U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
This report is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information |
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Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-06-072
Date: March 2006 |
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Multiyear Plan for Bridge and Tunnel Security Research, Development, and DeploymentSection 2BackgroundNeeds AssessmentAn initial outreach effort was conducted in August 2002. Research needs were generated by soliciting potential research projects from participants. This was accomplished through e-mails summarizing the purpose of the outreach effort and the information requested. The e-mails were directed in two groups, one to internal FHWA bridge engineers and a second to individuals and organizations outside of FHWA. More than 60 research needs for bridge and structures security were identified. Program managers were asked to solicit input from constituents. Organizations such as the Transportation Research Board (TRB), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) circulated the request to their members. Individuals in the following organizations and institutions were contacted as part of this outreach effort to determine research needs and gaps in knowledge in the security area:
Blue Ribbon PanelA Blue Ribbon Panel of bridge and tunnel experts representing professional practice, academia, and State and Federal agencies was convened to examine issues related to bridge and tunnel security, and to develop strategies and practices for deterring, disrupting, and mitigating potential attacks. Jointly sponsored by AASHTO and FHWA, and administered by TRB, the panel included: James E. Roberts Consulting Bridge Engineer Imbsen and Associates, Inc. Dwight Beranek Deputy Director of Military Programs U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Joseph M. Englot Chief Structural Engineer Port Authority of NY and NJ John W. Fisher, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus Lehigh University Henry Hungerbeeler Former Director Missouri DOT Jeremy Isenberg, Ph.D. President and CEO Weidlinger Associates, Inc. John M. Kulicki, Ph.D. President, CEO, and Chief Engineer Modjeski and Masters, Inc. Frieder Seible, Ph.D. Dean, Jacobs School of Engineering University of California, San Diego Kenneth E. Stinson Chairman and CEO Peter Kiewit Sons', Inc. Man Chung Tang, Ph.D. Chairman of the Board and Technical Director T.Y. Lin International Kary Witt Bridge Manager and Deputy General Manager Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District In its report, Recommendations for Bridge and Tunnel Security, the Blue Ribbon Panel provides seven overarching recommendations in three areas-institutional, technical, and fiscal-required to accomplish the goal of reducing the vulnerability of bridges and tunnels to terrorist attacks. Recognizing that current design codes do not contain substantive information on how to employ hardening designs, quantify blast-related demands, and determine the capacity of components exposed to high-pressure transients, the report provides R&D recommendations for creating empirically validated computational tools, design methods, and hardening technologies. R&D Security WorkshopFHWA held a workshop at TFHRC on March 3, 2004, to develop a strategic framework for R&D to improve security, focusing on highways and with an emphasis on longer range and more fundamental research needs. The product of this workshop was an unprioritized list of gaps and needs to help shape FHWA's strategic plan for R&D. The workshop focused on three areas. The objective of each area was to identify gaps in current knowledge and technology that may prevent us from securing the Nation's highway system. The first area focused on reducing the vulnerability of the Nation's highway system to attack, the second focused on reducing the risk of the highway system being used as a means to attack, and the third focused on improving the utility of the highway system to respond to and recover from an attack. A total of 34 participants, representing a very broad cross section of disciplines, agencies, offices, and stakeholders, were invited to the workshop. Attendees included: David Albright New Mexico DOT P.N. Balaguru National Science Foundation Rick Capka Federal Highway Administration Steven Chase Federal Highway Administration Ray Daddazio Weidlinger Associates, Inc. Fred Ducca Federal Highway Administration Sheila Rimal Duwadi Federal Highway Administration Steven L. Ernst Federal Highway Administration Brian Gardner Federal Highway Administration John Gerner Federal Highway Administration Monica Gourdine Federal Highway Administration Martin W. Hargrave Federal Highway Administration Amy Houser Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, R&T John Hoyt Department of Homeland Security Jeremy Isenberg Weidlinger Associates, Inc. Steve Jordan Woodward Communications Denny Judycki Federal Highway Administration Eva Lerner Lam Palisades Consulting Group Henry Lieu Federal Highway Administration Diane Liff Federal Highway Administration Michael P. Onder Federal Highway Administration Stephan Parker Transportation Research Board Vincent Pearce Federal Highway Administration Mary Lou Ralls Texas DOT James Ray U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Tamara Reid AASHTO John Rein Department of Homeland Security David Smith Federal Highway Administration Jim St. Pierre National Institute of Standards and Technology Paul Teng Federal Highway Administration Maliek van Laar Woodward Communications Anthony Welch Federal Highway Administration Jeff Western Wisconsin DOT ResultsThese outreach efforts identified a variety of needs, research studies, and focus areas for securing our highways. As noted earlier, the needs assessment had an "all hazards" focus dealing with bridges and structures, while the work of the Blue Ribbon Panel concentrated on security issues and only those associated with bridges and tunnels, and the workshop concentrated on securing all highway transportation systems. Only those issues dealing with bridges and structures and with a security focus have been evaluated in developing the long-term program presented in this report. A summary of information resulting from the needs assessment, the Blue Ribbon Panel, and the workshop are given in appendixes A, B, and C, respectively.
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