Montpelier, VT

September 29, 2009

The intent of the US 2 project is to reduce a bridge to its most basic components and to incorporate high quality, durable materials in construction. This design approach will maximize the life of the bridge and provide a structure that is virtually maintenance free. By eliminating the membrane and pavement and by moving traffic (8400 ADT) on a two-way temporary bridge during construction, VTrans will be able to build the new bridge in a shorter time frame than through a traditional approach and reduce disruptions and impacts to the traveling public.

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Fairfax, VA

September 22 - 23, 2009

Precast Concrete Pavement Systems (PCPS) are being used around the nation as an alternative pavement treatment for repair, rehabilitation, and new construction of PCC Pavements. PCPS is best suited for time-restricted work zone access and night-time work. The process includes removing the existing distressed PCC panels, preparing the sub-base, and placing the Precast Concrete Paving Slab. This slab is then under-sealed and is either post-tensioned (pre-stressed post-tensioned system) or grouted (jointed system) and ready for traffic in as short as 5 hours. Both the pre-stressed post-tensioned and jointed systems will be featured in this Showcase. This type of approach helps to accelerate construction sequencing of the project, reduce work zone size while maintaining traffic on adjoining lanes using temporary lane closures, and greatly reduce travel impacts to motorists.

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May 21 - 22, 2009

Precast Concrete Pavement Systems (PCPS) are being used around the nation as alternative pavement treatment for repair, rehabilitation and new construction of PCC Pavements. Ideally suited for work zone lane occupancy restrictions of 12 hours or less, existing distressed PCC panels are removed, the subbase is prepared, and a Precast Concrete Paving Slab is placed, under-sealed, post-tensioned, and ready for traffic within the restrictive lane occupancy time limits - as short as 5 hours. This type of approach helps to accelerate construction sequencing of the project and reduce work zone size while maintaining traffic on adjoining lanes using temporary lane closures.

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Observe first hand the success of the Bird Rock Traffic Improvement Project! December 10, 2008

• See how roundabouts were used effectively as part of a comprehensive traffic improvement plan for the Bird Rock Community of San Diego, California
• Learn how the City of San Diego was able to take a five-lane boulevard carrying 22,000 vehicles per day plagued with high vehicular speeds, safety concerns, and struggling businesses and transform it into a safe, vibrant and aesthetic centerpiece for the community.
• Learn how the roundabouts on La Jolla Boulevard led to improvements in vehicular safety, manage speeds, and enhance the walk-ability throughout the area.
• Learn how these improvements were accomplished through a reduction in the number of traffic lanes from four to two (i.e. one in each direction)

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On Tuesday and Wednesday, October 14 & 15, 2008, Highways for LIFE sponsored a Product Showcase highlighting the innovations of Precast Concrete Pavement Systems (PCPS). Attendees participated in a night time field visit that demonstrated real-time installation procedures. Speakers included NJDOT officials, contractors, and national experts on PCPS.

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What is an MDSS?

An MDSS is a computer-based, customizable tool that provides winter maintenance personnel with route-specific weather forecast information and treatment recommendations.

 

 

Benefits of an MDSS include:

• Route-specific weather and road condition forecasts
  
• Optimized treatment recommendations for treatment type, application rate, and timing
  
• More efficient use of salt and other deicing materials
  
• Reduced environmental impact from deicing chemicals
  
• Better use of manpower and equipment
  
• Near real-time road condition reporting
  
• Training for new and seasoned maintenance personnel using historical playback
  

These all translate into a safer, more efficient transportation system.

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Winter road maintenance is a complex and challenging endeavor for any highway maintenance agency. It involves bringing skilled maintenance employees and their equipment together in a battle against Mother Nature. Split-second decisions have to be made as to when to offer traffic warnings, what deicing materials to apply, and how plowing is to be routed. These decisions determine the safety and mobility of the driving public.

 

Since 1999, the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Road Weather Management Program and State transportation departments have invested in the development of Maintenance Decision Support Systems (MDSS). Through partnerships with national laboratories and a stakeholder community of public.

Private sector, and academic participants, the MDSS has evolved from a concept to a functioning application.

 

 

What is an MDSS?

 

An MDSS is a computer-based, customizable tool that provides winter maintenance personnel with route-specific weather forecast information and treatment recommendations.

 

 

Benefits of an MDSS include:

 

 

• Route-specific weather and road condition forecasts
  
• Optimized treatment recommendations for treatment type, application rate, and timing
  
• More efficient use of salt and other deicing materials
  
• Reduced environmental impact from deicing chemicals
  
• Better use of manpower and equipment
  
• Near real-time road condition reporting
  
• Training for new and seasoned maintenance personnel using historical playback
  

 

 

These all translate into a safer, more efficient transportation system.

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On Tuesday, September 30, 2008, Highways for LIFE sponsored a showcase highlighting the innovative performance based contract used in the M-115 roadway construction project. Other innovative techniques used for maintenance of traffic, mobility, and under-drain were also be featured. Attendees participated in a site visit to the M-115 project to view the techniques used to build the project and had the opportunity to speak with engineers and project managers.

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This workshop focused on the challenges and benefits of using innovations to building projects faster, safer, at a higher quality and minimizing impacts to the users.

 

Download the Agenda here.

 

 

Pictures now posted!

 

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Winter road maintenance is a complex and challenging endeavor for any highway maintenance agency. It involves bringing skilled maintenance employees and their equipment together in a battle against Mother Nature. Split-second decisions have to be made as to what warnings are given, deicing materials to apply, plowing to be done. These decisions determine the safety and mobility of the driving public.

