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:

Address requests for items available from:

For more information on research and technology publications from FHWA, visit the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center's (TFHRC) Web site at www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tfhrc/, FHWA's Web site at www.fhwa.dot.gov, the National Transportation Library's Web site at http://ntl.bts.gov, or the OneDOT information network at http://dotlibrary.dot.gov.

The Concrete Pavement (CP) Road Map is a plan for concrete pavement research that will guide the investment of research dollars for the next several years. This TechBrief is a summary of the following two documents: Long-Term Plan for Concrete Pavement Research and Technology-The Concrete Pavement Road Map: Volume I, Background and Summary (FHWA-HRT-05-052) and Long-Term Plan for Concrete Pavement Research and Technology-The Concrete Pavement Road Map: Volume II, Tracks (FHWA-HRT-05-053).

For most of the 20th century, the same materials-portland cement, high-quality aggregate, and water-were used in pavement concrete, with only minor refinements. This fairly forgiving formula allowed variations in subgrade quality, construction practices, and other variables without sacrificing pavement performance.

In today's environment, however-with new, sometimes incompatible materials, more demanding production schedules, and other pressures-the old system for constructing concrete pavements is not as malleable. The CP Road Map gives the highway community an opportunity to reinvent itself proactively through research. By 2015, the highway community will have a comprehensive, integrated, fully functional system of CP technologies that provides innovative solutions for customer-driven performance requirements.

The document is available online at www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/pccp/pubs/05074/. Free printed copies are available from the R&T Product Distribution Center.

Long-Term Plan for Concrete Pavement Research and Technology-The Concrete Pavement Road Map: Volume I, Background and Summary

Publication No. FHWA-HRT-05-052

The concrete paving industry has experienced many changes in the last 15 years. To achieve concrete pavement's full potential in the 21st century, the industry identified trends that call for dramatic, even revolutionary, improvements. With an aim toward a holistic approach, the improvements can best be served by a carefully developed and aggressively implemented strategic plan for research and technology transfer. The Long-Term Plan for Concrete Pavement Research and Technology (CP Road Map) is that plan.

This is the first of two volumes. It provides the background and summary information on the effort that led to the development of the CP Road Map. Volume II contains the research problem statements to be addressed under the CP Road Map.

Free printed copies are available from the R&T Product Distribution Center. The document also is available from NTIS. The NTIS order number is PB2006-100554.

The Long-Term Plan for Concrete Pavement Research and Technology (CP Road Map) is a holistic, strategic plan for concrete pavement research and technology transfer. The CP Road Map is a 7- to 10-year plan that includes 12 distinct but integrated research tracks leading to specific products and processes. The resulting improvements will help the CP industry meet the challenges of the 21st century and achieve the industry's full potential. The plan was developed in close partnership with stakeholders representing all aspects of the CP community, public and private, and the research will be conducted through partnerships with stakeholders. The CP Road Map is presented in two volumes.

Volume I (FHWA-HRT-05-052) describes why the research plan is needed, how it was developed, and, generally, what the plan includes. Volume I also describes the research management plan that will guide the conduct and implementation of research.

Volume II describes in detail the 12 tracks of research. Each track description includes a general overview, a track goal, action items, a list of subtasks, and detailed problem statements within each subtrack.

Free printed copies are available from the R&T Product Distribution Center. The document also is available from NTIS. The NTIS order number is PB2006-100555.

The CP Road Map is a comprehensive and strategic plan for CP research that will guide the investment of research dollars for the next several years. It will result in technologies and systems that help the CP community meet the paving needs of today and the challenges of tomorrow. In short, the CP Road Map will result in a new generation of CP for the 21st century. The executive summary should be of interest to professionals involved with pavements.

The document is available online at www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/pccp/pubs/05047. Free printed copies are available from the R&T Product Distribution Center.

Pedestrians are legitimate users of the transportation system, and they should, therefore, be able to use the system safely. Engineers and designers need to identify and develop appropriate solutions to improve pedestrian safety and access. Deciding where to mark crosswalks is only one consideration in meeting that objective. The purpose of this study was to determine whether marked crosswalks at uncontrolled locations are safer than unmarked crosswalks under various traffic and roadway conditions. Another objective was to provide recommendations on safer crossings for pedestrians.

The study involved an analysis of 5 years of pedestrian crashes at 1,000 marked crosswalks and 1,000 unmarked comparison sites. All sites had no traffic signal or stop sign on the approaches. Researchers collected detailed data on traffic volume, pedestrian exposure, number of lanes, median type, speed limit, and other site variables. Then they used Poisson and negative binomial regressive models to analyze the data.

The study results revealed that on two-lane roads, the presence of a marked crosswalk alone at an uncontrolled location was associated with no difference in pedestrian crash rate compared to an unmarked crosswalk. Further, on multilane roads with traffic volumes above about 12,000 vehicles per day, having a marked crosswalk alone (without other substantial improvements) was associated with a higher pedestrian crash rate (after controlling for other site factors) compared to an unmarked crosswalk. Raised medians provided significantly lower pedestrian crash rates on multilane roads, compared to roads with no raised median. Older pedestrians had crash rates that were high relative to their crossing exposure.

The researchers recommended more substantial improvements to provide safer pedestrian crossings on certain roads, such as adding traffic signals with pedestrian signals when warranted, providing raised medians, and implementing speed-reducing measures.

The document is available from NTIS. The NTIS order number is PB2006-100611. Free printed copies also are available from the R&T Product Distribution Center. FHWA published an executive summary as FHWA-RD-01-075, which is available online at http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/docs/cros.pdf.

With management of the Nation's highways now a 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week enterprise, transportation professionals are more likely than ever to become involved in incident response and recovery. Those functions are thought of most often in terms of vehicle crashes, but State and local government agencies also are being called in to assist with natural disasters and to be prepared for potential terrorist attacks. Responses to such events often are managed through the Incident Command System (ICS) approach. Because many transportation professionals may be unfamiliar with the ICS approach, FHWA recently published the Simplified Guide to the Incident Command System for Transportation Professionals.

The document is available online at http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/ics_guide/index.htm.