This synthesis on the use of warranties in road construction will be of interest to administrators, engineers, designers, and contractors involved with highway design and construction and the procurement process for these services. Experiences with use of warranties in Europe and the United States are cited and the potential impacts, benefits, and concerns of using warranties in the United States are identified. Actions needed to facilitate the use of warranties for highway projects in the United States are also discussed. The use of warranties in road construction is relatively widespread in the European highway industry compared to practice in the United States, where use has been limited. This report of the Transportation Research Board describes the various methods used in Europe for highway industry warranties and identifies the issues that need to be addressed before construction warranties can be translated to U.S. practice. Recent congressional proposals call for the use of warranties to be allowed on federal-aid highway projects. This has caused varied reactions from the parties involved in the design and construction of highways, resulting in a General Accounting Office study on methods for improving the quality of federal-aid highways, including the use of warranties. Ultimately, the owner will have to decide whether to use warranties in highway construction projects. Some of the potential benefits and concerns of using warranties, plus needed actions for successful implementation are presented in this synthesis, which is considered a snapshot of the issues at the time of publication.

TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 699: Guidelines for the Use of Pavement Warranties on Highway Construction Projects is designed to help guide state departments of transportation (DOTs) in establishing pavement warranty programs.

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 408: Pavement Marking Warranty Specifications presents information on the use of pavement marking warranties by United States and Canadian transportation agencies, including agency specifications. European experience is also included in the report for comparison purposes. Appendices D and E for NCHRP Synthesis 408 are available online--

This synthesis will be of interest to state Department of Transportation (DOT) materials and construction engineers; contract, procedure, and specification specialists; construction personnel managers; researchers; and private consultants. The synthesis describes the current state of the practice of state DOT management techniques for materials and construction acceptance, including approaches to inspection and testing. The associated requirements for maintaining adequate qualified personnel to operate the acceptance and testing programs are considered in the information reported. The information was collected by surveying state DOTs and by conducting a literature search. This report of the Transportation Research Board presents background information on the changing role of specifications, quality assurance processes, warranties, material certifications, and personnel management regarding the state of the practice for state DOT management techniques for materials and construction acceptance. In addition, detailed information is presented on personnel issues. The details of materials test methods and statistical quality control procedures are not included in the report. However, discussion of these technical aspects of materials and construction acceptance are included on the basis of their influence on personnel training requirements, and changes in administrative requirements.