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Vehicles powered with alternative fuels offer an attractive option for a transportation agency looking to address the carbon emissions of its maintenance fleet. However, deciding which vehicles and technologies to choose can be complicated from both financial and technical perspectives.

To make the process of replacing its maintenance vehicles easier, the Utah Department of Transportation developed a mathematical model that considers the lifetime costs of the vehicles. The result show which types of vehicles should be purchased and salvaged and in what year, maximizing the total fleet costs.

Read the report: Investigating the Feasibility of Introducing Alternative Fuel Vehicles Into a Maintenance Fleet, June 2021.

Image source: Rhode Island Department of Administration

Weather, temperature fluctuations and other climate factors can have a significant impact on the service life of a roadway’s markings, sometimes reducing the paint’s performance by years and increasing maintenance needs beyond what a transportation agency had originally budgeted.

To find ways to improve the markings’ performance, Arizona DOT investigated the successful practices of other agencies facing similar challenges in comparably diverse conditions. The research led to a variety of recommendations to help pavement markings last longer.

Read the report: Evaluation of Hardened Paint Pavement Markings, May 2020.

Image source: Arizona DOT

While automated truck-mounted attenuators, or ATMAs, can help keep human drivers out of high-risk road maintenance situations, little was known about how maintenance crews feel about the technology or whether workers trust this driverless vehicle to keep them safe in the field.

Surveying more than a dozen workers with varying levels of experience working alongside ATMAs, researchers for Colorado DOT found that as workers’ training and experience with the vehicles increase, so do their confidence and trust in the technology’s capabilities.

Read the report: Evaluating the Human-Automated Maintenance Vehicle Interaction for Improved Safety and Facilitating Long-Term Trust, May 2021.

Image source: Colorado DOT

The Transportation Research Board will host the webinar, “Evaluating and Rating Unsurfaced Roads” on Wednesday, August 25 from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Eastern.

The session aims to help agencies establish realistic budgets and cost-effective systems for maintaining unsurfaced roads, which comprise approximately a third of all roads in the U.S.

Learn more and register.

Image source: FHWA

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) can make it easier and safer to inspect bridges, but managing the massive amounts of data collected during the process can pose a challenge.

To provide guidance and help those agencies weighing the benefits of incorporating UAS technology into their bridge inspection practices, the Federal Highway Administration has highlighted the successful strategies of some early-adopting states.

Read the technical brief: Effective Practices for Managing Bridge Inspection Data Captured by UAS, March 2021.

Image source: Michigan DOT