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FHWA R&T Now -
September 2011
A news update of research, technology, and development from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
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GENERAL/ADMINSTRATIVE
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FHWA Prepares to Implement
SHRP 2
Approximately
20 percent of the Second Strategic Highway Research Program's (SHRP 2) more
than 90 projects are complete. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) will
continue to manage the research program until 2015, governed by its extended
cooperative agreement with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). In the
meantime, recognizing the considerable linkage between SHRP 2 research products
and FHWA program goals, FHWA staff members remain engaged in TRB's early
implementation activities (pilots, training, workshops, and webinars), as this
will expedite the transfer of knowledge from the researchers to the deployment
agents and practitioners.
Based
on a preliminary assessment of all emerging SHRP 2 products, FHWA has targeted
several products as immediate priorities for the Agency to lead deployment
efforts in the coming months. FHWA is currently working with TRB and the
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to
develop implementation plans for these products. The collaborative plans will
establish deployment goals, strategies, costs, and measures. Further product assessments will take place as
additional SHRP 2 projects near completion.
FHWA
and partner organizations, TRB, AASHTO, and the National Highway Transportation
Safety Administration (NHTSA), continue to work on a collaborative approach to
SHRP 2 implementation. The organizations are preparing a strategic
communications plan to brand and promote the overall benefits of the SHRP 2
program. This activity will be tied to individual outreach efforts for specific
SHRP 2 products and technologies.
For more
information, contact Ken Jacoby, 202-493-3186, ken.jacoby@dot.gov
ADVANCED
RESEARCH
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Exploratory Advanced
Research Program Initiates Two Studies in Foundational Research for New
Approaches to a National Transportation Demand Model
FHWA's Exploratory Advanced
Research (EAR) Program entered into a contract with Battelle Memorial Institute
to develop a futuristic design for a national long-distance travel survey. This
design will push the boundaries of current sampling, data collection, and
statistical weighting/estimation. FHWA also entered into a cooperative
agreement with the Resource Systems Group, Inc, that will investigate using
advanced agent-based modeling of long-distance travel behavior that is
sensitive to policy variables and representative of the population, based on
empirical evidence.
Both awards resulted from an
open solicitation scoped after coordination with the Federal Railroad
Administration and Federal Aviation Administration. If successful, the
two awards are anticipated to contribute toward developing a multimodal
national transportation demand model that could provide public and private
sector entities the capability to conduct multimodal analyses of national and
multi-state regional travel and congestion, test the effectiveness of national
policies, and provide a framework for system performance measurement.
For more information about
the national long-distance travel survey project, contact Patrick Zhang,
202-366-1941, patrick.zhang@dot.gov. For more information about the agent-based
microsimulation project, contact Brad Gudzinas, 202-366-5024, brad.gudzinas@dot.gov. For more information about the EAR Program, contact
David Kuehn, 202-493-3414, david.kuehn@dot.gov
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FHWA and NSF Foster
Collaboration to Advance Cyber-Physical Systems Research
FHWA
is working with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to advance research on
cyber-physical systems for highway transportation. On August 29, 2011,
Michael F. Trentacoste, FHWA's Associate Administrator for Research,
Development, and Technology and Director of the Turner-Fairbank Highway
Research Center (TFHRC), met with Farnam Jahanian, Assistant Director of NSF's
Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate, staff members,
and other professionals to discuss areas of mutual
interest. Cyber-physical systems research integrates the disciplines of
engineering, computer science, and information science. At first, only a
mechanical system controlled vehicle braking. Now vehicles are equipped with
computer programming that can interact with the mechanical system to reduce
skidding and improve stability. In the future, connected vehicles could
communicate with other vehicles and the infrastructure interacting with braking
and other control systems in ways that could dramatically reduce traffic deaths
and injuries, improve mobility, and reduce energy use. FHWA, through the EAR
Program, and NSF have already coordinated workshops for sharing results of
ongoing research. The two agencies are currently looking at further
opportunities, such as improving access to unique research test beds, enhancing
the transfer of research results to industry, and increasing academic focus on
national program needs.
For
more information, contact David Kuehn, 202-493-3414, david.kuehn@dot.gov.
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EAR Program Participates
in an NSF Study on Underground Geoengineering
To explore underground
geoengineering for sustainable development, FHWA's EAR Program has entered into
an interagency agreement with NSF. This multiyear study will summarize current
engineering knowledge related to underground development and identify research
needs to capitalize on opportunities for enhancing urban sustainability through
underground development. FHWA's support and participation in the study will
leverage NSF funds already committed to the study and ensure that the study
adequately addresses transportation needs associated with underground
geoengineering for sustainable development.
More information regarding
the NSF study is available at http://www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/projectview.aspx?key=49215.
