No Boundaries

Transportation Maintenance Innovation

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California Evaluates Autonomous Mowers for Roadside Maintenance 

Maintaining the vegetation along highway roadsides and medians is critical, but can be labor-intensive and hazardous work. Autonomous mowers have become more sophisticated and widely available in recent years and offer to reduce worker exposure and improve safety.

To learn just how safe, easy to use, and effective these remote-control mowers really are, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) conducted a research study to evaluate autonomous equipment in the field. The agency’s new video summarizes the project and Caltrans’ efforts to advance innovations in maintenance.

Watch the video and learn more about the research: Investigating Teleoperated Equipment for Use in Caltrans Operations, May 2024.

Image source: Caltrans

Missouri Investigates Asphalt Binders for High Friction Surface Treatments  

Maintaining a pavement’s friction is important for safe driving. Traditional high-friction surface treatments consist of applying a polymer resin to the existing road surface and topping it with high-quality aggregates to help drivers maintain control at existing or potentially high-crash areas. However, this type of treatment can be relatively expensive and not well-suited to all locations.

To identify alternative solutions, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) conducted a research study to evaluate the costs and performance of surface treatments made with asphalt-based binders. The results will help MoDOT maintenance crews select cost-effective treatments for the state’s roads.

Read the report: Friction Enhancements to Asphalt Pavement Surfaces, June 2024.

Image source: St. Louis County, Minnesota

Ideas and Insights Shared at No Boundaries’ September 2024 Peer Exchange

No Boundaries members convened in Fargo, North Dakota last week from September 10-12 for the group’s fall peer exchange hosted by the North Dakota DOT. Members shared their latest innovations and best practices and participated in demonstrations of tools and equipment designed to get maintenance work done faster, better and cheaper.

The peer exchange also featured roundtable discussions on hot-button transportation maintenance topics such as using outside vendors for maintenance training, and strategies for complying with the new federal requirements for roadway retroreflectivity markings.

Featured presentations included an overview of North Dakota DOT’s innovation program, a summary of No Boundaries’ newly published synthesis report on using virtual reality for maintenance training, and a synopsis of Front Range Community College’s Highway Maintenance Management degree program.

Finally, No Boundaries’ always-popular Innovation Show-and-Tell provided a forum for members to share the new tools and practices their agencies have found for making maintenance work easier and safer in the field.

Additional information, photos and the full agenda are available on the meeting page. Details about No Boundaries’ next peer exchange, which will take place in the spring of 2025, will be coming soon!

Image source: No Boundaries

Virginia Evaluates Stormwater Management Systems

As traffic volumes rise and new roads are built or widened across the country, concern toward the increase in stormwater runoff – and its effect on the environment – are also growing. Low impact development (LID) stormwater management systems offer a sustainable option for treating this runoff in urban areas.

The Virginia Department of Transportation launched a research project to assess the effectiveness of four LID systems, as well as the costs and associated tasks required to maintain them.      

Read the report: Evaluating the Effectiveness and Maintenance of Low Impact Development Designs for Stormwater Management: A Case Study Along Lorton Road in Fairfax County, August 2024.

Image source: Virginia Department of Transportation

Illinois Develops Strategic Plan for Assessing and Maintaining Traffic Signals

Ensuring traffic signals and related infrastructure are in good working order is an important task for a transportation agency’s maintenance crews. However, evaluation processes and standards can vary depending on location and other factors.

To standardize its assessment procedures and criteria, the Illinois Department of Transportation conducted a research project that produced procedures for 34 different traffic signal components, as well as recommendations for putting the procedures into practice across the state.

Read the report: Optimum Traffic Signal Condition Assessment and Strategic Maintenance Planning, August 2024

Image source: Illinois Department of Transportation

No Boundaries Synthesis Explores Virtual Reality Options for Maintenance Training

Keeping an agency’s maintenance staff up-to-date on skills, procedures and policies is critical. Virtual reality (VR) technologies – including driving simulators, headsets and desktop computer applications – offer a range of options to ensure staff members have the skills and knowledge they need to safely and effectively operate heavy equipment or conduct maintenance tasks in the field.

The recently published report, No Boundaries Synthesis: Maintenance Training with Virtual Reality Technologies, details specific states’ experiences and interest in VR technologies for maintenance training, including the benefits and challenges. Four case studies provide additional detail of selected states’ experiences using these advanced training tools, with “points of practice” summarizing strategies or findings of particular interest.

Find this and other No Boundaries publications on the Publications and Presentations page.

Image source: No Boundaries