 

Since 1999, the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Road Weather Management Program and state transportation departments have invested in the development of Maintenance Decision Support Systems (MDSS). Through partnerships with national laboratories and a stakeholder community of public, private and academic sector participants, the MDSS has evolved from concept to a functioning application.

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Maintaining vehicle and pedestrian safety is a major public challenge but moving promising safety initiatives from the planning room into actual practice has also proven to be a daunting task for safety experts.

Because of this, many states are considering the Safety Corridor concept as a way to help reduce crash and fatality rates in identifiable problem areas. Washington is one such state. What makes Washington State's effort unique is a high level of integration of all safety interests throughout the entire process. Citizen and business groups, law enforcement, engineering, education and medical service safety professionals all play an equal role in the planning, development and construction process. Most importantly, the involvement of these interested parties is an important aspect for sustaining the effort over the long-term. Here's just a sample of the results of these integrated safety efforts, total collisions were reduced by 5%, total injuries were reduced by 11%, alcohol-related collisions were reduced by 15% and, fatal and disabling injury collisions reduced by 34%. Not only have federal and state agencies bought into the concept but the state has also been able to get local communities involved in their Corridor Safety Program (CSP).

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Bridge construction and congestion safety were the focus of the Product Demonstration Showcase (pds) on May 1, 2008, in LaGrange, Georgia. Officials from the Georgia Department of Transportation (gdot) along with project contractors presented Prefabricated Bridge Elements and Design/Build innovations used in constructing a new interchange on Interstate 85 at County Road 98 in Troup County. The state’s plan, to reduce construction time by 40 percent through contractor incentives and clearing work zone incidents not involving injuries in less than 20 minutes, was awarded a grant from Highways for LIFE.

 

Presentations also included details on the Public Involvement Process During Construction as well as both Congestion Minimization and Speed Band Monitoring, followed by a question and answer session and a site visit to observe the installation of prefabricated elements. The pds site is just 45 minutes from the Atlanta airport.

 

Attendees at this showcase learned about the innovations in safety, construction congestion, quality, and user satisfaction.

 

Click here to see pictures from this event.

Agenda

Speakers List

Wrap-Up Article

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Palm Bay Showcase Reveals Sizable, Long-term Cost Benefits

Rarely can decision-makers, in the public service arena, make a simple “yes or no” implementation decision when a new product or technology is introduced. This is particularly true when the new tech-nology has a significantly higher startup cost than the currently accepted practice. Typically, management needs to be convinced that a new technology provides enough benefit to the public to warrant the expenditure of funds.

 

This is exactly the situation Palm Bay’s Public Works Director Jim Proce and his management team found themselves facing when considering reusable plastic sidewalk formboard technology.

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Road Crashes Reduced 42% in Mendocino County, CA - Unbelievable, But True!

 

Mendocino County lies on the coast of California, about one hundred miles north of San Francisco. Mendocino County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is responsible for just over one thousand centerline miles of roadway and serves a population of 87,000 people inhabiting an area of 3,510 square miles. By implementing a simple, yet thoughtful program they have achieved a 42% reduction in low volume road crashes.

 

 

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On July 25, 2006, a showcase was conducted in Alexandria, Virginia to discuss uses of a technology called Expanded Polystyrene Geofoam (EPS Geofoam). Some questions that were proposed at the outset were: When working on roadway projects, do you occasionally run across situations where the underlying soft soil is too soft and compressible to carry designed loads, or the estimated time-rate of settlement of an embankment exceeds acceptable standards? Have costly corrective fill measures still resulted in significant settlement or decreased stability over time? Do you deal with failing slopes, excessive culvert loads, or problems with high lateral loads behind retaining structures?

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Expanded Polystyrene Geofoam (Geofoam) is a lightweight, rigid foam plastic engineered to a unit density of 1 to 2 pounds per cubic foot thus producing a material that is approximately 100 times lighter than most soils. Manufactured as a lightweight molded block, Geofoam can be easily cut to any size or shape at the job site.

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Rare is the community who does not suffer from adverse public reaction and the related safety concerns sinking or shifting manholes pose to the driving public. Rarer still is the community who has solved this problem, not only for the short term but for years to come.

Nestled along Utah's Wasatch Mountain Range, Logan, home to Utah State University, experiences all of the havoc weather can inflict on a community's street and drainage systems. The city has more than 6,100 manholes to maintain in a roadway system with terrain ranging from perfectly flat to hills with more than 20 degree inclines. While heaving and sinking is an ever-present maintenance concern, matching shifting grade changes and keeping pace with scheduled resurfacing projects are additional practical challenges. Add it all up and the city's maintenance folks face impossible odds. Sound familiar? Less than two years ago, Logan's Water/Waste Water Department discovered the adjustable manhole cover technology developed by Precision Cover Systems, Inc., and a solution was within their grasp.

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Smaller communities need innovative ways to lengthen the life of their roads but are not in a financial position to risk implementing non-field tested technology. They often hold back on implementing new technologies until larger agencies can gain and share their experiences. Escambia County, in typical good neighbor fashion, voluntarily invested their time and talent to share their pavement preservation experiences - both successes and failures. Representatives from 20 local road agencies and five consultants came together April 1-3, 2003 in Pensacola to examine and evaluate Escambia County's pavement preservation program.

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By now every public works and utilities department, large or small, is aware of the benefits of incorporating GIS and GPS into an Asset Management System. Larger, well-staffed, agencies were able to jump on the bandwagon early and have already begun to reap the benefits. The smaller agency, a huge market, has struggled with the process. They understand the value of the technology but, due to their more limited GIS talent pool, must be far more cautious traveling down the road to implementation.

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