U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
| Fiscal Year | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Weather Savvy Roads | Weather Savvy Roads Pilot to Remotely Provide Real-Time Information of the Road Maintenance Fleet to Traffic Management Centers ($ 322,462) Read AID Demonstration Project Grant New Jersey 2017 |
| Fiscal Year | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | ATSPM | Optimizing an Adaptive System Performance to Improve Travel Time using ATSPM Module ($97,147) |
| 2024 | EPIC2 | Implementation of High Performance Internal Cured Concrete (HPIC) for Bridge Decks ($125,000) |
| 2021 | Crowdsourcing | Establish a pilot program for enhanced crowdsourcing for operations in New Jersey ($55,000) |
| 2020 | e-Construction, LPA | Develop a training program for Local Agencies to utilize Bluebeam ($38,491) |
| 2020 | Communication | Develop and Implement a New Jersey STIC Communications Plan ($60,000) |
| 2019 | UAS | Implement Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) strategic plan, including training and equipment ($98,386) |
| 2018 | ITS Beacon | Implementation of Connected Vehicle – Road Service Safety Messages ($31,680) |
| 2017 | Data-Driven Safety Analysis | Hold Local Agency Peer Exchanges for Local Safety Program delivery utilizing Data-Driven Safety Analysis tools ($18,564) |
| 2017 | e-Construction | Purchase and evaluate the use of tablets for construction and work zone inspection ($32,404) |
| 2017 | Unmanned Aerial System | Purchase, use, and evaluate Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) with the goal of developing guidance and specifications for bridge inspection and traffic incident monitoring ($47,956) |
| 2015 | Data-Driven Safety Analysis | Advancement of Data-Driven Safety Analysis ($41,600) |
| 2015 | e-Construction, Stakeholder Partnering | Advancing the use of mobile devices in the administration and oversight of the Local Public Agencies program ($21,464) |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 10/01/24 | TOPS | Case studies and research presented as part of EDC outreach efforts piqued the interest of States and local agencies. They learned how the New Jersey DOT’s use of highly modified asphalt (HiMA) overlays over a decade increased “good condition” roads from 12 percent to 40 percent and how research in Iowa suggests concrete overlays will last 35 years—15 years longer than the previous life expectancy... |
| 05/01/24 | Next-Gen TIM | In this Every Day Counts (EDC) Outtake, Sal Cowan, Senior Director of Transportation Mobility for the New Jersey DOT, talks about the impact of this technology in New Jersey, which was one of the first States to connect its 511 system to voice assistant platforms... |
| 03/01/24 | DDSA | The South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO) developed a plan to prioritize making roads and intersections safer for cyclists and pedestrians in rural Cumberland County, NJ. The SJTPO used a comprehensive approach involving DDSA and input from local officials, stakeholders, and the public to prioritize locations with the greatest safety needs for cyclists and pedestrians and select appropriate countermeasures... |
| 11/01/23 | Next-Gen TIM | The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) recently developed a Traffic Incident Management (TIM) training course that is self-guided and available online. According to an NJDOT news release, the agency’s TIM training was previously only held in person, but they expect the online course to make it possible for even more emergency and incident response personnel to have access to this life-saving training. Interactivity is a key feature of the course, which includes videos, simulations, and interactive scenarios to provide participants with practical experiences that mimic real-world situations. |
| 09/01/23 | STIC Homegrown Innovations |
The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA), one of New Jersey’s metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), has used several innovative forms of virtual public involvement (VPI) to increase community participation in its long-range planning process. To gather public input, NJTPA used online ads geo-targeted to regions and invited people to participate in an online survey covering the plan’s seven focus areas… |
| 09/01/23 | Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian | Following a mechanical failure on the 90-year-old Shark River Drawbridge, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) discovered significant damage to the steel structure beneath the roadway. To preserve the drawbridge machinery and keep the bridge open, NJDOT needed to find a way to redistribute the traffic load away from the damaged steel. The agency implemented a road diet on the structure, reconfiguring it to one lane in each direction… |
| 01/01/23 | STIC | State Transportation Innovation Councils (STICs) in New Jersey, Ohio, and Idaho received 2022 STIC Excellence Awards for demonstrating success in fostering a strong culture of innovation in their transportation communities... New Jersey’s STIC implemented a proactive communication strategy and organizational improvements to support institutionalizing innovations statewide. The New Jersey STIC Communications Plan identified strategies for sharing exemplary innovation technologies and disseminating lessons learned with the broader transportation community. This has led to new member engagement and a steady increase in attendance at the STIC’s quarterly meetings... Read More |
| 05/01/23 | Crowdsourcing | State and local agencies can access vehicle probe, navigational app, social media, 511 and 311 service, connected car, and other crowdsourced data to improve operations, increase safety and reliability, and save cost. Moreover, analytics tools and services make processing and using crowdsourced data a true game-changer for nearly every transportation systems management and operations strategy. The following are just a few examples. Traveler information: New Jersey, Colorado, and North Carolina are among the DOTs that currently deliver real-time, in-cab alerts on road conditions to commercial vehicle drivers... Read More |
