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March/April 2002
ALONG THE ROAD
Along the Road is the place to look for information about current and upcoming activities, developments, trends, and items of general interest to the highway community. This information comes from U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) sources unless otherwise indicated. Your suggestions and input are welcome. Let's meet along the road.
Policy and Legislation
EPA to Rule on California Air Plans
Under a new court-ordered deadline, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must take final action on seven clean air plans in California’s San Joaquin Valley by August 2002. The imposed deadline settles a lawsuit between the agency and community, medical, and environmental groups who had filed suit against the agency.Litigation arose over the groups’ complaint that EPA regulators failed to oversee progress toward attaining the ozone standard in the valley. Represented by Earthjustice, a coalition filed suit in November 2001 on behalf of the Sierra Club; Latino Issues Forum; the Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment; and the Medical Alliance for Healthy Air. The groups alleged that EPA missed earlier deadlines in 1994 and 1999.
In 2001, the San Joaquin Valley violated the eight-hour ozone standard for 101 days.
States Urge Support for Clean Diesel
The Los Angeles area joined many New England and Middle Atlantic states last month in urging a federal court to clear the way for tighter standards for diesel trucks and diesel fuel. The bicoastal coalition opposes an industry lawsuit seeking to block the new engine and fuel limits initiated by EPA.Attorneys general from Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, along with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD), which represents the Los Angeles area, filed a brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, in December, urging the court to uphold EPA’s diesel regulations. The lawsuit targeted by the states’ coalition was filed by industry giant Mack Trucks, the National Petroleum Refiners Association, and other engine manufacturers and fuel producers.
DOT Requests $59.3 Billion in 2003 Budget; Safety Continues To Be Top Priority
In February, the Department of Transportation (DOT) unveiled its budget request for $59.3 billion in funding for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 budget to help provide for improved security and safety of the country’s transportation system.The FY 2003 transportation budget represents an overall increase of $4.7 billion or 8 percent when adjusted for a reduction in highway spending required by law. The FY 2003 budget includes $4.8 billion for the first full year of funding for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and $7.1 billion for the U.S. Coast Guard, the largest increase the Coast Guard has ever received.
The $4.8 billion TSA budget includes estimated collections of $2.2 billion from passenger and air carrier fees authorized by the Aviation and Transportation Security Act and provides funding for more than 30,000 airport security personnel, including screeners, law enforcement personnel and screener supervisors; funding for explosive detection systems to screen all checked baggage; and funding for a greatly expanded federal air marshal program.
For the last three fiscal years, the country has been experiencing record-level funding for surface transportation, which has been adjusted upward as Highway Trust Fund receipts exceeded expectations. Declining receipts in FY 2003 will bring the first downward adjustment, reducing the federal-aid highway program obligation limitation by $4.4 billion to $23.2 billion and the total Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) budget to $24.1 billion. Even with this reduction, the guaranteed funding mechanism provided in law will have resulted in more than $4.7 billion in additional funding to the states since enactment of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) to help them meet critical transportation needs.
The $430 million budget request for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) includes $205 million for operations and research. This amount includes funding to support implementation of the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act, which will enable NHTSA to aggressively pursue new rule makings for dynamic rollover tests, improve child safety restraints and resume statutory responsibilities under the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program.
Continuing DOT’s emphasis on safety, the budget provides $371 million for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), an increase of 8 percent, to help reduce the number of traffic accidents involving trucks and buses. Of that amount, $116 million anticipates implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) trucking provisions and will go to improve safety enforcement operations and construct inspection facilities along the southern border. The $116 million includes $61 million for the border enforcement program, $47 million for border infrastructure improvements, and $8 million to improve state safety enforcement operations.
DOT’s 2003 budget also includes requests for $36 million for the Bureau of Transportation Statistics; $21 million for the Surface Transportation Board, an independent agency administratively funded within the DOT; and $7.2 billion for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), including $145 million in support of the President’s New Freedom Initiative to reduced barriers for persons with disabilities to enter the workforce.
Additional DOT budget information is on the Internet at www.dot.gov/budget/4budget.htm.
Construction Industry Victorious in Atlanta Road Lawsuit
A federal court ruled in January that state and federal agencies did not violate the federal Clean Air Act (CAA) when they approved the Atlanta area’s $36 billion transportation plan.At issue was a February 2001 lawsuit brought by the Sierra Club, the Southern Environmental Law Center, and several Atlanta groups aimed at shutting down highway projects.
