Sept/Oct 1999
Vol. 63· No. 2

by: David Smallen

Intelligent Transportation Systems need national standards to run smoothly . Improved communications linking localities and regions together in a way that results in an improved transportation system is the goal of ITS. This requires a system that is interoperable.

Gold-Rush Ghost Town Gets a New Alaska Yellow Cedar Bridge

by: Frank W. Muchmore

Through a cost-sharing demonstration grant program, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and their partners built a yellow cedar bridge to provide reliable access to Dyea Flats.

Innovative Traffic Control Practices in Europe

by: H. Gene Hawkins Jr., W. Scott Wainwright, and Samuel C. Tignor

In May 1998, 10 U.S. traffic engineers traveled to Europe to observe innovative traffic control practices and identify those practices that could be implemented in the United States.

Rural Road Safety: a Global Challenge

by: Patrick Hasson

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) created a program to address the safety issues associated with rural roads.

CORBOR Improves Safety, Mobility, and Productivity

by: Martin Weiss and David Smith

CORBOR - the combination of FHWA's National Corridor Planning and Development Program (NCPD) and Coordinated Border Infrastructure Program (CBI) - provides funding for major national transportation projects. These projects develop the 43 corridors identified by Congress and improve transportation near the borders with Canada and Mexico.

Pedaling into the 21st Century

by: Kenneth R. Wykle

FHWA Administrator Kenneth Wykle discusses the significant role that bicycling plays in the building of livable communities.

Big Bridge, Little Bridge: The Big Dig Soars Across the Charles River

by: Sybil Hatch

Two new bridges are being built over the Charles River as part of Boston's Central Artery/Tunnel project - the largest, most complex, and technologically challenging highway project attempted in American history.

Eisenhower Transportation Fellowships: Proving Ground for the New Transportation Professionals

by: Ilene D. Payne

The Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program (DDETFP) offers annual full-time opportunities in research, development, and technology transfer projects to students interested in the transportation industry.

Value Engineering: An Incredible Return on Investment

by: Keith Borkenhagen

Value engineering is a multidisciplinary, systematic tool for identifying, analyzing, and solving problems. FHWA is promoting this approach to find new and better ways of doing things. In fiscal year 1998, the return on investment was more than 120 to 1.

Managing Resources and Preparing for the Y2K Weekend

by: John W. McCracken

FHWA is helping transportation operators resolve potential Y2K problems, and FHWA is also reaching out to help develop contingency plans in the event that Y2K repair efforts fail or that failures are beyond the control of the operators.

FHWA's Traffic Research Lab (TReL): Searching for Keys to Unlock the Nation's Gridlock

by: Juan Morales, Raj Ghaman, and Doug Rekenthaler Jr.

FHWA's Traffic Research Laboratory (TReL) was established as a comprehensive experimental testbed and analysis toolbox to support FHWA's Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) Research and Development (R&D) Program.