| 05/01/23 | STIC | To streamline inlet repairs, the Montgomery Township’s Public Works Department in New Jersey converted an older trailer into an inlet repair trailer. Inlet repair normally requires significant time, safety, and labor considerations in loading and unloading equipment and materials. By having all the necessary equipment mounted on one trailer, such as a generator, electric cement mixer, electric crane, electric water pump, and water storage tanks, the Township reduced the number of vehicles needed from three trucks to one... Read More |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 11/1/2022 | Crowdsourcing | The New Jersey DOT is using crowdsourced data to deliver real-time information to commercial vehicle operators to increase highway safety and efficiency. The agency alerts drivers to road conditions through a cell phone app or electronic logging device. This advance warning of sudden slowdowns or congestion gives commercial drivers more opportunity to slow their speed or seek alternate routes, which helps improve safety for all drivers in the area. Read More |
| 9/1/2022 | STIC | The national State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) meeting held in June highlighted New Jersey’s success at accelerating innovation through communication and collaboration, and it featured the results of a U.S. Domestic Scan Program study on how agencies are organizing to adapt to evolving technologies. New Jersey STIC Communications Plan Brandee Chapman, Innovation Coordinator for the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), described three efforts—the New Jersey STIC Communications Plan, an innovation deployment workshop, and the agency’s drone program—that have helped further the agency’s culture of innovation and improve the way they do business. The New Jersey STIC Communications Plan was developed as a guide to encourage the exchange of ideas and promote innovation among STIC members and the broader New Jersey transportation community. “The most effective communication methods will vary based on audience, which is where this plan comes in,” said Chapman. “It identifies a range of communication tools that raise awareness of the STIC and Every Day Counts program, highlight success stories and challenges relating to implementing innovations, and convey the progress that New Jersey is making on all of those fronts.” Chapman said some of the most successful tools are their highly attended tech talks and webinars, which cover current practices and emerging issues in transportation. Accelerating Innovation through Teamwork NJDOT piloted a “Let’s Go: Accelerating Innovation through Teamwork” workshop aimed at guiding a team in the creation of an action plan to accelerate innovation deployment. The participants focused on succession planning and three-dimensional (3D) project delivery, which aligns with EDC e-Ticketing and digital as-builts. The workshop resulted in NJDOT’s succession planning team exploring the reestablishment of a department-wide mentoring program, and it also helped the agency’s 3D delivery team focus its vision and begin planning a pilot. “We found that the Let’s Go workshop was a great way to bring different people together to solve a problem and advance innovation in a structured, purpose-driven way,” Chapman said. Unmanned Aerial System Program NJDOT’s drone, or unmanned aerial system (UAS), program began in 2016 and currently includes a fleet of seven drones and 11 pilots with more in training. “STIC Incentive grants provided equipment, procedures, training, and software and allowed for a peer exchange,” said Chapman. “Brainstorming with other States through this peer exchange was key to expanding the drone program.” From inspecting bridges and high mast light poles, to monitoring the progress of beach replenishment, to real-time construction project monitoring and traffic congestion assessments, UAS use is now a standard practice at NJDOT. “Thanks to the support from the STIC, the drone program helped further our culture of innovation by enabling us to work better, faster, and smarter to get projects and tasks done more efficiently,” Chapman said. “Our drone program is expanding every year, and we’re always exploring new ways to incorporate this technology in day-to-day operations.” Read More |
| 7/1/2022 | WRMS | When Ida moved into New Jersey, it brought 11 inches of rain in about 6 hours, as well as an EF-3 tornado. Chris Feinthel, NJDOT's senior director of operations, said that the agency activated its 511 NJConnect system six times during Ida, directly communicating with motorists stuck on its road networks. Following the storm, one challenge was removing the hundreds of abandoned vehicles on roadways. The agency has partnerships with the state police and various towing contractors throughout New Jersey, and Feinthel said that the towing contractors ended up being some of their busiest vendors. "There were cars everywhere that we had to at least get to the shoulder. We worked with local and state police to move them safely off the roadway so we could start to go to work ourselves," he said. Read More |
| 7/1/2022 | STIC, UAS | The New Jersey DOT (NJDOT) used STIC funds to purchase equipment for field operations and provide training for UAS remote pilots. These efforts helped launch the NJDOT Bureau of Aeronautics UAS Program. NJDOT has pursued a variety of UAS applications to improve safety and efficiency. Its program has demonstrated UAS feasibility for structural inspections, real-time construction project monitoring, traffic incident management, aerial three-dimensional (3D) mapping, traffic congestion assessments, and more. An agency video, Drone Technology at NJDOT, highlights these efforts to integrate UAS into its operations. An NJDOT report, Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS): Purchase and Training, describes the use of STIC funding to help establish the UAS program as well as current and planned UAS applications and benefits. The report describes the pilot training curriculum and two applications—high mast light pole (HMLP) inspection and traffic incident management—and offers lessons learned and best practices. Read More |
| 7/1/2022 | Crowdsourcing | The New Jersey and Colorado DOTs are using crowdsourced data and private sector partnerships to deliver real-time information to commercial vehicles and improve the safety of all road users. Because commercial vehicles have far greater stopping distances, unexpected slowdowns on roadways pose a significant safety threat, particularly at the back of queues. Transportation agencies can now deliver in-cab alerts about road conditions through connected truck service providers to help commercial vehicle drivers approach and react more quickly to roadway incidents, work zones, and adverse weather conditions. Learn more from the Crowdsourced Data for Commercial Vehicles webinar, part of the Adventures in Crowdsourcing webinar series.
