July/August 2008 · Vol. 72 · No. 1

July/August 2008

Communication Product Updates
Compiled by Zac Ellis of FHWA's Office of Research and Technology Services

Below are brief descriptions of products recently published online by the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Research, Development, and Technology. Some of the publications also may be available from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). In some cases, limited copies are available from the Research and Technology (R&T) Product Distribution Center.

When ordering from NTIS, include the NTIS publication number (PB number) and the publication title. You also may visit the NTIS Web site at www.ntis.gov to order publications online. Call NTIS for current prices. For customers outside the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the cost is usually double the listed price. Address requests to:

National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-605-6000
Toll-free number: 800-553-NTIS (6847)

Address requests for items available from the R&T Product Distribution Center to:

R&T Product Distribution Center, HRTS-03
Federal Highway Administration
9701 Philadelphia Court, Unit Q
Lanham, MD 20706
Telephone: 301-577-0818
Fax: 301-577-1421

For more information on R&T publications from FHWA, visit FHWA's Web site at www.fhwa.dot.gov, the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center's Web site at www.tfhrc.gov, the National Transportation Library's Web site at http://ntl.bts.gov, or the OneDOT information network at http://dotlibrary.dot.gov.

Priority, Market-Ready Technologies and Innovations: Construction Analysis for Pavement Rehabilitation Strategies (CA4PRS)
Publication No. FHWA-HRT-08-033

State transportation agencies increasingly are shifting their focus from constructing new highways to rehabilitating and reconstructing existing facilities. The CA4PRS software identifies optimal rehabilitation strategies that balance the construction schedule with inconvenience to drivers and costs to transportation agencies. The program considers the “what if” scenarios for such variables as rehabilitation strategy; construction window (that is, nighttime, weekend, or continuous closures); number of lanes to be closed for rehabilitation; material selection; pavement base type; and contractor logistics, including access to the site and production rates. Engineers can integrate the CA4PRS results with traffic simulation tools to estimate road user delay costs arising from construction. The software assists in establishing schedules, developing staging construction plans, estimating cost (A) + schedule (B) contracts, and calculating incentive and disincentive specifications for contracts.

The Partnered Pavement Research Center at the Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California (UC) Berkeley, developed CA4PRS under an FHWA pooled fund study. California, Minnesota, Texas, and Washington State participated in the study. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ Technology Implementation Group selected CA4PRS as a 2006 priority technology. The software also won the International Road Federation Global Achievement Award for Research in 2007.

The document is available online at www.fhwa.dot.gov/crt/lifecycle/08033.pdf. Printed copies are available from Mark Sandifer at 708–283–3528, mark.sandifer@fhwa.dot.gov, or TaMara McCrae at 202–493–3382, tamara.mccrae@fhwa.dot.gov.

Priority, Market-Ready Technologies and Innovations: 2008 List
Publication No. FHWA-HRT-08-036

FHWA’s Research and Technology leadership team endorses four new priority, market-ready technologies and innovations (T&Is), brining the total to 25 T&Is. The list continues to fulfill FHWA’s commitment established in its Corporate Master Plan for Research and Deployment of Technology & Innovation to identify and promote market-ready T&Is.

Printed copies are available from Mark Sandifer at 708–283–3528, mark.sandifer@fhwa.dot.gov, or TaMara McCrae at 202–493–3382, tamara.mccrae@fhwa.dot.gov.

Priority, Market-Ready Technologies and Innovations: Bridge and Tunnel Security
Publication No. FHWA-HRT-08-031

Owners and operators of highway structures need to protect a vulnerable transportation system that is critical to local, national, and global economies. Many of these structures (595,000 bridges and more than 300 highway tunnels) are easily accessible to all kinds of vehicles without screening or inspection and have high economic value; therefore, they could be susceptible to terrorist attacks. Preliminary studies indicate that isolated attacks on any of approximately 1,000 bridges across the United States could result in substantial casualties, economic disruption, and other societal ramifications. Significant investment to prevent or reduce the consequences of such attacks could be justified as an alternative to the high cost of response, recovery, and subsequent socioeconomic damage.

This flyer discusses the use of an assessment tool to assure the security of critical bridges and tunnels. It also highlights two FHWA workshops on the topic: Risk Management for Terrorist Threats to Bridges and Tunnels and Blast Design and Analysis for Bridge Structures.

The document is available online at www.fhwa.dot.gov/crt/lifecycle/08031.pdf. Printed copies are available from Mark Sandifer at 708–283–3528, mark.sandifer@fhwa.dot.gov, or TaMara McCrae at 202–493–3382, tamara.mccrae@fhwa.dot.gov.

