DOT 24-08
Friday, February 15, 2008
News Digest
U.S. Department of Transportation Releases Road Maintenance Planning
Software Update. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has released a new
version of its software that helps road maintenance managers prepare for winter
weather and treat roads affected by snow, sleet or rain. The 5.0 version of the
Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) prototype integrates road weather
forecasts, recommended maintenance practices and maintenance resource data to
provide managers with strategies for keeping roads open during adverse winter
weather. The new software is available through DOT’s website at
http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/Weather/index.asp. Contact: Kim Riddle, (202) 366-5128.
U.S. Department of Transportation Announces Appointments to Intelligent
Transportation Systems (ITS) Advisory Council. The U.S. Department of
Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration has announced
the selection of Joseph M. Sussman, Ph.D., to chair the Department's Intelligent
Transportation System (ITS) Advisory Committee. Professor Sussman is the J.R.
East Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the
Engineering Systems Division at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Robert Peter Denaro, vice president of NAVTEQ Corporation, has been chosen as
vice chair. The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity
Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) mandated the creation of the council to act
in an advisory capacity to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation concerning the
study, development and implementation of intelligent transportation systems. The
next meeting is scheduled for March 13 in Washington, DC. Contact: Kim Riddle,
(202) 366-5128.
FRA Issues Resource Guides for Pedestrian and Vehicle Safety at Grade Crossings.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is distributing two resource guides
with information on the types of safety devices available to prevent collisions
between trains and motor vehicles or pedestrians at highway-rail grade
crossings. The Compilation of Pedestrian Safety Devices in Use at Grade
Crossings provides the current state of the practice of pedestrian accommodation
at grade crossings, including pedestrian-only crossings, and includes examples
of signs, signals, pavement markings and other treatments. The Guidance on the
Use of Traffic Channelizing Devices at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings publication
provides guidance on the several types of traffic-separating devices designed to
keep motor vehicles in their lane and prevent them from driving around lowered
crossing gates. Both items can be useful in assisting grade crossing designers,
local and state governments, and railroad officials in making general safety
improvements at grade crossings and in establishing quiet zones where the
locomotive horn can be silenced. Development and distribution of these items is
included in the U.S. Secretary of Transportation’s Highway-Rail Grade Crossing
Safety and Trespass Prevention Action Plan. The booklets are available at:
http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/1752. Contact: Rob Kulat, (202) 493-6024.
FRA Issues Draft EIS for Replacement of 100-Year-Old Portal Bridge Over
Hackensack River in New Jersey. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), in
cooperation with Amtrak and New Jersey Transit, has released the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Portal Bridge Capacity Enhancement
Project over the Hackensack River, between Secaucus and Kearny, NJ. The DEIS
evaluates the environmental, social and economic impacts of the four
alternatives, plus a “no action” option, for the nearly 100-year-old, two-track
bridge. Replacing the bridge with additional tracks will result in enhanced
capacity, improved service, and operational flexibility. Nearly 500 trains
utilize the bridge every weekday, and both Amtrak and NJ Transit anticipate
additional growth in the future. The DEIS and additional information on the
Portal Bridge project is available at http://www.portalbridgenec.com/. Contact: Rob Kulat, (202) 493-6024.