July 21, 2016
Innovation of the Month: Improving DOT and Railroad Coordination
Use of best practices and streamlined processes is improving department of transportation and railroad coordination in many states.
The Texas Department of Transportation, for example, sends construction and maintenance agreements to railroads electronically rather than on paper. This enables railroads to load documents into their agreement management systems more easily and get internal approvals faster. As a result, agreement processing time dropped from more than 16 weeks to four to six weeks.
Alabama Department of Transportation staff meet with county engineers, railroad representatives and Federal Highway Administration staff to coordinate on railroad-related issues. The Alabama DOT collaborated with railroads to write new railroad crossing guidance for developing Federal-Aid Highway Program projects that involve railroad property.
The Iowa Department of Transportation developed an online railroad safety awareness course that inspection staff on railroad-related projects now use. The agency produced standard specifications for work on or near Union Pacific Railroad, Canadian Northern Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway property.
View a Federal-Aid Essentials video for tips on coordinating with railroads.
View New Innovation Video
FHWA has been on the front lines of innovation for more than a century. Today, its Every Day Counts initiative features technologies and practices that can shorten the project delivery process, enhance safety and improve environmental sustainability. Watch a new video on how FHWA works with transportation partners to deploy innovations, saving time, money and lives.
Design-Build Accelerates Massachusetts Interchange Project
Using design-build project delivery enabled the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to open the rebuilt Route 79/I-195 interchange to traffic earlier than anticipated. The July 7 opening was achieved because of incentives built into the design-build contract. The interchange reconstruction is part of the Route 79/Braga Bridge improvements project, a component of the state’s Accelerated Bridge Program to address structurally deficient bridges. The Braga Bridge project, underway next to the interchange, is nearing completion.
Wisconsin Builds First GRS-IBS on Local Road
Work has begun on a geosynthetic reinforced soil-integrated bridge system project in Dodge County, Wisconsin, the first on a local highway in the state. The project received a grant from FHWA’s Accelerated Innovation Deployment Demonstration program. As part of the project, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation will partner with Dodge County, Wisconsin’s Local Technical Assistance Program and FHWA on a showcase to demonstrate GRS-IBS construction to other local agencies and private sector organizations.