Read More |
| 7/1/2021 | Targeted Overlay Pavement Solutions | The New Jersey DOT uses a mixture called binder-rich intermediate course, which is similar to crack attenuating mix, and also uses highly modified asphalt and stone matrix asphalt. The agency’s efforts in the past decade have paid off. “Targeted overlay pavement solutions have made a significant difference in New Jersey’s asphalt pavements,” said Robert Blight, New Jersey DOT Pavement Design and Technology Unit supervising engineer. “We’ve increased our good pavements by nearly 30 percent. Our goal is to create a balanced, cost-effective approach of preservation, resurfacing, rehabilitation, and reconstruction that best optimizes allocated funding to create the best possible roadway network condition.” Read More |
05/01/20 | Crowdsourcing for Operations | As part of its safety focus, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) deployed technology to alert motorists to the presence of Safety Service Patrol vehicles and boost awareness of the State's "Move Over" law. In a field test, NJDOT installed devices on 32 road service trucks. The devices use Global Positioning System location and wireless communication technology to relay vehicle locations to Waze, a crowdsourcing application. The devices triggered transmission of a standard message to Waze: "NJDOT Responder Ahead. Slow Down. Move Over." NJDOT determined that the devices successfully communicated with Waze an average of 76 percent of the time and that the average time lapse from when a device was activated to when the message appeared on Waze was 2 minutes and 41 seconds. Twelve devices experienced technical problems attributed to harsh weather conditions, so the supplier designed an improved enclosure for the device that NJDOT is testing this year. For information, contact Salvatore Cowan of NJDOT. |
05/01/20 | Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP) | The New Jersey Department of Transportation's Complete Streets Design Guide includes a toolbox of pedestrian safety improvements tailored to meet multimodal needs. The guide draws on best practices from national design guides, emphasizes context and flexibility in the design process, and describes the benefits and applications of design options. It provides recommendations on STEP countermeasures, including visibility enhancements, refuge islands, and raised crosswalks. |
03/01/20 | State Transportation Innovation Councils (STIC) | The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) used STIC Incentive funds to develop its unmanned aerial system (UAS) program. Now, NJDOT uses UAS to increase accuracy, speed up data collection, and provide access to hard-to-reach locations. |
11/01/19 | AID Demonstration | The New Jersey Department of Transportation will launch a weather-savvy roads pilot program to improve roadway safety and operational efficiency. The program will use an integrating mobile observations strategy to deliver real-time information about changing weather conditions from road maintenance vehicles to existing data sensors throughout the State. |
05/01/19 | Ultra-High Performance Concrete Connections | New Jersey’s 3.5-mile-long Pulaski Skyway deck replacement featured precast deck panels connected with UHPC, stainless steel rebar, and a polyester concrete overlay to maximize durability. The New Jersey Department of Transportation chose this system to minimize future repairs and traffic disruption on the bridge, which carries 67,000 vehicles a day. Using 5,000 cubic yards of UHPC to connect 1 million square feet of deck panels, the project is the largest application of UHPC to date and serves as an example for other agencies. Read Innovator Issue 72 |
11/01/18 | AID Demonstration | The New Jersey Department of Transportation will launch a weather-savvy roads pilot program to improve roadway safety and operational efficiency. The program will use an integrating mobile observations strategy to deliver real-time information about changing weather conditions from road maintenance vehicles to existing data sensors throughout the State. Read Innovator Issue 69 |
09/01/18 | State Transportation Innovation Councils (STIC) | The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) used State Transportation Innovation Council Incentive funds to advance the use of mobile devices in the administration of grant programs for local agencies. In the past, NJDOT staff documented field inspections in paper reports. Hands-on training showed staff how to use mobile devices to record inspection findings, take photographs for reference, and file electronic reports. NJDOT reports that eliminating manual data collection improved efficiency, enabling staff to redirect time and effort to provide better oversight of local projects. Use of tablets for field reviews and ratings of local grant program applications is saving an estimated 50 percent on the time needed for paper reviews. Read Innovator Issue 68 |
07/01/18 | Pavement Preservation (When, Where, and How) | The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is exploring new pavement preservation treatments, developing specifications for them, and monitoring their performance. NJDOT plans to construct two ultra-thin bonded wearing course projects and evaluate them for constructability and performance. NJDOT also plans to use an ultra-thin paver on several high-performance thin overlay projects. The paver will spray a polymer-modified tack coat in front of the asphalt mixture, eliminating tracking issues associated with standard tack coat application and increasing bonding of the thin overlay to the existing pavement, resulting in superior performance. Read Innovator Issue 67 |