The Advocates for Safe and Efficient Transportation (ASET), a litigation alliance formed by the transportation construction and home building industries and organized labor, was granted intervention in the case in July 2001 and participated as a “friend of the court” party prior to official intervention. It is expected that the decision will be appealed in the 11th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Management and Administration
Mineta Announces $450 Million Loan for San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today announced that FHWA will provide a $450 million loan to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to complete the state’s funding package for the $3.3 billion San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge seismic retrofit project.The $3.3 billion project, supported by the $450 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan, will help finance the replacement of the east span and the seismic retrofit of the west span of the 13.7-kilometer (8.5-mile) San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The east span is a 7.6-kilometer (4.7-mile) truss structure, extending from Yerba Buena Island to the East Bay. The west span is about 6.1 kilometers (3.8 miles), extending from San Francisco to Yerba Buena Island.
The existing bridge is 60 years old and carries about 272,000 vehicles per day. Damage to the bridge during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake forced the closure of the east span for four weeks. Subsequent investigation showed that the east span probably would not withstand a significant earthquake. The project is critical in addressing seismic safety deficiencies and providing emergency relief access following a major seismic event. The project completion date is 2007.
The Bay Bridge loan is estimated to cost the federal government $1.3 million. Therefore, every TIFIA dollar spent will contribute to more than $2,500 in capital investment. A seismic toll surcharge on seven bridges in the Bay Area will provide the revenue stream for repayment of the TIFIA loan. As the final part in the funding package, the TIFIA loan will combine with capital market debt, state contributions, and the state’s federal-aid highway funds to complete financing of the $3.3 billion project.
TIFIA, a provision of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), is designed to provide federal credit assistance to major transportation infrastructure projects that address critical national needs, such as intermodal facilities, border-crossing infrastructure, highway trade corridors, and transit and passenger rail facilities, with regional and national benefits. Projects eligible for assistance under TIFIA include highways and bridges; transit facilities and vehicles; intercity passenger bus and rail facilities and vehicles, including Amtrak and components of magnetic levitation systems; and publicly owned intermodal surface freight transfer facilities on or adjacent to the National Highway System.
511 Coalition Publishes Guidelines
The 511 Deployment Coalition recently published Implementation Guidelines for Launching 511 Services, which provides guidance for consistent basic content for travel information services.At last count, there were 300 traveler information telephone numbers nationwide. 511 provides an easy-to-remember number that can be used across the country.
Responding to a U.S. Department of Transportation 1999 petition, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated 511 as the national travel information telephone number in July 2000. The FCC ruling leaves nearly all implementation issues and schedules to state and local transportation agencies and telecommunications carriers.
Transportation agencies in San Francisco, and Arizona, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, Utah, and Virginia are the first to have 511 service deployments underway or planned.
Formed to assist in establishing a national 511 traveler information service, the 511 Deployment Coalition includes acknowledged traveler information experts from more than 30 public agencies, industry groups, associations, and private companies.
The guidelines are available on the Internet at www.its.dot.gov/511/511guidelines.htm.
Technical News
Washington, D.C. Metro to Put GPS on Its 1,400 Buses
The Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) plans to install a global positioning system (GPS) on its 1,400 buses — technology that would make it the first of the nation’s major transit systems to install GPS on all of its buses.None of the country’s five largest bus systems has GPS, but smaller metropolitan areas such as Ann Arbor, Mich., and Denver, Co., are using the technology.
Funding for the new system, which will apparently cost $4 million, comes from the Bush administration, which recently gave WMATA $10 million for security improvements after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Metro buses carry almost as many passengers as WMATA’s rail system. According to WMATA, riders make about 530,000 bus trips on an average weekday.
GPS will also allow WMATA to provide real-time bus information at its bus stops and on its Web site, allowing riders to know when the next bus will be arriving.
WMATA plans to begin installing the system in Spring 2002.
—The Washington Post
FHWA, TTI to Test Embassy Protection Devices
FHWA, along with the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, will be conducting crash testing of embassy anti-ram barriers for the U.S. Department of State. The test, which consists of crash testing pickup trucks into steel bollards (a 254-millimeter [10-inch] steel pipe filled with concrete and set in a reinforced-concrete base at 80.5 km/h [50 mi/h]), is the product of computer analysis, simulation, and redesign arranged by FHWA at the National Crash Analysis Center of The George Washington University. These tests are part of a multiyear agreement between FHWA’s Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center and the State Department to assist in developing alternative embassy protection devices.Public Information and Information Exchange
FHWA Report, Unifying America, Now Available Online
Unifying America, FHWA 2001 Report to the American People, which summarizes many of FHWA’s key accomplishments during the past year, is now available on the FHWA Web site.As the stories in this report demonstrate, FHWA has contributed to new construction and reconstruction projects, the preservation of federal and Indian lands, the building of quiet pedestrian bridges, improvements to bridge superstructures, and analyses of safety barriers —all to preserve and enhance our nation’s transportation system and to help grow a stronger America.
