Katie Johnson

To support the establishment and health of pollinator populations across the state, the Tennessee Department of Transportation launched a research project to increase pollinator habitats along the state’s highways.

After conducting a spatial analysis of the soils and topography along the state’s 14,000 miles of roadway, researchers identified suitable plants and developed a list of strategies for maintaining these sensitive areas.

Read the report: Beautifying Tennessee’s Roadways and Enhancing its Ecology by Strategizing Pollinator Habitat Potential, November 2024

Image source: Tennessee Department of Transportation

Mowing roadside areas can be hazardous when tall grasses obscure items such as propane cylinders, intravenous needles, chemicals, or even people.

To make the task safer for its maintenance crews, the Oregon Department of Transportation initiated a research project to develop a hazard mitigation system prototype that can warn operators when objects or people are in the mower’s path.

Read the report: Hazard Mitigation System for Tractor Mowers, 2024.

Image source: Virginia Department of Transportation

When it comes to maintaining a state’s transportation system, having data about how and when each infrastructure assets were built is critical. Key details, such as installation date and location, materials used, structure dimensions, and condition, are much more cost-effective to collect while the asset is being constructed than to go back and find after it’s already built.

To maximize efficiency and ensure that the necessary information is collected at the right time, the South Carolina DOT developed a best practices guide that notes the necessary data and the tools, technologies and strategies for collecting them.

Read the report: Best Practices on Collecting Asset Information from the Construction Stage, March 2024.  

Image source: Nebraska Department of Transportation

Roads often intersect with animals’ migratory patterns, creating dangerous conditions for some small creatures such as salamanders, toads and frogs, which are often slow-moving and too small for drivers to see.

As standard practice along its highways, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) builds small animal crossings into its highways to allow safe passage beneath the roadway. However, the distance between crossings and other factors can affect whether the creatures make it to the crossing point or give up too soon. To increase the probability that these at-risk animals will make it to – and continue through – the crossing points, Caltrans conducted a research study that identified a promising and cost-effective solution to support the state’s amphibian and reptile populations.

Read the final report: Roadway Crossings for Sensitive Amphibians and Reptiles: Phase II, October 2024.

Image source: Caltrans

Leaves, trash and other debris often accumulate along highway roadsides. Keeping these pollutants from clogging the highway’s drainage system is an important maintenance activity, but drains located in the road’s barrier wall can be challenging and hazardous for crews to keep clean.

To identify the most effective devices and debris management practices available, the Ohio Department of Transportation initiated a research study that evaluated a wide range of tools and techniques for keeping large items out of the state’s storm sewers.

Read the report: Benefit Analysis of Barrier Inlet Screens, May 2024

Image source: Ohio Department of Transportation

As the process for designing and building transportation infrastructure becomes increasingly virtual, discrepancies between the structure that was planned and the real-world outcome can lead to inefficiencies later on.

To help agencies ensure that an asset’s future maintenance and long-term management are considered throughout the project’s development and delivery, the Transportation Research Board will host a webinar, Resolving Ambiguities Between 3D Virtual Models and the Real World on December 18 from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Eastern.

View details and register.

Image source: Iowa Department of Transportation