Our office just recieved some interim updates to the AASHTO Manual for Condition Evaluation and the AASHTO Guide Specifications for LRFD Seismic Bridge Design.  Historically interims have contained "replacement" pages to show the revised portions of the code.  These most recent interims, to which I'm refering, are NOT replacement sheets.  They are merely a description of the changes.  I presume that one would keep these descriptions of the changes either at the very beginning of the manual or at the very end, but not inserted throughout the manaul where the changes are made.  I guess another option would be to place the blue sheets at the beginning of each chapter.

If this is the future of AASHTO interims, I'm EXTEMELY disappointed!  Instead of being able to look at a passage and know that I'm looking at the current code, I'll now have to question whether it has been revised and go to the blue pages EVERY time.  I'm not sure what AASHTO's thinking was behind the blue pages.  I certainly don't see any practical benefit to this new method.  It't not faster and I can't see this as being a cost savings to AASHTO since the cost of the paper gets passed on to the buyer anyway.  I'd be willing to pay a couple bucks extra to have actual replacement sheets....not like we don't pay AASHTO enough for the manuals and interims.

Has anybody else recieved the blue page interims?  If so, what is your opinion?  As for me, I can say I absolutely HATE!! the blue page method.

Thanks for letting me vent