U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
TECHBRIEF |
This techbrief is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information |
Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-17-018 Date: January 2018 |
Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-17-018 Date: January 2018 |
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The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Research and Technology (R&T) Evaluation Program seeks to assess and communicate the benefits of the FHWA Research and Technology program to ensure that we are expending public resources efficiently and effectively.
FHWA conducts research and technology development to meet the transportation challenges of today and tomorrow. FHWA partners with State transportation departments, local agencies, industries, and academia both to conduct research on issues of national significance and to accelerate adoption and deployment of promising research products.
The FHWA R&T Agenda presents the mission and priorities of research and technology activities.1 The R&T Agenda identifies six high-priority highway challenges: (1) advancing safety toward zero deaths, (2) improving the mobility of people and goods, (3) maintaining infrastructure integrity, (4) enhancing system performance, (5) promoting environmental sustainability, and (6) preparing for the future. The R&T Agenda is intended to catalyze collaboration and accelerate innovation.
FHWA initiated its R&T Evaluation Program to increase transparency, better communicate research benefits, and continually improve R&T efforts in the service of the public good.
The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Research and Technology (R&T) Evaluation Program seeks to assess and communicate the benefits of the FHWA Research and Technology program to ensure that we are expending public resources efficiently and effectively.
* Expected FY17
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2014, the FHWA R&T Evaluation Program worked with 9 FHWA offices to identify and scope 16 projects for evaluation across all program areas. Formal evaluation began in FY15, and as of the end of FY16, five projects are complete with five more to be completed in FY17. The two lists (see sidebar) show which evaluations have been completed and which remain ongoing.
FHWA developed the R&T Evaluation Program with encouragement from the Transportation Research Board’s Research and Technology Coordinating Committee (RTCC). In a September 2016 report, the RTCC communicated its belief that the evaluation program is making “commendable progress” and that the evaluation teams are drawing useful and appropriately cautious interpretations from imperfect data collected in complex situations.2
The seven completed evaluations documented program successes and challenges.
Adaptive Signal Control Technologies (ASCTs) adjust signal timing to alleviate congestion and delay. Findings include the following:
Recommendations include the following:
Eco-Logical, developed as part of the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2), articulates a vision for an infrastructure development process that endorses ecosystem-based mitigation through integrating plans and data across agency and disciplinary boundaries. Findings include the following:
Left: GRS-IBS. Source: FHWA. Right: Adaptive signal. Source: Photo by Jeremy Brooks / CC BY-NC 2.0 Completed evaluation
Recommendations include the following:
Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Integrated Bridge System (GRS-IBS) enables the construction of bridges made of closely spaced layers of geosynthetic textile and compacted granular fill material that blend the roadway into the superstructure. Findings include the following:
Recommendations include the following:
Completed evaluation reports are available on FHWA's R&T website: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/fhwaresearch/agenda/resources.cfm |
Gusset Plates join structural components in steel bridges and buildings. After part of the I–35W Bridge in Minneapolis collapsed in 2007, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators sought expertise from FHWA, which launched projects on inspection, quality assurance, and training. Findings include the following:
Recommendations include the following:
The National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) provides the only data in the country linking individual personal travel behavior, household demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, vehicle ownership, and vehicle attributes. Findings include the following:
Recommendations include the following:
Roadside Revegetation involves establishing or reestablishing appropriate plant material in areas that road construction projects disturb. Revegetation's benefits include soil and slope stabilization, water quality improvement, aesthetic development, carbon sequestration, weed suppression, and wildlife habitat enhancement. Findings include the following:
Left: Gusset plate. Source: FHWA. Right: Roundabout. Source: Photo by Michael Quinn / CC BY 2.0
Recommendations include the following:
Roundabouts attracted international interest as a safety countermeasure in the 1970s. FHWA initiated domestic research of roundabout safety and design in the mid-1990s, later adding training and technical assistance. Findings include the following:
Recommendations include the following:
Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation Research involves computationally simulating the actions of autonomous individuals to characterize driver and traveler behavior.
eNEPA is an online workspace and collaboration forum for projects requiring an environmental impact statement or an environmental assessment.
High Friction Surface Treatments involve the overlay of calcined bauxite on a base of epoxy along portions of roadways susceptible to vehicle slippage.
High Recycle Warm Mix Asphalt involves the use of recycled materials and asphalt that producers can place on the road at lower temperatures, which may reduce material going to landfills, energy consumption, and emissions.
Managing Risk on Rapid Renewal Projects produced a guide through SHRP2 that provides practical tools and techniques for States to minimize risk and exploit opportunities.
Precast Concrete Pavement is an innovative practice developed through SHRP2 that uses prefabricated concrete panels for roadway maintenance to save construction time.
The Public-Private Partnership Capacity Building Program evaluation focuses on the Public-Private Partnership (P3) Toolkit released in June 2013. The P3 Toolkit is an educational resource containing analytical tools and guidance documents to assist in implementing P3 projects.
Traffic Incident Management Trainings teach a coordinated multidisciplinary process to detect, respond to, and clear traffic incidents as safely and as quickly as possible to restore traffic flow. The trainings are part of SHRP2.
Vehicle Operating Costs calculations are currently based on a 1982 study. More recent developments permit the model to be efficiently and effectively updated.
Above: Traffic Incident Management. Source: Photo by Oregon DOT / CC BY 2.0
Across the completed and in-progress evaluations, two particularly notable and actionable recommendations include:
Publication No.: FHWA-HRT-17-018
HRTM-10/1-17(750)E
For more information about this initiative, please contact John Moulden, Manager, R&T National Partnership Program, john.moulden@dot.gov.