INFRASTRUCTURE
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Statistical Analysis of Performance of Recycled Hot Mix Asphalt Overlays in Flexible Pavement Rehabilitation
This
document is a technical summary of FHWA's report, Impact of Design Features
on Pavement Response and Performance in Rehabilitated Flexible and Rigid
Pavements (FHWA-HRT-10-066). The objective of this TechBrief is to provide
a summary of statistical analysis results of data collected during the
Long-Term Pavement Performance Program. The performance of recycled hot mix
asphalt was compared to virgin mix in flexible pavement overlays.
For more information, contact
Larry Wiser, 202-493-3079, larry.wiser@dot.gov.
The TechBrief is available
online via http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/pavements/ltpp/11051/index.cfm
OPERATIONS
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Connected
Vehicle-Highway Research to Take the Road
FHWA's TFHRC Office of
Operations R&D is undertaking new research into how infrastructure can
support mobility, safety, and environmental applications for travelers. As
a foundational piece of this research, TFHRC is developing a new signal phase
and timing interface definition and message set. This will enable mobile
devices in vehicles or carried by travelers, including people with
disabilities, to obtain accurate, real-time information about the traffic
signals they encounter. This will allow the vehicles and traveler to take
actions that will decrease travel times, decrease red-light running, and
improve fuel-efficiency. The first drafts of the new interface
specification and message set have been completed and construction is scheduled
to begin in early October to upgrade the Connected Vehicle-Highway Testbed
(CVHT) with new signal control equipment. Field testing of this new
interface will take place at the CVHT this winter.
For more information, contact
Deborah Curtis, 202-493-3267, deborah.curtis@dot.gov.
SAFETY
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FHWA Issues Guidance on
Fundamental Roadway Safety Data Collection
While many States are
pursuing improvement in highway safety data analysis and the usage of
analytical tools, many are asking what types of roadway data they should be
collecting. FHWA's Office of Safety and an assembled Expert Working Group ended
a year and a half of analysis and deliberation on this issue when they issued
guidance on August 1, 2011 that describes the 38 fundamental roadway and
traffic data elements that States should be collecting for their Highway Safety
Improvement Program analysis. This new guidance along with its Background
Research Report and a market analysis of the cost of collecting these data can
be found at http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/tools/data_tools/dcag.cfm
For more information, contact
Mshadoni Smith, 202-366-7105, mshadoni.smith@dot.gov.
RECENT PERIODICALS
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FOCUS Newsletter August
2011
The
August issue includes: A Data-Driven Approach to Inspection: FHWA Introduces
New Bridge Safety Initiative; Expanded FHWA Hydraulics laboratory to Conduct
Major New Bridge Scour Studies; FOCUS on Training—Ready, Set, Go: FHWA's Online
Maintenance Training Series; New FHWA Tech Briefs Offer Information on
Superpave Gyratory Compaction; Webinar to Present Expert Guidance on
Controlling Concrete Cracking; Subscribe to NHI Training Updates; and Highway
Technology Calendar.
The
issue is available online via http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/focus/11aug/11aug00.cfm
For more information, contact Lisa Pope, lgpope@woodwardcom.com.
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FOCUS Newsletter July
2011
The July issue includes: RAP: The State of the Practice; FHWA Offers New Guidance on Hollow Bar Soil Nails; Intelligent Compaction: One Giant Step Forward in Quality Control; Highway Technology Calendar; Pipe Installation, Inspection, and Quality: What You Need to Know; and Annual Report Provides a Snapshot of NHI.
The
issue is available online via http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/focus/11jul/11jul00.cfm
For
more information, contact Lisa Pope, lgpope@woodwardcom.com.
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Public
Roads—September/October
2011
This issue
includes: What Does It Take to Change How We Do Business?; Modeling
Transportation Systems: Past, Present, and Future; Fighting Congestion with
Smarter Highways; The Atlanta BeltLine: A Green Future; Going on a Road Diet;
and Wherefore Art Thou Aggregate Resources for Highways?
It is available online via http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/11septoct/index.cfm
For more information, contact Paula Magoulas, paula.magoulas@dot.gov.
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Innovator: Accelerating
Innovation for the American Driving Experience—September/October 2011
This issue includes: Massachusetts
“Fast 14” Project Replaces Bridges in One Summer; Q&A With Mal Kerley:
Using Innovation to Keep Virginia Moving; Technology Partnerships Project to
Test Solar-Powered Traffic Signs; CM/GC Project Delivery Method Enhances
Innovation; New Method to Permit Incremental Deck Replacement in New Hampshire;
Reader Questions on Intelligent Asphalt Compaction Analyzer Answered; Quick Fix;
and Calendar.
The issue is available online
via http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hfl/innovator/issue26.cfm
For more information, contact Kathleen Bergeron, kathleen.bergeron@dot.gov.
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