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Federal Highway Administration Priority, Market-Ready Technologies and Innovations

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration

The technologies and innovations (T&Is) described below are ones that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) believes warrant special attention. Candidates for this list were evaluated against criteria that included:

• Do they (particularly the “vital few,” which are marked with an asterisk (*)) support agency priorities, including strategic goals?
• Is there a user need and likelihood of implementation?
• Are they developed to the point of being truly market-ready, with a tool(s) available for the field to market?
• Is expertise available to support deployment and implementation?

Brief statements for each T&I provide additional information in the form of an evaluation checklist.

This list is not intended to include all T&Is available. Numerous T&Is are being developed, but are not yet ready to be marketed in the field. In addition, many T&Is are considered good concepts, practices, and/or success stories that should continue to be shared. This initial list is intended to be a living list: A process will be developed for reviewing and updating these T&Is.

*511—An easy-to-remember three-digit telephone number available to State and local transportation agencies nationwide so that they can readily provide information and highway and transit conditions to travelers by telephone. Travelers can make more informed decisions regarding travel routes and modes resulting in a more balanced transportation network.
Contact: Bob Rupert, 202–366–2194.

Asset Management Guide—The guide, along with the companion National Highway Institute (NHI) course, illustrates asset management principles and identifies techniques and methods for adopting the decisionmaking framework in transportation agencies.
Contact: Frank Botelho, 202–366–1336.

Augercast in Place and Continuous Flight Auger—The technology is characterized by the drilling of a hollow-stem auger into the ground, forming the diameter of the pile. Sand-cement grout or concrete is pumped into the hole as the auger is being removed from the hole, eliminating the need for temporary casing. After the auger is removed, reinforcement is installed in the pile. For certain applications, these foundation systems can be constructed more quickly and less expensively than deep foundation alternatives.
Contact: Silas Nichols, 410–962 –2460.

Border Wizard—A PC-based model that accurately simulates all cross-border movements of autos, buses, trucks, and pedestrians, using customs, immigration, and security procedures. It can be used to evaluate and balance policy needs for security and trade efficiency, and address community impacts of improvements and functions at and near borders.
Contact: Mike Onder, 202–366–2639.

*Dispute Resolution Procedures for Environmental Streamlining—Guidance titled “Collaborative Problem Solving: Better and Streamlined Outcomes for All” is one element of a national dispute-resolution system that presents strategies for interagency collaborative problem solving during the transportation development and environmental review process.
Contact: Ruth Rentch, 202–366–2034.

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Geofoam Panels (Accelerated Construction)—Lightweight material that can be used as fill behind walls and other support structures. In specific applications, these materials may be required to reduce stress on underlying soils or lateral pressures to retaining walls, abutments, or foundations.
Contact: Peter Osborn, 410–962–0702.

FHWA Traffic Noise Model (TNM), Version 2.1—By improving the ability to predict noise impacts in the vicinity of highways, this model improves the quality of decisions. Field efforts would be to assist with the implementation of the FHWA TNM and guide future improvements to the model.
Contact: Bob Armstrong, 202–366–2073.

Highway Economic Requirements System, State Version—A software model that is designed to evaluate the implications of alternative programs and policies on the conditions, performance, and user cost levels associated with highway systems. The model provides cost estimates for achieving economically optimal program structures and predicting system condition and user cost levels resulting from a given level of investment.
Contact: David Winter, 202–366–4631.

Improved Decisionmaking Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS-T)—A software program that allows for manipulation, analysis, and display of geographically referenced data. Applications include safety analysis, environmental partnering, asset management, highway inventory attributes, and over-sized truck permitting. The GIS-T Web site contains numerous examples of how and where this technology has been implemented.
Contact: Mark Sarmiento, 202–366–4828.

*Interagency Funding Guidance for Environmental Streamlining—A resource titled “Interagency Guidance: Transportation Funding for Federal Agency Coordination Associated with Environmental Streamlining Activities” provides transportation and resource agencies with options for using Federal funds to support Federal resource agency coordination for streamlining environmental reviews.
Contact: Lamar Smith, 202–366–8994.

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) SpecWizard—A software tool that can help transportation agencies write specifications for the National Transportation Communication for ITS Protocol (NTCIP) standards-based ITS equipment. The user answers ITS questions, and SpecWizard produces a file for incorporation into specifications for NTCIP-based equipment.
Contact: Jason Hedley, 202–366–4073.

Load and Resistance Factor Design and Rating of Bridges, Earth Retaining Structures, and Culverts—An American Association of Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) and Rating (LRFR) bridge specification provides for more uniform levels of safety, which should lead to superior serviceability and long-term maintainability.
Contact: Firas Ibrahim, 202–366–4598.

New Pavement Design and Construction Methodologies—An advanced mechanistic pavement design procedure that relies on new tests for material characterization and proper quality assurances, and that enables construction innovations. Methodologies provide long-life pavements that are safe and cost effective.
Contact: Leslie Myer, 202–366–1198;
John D’Angelo, 202–366–0121.

Pavement Smoothness Methodologies—The new pavement smoothness specification covers smoothness test methods, smoothness equipment specifications, and equipment-certification programs. Other components that complement the smoothness specification include an NHI course (131100) on inertial profiler operations, Profile Viewer software, and best practice guides for construction of smooth asphalt and concrete pavements.
Contact: Mark Swanlund, 202–366–1323.

*QuickZone—A user-friendly computer software tool for estimating and analyzing length of queues and delays in work zones.
Contact: Scott Battles, 202–366–4372.

