No Boundaries
Transportation Maintenance Innovation
Recognizing pavement conditions and making real-time adjustments to seal coat shot rates helps transportation agencies get the most out of their preservation treatments.
To aid engineers in the field, Texas DOT developed an automated process that uses lidar data to assess changing pavement conditions and make informed and cost-effective decisions regarding application rates.
Read the report: Seal Coat Binder Rate Adjustments Using LiDAR Data, June 2021.
Image source: Arizona DOT
A recently enacted federal rule requires all organizations that provide entry-level commercial driver’s license (CDL) training to meet certain requirements by February 7, 2022.
To help transportation agencies comply, the Clear Roads pooled fund has developed free, downloadable CDL training materials for both instructor-led classroom and behind-the-wheel training.
Learn more and request the training materials from Clear Roads.
Image source: Nevada DOT
Wondering how the newly enacted Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will affect your agency’s transportation performance management (TPM) processes?
Bring your questions and join panelists from the FHWA, AASHTO and state transportation agencies for a live discussion, “The IIJA and TPM: A Dialogue,” scheduled for Wednesday, December 15 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Central.
The program will offer perspectives on the key issues presented by the $550 billion measure, as well as an open question-and-answer session to allow attendees to ask questions and share insights. The webinar is free to attend.
Image source: FHWA
Detecting road damage quickly is key to identifying top needs and allocating appropriate funding. However, manual pavement inspections can be time consuming and still yield incomplete results.
Research by the Safe-D University Transportation Center explored the feasibility of applying advanced computing techniques to more than 6,000 images taken by cameras mounted to vehicle dashboards, or dashcams, to recognize pavement distresses. By comparing the results with data collected manually at the same locations, researchers learned which types of distresses can be found reliably from dashcams, as well as possible avenues to improve accuracy.
Read the research brief: Detecting Pavement Distresses Using Crowdsourced Dashcam Camera Images, May 2021.
Image source: U.S. DOT
The Federal Highway Administration’s Build a Better Mousetrap program is an annual competition that challenges local and tribal transportation agencies to solve everyday problems.
The newly published 2021 booklet spotlights clever innovations that improve safety, save time and money, and increase efficiency for local communities nationwide.
Download the 2021 booklet and learn new ways to address old problems.
Image source: FHWA
As part of its ongoing research to improve bridge and channel maintenance practices, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) teamed with the Ohio State University (OSU) to develop the knuckleboom crane, an innovative tool that allows maintenance crews to safely and efficiently remove the debris that accumulates around bridge piers in larger rivers.
To help other agencies understand the background, benefits and challenges behind the research, representatives from ODOT and researchers from OSU will discuss the project and answer attendees’ questions during a one-hour virtual presentation on November 30, beginning at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
Mark your calendar now to attend this special event.
Image courtesy Ohio Department of Transportation