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FHWA Home / OIPD / Accelerating Innovation / Every Day Counts / EDC News: March 10, 2016

EDC News

March 10, 2016

Innovation of the Month: e-Construction

The Every Day Counts innovation of the month for March is e-Construction, the collection, review, approval and distribution of highway construction contract documents in a paperless environment.

The e-Construction process includes several strategies:

  • Electronic submission of construction documentation
  • Electronic document routing and approvals through e-signatures
  • Digital document management in a secure environment that allows document distribution to project stakeholders through mobile devices

Using a paperless approach to project document management is generating interest across the country. Six states have made e-Construction a mainstream practice. An additional 19 states are using e-Construction tools.

Introduction to e-Construction. November 18, 2015

To learn more, watch the Introduction to e-Construction webinar and register for the e-Construction for Contractors and Consultants webinar from 1:30 to 3 p.m. ET on March 16.

For information and technical assistance, contact Bryan Cawley of the Federal Highway Administration Office of Infrastructure, Richard Duval of the FHWA Office of Infrastructure Research and Development or Kathryn Weisner of the FHWA Resource Center.

Maryland Paving Conference Features Every Day Counts

FHWA staff made presentations on Every Day Counts activities in Maryland, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act and accelerated deployment of pavement technologies at the Hot-Mix Asphalt Paving Conference on March 3 in Baltimore. About 340 people from state and local agencies, industry and academia turned out for the event sponsored by the Maryland Asphalt Association and Maryland State Highway Administration. Other conference presentations highlighted asset management, performance measurement and pavement design.

View Minnesota Video on Mini-Roundabouts

The Minnesota Department of Transportation and city of St. James will use an Accelerated Innovation Deployment Demonstration program award to build two mini-roundabouts, the first on the state’s highway system. The mini-roundabouts are part of the Highway 4 reconstruction project and will replace signalized intersections at 1st Avenue South with Armstrong Boulevard and 1st Avenue South with 7th Street South. An educational video explains how to drive on the mini-roundabouts, which offer the safety benefits of regular roundabouts in a smaller footprints.

Video: How to drive on mini-roundabouts

Warm-Mix Asphalt Use Grows in New Hampshire

Warm-mix asphalt accounted for 396,000 of the 900,000 tons of asphalt pavement the New Hampshire Department of Transportation placed during the 2015 construction season, an 8 percent increase over warm-mix asphalt use in the 2014 season. Reclaimed asphalt pavement use was 183,678 tons. The agency considers the figures a positive sign that innovative pavement technologies piloted in recent years are becoming mainstream in its pavement management program. See the New Hampshire DOT Pavement Workgroup’s proposed paving program and paving strategy to manage roadway networks using cost-effective methods and treatments.

Pueblo of Acoma Plans Construction Manager/General Contractor Project

The Pueblo of Acoma is using the construction manager/general contractor method through an AID Demonstration program award to deliver a suite of nine transportation improvement projects in the Acoma, New Mexico, area. The primary goal of the program is to provide opportunities for local workforce participation, so the project is being divided into small construction packages to encourage local trades to take part in the work. The project team hosted a job fair on March 9 for laborers, flaggers, operators, water truck drivers and carpenters.

New York Metropolitan Transportation Council Reviews Growth Strategies

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council discussed the future of transportation in the region at its annual meeting on March 4. The council, an example of regional models of cooperation, provides a planning forum to address transportation-related issues and develop regional plans for New York City, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley. Members reviewed strategies for leveraging transportation investments to support the region’s growth and adopted the Unified Planning Work Program for fiscal year 2016-2017. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx delivered keynote remarks at the meeting.

Read Pennsylvania Report on Innovation Accomplishments

Pennsylvania Report on Innovation Accomplishments
Accomplishments 2015: Innovation Through Collaboration details the progress Pennsylvania’s State Transportation Innovation Council made last year. According to the report, the STIC approved eight new initiatives, trained more than 1,000 transportation professionals and partnered with five Pennsylvania Department of Transportation districts to host Innovation Day workshops. The STIC also promoted innovations through hands-on demonstrations and presentations at industry conferences and events.

Utah Conference Highlights e-Construction and 3D Modeling

The Utah e-Construction and 3D Engineered Models Conference enabled representatives of state transportation departments and industry to share their experiences with e-Construction and 3D modeling technologies. The conference featured a tour of intersections and interchanges built with innovative geometric designs, including continuous-flow and through-turn intersections and a diverging diamond interchange. The Utah Department of Transportation and FHWA hosted the March 1 and 2 event.

Louisiana Shares Innovation Demonstration Program Experience

The 2016 Louisiana Transportation Conference brought together more than 1,600 participants for the February 28 through March 2 event in Baton Rouge. Among the sessions was a discussion on FHWA’s demonstration incentive grants, including the legacy Highways for LIFE initiative and the current AID Demonstration program. Presentations included the experiences of Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development staff with innovations through three Highways for LIFE projects. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx delivered remarks at the conference.

Federal Lands Highway Awards Design-Build Contract

Federal Lands Highway awarded its second design-build contract for a project to design and reconstruct Goose Lake Road in Adams County, Idaho. Part of the Federal Lands Access Program, the project will reconstruct a route connecting State Highway 55 with recreational areas in the Payette National Forest. The project will widen the shoulders and make other safety improvements on the mountainous two-lane road, which has the highest crash rate in the Payette National Forest.

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(202) 366-1325
Jeffrey.Zaharewicz@dot.gov


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