Priority, Market-Ready Technologies and Innovations: USLIMITS
Publication No. FHWA-HRT-08-028

Speeding is a significant threat to public safety and warrants priority attention. Managing speed through appropriate speed limits is an essential element of highway safety. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) recommends that speed limits be set within 8.05 km/h (5 mi/h) of the 85th percentile speed. The MUTCD also specifies other factors (such as pedestrian activity and crash history) to consider but does not provide guidance on how to account for these factors. Because procedures for setting speed limits are subjective, traffic agencies might establish speed limits that are inconsistent or ineffective in managing speed and crash risk.

USLIMITS® is a Web-based application designed to assist practitioners in determining appropriate speed limits. The program calculates the appropriate speed limit for a section of road based on the information input by the practitioner. USLIMITS is a user friendly, logical, and objective approach for setting credible, safer, enforceable, and consistent speed limits.

The document is available online at www.fhwa.dot.gov/crt/lifecycle/08028.pdf. Printed copies are available from Mark Sandifer at 708–283–3528, mark.sandifer@fhwa.dot.gov, or TaMara McCrae at 202–493–3382, tamara.mccrae@fhwa.dot.gov.

Priority, Market-Ready Technologies and Innovations: Adaptive Control Software Lite (ACS-Lite)
Publication No. FHWA-HRT-08-027

Ineffective signal timing contributes to increased traffic congestion. In fact, outdated signal timing accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all traffic delay, or 295 million hours of vehicle delay on major roadways alone. By adjusting signal timing to current traffic conditions, transportation agencies can reduce congestion levels significantly.

ACS-Lite improves the efficiency of traffic signals and prolongs the effectiveness of signal timing by updating phase splits and offsets in response to current traffic conditions. FHWA commissioned field tests to integrate and test the software with traffic signal controllers manufactured by four partners from the private sector. The test sites were located in Bradenton, FL; El Cajon, CA; Gahanna, OH; and Houston, TX. Traffic officials in Tyler, TX, also have deployed ACS-Lite. Each test site reported reductions in travel time (up to 35 percent), delay (up to 29 percent), and fuel consumption (up to 7 percent) as a result of ACS-Lite operation during peak periods.

The document is available online at www.fhwa.dot.gov/crt/lifecycle/08027.pdf. Printed copies are available from Mark Sandifer at 708–283–3528, mark.sandifer@fhwa.dot.gov, or TaMara McCrae at 202–493–3382, tamara.mccrae@fhwa.dot.gov.

Development of a Driver Vehicle Module for the Interactive Highway Safety Design Model
Publication No. FHWA-HRT-08-019

To improve highway design, FHWA is developing a suite of software tools: the Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM). IHSDM enables highway project planners, designers, and reviewers at State and local departments of transportation and engineering consulting firms to evaluate the safety and operational effects of geometric design decisions on two-lane rural highways. The latest version released to the public includes the following modules: (1) policy review, (2) design consistency, (3) crash prediction, (4) traffic analysis, and (5) intersection review. A sixth module, the driver vehicle module (DVM), is a candidate for future release.

This report provides a complete technical description of the DVM. Specifically, it provides a description of the specification, verification, and calibration/validation of the DVM for the passenger vehicle and heavy vehicle components, along with additional functionality enhancements.

This document is available online at www.tfhrc.gov/safety/pubs/08019/index.htm. Limited copies are available from the FHWA’s R&T Product Distribution Center. The document is also available from NTIS under order number PB2008106477.

Focus: January/February 2008
Publication No. FHWA-HRT-08-010

With the mission of accelerating infrastructure innovations, the January/February 2008 issue of FHWA’s Focus newsletter features articles titled “Partnering for Highway Technology Innovation,” “Access a World of LTPP Data,” “FHWA Releases New User Guides for Surface Water and Watershed Modeling,” “2008 International Orthotropic Bridge Conference,” and “FHWA Regional Conferences Bring Asset Management Straight to You.” The issue also includes a calendar of upcoming events related to highway technologies that showcases opportunities to learn more about infrastructure-related products and technologies.

The January/February 2008 issue of the newsletter is available online at www.tfhrc.gov/focus/jan08/index.htm.

 

PDF files can be viewed with the Acrobat® Reader®

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Other Articles in this issue:

Accessing America's Treasures

Did You Help Lead the Safety Initiative Today?

CSD Avoids Delays on New Tolling Project

Applying "Fuzzy Concept" To Bridge Management

Gaining Traction In Roadway Safety

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July/August 2008 · Vol. 72 · No. 1