News

As rising sea levels and extreme weather events increase the likelihood and severity of storms, coastal highways and other infrastructure are at increased risk of landslides and erosion.

To improve its coastal asset management program, the Oregon Department of Transportation developed a data-driven framework to measure and analyze key indicators associated with slope and cliff failure. The results will help the agency identify short- and long-term maintenance needs and prioritize its resources more effectively.

Read the interim report: Coastal Landslide and Sea Cliff Retreat Monitoring for Climate Change Adaptation and Targeted Risk Assessment, June 2022.

Transportation agencies routinely monitor and inspect bridges to respond to immediate needs and to prioritize maintenance activities. For critical infrastructure or bridges in earthquake-prone locations, structural health monitoring (SHM) systems can be installed at key locations to measure a variety of indicators and alert authorities of potential problems in real time.

The Nevada Department of Transportation recently installed two SHMs on the largest bridge in the state. Sensors on and around the structure, combined with smart software, will provide a comprehensive report in the event of an earthquake. For maintenance staff, an extra benefit of the system may be the ability to more cost-effectively schedule and target routine maintenance on the bridge.

Read the final report: Galena Creek Bridge Health Monitoring Instrumentation, June 2022.

Image source: Nevada Department of Transportation

Small animals attempting to cross traffic can present a significant safety hazard for all road users. In Minnesota, two species of turtles are especially at risk.

To help keep the turtles off the roadways and out of harm’s way, the Minnesota Department of Transportation collaborated with the state Department of Natural Resources to create standardized plans and specifications for small animal exclusion fencing using readily available materials.

The most effective designs reduced the mortality rate of the turtles by an average of 91 percent during the study’s three-year period.

Read the two-page summary: Improving Road Safety and Wildlife Conservation with Barrier Fencing, August 2022.

Image source: Minnesota Department of Transportation

Several No Boundaries member states are featured in the September/October 2022 issue of Innovator, the bimonthly newsletter of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

South Carolina and Colorado DOTs are working to advance how digital as-built data are collected, managed and applied to ongoing maintenance and operations. South Carolina DOT’s online database contains more than 2.5 million plan sheets dating back nearly 100 years, and Colorado DOT’s program has expanded to include data on utilities in the right of way.

Virginia DOT was lauded for its use of Traffic Incident Management data to analyze and improve incident response times and evaluate how road project affect operations, and Michigan’s State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) was noted as being the first in the country to sign a charter 10 years ago.

In other innovation news, a planning and environmental linkages study earned the Idaho DOT a 2022 Environmental Excellence Award from the FHWA, and Maine DOT was recognized for using a variety of innovative tools and techniques to construct and increase public awareness of a complicated bridge project. In addition, Ohio DOT applied smarter work zone technology to an urban area to reduce traffic congestion and potential hazards, Mississippi DOT has increasingly employed restricted crossing U-turns, or J-turns, to make highway intersections safer, and Missouri DOT has used concrete overlays to complete road paving projects quickly and safely.

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Image source: FHWA