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.