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FY 2009 Highways for LIFE Project Application

Burden Statement - This collection of information is voluntary and will be used to select projects for funding with Highways for LIFE program funds. Public reporting burden is estimated to average 8 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The purpose of HfL is to accelerate the rate of adoption of innovations and technologies, thereby, improving safety and highway quality while reducing congestion caused by construction. Please note that an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 2125-0607 with an expiration date April 30, 2009.

Highways for LIFE Application

Please provide complete descriptions and answers to the Highways for LIFE Project Application. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mary Huie of the Highways for LIFE (HfL) Team at (202) 366-3039 or e-mail mary.huie@dot.gov.

NOTE: The application cannot exceed 15 pages.

The format of the application shall be as follows;

1. Applications shall be prepared on 8 ½ x 11 inch paper.
2. Text shall be printed using a font size no less than 12 cpi.
3. Page margins shall be a minimum of 1 inch top, bottom, and each side.

The application must address the following;

1. Applicant Information:
   • Application for FY
   • Application date
   • Applicant name, title, phone, and e-mail
   • State Highway Department
2. Project Information:
   • Project description (location, purpose and scope)
   • Anticipated FHWA construction authorization date
   • Construction duration time
   • Partnerships
   • Anticipated total project cost
3. Highways for LIFE Incentives:
   • Amount of grant requested
   • Amount or percentage requested to be adjusted by increasing the Federal share by using other apportioned Federal-aid funds
4. Innovative Features:

   An "innovation", as defined here, must be one that the State has never before or rarely used. Innovations used on emergency or unique projects are exceptions. The proposed innovations must be available and ready for use. They should not require further development or test and evaluation. The innovations must have (as appropriate) standards, specifications, test procedures, training and operations guidance to support the application of the innovation in routine highway design and construction. Further, the innovations have been used successfully in the U.S. or internationally and documentation or sufficient evidence of the benefits must also be available. Please provide sufficient information to support the feasibility of the proposed innovations.

   Safety

   • Describe the proposed innovations that will be used in meeting the HfL performance goal of achieving a work zone crash rate equal to or less than the existing condition. If your goal is different from the HfL goal please provide an explanation of your goal. Include in your discussion the current crash data for the project location.

   • Describe the proposed innovations that will be used in meeting the HfL performance goal of achieving an incident rate for worker injuries to be less than 4.0 based on the OSHA 300 rate. If your goal is different from the HfL goal please provide an explanation of your goal.

   • Describe the proposed innovations that will contribute to a 20% reduction in fatalities and injuries as reflected in a 3-year average crash rate, using pre-construction rates as a baseline.

   Construction Congestion

   • Describe the proposed innovations that will be used in meeting the HfL performance goal of a 50% reduction, compared to traditional methods, in the duration that highway users are impacted. If your goal is different from the HfL goal please provide an explanation of your goal. Include in your discussion a baseline of how long the highway users would have been impacted if traditional methods were used.

   • Describe the proposed innovations that will be used in meeting the HfL performance goal for trip time or queue length during construction.

     • The trip time goal is less than 10% increase in trip time during construction as compared to the average pre-construction time using 100% sampling.

     • The queue length goal is a moving queue length less than 1/2 mile (travel speed 20% less than posted speed) in a rural area OR a moving queue length less than 1 1/2 mile (travel speed 20% less than posted speed) in an urban area.

     If your goal is different from the HfL goal please provide an explanation of your goal. Include in your discussion a baseline on what the trip time or queue length would be if traditional methods were used.

   Quality

   • Does the project include the HfL performance goal of International Roughness Index (IRI) of less than 48 in/mi? If your goal is different from the HfL goal please provide an explanation of your goal. Include in your discussion a baseline of what the existing minimum acceptable IRI is for the project and the method used in achieving the HfL goal.

   • Does the project include the HfL performance goal of achieving tire-pavement noise measurement of less than 96.0 decibels using the On Board Sound Intensity (OBSI)* test method? This is the tire to pavement noise and not the noise measured for a noise sensitive area or receptor noise. If your goal is different from the HfL goal please provide an explanation of your goal. Include in your discussion if this is a standard noise measurement for your State. (* This is a revision from the FY06 performance goal which identified using the Close Proximity (CPX) test method.)

   • Describe any other proposed innovations that will improve the durability and quality of work performed in fabrication and construction.

   • Describe any advanced material that will be used to prolong the life of the infrastructure (i.e. roadway and bridge). Provide justification for selecting its use.

   • Identify equipment innovations that will improve quality and describe the functionality of the equipment.

   User Satisfaction

   • Does the project include the HfL performance goal of 4+ on the Likert scale for the following questions (1) How satisfied the user is with the new facility, compared with its previous condition, and (2) How satisfied the user is with the approach used to construct the new facility in terms of minimizing disruption? Describe the process user satisfaction will be measured.

5. Summary:

   Provide a brief summary on how this demonstration project can impact the future practices of the industry and the DOT. The potential for adopting the identified innovations as standard practice and the benefits to be derived for motorists and the program. Describe the techniques and tools your agency plans to use to communicate the various aspects of the project with highway users and community. (i.e. media relations, surveys, news releases, special events, newsletters, etc.)