States Innovate!

Maine Bundles Eight Bridges on I-95

The Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) is using project bundling strategies to rebuild several aging bridges on a 4-mile stretch of Interstate 95 in Hampden. The Hampden Bridge Bundle Project includes the removal of eight existing bridges, which are 60 years old and reaching the end of their useful life, and design and construction of eight full replacement bridges using the design-build method. Project bundling, the process of awarding a single contract for several projects, can allow agencies to capitalize on economies of scale to increase efficiency.

Iowa Helps Launch Highway Careers for Young Adults

The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) is offering training programs for non-traditional construction workers to boost diversity in its highway, street, and bridge construction workforce. The program prepares women, minority groups, and other disadvantaged persons for entry-level positions that can provide long-term career options. With Highway Construction Workforce Partnership (HCWP) funding, Iowa DOT is collaborating with industry representatives and community colleges to extend its training and placement services to young adults ages 18 to 24.

The expanded program highlights general construction knowledge like workplace safety, personal protective gear, equipment safety inspections, and safe operations. It prepares successful trainees to find jobs as construction laborers, heavy equipment operators, and highway maintenance workers. To increase career placement, Iowa also offers recruitment and networking services for program participants.

Puerto Rico Moves FoRRRwD with Roadway Departure Countermeasures

The Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority (PRHTA) is working to reduce lane departure crashes by developing highway safety corridors to evaluate countermeasures such as rumble strips, horizontal curve warning signs, high friction surface treatments, SafetyEdgeSM, and guardrail upgrades. As part of the Focus on Reducing Rural Roadway Departures (FoRRRwD) initiative, Puerto Rico Local Technical Assistance Program staff provided translations that were used to develop Spanish-language versions of the FoRRRwD trading cards. Read more about Puerto Rico’s project in FHWA’s Summer 2022 Safety Compass newsletter.

Michigan Accelerates Bridge Move

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) used accelerated bridge construction methods on its Second Avenue Bridge over Interstate 94 project in Detroit. The Second Avenue bridge, part of MDOT’s larger I-94 Modernization Project, replaces the original bridge build in 1954 and will be the State’s first network tied-arch bridge. MDOT received an FHWA Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID Demo) grant for the network arch superstructure. The new bridge was built at a nearby location off-site while the on-site work (foundation and abutment walls) occurred, allowing both operations to occur simultaneously. MDOT moved the new bridge into place over I-94 using self-propelled modular transporters.

North Carolina Opens New TIM
Training Track

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) partnered with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol to construct a Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Training and Development Track in Raleigh. The TIM training track is a closed half-mile course that helps first responders safely train for real events on the State’s highways. A demonstration day was held to mark the track’s official opening and demonstrate the value of partnerships in clearing roads safely and quickly. Read a case study for details on the new training facility and how NCDOT has advanced its TIM training program.

South Dakota Boosts Winter Road Safety

The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) is seeing success with installation of high friction surface treatments (HFST) at strategic locations, especially those involving winter road conditions. As reported in FHWA’s Roadway Safety Champions Monthly Spotlight series, SDDOT installed HFST in 2017 at 15 locations with a high frequency of winter-road-condition crashes. After two winters, a before-after analysis of the crash data showed a 78-percent reduction in total crashes. SDDOT estimated that the use of HFST in the State will save $18 million in societal crash costs. Due to the success of this project and others, SDDOT included biennial HFST treatment projects in its State Transportation Improvement Program.