Welcome to the LTPP Materials Reference Library (MRL)
Materials Reference Library feature is provided by the Federal Highway Administration to help agencies and individuals access the information from the FHWA LTPP Materials Reference Library (MRL). In this feature, you will be able to check the inventory at the MRL and learn how to request materials from the MRL. The MRL is located in Reno, Nevada.
What is the MRL?
The Materials Reference Library (MRL) is a storage facility used to house highway materials consisting of asphalt cement, portland cement, natural aggregates, and a combination of these materials in both loose and core form, a film storage facility, LTPP seasonal and weather equipment.
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.