03/01/18 | Data-Driven Safety Analysis (DDSA) | The intersection of two roads in Burlington County, NJ, was pinpointed for improvements after experiencing severe crashes. The use of DDSA helped engineers identify a roundabout (see cover illustration) as the preferred design alternative for the intersection. Right-angle and left-turn crashes dropped 100 percent after the roundabout was built, and citizen support led to construction of three more roundabouts in Burlington County. The New Jersey Department of Transportation now promotes roundabouts for State roads and is spearheading a pilot roundabout program for intersections under local jurisdiction. Read Innovator Issue 65 |
| 09/01/16 | Ultra-High Performance Concrete Connections | After trying UHPC on several demonstration projects, the New Jersey Department of Transportation adopted the routine use of UHPC on closure pours. The agency used UHPC on deck replacements on the Pulaski Skyway rehabilitation project and on the Route 46 bridge over the Musconetcong River bridge project. Read Innovator Issue 56 |
| 07/01/16 | Road Diets | The New Jersey Department of Transportation promotes road diets to address high pedestrian crash rates. The agency is developing a checklist for analyzing highway sections to determine road diet feasibility. In addition to installing road diets on state roads, the New Jersey DOT works with metropolitan planning organizations to identify projects on local and county roads. Read Innovator Issue 55 |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 09/01/15 | Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil - Integrated Bridge System | The Jessup Mill Road Bridge structure was constructed within the foot-print of the old bridge to maintain both vertical and horizontal alignment. The span is 22 feet long and 32 feet wide to accommodate two 11-foot lanes and 5-foot shoulders. The new bridge used a prefabricated superstructure consisting of prestressed concrete beams and a composite reinforced concrete deck supported on a GRS-IBS structure. The U-shaped GRS abutments and wing walls kept the new bridge within the right-of-way limits. Jessup Mill Road is about 13.5 feet above the Edward’s Run channel bed. The 17-inch-thick concrete superstructure provided the greatest hydraulic opening of the alternative bridge types evaluated. Read Innovator Issue 50 |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 12/07/23 | STIC | Learn about the New Jersey Transportation Planning Authority's Virtual Public Involvement strategies, which use a broad range of tools to increase public participation in long-range planning. These strategies include approaches to promote engagement from difficult-to-reach populations and those that are historically less likely to be involved in the transportation planning process… |
| 09/14/23 | WRMS | FHWA documented several States’ WRMS preparation and response efforts around Hurricane Ida in this case study. This storm made landfall as a category 4 hurricane in Louisiana in August, 2021. The case study highlights the experiences and lessons learned from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD), Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), and New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) while managing major flooding events resulting from the storm. The case study also provides insight into the tools and resources used as well as the relationships leveraged to prepare for and respond to Hurricane Ida in the summer of 2021… |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 12/08/22 | STIC | The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and Federal Highway Administration sponsor the annual State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) Excellence Awards to promote innovation nationwide. This year, three STICs—New Jersey, Ohio, and Idaho—received the award for demonstrating success in fostering a strong culture of innovation in their transportation communities. This week, we spotlight New Jersey, who was recognized for its proactive communication strategy and planning for organizational improvements to support institutionalizing innovations statewide. The New Jersey STIC developed a Communications Plan to identify strategies to share exemplary innovation technologies and disseminate lessons learned with the broader transportation community. This has led to new member engagement and a steady increase in attendance at their quarterly STIC Meetings. Additionally, the New Jersey DOT created a full-time Innovation Coordinator position to build upon the culture of innovation and strategically plan an enterprise-level innovation program. The New Jersey STIC created a new core innovation area related to Organizational Improvement and Support to implement Strategic Workforce Development, Virtual Public Involvement, and other innovations that do not fall into typical discipline areas. Read More |
| 04/28/22 | UHPC | Wouldn't it be great to quickly test the performance of a UHPC bridge deck overlay? It can be challenging to test and evaluate the long-term performance of new bridge preservation innovations because it would normally take years of monitoring the in-service behavior of such a technology on actual bridge structures to make an adequate assessment. Alternatively, Rutgers University's state-of-the-art Bridge Evaluation and Accelerated Structural Testing (BEAST®) center provides a new opportunity to evaluate emerging preservation technologies. Built in 2015, the BEAST facility aims to develop high-quality data of bridge deterioration and to expand our knowledge of bridge performance through full-scale accelerated testing. The facility is capable of enclosing a 50-foot long bridge within an environmental chamber and subjecting the bridge to realistic rolling wheel loads, freeze-thaw cycles, and even the application of deicing chemicals. As a result, this facility can impose 10 to 20 years of ageing in less than 12 months.
