Katie Johnson

Wildflowers planted along highway roadsides offer a number of environmental, safety and economic benefits. To ensure these species thrive, weed control is critical.

To identify chemical treatments that can effectively control weeds without harming the state’s wildflowers, the North Carolina Department of Transportation conducted an assessment of different herbicides on eight wildflower species.

Read the report: Implementation of Field Recommendations for the NCDOT Wildflower Program, April 2024.

Image source: North Carolina Department of Transportation

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or ‘forever chemicals’ have been in the news recently thanks to their prevalence in the environment and the dangers they pose to human health.

In a study from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), researchers surveyed state departments of transportation (DOTs) to learn how they identify and mitigate the impacts of PFAS during highway construction and maintenance operations.

Read the Synthesis: Practices to Identify and Mitigate PFAS Impacts on Highway Construction Projects and Maintenance Operations, 2024.

Image source: NCHRP

When a highway’s lanes need to be reconfigured, many state transportation agencies use hydroblasting or sandblasting techniques to remove the old markings. However, these methods can damage the pavement surface and leave residual or “ghost” marks that can cause driver confusion.

To assess how drivers behave when they encounter ghost lines caused by different removal techniques, the Oregon Department of Transportation conducted field and laboratory experiments and developed recommendations for improving driver response in a variety of conditions.

Read the report: Removing Residual Lane Markings to Reduce Driver Confusion, April 2024.

Image source: Oregon Department of Transportation

Clearing items from the roadway is important, but it can be a hazardous task for highway maintenance workers when frequent stops are required to load debris in and around moving traffic.

To increase the safety of its field crews, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration evaluated an innovative attachment that can be installed on the front of a vehicle to improve debris removal. Through a series of field tests, this research project assessed the equipment’s performance in a variety of conditions and identified potential benefits and challenges.

Read the report: Improving Roadway Debris Clearance for Chart Responders, March 2024.

Image source: Maryland DOT SHA

Many transportation agencies collect pavement roughness data to determine whether maintenance is needed and the type of strategy that should be used. However, traditional methods for measuring pavement roughness can be expensive and time-consuming.

To make data gathering easier and more efficient, the Iowa Department of Transportation developed a smartphone app that collects and analyzes reliable data quickly and for considerably less cost. With the ability to detect potholes, cracks and other pavement distresses in real time, data can be collected more frequently for more timely pavement repairs.

Read the two-page Research Solutions brief: Using Smartphones to Efficiently Assess Road Conditions, June 2024

Image source: Iowa Department of Transportation

Routine pipe inspections are an important part of transportation infrastructure maintenance. But getting the job done manually can be challenging, time-consuming and costly.

To learn whether technologies exist that could feasibly perform visual inspections and identify and measure defects sufficiently, the Utah Department of Transportation conducted a research study to evaluate the current state of LiDAR, artificial intelligence, and other advanced technologies.

Read the report: Culvert/Storm Drain Evaluation Technologies, April 2024

Image source: Utah Department of Transportation