The original MRL was established in Austin, Texas late in the 1980s as part of the original Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP). The purpose of the MRL was to create a storage/warehouse facility for many of the pavement and subsurface materials that were being sampled under both the General Pavement Studies (GPS) and Specific Pavement Studies (SPS) experiments of the LTPP study. The MRL was also intended to help address some of the problems associated with the original AASHO Road Test where there was a shortage of materials available for subsequent research.
The MRL facility was moved from Austin, Texas to Reno, Nevada in 1993. Over time, and with the FHWA's request and approval, materials from the FHWA Crumb Rubber Modifier Project and the WesTrack Project were also stored at the MRL. In addition, a climatic control room was added at the existing MRL facility to house the 35 mm films which contain images of the test sections and were used to obtain distress data.
General Information
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Material Reference Library Contractor - Nichols Consulting Engineers - 1885 S. Arlington Ave., Suite 111 - Reno, NV 89509 (775) 329-4955
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