October 26, 2023
Innovation of the Month: Nighttime Visibility for Safety
In our last issue, we learned about the challenge that poor nighttime visibility poses, and how well-designed lighting can reduce crashes at intersections. With 76 percent of pedestrian fatalities occurring in hours of darkness we also need to ensure that pedestrians and other vulnerable users can see and be seen, especially at crosswalks and in other high pedestrian activity areas.
Crosswalk visibility enhancements are being promoted by the Nighttime Visibility for Safety initiative to help reduce pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries. These enhancements include three separate improvements: high-visibility crosswalks, lighting, and signing and pavement markings. These improvements help make crosswalks and the people that use them more visible to drivers. Agencies can implement these features as standalone or in combination
This Florida intersection incorporates high-visibility crosswalks, lighting, and signing and pavement markings to improve pedestrian safety. (Credit: FDOT)
High-visibility crosswalks use patterns (i.e., bar pairs, continental, ladder) and highly reflective materials that are visible to drivers and pedestrians from farther away when compared to traditional crosswalk striping. These should be considered at all midblock pedestrian crossings and uncontrolled intersections.
Improved lighting at crosswalks seeks to better illuminate pedestrians and leverage contrast to make it easier for a driver to visually identify pedestrians.
While a marked crosswalk or pedestrian warning sign can improve safety for pedestrians crossing the road, more can be done to help drivers visibly locate crossing locations and yield to pedestrians. Enhanced signing and pavement markings, such as, “YIELD Here to Pedestrians” or “STOP Here for Pedestrians” signs placed ahead of marked crosswalks indicate where drivers should stop or yield to pedestrians, depending on State law. To supplement signing, agencies can also install a STOP or YIELD bar (commonly referred to as “shark’s teeth”) pavement markings.
Agencies can install rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) to accompany pedestrian warning signs to further enhance visibility. These devices, which flash when activated, are particularly effective at multilane crossings with speed limits less than 40 miles per hour. Research suggests RRFBs can result in motorist yielding rates as high at 98 percent at marked crosswalks. These beacons can also accompany school or trail crossing warning signs.
To stay up-to-date on this initiative, subscribe to the team’s e-newsletter. If you have additional questions on these or other crosswalk enhancements, please contact a member of the team: Joseph Cheung, FHWA Office of Safety, or George Merritt or Tori Brinkly, FHWA Resource Center.
TxDOT Advances Digital Delivery
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) began its digital delivery journey during EDC-2 and the deployment of 3D Engineered Models for Construction. Since that time, TxDOT has embraced additional technologies and modified processes to advance the digital delivery of projects. Eventually, TxDOT plans to create and maintain a digital twin—a virtual representation that serves as the real-time or near real-time counterpart of a physical object—of its roadway system.
Digital delivery is defined as the delivery of models for bidding, construction, and as-builts of projects in lieu of traditional paper or pdf plan sets. This is sometimes called Model as the Legal Document (MALD).
TxDOT is currently developing a pilot project for MALD. The project will be a full depth reconstruction with adding of shoulders on a 0.30 mile section of asphalt pavement in the San Antonio District and will be let in March of 2024.
While on the digital delivery journey, TxDOT has seen and anticipates seeing additional benefits in the areas of enhanced precision of design quantities, enhanced design detail, less change orders, less requests for information, improved efficiency in construction, and enhanced construction management. In this vision, project construction ultimately concludes with a digital as-built plan that can be used in operations, maintenance, and asset management. This all means a more efficient and effective highway transportation system.
If you would like to learn about TxDOT’s journey toward digital delivery and a digital twin, please contact Jacob Tambunga, TxDOT director of digital delivery. If you would like to learn more about digital project delivery, please contact David Unkefer, Construction and Project Management Engineer, FHWA Resource Center.
Applications Open for AID Demonstration Grants
Are you looking to deploy an innovation on a highway project and need funding to offset the costs? The Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration provides incentive funds to eligible entities to accelerate the implementation and adoption of innovation in highway transportation. AID Demonstration funds can be used in any phase of a highway transportation project between project planning and project delivery, including planning, finance, operation, structures, materials, pavements, environment, and construction. The 2023-2026 AID Demonstration will make up to $10 million in grants in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 and $12.5 million FYs 2024 through FY 2026. Learn about AID Demonstration and the 127 grants and more than $95.7 million dollars that FHWA has awarded since its launch in 2014. Join the upcoming 2023 AID Demonstration Information Session on November 20, 2023 (3:00 PM ET – 4:30 PM ET).
Discover Home-Grown Innovations from Around the Country
Are you interested in homegrown innovations being used by your peers in other parts of the country? Check out the National STIC Network Showcase, a component of the EDC-7 Virtual Summit. Registering for the event allows you to access all the content through February 2024. The Showcase features several innovations around pavements.
Learn about the Florida DOT's LED Luminary Glare Shields, which reduced glare on a bridge in Debary, FL, helping improve visibility for motorists without sacrificing visibility for pedestrians or bicyclists. These shields were created in-house by the district maintenance manager and FDOT estimates that creating and installing these will save the DOT approximately $50,000.
Celebrate the ingenuity of your peers and read about these innovations—developed and deployed in-house at transportation agencies nationwide. Additionally, we invite you to watch the one-hour presentations on-demand that feature many of these and other innovations.
Stay Up to Date on the EDC Innovations That Interest You Most
EDC teams are always on the move! If you blink, you could miss out on important webinars, case studies, tools, videos, and more. To never miss information for the EDC innovations that interest you most, visit the subscription page and select the topics you’d like to receive updates on directly from the teams that coordinate them.
Recent bulletins:
Local Aid Support 10/24/23
NextGen TIM 10/20/23
Build a Better Mousetrap 10/17/23
Upcoming Events
Global Benchmarking Webinar Series: Improving Pedestrian Safety on Urban Arterials
Part 4: Speed Management Policies and Practices, November 7 — 2:30 – 4:00 pm ET Details l Register
Value Capture and Debt Financing Strategies: Tax-Exempt Debt Financing
November 14, 2023, 1:00-3:00pm ET Register
Digital As-Builts Forum Digital Construction Management Domestic Scan
November 27, 2023, 3:30-4:30pm ET Register
About EDC
Every Day Counts, a state-based initiative of the Federal Highway Administration's Center for Accelerating Innovation, works with state, local and private sector partners to encourage the adoption of proven technologies and innovations to shorten and enhance project delivery.
EDC News is published weekly by the FHWA Center for Accelerating Innovation.
Notice: The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers‘ names appear in this presentation only because they are considered essential to the objective of the presentation. They are included for informational purposes only and are not intended to reflect a preference, approval, or endorsement of any one product or entity.
Disclaimer: The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear in this document only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document. They are included for informational purposes only and are not intended to reflect a preference, approval, or endorsement of any one product or entity.
Except for the statutes and regulations cited, the contents of this document do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the States or the public in any way. This document is intended only to provide information regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies.
Recommended Citation:
U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration
EDC News; October 26, 2023
Washington, DC
