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While many transportation agencies have adjusted their traditional roadside maintenance work to encourage pollinator habitats, vegetation management along roadsides remains critical to ensure signs and guardrails are always visible and accessible.

In conjunction with other maintenance, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) uses herbicides to target invasive species along the state’s roadsides and rights of way. To improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of its herbicide application practices and increase worker safety, ODOT initiated a research project to evaluate current processes and recommend solutions.

Read the final report: Improving Roadside Herbicide Application Safety and Versatility, August 2023.

Image source: Ohio Department of Transportation

Animals that enter a roadway increase the risk of motorist injuries, fatalities and property damage – especially when the animal is a large ungulate such as an elk or deer.

Fences and wildlife crossings can be effective in reducing animal crossings but may be cost-prohibitive in many areas. To identify less costly solutions, the Arizona Department of Transportation evaluated fence tags, which emit ultraviolet light visible.

The agency installed the tags at regular intervals along a two-mile stretch of highway and compared crash data before and after installation to determine whether they effectively deterred the animals from entering.

Read the research brief: Exploring New Methods to Reduce Animal-Vehicle Collisions, August 2023

Image source: Arizona Department of Transportation

Chip seals are a common treatment for extending pavement service life and improving surface texture and friction.

State transportation agencies use a variety of methods to evaluate the quality of a chip seal application, including an estimation of percent embedment (PE). To explore the relationship between surface texture and PE, the Illinois Department of Transportation collected texture measurements on highway test sections and validated these against core samples pulled from the same pavements. Researchers also developed regression models that estimate the deterioration of the PE values and eliminate the need for coring.

Read the final report: Chip Seal Quality Assurance Using Percent Embedment, December 2023   

Image source: Illinois Department of Transportation

In response to the increased frequency and intensity of natural and human-made disasters in recent years, many states are making preparations now to mitigate any potential disruptions to the public transportation system.

To ensure its road and railway assets will be able to return to normal quickly after a hurricane or other disaster, the Florida Department of Transportation considered past and projected maintenance activities and other factors in its research effort to quantify and measure the vulnerability of its surface transportation system.

By predicting how well the state’s infrastructure can withstand wind- and water-related hazards, the agency will be better positioned to plan and prioritize its resilience investments for years to come.  

Read the research summary: Development of a Resilience Index for the Florida Surface Transportation System, October 2023.

Image source: Florida Department of Transportation

As storms become more frequent and severe, roadways are subjected to increased precipitation that can lead to washouts and shoulder erosion.

To identify a gravel mix that’s more likely to stay in place along a road’s shoulders, the Nebraska Department of Transportation initiated a study that developed a new testing device and evaluated a variety of aggregates and binding agents.

Researchers also developed a method for monitoring conditions and a simulation model for predicting the maintenance that shoulders will need over time.

Read the report: Erosion Resistant Rock Shoulder, October 2023.

Image source: Nebraska Department of Transportation

Truck-mounted attenuators are designed to alert drivers to the presence of maintenance crews in highway work zones, and to shield crews in the event of a crash. In Virginia, the number of drivers who crash into these attenuators has been increasing each year for nearly a decade.

To reduce these crashes, the Virginia Department of Transportation evaluated the effectiveness of strategies aimed at getting drivers’ attention: different marking patterns, color schemes, and panel configurations.

The findings will help the agency make better-informed decisions as it strives to keep all road users safe.

Read the final report: Strategies to Reduce Truck Mounted Attenuator Crashes, November 2023

Image source: Virginia Department of Transportation