FHWA is sponsoring the first project to utilize the BEAST® facility, and seeks to establish the long-term performance of bare reinforced concrete bridge decks and overlay systems among other variables. A two lane, 50 foot simply-supported bridge built with steel girders was constructed and began accelerated testing in 2019. To date, it's been subjected to over 2-million passes of rolling load, 85 freeze-thaw cycles, and over 3000 gallons of salt brine. As a result, deck deterioration has reached a point where, in practice, an overlay would commonly be installed for rehabilitation and preservation purposes. UHPC is one of the overlay systems that will be installed on this bridge specimen for evaluation. The UHPC overlay will be installed using materials and construction practices that are commonly deployed in the field. Once installed, accelerated testing will resume for at least 12 months, or until significant deterioration is again observed. Data will be collected, which will help establish quantitative measure of the overlays' ability to perform long-term and under realistic conditions. Data already shows that UHPC is long-lasting and resilient, but at the end of this research, researchers will be able to say with greater confidence how long UHPC overlays may last in service. Read More |
| 03/03/22 | VPI | Because engaging youth in the transportation planning process is notoriously difficult, the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) used a broad range of engagement tools when developing its long-range transportation plan, Plan 2050. They held focus groups with traditionally underserved demographic groups, created a young adult advisory group, and held online meetings to engage broad audiences. NJTPA also held an innovative online contest for children ages 5 - 15, the OnAir Future of Transportation contest, which allowed children to be creative, while also participating in the planning process. The NJTPA promoted the contest through its email and social media channels. It also partnered with the Rutgers University Public Outreach and Engagement Team to promote the contest with community-based organizations, elementary and middle school teachers, community websites that promote children's activities, and programs for youth with disabilities. Participants submitted drawings, animated videos, poems, short stories, and more, describing their visions for transportation in 2050. Responses were collected via email, physical mail, and voicemail. Entries were divided by age groups, with winners selected in each group. Contest submissions included some highly futuristic visions of flying cars, hover chairs, and teleportation, which the NJTPA considered to be a bit out of reach for its 2050 planning timeframe. However, several themes emerged in the contest submissions that mirrored public input from adults. Contest submissions showed that kids have a desire for faster, more reliable transportation options that are comfortable and convenient, and a future that uses technology to make life easier, safer, more equitable, sustainable, and fun. Recommendations for autonomous vehicles, micromobility, and sustainability were incorporated into Plan 2050 based on the adults' and children's input. The On Air Future of Transportation contest raised awareness of the NJTPA and their work, especially to parents, teachers, and other adults involved in outreach, and provides an innovative example of using virtual public involvement (VPI) techniques to engage a difficult-to-reach segment of the population. Read More |
| 07/01/21 | STIC | 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-6 Virtual Summit. This site features a convenient one-time registration that will allow you to continue accessing information throughout 2021. The showcase prominently features several innovations focused on rural roadway safety. Learn about the Lyon County, Kansas's use of portable stop and yield signs, which allow for faster sign replacement and easy assembly; North Carolina DOT's innovative use of all way stop at high speed rural intersections, which is consistently effective at reducing crashes for a range of intersection volumes and under a variety of conditions; and the New Jersey DOT's use of data driven safety analysis, which used predictive safety analysis tools to gain support and funding for installation of a modern roundabout at a rural intersection. Read More |
| 04/29/21 | UHPC for Bridge P&R | Through the month of April, we have
discussed several examples of States using ultra-high
performance concrete (UHPC) for bridge preservation and repair (P&R) methods. In the final week, we'll highlight the
New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), which has recently used UHPC
in multiple projects for bridge P&R. NJDOT was familiar with the benefits of UHPC compared to conventional concrete through its use in field cast connections for precast bridge decks for re-decking projects. NJDOT had been looking for a new overlay preservation system for aging bridge decks that would enhance and extend the service life of their existing structures. However, the NJDOT had not used UHPC as a bridge deck overlay. NJDOT decided to install three UHPC bridge deck overlays as part of a research project contract. One of these projects, which was completed on a bridge spanning the Newark Turnpike, included both a UHPC bridge deck overlay and field-cast UHPC joint headers. This curved 3-span bridge, originally built in 1979, feeds nearly 30,000 vehicles per day from the New Jersey Turnpike onto I–280. The heavy traffic and the impact of de-icing salts resulted in corrosion of the reinforcing