Autumn 1995
Vol. 59· No. 2

New Research

The following new research studies reported by the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Research and Development are sponsored in whole or in part with federal highway funds. For further details on a particular study, please contact Martha Soneira, editor of Public Roads, martha.soneira@fhwa.dot.gov.

NCP Category A - Highway Safety

A.3: Highway Safety Information Management

Title: Development of an Expert System for Crash Data Collection

Objectives: To examine the highway safety data collection and analysis process and to develop and implement a user-friendly system. For each potential system, the study will outline the scope of the system, review the state of knowledge in the area, critique any previous system development efforts, and assess the potential benefits. For the most promising system, a prototype development effort will be undertaken.

A.6: Human Factors Research for Highway Safety

Title: Human Factors Study of Traffic Control in Construction and Maintenance Zones

Objectives: To evaluate, through laboratory studies with field verification, the traffic control devices and operational aspects of construction and maintenance zones. Drivers of all ages will be studied, but the needs and capabilities of older drivers will be emphasized. Problems will be identified, and countermeasures will be developed and tested.

Title: Initial Development of a Prototype Driver Performance Model for Highway Design

Objectives: To conduct front-end analyses and development of: (1) design requirements and specification for a prototype driver performance model to aid in the development and evaluation of new highway designs, and (2) functional analyses and input-output requirements for the model.

NCP Category C - Pavements

C.2: Evaluation of Flexible Pavements

Title: Cooperative Agreement With Danish Road Institute on "Pavement Subgrade Performance Study"

Objective: To develop an improved mechanistic subgrade failure criterion for designing new and reconstructed pavements.

NCP Category D - Structures

D.2: Bridge Management

Title: Develop and Test New Local Non-Destructive Evaluation Systems

Objectives: To develop and test new local non-destructive evaluation systems for optimum performance during routine highway bridge inspection. The new optimized systems will include radiography, ultrasound, magnetic leakage, etc.

NCP Category E - Materials and Operation

E.2: Cement and Concrete

Title: Unconventional Concrete Technology for Renewal of the Infrastructure

Objective: To identify research opportunities in innovative materials or processing technologies that can produce better performance than existing types of portland cement concrete.

Contractor: National Academy of Sciences
Expected Completion Date: December 1996
Estimated Cost: $251,000

NCP Category J - Planning

J.4: Travel Model Improvement Program

Title: Track A Outreach of the Travel Model Improvement Program

Objectives: To compile a clearinghouse of references, abstracts, and full-text documents to simplify searches for existing research in transportation planning and to establish a transportation modeling bulletin board and home page on the Internet.