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Clearing items from the roadway is important, but it can be a hazardous task for highway maintenance workers when frequent stops are required to load debris in and around moving traffic.

To increase the safety of its field crews, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration evaluated an innovative attachment that can be installed on the front of a vehicle to improve debris removal. Through a series of field tests, this research project assessed the equipment’s performance in a variety of conditions and identified potential benefits and challenges.

Read the report: Improving Roadway Debris Clearance for Chart Responders, March 2024.

Image source: Maryland DOT SHA

Many transportation agencies collect pavement roughness data to determine whether maintenance is needed and the type of strategy that should be used. However, traditional methods for measuring pavement roughness can be expensive and time-consuming.

To make data gathering easier and more efficient, the Iowa Department of Transportation developed a smartphone app that collects and analyzes reliable data quickly and for considerably less cost. With the ability to detect potholes, cracks and other pavement distresses in real time, data can be collected more frequently for more timely pavement repairs.

Read the two-page Research Solutions brief: Using Smartphones to Efficiently Assess Road Conditions, June 2024

Image source: Iowa Department of Transportation

Routine pipe inspections are an important part of transportation infrastructure maintenance. But getting the job done manually can be challenging, time-consuming and costly.

To learn whether technologies exist that could feasibly perform visual inspections and identify and measure defects sufficiently, the Utah Department of Transportation conducted a research study to evaluate the current state of LiDAR, artificial intelligence, and other advanced technologies.

Read the report: Culvert/Storm Drain Evaluation Technologies, April 2024

Image source: Utah Department of Transportation

The innovative Thin Concrete Overlay on Asphalt (TCOA) technique has the potential to change the future of pavement rehabilitation and maintenance in California.

To share how the TCOA technique came to be and ways it can be used in the state, the California Department of Transportation will host a webinar on Tuesday, June 11 from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Central.

The webinar will provide insight into the research and development of the TCOA technique, and identify opportunities for implementation on California’s state highway system. Learn more and register for the webinar.

Image source: Federal Highway Administration

The May/June 2024 issue of Innovator, the bimonthly newsletter of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), recognized the efforts of two No Boundaries member states for their work with unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

The Ohio Department of Transportation was recently granted approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to test the feasibility and benefits of incorporating live drone footage into its statewide traffic management program.

After taking part in FHWA’s international study of UAS innovations, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) was inspired by Germany’s “drone-in-a-box” docking system and plans to test the technology in the state. Caltrans is also developing a digital products catalog, modeled after one developed by the United Kingdom National Highways Bureau, to streamline the agency’s project delivery process.

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Image source: FHWA