To read the report online, visit www.fhwa.dot.gov. For information about obtaining printed copies of the report, call FHWA Corporate Management at (202) 366-9393.
New Technical Bulletin Highlights the Benefits of Diamond Grinding
FHWA has been studying the rehabilitation of concrete pavements as part of Special Project 205 (SP-205). In addition to its other goals, SP-205 evaluates the performance of individual rehabilitation and maintenance strategies for portland cement concrete pavements by reexamining sites and techniques studied by FHWA in the mid-1980s. The influence of new equipment and materials and the cost-effectiveness of repairs and maintenance are also reported. Findings are reported in technical bulletins on each of the strategies reviewed, with a final report updating FHWA’s technical reference for Concrete Pavement Rehabilitation (CPR) programs.
This diamond grinding machine rehabilitates pavements by removing surface irregularities caused by construction curling, slab warping, faulting, and roughness.
Released in November, the latest technical bulletin, Concrete Pavement Rehabilitation — Guide for Diamond Grinding, recommends procedures for selecting, designing, and constructing diamond grinding projects for portland cement concrete pavements. Diamond grinding is a concrete pavement restoration technique that corrects irregularities such as faulting and roughness on concrete pavements by removing surface irregularities caused by construction curling, slab warping, faulting, and roughness caused by other CPR construction work. Diamond grinding significantly improves the smoothness of a pavement surface — often making it as good or better than new pavements — while decreasing noise. In addition, diamond grinding provides a temporary increase in skid friction resistance and a reduction in the potential for hydroplaning, thereby improving the overall safety of the road. Also, applying diamond grinding as a technique affects neither the life of the pavement nor its durability. And diamond grinding can be performed in off-peak traffic hours.
Diamond grinding should be used in conjunction with other CPR techniques. A full CPR job can restore structural and functional capacity of a pavement to acceptable levels for a specific traffic need.
The entire technical bulletin is available online by visiting www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/diamond.htm.
MUTCD Revisions Provide for Blind Pedestrians
An interim final rule for Revision No. 1 on “Accessible Pedestrian Signals” to the Millennium Edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) was forwarded in December to the FHWA Office of Chief Counsel for publication in the Federal Register.The revision makes changes to provisions regarding “Accessible Pedestrian Signals” for pedestrians with visual impairments that better address concerns expressed by organizations representing the blind as well as traffic engineering practitioners on the state and local levels.
The revision to the MUTCD will be published on the MUTCD Web site in a format compatible with government regulations mandating access for the visually impaired. For more information, visit the MUTCD Web site at www.mutcd.dot.gov.
Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina DOTs Win Awards
The Pennsylvania, Maryland, and North Carolina departments of transportation (DOTs) were all recently recognized at the 2001 National Partnership for Highway Quality (NPHQ) Conference and Awards Banquet held in November in Fort Worth, Texas.Pennsylvania DOT won the Achievement Award for a $70 million Pennsylvania expressway improvement project that reconstructed U.S. Route 22 in Leigh County. Using innovative planning, design, and construction phasing methods to mitigate adverse conditions created by traffic construction, the project was completed in two years rather than in three years, saving more than $30 million in user delay costs alone.
Maryland DOT received the Special Recognition of a Small Project Award for its use of a modified design/bid/ build approach to more swiftly deliver a critically needed 4.8-kilometer (3-mile) section of U.S. Route 113 on its eastern shore. The project was completed 18 months earlier than if a traditional design/bid/build method had been used.
The Special Recognition of a Structure Project Award went to North Carolina DOT, which worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on its $93 million Neuse River Bridge project to maintain and improve the surrounding environmental areas and to restore wet-lands, maintain water quality, and enhance the view of the river.
OECD Databases Provide Research on International Road Transport Issues
The Road Transport Research Programme, known as the RTR Program, of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) undertakes international research projects and studies, including seminars. The program also maintains two important databases.The first, the International Transport Research Documentation (ITRD) database, provides research results and information to countries around the world. The ITRD contains a bibliographic database of more than 300,000 informative abstracts on transportation research, economics, and policy literature in both OECD and non-OECD countries.
