preliminary Information for Product Evaluation (Form R/D-1). This form, when completed, contains the necessary information needed by the Council and also advises the representative as to where the form should be submitted. Until the product has been evaluated and approved by the Development Council, it cannot be used by the Department of Transportation or any local agency utilizing MFT funding. •

May 1989 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 11