SRF Admin

An asset management plan (AMP) can help transportation agencies keep track of maintenance needs and prioritize investments.

To support Indiana’s local transportation agencies and ensure they manage their transportation assets effectively, the State of Indiana passed a law in 2016 requiring each local transportation agency to develop an asset management plan as a condition of special funding.

To evaluate the agencies’ progress, the Indiana Department of Transportation launched a research study to survey the types of asset management plans that have been created.

Read the report: Assessing the Asset Management Programs of Locals: Bridges and Pavement Conditions, January 2025.

Image source: Indiana Department of Transportation

Truck-mounted attenuators (TMAs) are designed to protect workers in highway work zones by absorbing crashes.  

But as TMAs are being struck more frequently, the safety risks to TMA drivers have increased. To investigate ways to protect its TMA drivers and mitigate the hazards, the Missouri Department of Transportation initiated a research study that evaluated a variety of safety countermeasures.

Read the report: TMA Truck Safety, March 2025.

Image source: Missouri Department of Transportation

When crossing a roadway, small animals like amphibians and reptiles have a high risk of being struck and killed by passing vehicles.

To discuss strategies for helping these sensitive animal populations get where they’re going more safely, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will host a webinar, “Roadway Crossings for Sensitive Amphibians and Reptiles” on April 2 from 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. Central.

Learn more and register.

Image source: Caltrans

Paving a parking lot or other area with porous asphalt can be an environmentally friendly solution for absorbing and filtering excess stormwater, but proper maintenance is important to ensure the pavement remains permeable over time.

To help keep the surface unclogged and free of debris, the Vermont Agency of Transportation initiated a research project that identified effective cleaning strategies and a routine maintenance schedule for the state’s porous asphalt pavements.

Read the report: Maintenance and Performance Study of Porous Asphalt in Northern Climates at the Randolph Park & Ride, November 2024.

Image source: Vermont Agency of Transportation

Effectively managing a state’s roads, bridges and other transportation assets is a complex endeavor that requires balancing the costs and benefits of a variety of maintenance strategies and prioritizing the state’s investments.  

To help maintenance managers consider the full life cycle of their state’s assets, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ Transportation Asset Management community will host webinar 74: Life Cycle Planning, on April 16 from 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Eastern.

View details and register.

Image source: National Asphalt Pavement Association

Roadside litter is unattractive and can create hazardous driving conditions. Cleaning up the trash and debris is important, but tasking the state’s highway maintenance crews with the work can be burdensome and cost taxpayers millions of dollars each year.  

Recent research conducted by the Utah Department of Transportation found that the general public contributes a substantial proportion of the litter that’s found along the state’s roadsides. To combat the problem, a new research project developed several outreach campaigns to help educate Utah residents and small contractors on the importance of properly securing items to vehicles traveling along state highways.

Read the report: Utah Roadside Litter Solutions, December 2024

Image source: Utah DOT