*Red Light Cameras—The traditional enforcement of violations for running red lights is automated by using camera systems at light-controlled intersections that detect an offending motorist, capture an image of the license plate, and issue a citation by mail.
Contact: Hari Kalla, 202–366–5915.

*Roundabouts—A circular intersection that requires entering vehicles to yield to existing traffic in the circulatory roadway. Studies show that modern roundabouts can reduce intersection fatalities by up to 90 percent, reduce injury crashes by 76 percent, and reduce pedestrian crashes by 30–40 percent.
Contact: Hari Kalla, 202–366–5915.

*Rumble Strips—Shoulder rumble strips are continuous grooved indentations in roadway shoulders that provide both an audible warning and a physical vibration to alert drivers that they are leaving the roadway. Studies have shown that these strips yield a significant reduction in drift-off-road crashes.
Contact: Dick Powers, 202–366–1320.

*Safe Speeds in Work Zones—Innovative technologies are improving work zone safety for highway users and workers. Two technologies that can improve safety in work zones are portable speed limit signs that automatically display safe speed based on traffic conditions and the nature of the roadwork, and feedback displays that show the speed of approaching vehicles. Contact: Davey Warren, 202–366–4668.

Transportation, Economics, and Land Use System (TELUS)—This information-management and decision-support system helps State departments of transportation (DOT) and metropolitan planning organizations prepare their annual transportation improvement programs and statewide transportation improvement programs. The system tracks history, schedule, funds expended, budget, and the relationship to other projects.
Contact: Fred Ducca, 202–366–5843.

AASHTO created the Technology Implementation Group (TIG) to identify high-payoff, ready-to-use technologies and to champion the implementation or deployment of these few select technologies, products, or processes that are likely to yield significant economic or qualitative benefits to the users throughout the country. FHWA works closely with and fully supports the AASHTO TIG initiatives and the implementation of the approved TIG technologies. The FHWA Priority, Market-Ready Technologies & Innovations include the following nine approved AASHTO TIG technologies.

Accelerated Construction—This undertaking promotes creative techniques to reduce construction time and enhance quality and safety. This includes techniques and elements along with innovative contracting practices that reduce congestion and enhance quality and safety.
Contact: Dan Sanayi, FHWA, Dan.Sanayi@fhwa.dot.gov.

Air Void Analyzer—The Air Void Analyzer can be used to measure air content, specific surface, and spacing factor of fresh portland cement concrete. This real-time evaluation can improve quality control. Implementation goals include developing a common standard test protocol, specifications, and a data-collection form.
Contact: John Wiakowski, Kansas DOT, JohnW@ksdot.org.

Fiber-Reinforced Polymer—This material can be used to repair cracks in overhead sign supports by wrapping the support with the fiber-reinforced material. Fiber-reinforced polymer can prevent overhead sign support failure and provide structural integrity to the overhead sign support. Contact: Paul Wells, New York State DOT, pwells@gw.dot.state.ny.us.

Global Positioning System (GPS) Surveying—The GPS uses satellites that transmit signals continuously; it has many highway applications, including surveying pavement conditions and inventorying highway assets. GPS increases accuracy and reduces labor, time, and costs.
Contact: Charlie Brown, North Carolina DOT, CharlieBrown@dot.state.nc.us.

Ground-Penetrating Radar—Ground-penetrating radar can be used to collect information about underlying highway pavement layers without incurring the time and labor costs and traffic delays associated with traditional methods of drilling for core samples. This vehicle-mounted technology collects pavement layer thickness and identifies rapidly deteriorating pavement areas at normal highway speeds.
Contact: Ken Fluts, Texas DOT, kfults@dot.state.tx.us.

Highway Rail Warning System—A low-cost active warning system that can replace passive crossing warning signs at low-volume, highway-railroad at-grade intersections. The system consists of locomotive-installed hardware that communicates with the crossing device to activate the signals; it can upload and download data on nearby crossings and report on system operations or health. The device is mounted on standard crossing poles and is solar/battery powered with wireless communications between the device and the locomotive.
Contact: Dave Huft, South Dakota DOT, dave.huft@state.sd.us.

*ITS Technologies in Work Zones—The use of ITS technologies in work zones, such as ramp- metering systems, intrusion alarms, and queue-detection information (sensors/cameras), is aimed at increasing safety for workers and road users and ensuring a more efficient traffic flow. These technologies provide ways to better monitor and manage traffic flow through and around work zones that minimize the impact of delays and increase safety.
Contact: Doug Rose, Maryland State Highway Administration, Drose@sha.md.us.

Prefabricated Bridge Elements and Systems—These prefabricated elements and systems may be manufactured on- or offsite, under controlled conditions, and brought to the job location ready to install. These systems minimize traffic impacts of bridge construction projects, improve construction-zone safety, make construction less disruptive for the environment, increase quality, and lower life-cycle costs. Using these systems reduces traffic and environmental impacts by minimizing the need for lane closures, detours, and use of narrow lanes.
Contact: Mary Lou Ralls, Texas DOT, mralls@dot.state.tx.us.

Thermal Imaging Safety Screening System—The system allows an operator at a weigh station to view the relative temperatures of brake drums through the wheel rims of commercial vehicles. The infrared image of a correctly operating brake system shows all brake drums to be hot and approximately the same temperature when the vehicle is braking. When a brake is defective, the brake drum appears to be the same temperature as the wheel rim and darker than a properly operating brake. The system was developed using commercial, off-the-shelf components and advanced infrared image acquisition, processing, and storage.
Contact: Gary Hoffman, Pennsylvania DOT, ghoffma@dot.state.pa.us.

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