November 3, 2016
Innovation of the Month: Regional Models of Cooperation
The Every Day Counts innovation of the month for November is regional models of cooperation, processes and tools that promote best practices for transportation planning across jurisdictions.
Through EDC-3, the Federal Highway Administration is working with the Federal Transit Administration to encourage transportation planners across the country to think beyond traditional borders when planning projects and programs.
As a result, agencies in 19 states have made it a standard practice to cooperate across agency boundaries when addressing highway, transit, freight and other transportation issues. State transportation departments, metropolitan planning organizations and other stakeholders in another seven states and Federal Lands Highway are furthering their cooperation strategies by conducting demonstration projects.
Transportation agencies in 16 states have institutionalized the sharing of transportation data, models and tools, while another six states are at the demonstration stage.
Contact Jody McCullough of the FHWA Office of Planning for information, technical assistance and training on regional models of cooperation.
Delaware Professionals Learn About Ultra-High Performance Concrete Connections
About 55 participants from the Delaware Department of Transportation, private engineering and construction firms and FHWA attended an FHWA ultra-high performance concrete connections workshop on October 21 in Dover. The Delaware DOT has used UHPC on three projects to connect prefabricated bridge elements. The agency is planning to incorporate UHPC into a bridge deck overlay project in 2017.
Iowa Workshops Focus on Local Road Safety
Local agency safety workshops at six Iowa locations enabled law enforcement and engineering professionals to learn about ways to improve safety on local roads. One agenda topic was using data-driven safety analysis to choose low-cost safety countermeasures for high-risk areas. The workshops also covered Iowa crash trends and causes, safety project funding programs and research. Representatives of the Iowa Department of Transportation, Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, Iowa State University, University of Iowa, Iowa Local Technical Assistance Program and FHWA conducted the October workshops.
Texas Holds First Innovation Council Meeting
The Texas Department of Transportation and FHWA held the inaugural meeting of the Texas State Transportation Innovation Council on October 24 in Austin. Seventy-nine representatives of federal, state and local agencies and university research organizations attended the meeting. Another 197 people participated by web conference. Presentations covered four innovations in the Every Day Counts fourth round: automated traffic signal performance measures, road weather management—weather-savvy roads, data-driven safety analysis and using data to improve traffic incident management. Participants also discussed research on coordinating safety and mobility improvements for intermodal freight facility access and ultra-fine slurry overlays.
Accelerated Bridge Construction Saves Time in Rhode Island
Accelerated bridge construction enabled the Rhode Island Department of Transportation to save motorists a year of traffic delays on projects to replace two bridges in East Providence. One bridge was replaced in during an 83-hour road closure between the night of September 9 and the morning of September 13. The other bridge replacement was even faster, with the shutdown lasting 65 hours from the night of September 23 to the morning of September 26. The Rhode Island DOT plans to use accelerated bridge construction on 75 bridge repair projects by 2025.
Utah Workshop Explores Connecting Bicyclists and Pedestrians to Transit Networks
The Utah Transit Authority held a regional models of cooperation workshop on October 24 on connecting bicyclists and pedestrians to transit networks. Transportation agency representatives from Kansas City, Los Angeles and Utah made presentations on their programs to help bicyclists and pedestrians access transit options. Participants from the Utah Department of Transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, cities, counties, Federal Transit Administration and FHWA shared best practices and brainstormed solutions to connection challenges.
Washington's Floating Bridge Wins VISION Award
The Washington State Department of Transportation and its partners on the State Route 520 floating bridge project won a 2016 VISION 2040 Award from the Puget Sound Regional Council. The award recognizes innovative projects and programs that help ensure a sustainable future as the region grows. The bridge—built with the design-build project delivery method—provides a safer and more environmentally sustainable link between the two economic hubs on either side of Lake Washington.
Events Introduce Strategies for Weather-Savvy Roads
Presentations at three events enabled transportation professionals to learn about the EDC-4 road weather management – weather-savvy roads innovation. FHWA staff discussed road weather management strategies at the Texas State Transportation Innovation Council meeting on October 24, South Dakota Department of Transportation Maintenance Decision Support System meeting on October 25 and 26 and California Department of Transportation peer exchange on automated vehicle location technology on October 27 and 28.