steel in the existing bridge deck, as well as the deterioration of all abutment and pier expansion joints. Prior to installation of the UHPC overlay and field cast UHPC headers, the existing asphalt overlay was removed, as were the deteriorated expansion joints. A new UHPC header expansion joint solution was installed, and after installation the finished UHPC overlay was covered with asphalt. The resulting 340-foot UHPC overlay is currently the longest continuous overlay installation in North America. The overlay and the other two installations included in the project showed that preserving bridge decks with a UHPC overlay will provide NJDOT with durable, long-lasting bridge decks and will extend the service life of the structures. Additionally, the bridge overlays showed that UHPC overlay construction methods can minimize traffic interruptions and shorten the total construction time. Read More |
| 2/25/21 | STIC | 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-6 Virtual Summit. Over 200 innovations, submitted by State DOTs, Local Agencies, and other STIC members, are grouped into 8 topic area categories for easy navigation. This site features a convenient one-time registration that will allow you to continue accessing information throughout 2021. Topics like Traffic Incident Management feature prominently in the Operations category. Learn about Washington State’s Work Zone Database, which gives real-time awareness of active work zones statewide; Frisco, TX’s SAFER program, which provides first responders critical incident information for situational awareness; and the New Jersey DOT’s Safety Service Patrol iCone technology program, which uses connected vehicle technology to alert the monitoring public to the presence of safety service patrol workers at incident sites. 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 several of the highlighted innovations. Read More |
| 03/26/20 | Virtual Public Involvement | The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) used geo-targeted ads to increase participation in a virtual meeting and survey for their long-term regional transportation plan, Plan 2045. NJTPA designed the ads to help viewers relate to planning topics by including images of children and adults to remind the public that this plan will affect individuals over a long period of time. The ads reached 1.6 million people over a six-week period and helped to generate 3,000 survey responses. This broad engagement helped NJTPA identify community-supported priorities for improving transportation in the region. Read EDC News 3-26-2020 |
| 03/19/20 | Virtual Public Involvement | The New Jersey DOT (NJDOT) used pop-up events as part of its comprehensive outreach program for the rehabilitation of the Pulaski Skyway, where a one-directional closure would affect local and regional travelers. NJDOT partnered with the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ to hold an educational event for families visiting the museum. The Pulaski Skyway booth included information on the structure’s history, its condition, and the reconstruction process, as well as a bridge-building activity for children. Hands-on exhibits included a large piece of decayed steel that had been removed from the structure, prompting interest and helping to increase understanding of the project’s importance. Read EDC News 3-19-2020 |
| 12/05/19 | Unmanned Aerial Systems | The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) released a video describing the institutionalization of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) throughout their state. NJDOT used STIC Incentive funds to develop their UAS Program, and now, drones are beginning to replace boots on the ground, increasing accuracy, speeding up data collection, and providing access to hard-to-reach locations. To learn more about New Jersey’s UAS program, contact Amanda Gendek with the NJDOT Bureau of Research. Read EDC News 12-5-2019 |
| 10/17/19 | STIC Excellence Awards | State Transportation Innovation Councils (STIC) in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington received 2019 STIC Excellence Awards for demonstrating success in fostering a strong culture of innovation. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and Federal Highway Administration collaborate on the annual award, which was presented to the winning STICs at AASHTO’s annual meeting in St. Louis, MO. The New Jersey STIC is developing a culture of innovation with broad stakeholder participation, shared metrics, and an engaged leadership. The STIC established processes to identify and move new technologies into practice, including an online portal to solicit potential ideas. The STIC also created three teams—Infrastructure Preservation, Safety, and Mobility and Operations—to champion innovations. A new web page features information on the STIC’s innovation initiatives and a searchable innovation database. Read EDC News 10-17-2019 |
| 08/23/18 | Pavement Preservation (When, Where, and How) | The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is piloting several pavement preservation treatments, monitoring their performance, and developing specifications to standardize their use. NJDOT is constructing two ultra-thin bonded wearing course projects and evaluating them for constructability and performance. NJDOT is also using an ultra-thin paver on several high-performance thin overlay projects. The paver sprays a polymer-modified tack coat in front of the asphalt mixture, eliminating tracking issues associated with standard tack coat application and increasing bonding of the thin overlay to the pavement, which is expected to result in superior performance. Read EDC News 8-23-2018 |