The second, the International Road Traffic and Accident Database (IRTAD), provides comprehensive and comparative data on road collisions, vehicles, and kilometers traveled in OECD countries, and plays a valuable role in road safety research.
Studies recently competed by the program cover a broad range of topics, including road safety and infrastructure management.
Further information, including report details, also can be found on the RTR Web site, located at www.oecd.org.
Nebraska Continues Downward Trend in Highway Fatalities
For the third consecutive year, Nebraska has experienced a significant reduction in highway fatalities. As of Jan. 3, 2002, preliminary numbers show 244 fatalities during 2001. In 1999 and 2000, the state had reductions of more than 6 percent in both years. The reduction for 2001 is nearly 12 percent.Bad winter weather in early 2001 may have reduced and slowed down traffic. But recent improvements in drunk driving laws, graduated licensing, shoulder rumble strips, and increased seat belt usage probably contributed to the reductions as well. Numerous public service announcements have also been aired and the state’s two largest newspapers have demonstrated an increased awareness of highway safety issues.
Empire State Bringing in More Clean Fuel Buses
New York state public transit riders will soon benefit from another infusion of clean fuel buses. In January 2002, transportation officials announced that the state will use more than $4 million of its Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act funds to help pay for 163 new vehicles slated for use around the state.The successful bond act was proposed by Governor George Pataki and approved by voters in 1996. The $1.75 billion legislation provides $230 million for clean air projects. About $25 million has been used thus far in the act’s five-year life for clean-fuel buses.
This latest purchase under the bond act will help fund 35 hybrid-electric and 128 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses. These new vehicles will be used in much of the state, from New York City and Long Island to Syracuse and Rochester.
State officials estimate that the clean-fuel bus program has brought more than 500 environmentally friendly buses to state transit fleets, which in turn have helped reduce the transportation sector’s reliance on petroleum products, forgoing the use of more than 322 million liters (85 million gallons) of diesel fuel. In turn, the drop in diesel fuel use should significantly reduce nitrogen oxides emissions over the useful lives of the buses.
Georgia Regional Transportation Authority Signs Public-Private Contract on Alternative Fuels
In one of the first agreements of its kind under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) provisions to engage in public-private partnerships, the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) entered into an agreement with U-Haul, Suburban Propane, and other private and non-profit agencies in an effort to expand the use of alternative fuels in the Atlanta area. The agreement was negotiated in cooperation with Clean Cities-Atlanta, the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT), and the FHWA Georgia Division Office. The agreement specifies the use of Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ) funds for refueling stations that will be owned and operated by the private, for-profit firms.In a dramatic departure from standard practice under Title 23 of the U.S. Code, TEA-21 authorized the use of CMAQ funds for these purposes provided that the public benefit of cleaner air is realized.
ITS-JPO 2001 Online Resource Guide Updated
The Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office (JPO) has updated the online version of its popular ITS Resource Guide 2001, which profiles more than 300 resources available to help in ITS deployment. The guide also includes information about points-of-contact, Web sites, documents, training courses, software tools, and videos.The update reflects changes in ITS resources that took place in Summer and Fall 2001. New resources added include a video about traffic signal timing; a case study on the use of electronic fare payment in Ventura County, California; a brochure on the use of ITS in work zones; a training course on how to use the Turbo Architecture software; the newest ITS User Service to be added to the National ITS Architecture on maintenance and construction operations; a primer on how to add new ITS User Services to the National ITS Architecture; a brochure on lessons learned in ITS standards; and a report that takes a comprehensive look at what is known as of 2001 about ITS benefits.
The update is available online at www.its.dot.gov/guide.html.
Personnel
Callan Appointed Georgia Division Administrator
Robert Callan has been named FHWA administrator for the Georgia Division by Federal Highway Administrator Mary E. Peters. Callan currently serves as the manager of FHWA’s Eastern Resource Center.Callan has served as assistant division administrator of FHWA’s Florida Division and as district engineer in FHWA’s New York Division. He has also held highway engineer positions in environment and design. Callan began his career with FHWA in 1969 as a highway engineer trainee.
Matzke Named FHWA’s Wisconsin Division Administrator
Bruce Matzke has been selected to become FHWA’s division administrator in Madison, Wisconsin. Currently, Matzke serves as FHWA’s Midwest Resource Center manager.Prior to his selection as resource center manager, he served as FHWA’s assistant division administrator in Ames, Iowa. He has held other key positions within FHWA, including director of engineering services in the former Kansas City, Mo., regional office and district engineer in the Mississippi Division. Matzke is a 1971 graduate of the former Highway Engineer Training Program.
