Katie Johnson

Across the United States, statistics show that highway work zones rank among the most hazardous for workplace injuries and fatalities. Especially dangerous are the transitional periods before and after the work zone is established, when placement or removal of traffic control devices can cause driver confusion or distraction.

To find ways to make workers safer in work zones, the Oregon Department of Transportation launched a multi-phase research project. In the first phase, the agency investigated other states’ practices for setting up and removing temporary work zones. Future phases will explore which aspects of work zone transitions are most hazardous and identify potential recommendations to improve worker safety.

Read the final report: Best Practices for Work Zone Safety During Traffic Control Placement, Removal, and Modification – Phase I, December 2022

Image source: Indiana Department of Transportation

 

In 2013, the Nebraska Department of Transportation (then the Department of Roads) applied penetrating concrete sealer (PCS) to the concrete median barriers along three of the state’s highways in an effort to mitigate deterioration. With additional concrete barriers scheduled for the same treatment in 2022, the agency sought to better understand the sealant’s effects, optimal application rates and whether surface preparation improves performance.

After power-washing a section of the barrier, maintenance crews applied PCS and compared the results with an unwashed and PCS-treated control section. Cores drilled from both sections showed that the sealer penetrated more deeply into the power-washed section, leading to new agency requirements for preparing and treating concrete median barriers along state highways.

Read the final report: Resealing Concrete Median Barriers With Penetrating Concrete Sealers, May 2022

Image source: Nebraska Department of Transportation

Last week, members of three AASHTO committees as well as local and regional transportation agencies and researchers gathered in Rhode Island for AASHTO’s 2022 Conference on Performance-Based Management, Planning, and Data. Meeting attendees discussed a range of asset management issues, including resilience and opportunities for incorporating data into strategic decision-making.

A follow-up webinar will be held Wednesday, December 21 at 2 p.m. Eastern, where presenters will share insights from the event and discuss tools available through the AASHTO Transportation Asset Management Portal. You can hear additional highlights of the conference and learn how transportation agencies can make their assets more resilient.

Learn more and register.

Image source: Wisconsin Department of Transportation

Like other transportation assets, slopes along highway roadsides must be regularly maintained to ensure stability and long-term performance. However, the natural variations and characteristics of each slope can make it difficult to identify where maintenance activities are needed most.

To prioritize its maintenance efforts more effectively, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation worked with researchers to develop a statistical model that combined current geographic information with historical data on a section of Wisconsin highway to predict the likelihood of slope failure. This model and framework could potentially be scaled to help engineers across the state.

Read the research brief: Geotechnical Asset Management for Slopes, November 2022

Image source: BGC Engineering

Several No Boundaries member states are featured in the November/December 2022 issue of Innovator, the bimonthly newsletter of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Texas DOT has partnered with higher education and industry groups to create the ConnectU2Jobs program, a workforce development initiative that provides young adults with the skills and training necessary for careers in the highway construction industry.

Virginia DOT recently completed a multi-year evaluation of pavements treated with high polymer-modified asphalt overlays, finding these tended to outperform traditional overlays.

Four No Boundaries member states were honored with America’s Transportation Awards for 2022. North Dakota DOT has developed an innovative approach for turning an existing intersection into a roundabout, increasing traveler safety while also saving time and money over a full reconstruction. New York State DOT and Louisiana DOTD each improved safety in their states by implementing road diets and installing roundabouts in place of crash-prone intersections. And a new online tool developed by California Department of Transportation aims to increase public engagement by allowing users to explore and interact with 3D models of current and upcoming transportation projects.

Finally, a review of state innovations featured Maine’s bridge project bundling strategies to replace eight aging structures, and Michigan’s use of accelerated bridge construction methods to install the state’s first network tied-arch bridge.

Sign up to get the next issue of Innovator delivered to your inbox.

Image source: FHWA

Performing maintenance activities at night offers a number of advantages, such as cooler air temperatures, less traffic and fewer overall crashes. However, sufficiently lighting a work zone without distracting or impairing passing drivers can be a challenge.

To determine the appropriate amount of lighting and other strategies for a work zone, the Indiana Department of Transportation and Purdue University conducted a glare assessment using a variety of lighting types, intensities and configurations.

Read the report and its recommendations: Workzone Lighting and Glare on Nighttime Construction and Maintenance Activities, June 2022

Image source: Joint Transportation Research Program