| 07/12/18 | State Transportation Innovation Councils (STIC) | The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) used State Transportation Innovation Council Incentive funds to advance the use of mobile devices in the administration and oversight of its grant programs for local public agencies. In the past, NJDOT staff documented field inspections manually in 19-page paper reports. After undergoing hands-on training, staff now use mobile devices to record field inspection findings, take photographs for reference, and complete electronic reports. NJDOT reports that eliminating manual data collection improves efficiency, enabling staff to redirect time and effort to provide better oversight of local projects. NJDOT's use of tablets for field reviews and ratings of local grant program applications is saving an estimated 50 percent on the time needed for paper reviews. Read EDC News 7-12-2018 |
| 06/13/19 | Ultra-High Performance Concrete Connections (UHPC) | Three recently published case studies illustrate examples of UHPC’s successful application; a bridge replacement in South Carolina; a box girder connections and bridge deck overlay project in Delaware; and the Pulaski Skyway bridge deck replacement in New Jersey, the largest use of UHPC on a single project in North America to date. Read EDC News 6-13-2019 |
| 12/14/17 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics, Roundabouts, Data-Driven Safety Analysis (DDSA) | The use of DDSA helped engineers identify a roundabout as the preferred design alternative for a Burlington County, NJ, intersection that experienced severe crashes. After the roundabout was built, right-angle and left-turn crashes dropped 100 percent at the location. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) now promotes roundabouts for State roads and has a pilot roundabout program for intersections under local jurisdiction. Read EDC News 12-14-2017 |
| 07/27/17 | Ultra-High Performance Concrete Connections for Prefabricated Bridge Elements | The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) used UHPC to connect precast deck panels on the Pulaski Skyway, the Nation’s largest accelerated bridge construction project. Using UHPC kept the width and length of construction joints to a minimum, saving time and money and speeding up the project. Read EDC News 7-27-2017 |
| 11/21/16 | Regional Models of Cooperation | New Jersey’s Complete Team brings together transportation planners and operators to facilitate regional planning, investment decision making and efficient operations. The team shares best practices and discusses coordination opportunities on topics such as congestion relief and freight performance measures. Read EDC News 11-21-2016 |
| 09/22/16 | Data-Driven Safety Analysis | The New Jersey Department of Transportation, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and Burlington County used predictive analysis tools to justify funding for a modern roundabout to improve safety at a rural intersection. Watch a video on how New Jersey used DDSA on the roundabout project. Read EDC News 9-22-2016 |
| 08/25/16 | Road Diets | The New Jersey Department of Transportation promotes road diets to address high pedestrian crash rates. In addition to installing road diets on state roads, the New Jersey DOT works with metropolitan planning organizations to identify projects on local and county roads. Read EDC News 8-25-2016 |
| 01/07/16 | Locally Administered Federal-Aid Projects | The New Jersey Department of Transportation launched a Safe Routes to School Design Assistance Program. This pilot program helps local agencies obtain consultant engineering services to develop plans, specifications and estimates for Safe Routes to School projects. The New Jersey DOT developed the program as part of the EDC-2 effort on locally administered Federal-Aid projects. The agency established a pool of engineering design consultants through a quality-based selection process. The pool can help local agencies deliver projects faster by reducing the time required to procure professional services. Read EDC News 1-7-2016 |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 10/29/15 | Locally Administered Federal-Aid Projects: Stakeholder Partnering | The New Jersey Department of Transportation held an October 15 workshop for local agencies on inactive Federal-Aid Highway Program projects as part of the EDC-3 stakeholder partnering effort. Participants from the New Jersey DOT, metropolitan planning organizations, counties, municipalities and FHWA discussed inactive project causes and potential solutions. They created several working groups to evaluate why projects may not be awarded, billed and completed in a timely manner and to develop recommendations to improve the project delivery process. Read EDC News 10-29-2015 |
| 07/09/15 | Road Diets | A road diet workshop in Trenton, New Jersey, enabled more than 80 staff members from the New Jersey Department of Transportation and several metropolitan planning organizations to learn how roadway reconfiguration can enhance safety, mobility and livability in a community. FHWA tailored the workshop, which took place on June 24-25, to focus on strategies to reduce pedestrian and intersection crashes. A highlight of the event was a group exercise that allowed teams to critique a real-world candidate for a road diet project. Read EDC News 7-9-2015 |