Bernstein Invited to Join Department of State’s Industry Advisory Panel
Harvey M. Bernstein, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Civil Engineering Research Foundation/International Institute for Energy Conservation (CERF/IIEC), has been selected by the U.S. Department of State to become a member of the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations Industry Advisory Panel (IAP). The IAP is an advisory committee formed under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to work in collaboration with the State Department’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations.IAP members will be asked to share their knowledge and expertise on the latest concepts, methods, best practices, and ideas related to facilities and property management. The IAP will help the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations ensure that U.S. diplomatic missions and facilities worldwide remain safe, secure, and functional, as well as oversee the State Department’s real property assets.
Bernstein will be serving a two-year term representing CERF/IIEC and the Building Futures Council (BFC), a think tank that identifies critical issues encountered in the building and construction process and analyzes and advocates guidelines and criteria for improving building efficiency.
Bleiweis Hired as COO for CERF/IIEC
Dr. Paul B. Bleiweis has been named chief operating officer (COO) of CERF/IIEC. As COO, Bleiweis will oversee CERF/IIEC operations and will help build and manage the organization’s innovative technology programs.Bleiweis brings more than 25 years of experience in business development and management, including research, development, application, and commercialization of advanced technologies. Prior to joining CERF/ IIEC, Bleiweis was the CEO of Energy Savings Solutions, Inc. and former president of Advanced Sciences, Inc., an environmental technology consulting firm. Bleiweis holds a doctorate in nuclear science and engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Ostensen Named Safety CBU Program Manager
A. George Ostensen has been named program manager of FHWA’s Safety Core Business Unit (CBU). Currently, Ostensen serves as director of field services for FHWA’s Midwestern Resource Center. He has also served as director of FHWA’s Office of Safety and Traffic Operations Research and Development and as FHWA’s Midwestern Resource Center administrator.Rowland Is New FHWA Chief Counsel
James A. Rowland was appointed FHWA’s chief counsel by Federal Highway Administrator Mary E. Peters. Rowland most recently served as minority chief counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration. Previously, he was legislative counsel to U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, and he handled transportation issues for Brownback’s assignment on the Commerce,Science, and Transportation Committee. He was also staff assistant to former U.S. Sen. Robert Kasten. Rowland holds a law degree from the University of Wisconsin.Price Named FHWA Program Manager for Transportation Security
David A. Price has been selected as FHWA’s program manager for transportation security. This new position is responsible for providing program and technical advice on sensitive matters involving the protection of infrastructure and the maintenance of transportation services during and after national and/or regional emergencies.Price previously served as the professional development program manager in FHWA’s Office of Human Resources. Prior to this appointment, he was the team leader for the Federal-Aid Program Group in the Office of Program Administration, Infrastructure Core Business Unit. He has held other key positions in the field, including assistant division administrator, Connecticut Division, and district engineer in West Virginia. David joined FHWA in 1971 as a highway engineer trainee.
Kansas Secretary of Transportation Dean Carlson to Chair TRB Executive Committee
E. Dean Carlson, formerly secretary of the Kansas DOT, has been named chairman of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Executive Committee for 2002. He took office during the Chairman’s Luncheon, a highlight of the Board’s 81st annual meeting, held in January.Carlson was appointed secretary of the Kansas DOT in January 1995, following his retirement in 1994 as executive director of FHWA — the highest career position in the agency — after a career that spanned 36 years. Carlson has been a member of the TRB Executive Committee since 1993 and has served as its vice chairman in 2001. Carlson holds a bachelor’s in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska, and he studied on the graduate level at the University of Texas.
TRB Annual Awards Recognize Transportation Research and Scholarship
The 81st Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) was held in January in Washington, D.C. During the chairman’s luncheon, TRB honored outstanding transportation research scholars by bestowing its annual awards.
Joseph Sussman, winner of TRB’s annual Roy W. Crum Distinguished Service Award, addresses the TRB chairman’s luncheon at the annual meeting in January.
For his significant contributions to research on railroads, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), and other large integrated systems, TRB awarded its Roy W. Crum Distinguished Service Award to Joseph M. Sussman.
Sussman currently holds the J.R. East Professorship in the Department of Civil Engineering and the Engineering Systems Division at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Sussman’s influential research on railroads has focused on operations, maintenance, service reliability, and risk assessment for freight and high-speed passenger services. His work on ITS helped build the U.S. national program. While serving as the first Distinguished University Scholar at the Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Society of America (now ITS America), Sussman was a member of a core group that wrote the 20-year strategic plan for research, development, testing, and deployment of the U.S. ITS program.
