Federal Highway Administration

Message from Kenneth R. Wykle
Federal Highway Administrator

I am pleased to congratulate Public Roads on its 80th anniversary.

In May 1918, Public Roads was created to "present matters of special interest to those directly concerned with the construction and maintenance of roads, to bring to all the progress of road improvement throughout the country, to discuss its problems and record its results." Since then, Public Roads has contributed to the body of knowledge in the highway industry and has documented research and programs as they happened. The success of Public Roads over the last eight decades is a testament to its value, not only to engineers and scientists but to everyone who uses or cares about highways and transportation.

Over the years, Public Roads has adapted to meet the changing and expanding needs of a broader audience. Just last year, Public Roads responded to the demand for more information by going from a quarterly to a bimonthly publication and by publishing an electronic online version. As these and other changes occur, I am certain Public Roads will remain a high-quality publication.

The mission of Public Roads, to provide its diverse audience with relevant information about the Federal Highway Administration's policies, programs, and research and technology developments, is as important today as it was 80 years ago. Happy anniversary, and I wish you many more years as FHWA's flagship publication, serving its many readers and all those involved in highways.