| 01/23/15 | Regional Models of Cooperation | The first New Jersey Department of Transportation/Metropolitan Planning Organization Collaboration meeting of the year took place January 8. The quarterly meetings, an example of the EDC-3 regional models of cooperation effort, focus on metropolitan planning matters throughout the state. Their purpose is to ensure collaboration on program and project issues and support investments that address transportation system issues. Regular attendees include representatives of the New Jersey DOT, the state’s three metropolitan planning organizations, NJ Transit, the Federal Transit Administration and FHWA. Read EDC News 1-23-2015 |
| 09/26/14 | Programmatic Agreements | The New Jersey Department of Transportation and FHWA have developed a programmatic biological agreement for the bog turtle, which is on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service threatened list. The agreement is designed to provide a streamlined Section 7 process for highway construction and maintenance projects. There’s no programmatic coverage for the bog turtle in other states that contain this species, so states can benefit by using the New Jersey agreement as a template. Read EDC News 9-26-2014 |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Ultra High-Performance Concrete | The 3.5-mile-long Pulaski Skyway deck replacement in northern New Jersey was completed in 2018 after nearly 5 years of construction. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) used precast deck panels connected with UHPC, stainless steel rebar, and a polyester concrete overlay to maximize the durability of the new deck and minimize the need for future repairs and traffic disruption on the heavily traveled bridge. The project is the largest user of UHPC to date in North America, using more than 5,000 cubic yards of UHPC to connect nearly 1 million square feet of deck panels. Only five other transportation agencies had used UHPC for bridge construction when NJDOT selected UHPC for the Pulaski Skyway in 2012. Since then, the skyway has served as an important and informative example for other agencies. In addition to the skyway, NJDOT completed five other bridges in 2018 using UHPC connections, bringing the State’s total to nine. Read the EDC-4 Final Report |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Data-Driven Safety Analysis | The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) provides technical assistance to MPOs as they conduct Highway Safety Manual analyses for safety projects. NJDOT helped counties with analyses for their 2016 applications for projects funded under the Local Safety Program. NJDOT used STIC Incentive program funds to acquire Safety Analyst software. The agency is working on data assessment, analysis, and assembly so it can provide the data files needed for use with the software. Read the EDC-3 Final Report |
| 2017 | Locally Administered Federal-Aid Projects: Stakeholder Partnering | NJDOT achieved its goal of institutionalizing stakeholder partnering and is moving forward on implementing its stakeholder partnering committee. Committee members represent MPOs, counties, municipalities, private industry, and FHWA. A committee workshop on inactive Federal-Aid Highway Program projects enabled stakeholders from 24 organizations to discuss inactive project causes and potential solutions. They created several working groups to evaluate why projects may not be awarded, billed, and completed in a timely manner and develop recommendations to improve the project delivery process. Read the EDC-3 Final Report |
| 2017 | Road Diets | NJDOT developed a public outreach video that provides information on how road diets work and the benefits they provide, using case studies on road diets installed in New Jersey’s county, town, and shore environments. NJDOT is also conducting a pilot study to determine effective ways for counties and municipalities to select, develop, and implement road diets on local roads. Read the EDC-3 Final Report |
| 2017 | Smarter Work Zones | NJDOT developed an operations bulletin with scoring criteria for project designers to use as a guide when determining the suitability and deployment of smarter work zones on projects to mitigate work zone-related congestion. The agency also updated its Scope Statement — Preliminary Engineering Checklist to incorporate smarter work zone deployment in the ITS/ Traffic Operations Strategies section. Read the EDC-3 Final Report |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | High Friction Surface Treatment | The New Jersey DOT is developing screening tools to use HFST on two pilot projects, one project that potentially involves high-volume jug handles and one project that includes horizontal curves. Hudson County now uses HFST as a safety countermeasure at critical locations across its roadway system. Read the EDC-2 Final Report |
| 2015 | National Traffic Incident Management Responder Training | The New Jersey DOT hosted three train-the trainer events and trained more than 200 people. NJDOT included personnel from the towing and utility sectors so they, in turn, can train people in private companies who play an integral part in clearing incidents and reopening roadways safely. Read the EDC-2 Final Report |
| 2015 | Programmatic Agreements | The New Jersey DOT and FHWA developed a programmatic biological agreement for the bog turtle, which is on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service threatened list. The agreement is designed to provide a streamlined Endangered Species Act Section 7 process for highway construction and maintenance projects. There is no programmatic coverage for the bog turtle in other states that contain this species, so states can benefit by using the New Jersey agreement as a template. Read the EDC-2 Final Report |