The Roy W. Crum Award recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of highway research, including the production of fundamental research or the fostering of outstanding research.
Winners of the Fred Burggraf Award, given to stimulate and encourage young researchers to advance the field of transportation, were Dario D. Salvucci, Nissan Cambridge Basic Research; Erwin R. Boer, Nissan Cambridge Basic Research; and Andrew Liu, MIT. The three were recognized for their paper, “Toward an Integrated Model of Driver Behavior in a Cognitive Architecture,” published in Transportation Research Record.
Attorney Ross D. Netherton was awarded the John C. Vance Award for his paper, “Reexamination of the Line Between Governmental Exercise of Police Power and Eminent Domain,” published as National Cooperative Highway Research Program Legal Research Digest No. 44. The John C. Vance Award is given annually by TRB for the outstanding paper in the field of transportation law.
The O. Grant Mickle Award, given for the outstanding paper in the field of operation, safety, and maintenance of transportation facilities, was won for a paper written by Bhagwant Persaud of Ryerson University in Canada, Richard A. Retting of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Per Gårder of the University of Maine, and Dominique Lord of the Texas Transportation Institute. The paper, “Safety Effect of Roundabout Conversion in the United States: Empirical Bayes Observation Before-After Study,” was published in Transportation Research Record.
Three transportation scholars, Sabine Werkmeister and Fromut Wellner, both of Dresden University of Technology in Germany, and Andrew Dawson of the University of Nottingham in Great Britain were awarded the K.B. Woods Award for their paper, “Permanent Deformation Behavior of Granular Materials and the Shakedown Concept,” published in Transportation Research Record.
The K.B. Woods award is presented for the outstanding paper in the field of design and construction of transportation facilities.
The Pyke Johnson Award, which recognizes the outstanding paper published in the field of transportation systems planning, was awarded to G. Michael Fitch of the Virginia Transportation Research Council and John E. Anderson of George Mason University for their paper, “Use of Digital Multispectral Videography to Capture Environmental Data Sets for the Virginia Department of Transportation,” published in Transportation Research Record.
Francis X. McKelvey was awarded the TRB Distinguished Lectureship. The lectureship recognizes the career contributions and achievements of individuals in one of five areas covered by TRB’s Technical Activities Division. McKelvey, a professor emeritus of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Michigan State University, delivered his lecture, “A Perspective on Our National Air Transportation System: The Past, the Present, and the Future,” at the TRB annual meeting. It will also be published in a forthcoming volume of Transportation Research Record.
Conferences/Events
Seismic Conference on Bridges and Highways Scheduled for April
The Third National Seismic Conference and Workshop on Bridges and Highways will be held April 29 to May 1, in Portland, Ore. The conference will focus on advances in engineering and technology for the seismic safety of bridges in the new millennium as well as the latest advances in earthquake-resistant design and retrofitting, highway system performance, and research results.The conference is being sponsored by FHWA and the Oregon and Washington State DOTs.
The registration deadline for special discounts for the conference is April 1. For registration and exhibitor information, visit the conference Web site at http:// mceer.buffalo.edu.
Public Service Recognition Week To Be Held in May
Public Service Recognition Week will be held May 6-12, in Washington, D.C. The event, held annually for the past 18 years, celebrates public service and the men and women who perform these duties. The Public Employees Roundtable, a nonprofit educational coalition of 31 organizations, sponsors the event.From May 9-12, the National Mall will feature exhibits from over 100 government agencies to celebrate the diversity of work performed by public employees. This event will open with a performance by the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps and includes official greetings from the Mayor, ranking administration officials, and members of congress. Information on public safety will be available from such agencies as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Office of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Department of Transportation (DOT). The Office of Personnel Management and the Peace Corps will also be there, offering career opportunities in public service.
May 10 will be “Students Day,” and will feature special outreach to students of all ages. For more information about the event, please visit http://www.theroundtable.org.
Other Articles in this issue:
"Stone-Walling" in Arkansas
Arkansas Combines Best Practices for an Innovative Insterstate Rehabilitation Program
Small Investment, Dramatic Dividends — Saving Lives in "Blood Alley"National Review of the Highway Safety Improvement Program
Weather: A Research Agenda for Surface Transportation ProgramFHWA Model Predicts Noise Impacts
Synergy in Action: FHWA's Transportation Pooled-Fund Program
