No Boundaries

Transportation Maintenance Innovation

Project Updates

No Boundaries April 2023 Peer Exchange Highlights

No Boundaries members gathered in Missouri on April 25 and 26 for the first peer exchange of the year. Hosted by the Missouri DOT, a visit to the agency’s annual Innovations Showcase allowed No Boundaries members to see demonstrations of innovative tools, materials and processes, and learn best practices for implementing similar programs in their home states.

The peer exchange also featured roundtable discussions on hot-button transportation maintenance topics such as strategies to recruit and retain workers and practices for safely deploying cones or barrels on state highways.

Featured presentations from Front Range Community College in Colorado highlighted opportunities for workers to gain course credits on the job, while Ohio DOT shared details on its One Red Lion program that has already exceeded its goal of saving $100 million in operational savings and efficiencies. Finally, representatives from the National Local & Tribal Technical Assistance Program discussed ways No Boundaries member states can share innovative solutions with agencies at the local level.

The Innovation Show-and-Tell, which is consistently one of No Boundaries’ most popular sessions, showcased members’ new tools and practices 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, to be hosted in the fall of 2023 by New York State DOT, will be coming soon!

Image source: No Boundaries

No Boundaries Spring Peer Exchange Planned for April 25-26

This week, No Boundaries members will gather in Missouri for the first peer exchange of 2023. Hosted by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), the two-day event offers an exciting variety of activities, presentations and round-table discussions.

Highlights from the full agenda follow.

Tuesday, April 25 – The peer exchange will kick off with a trip to Columbia, MO to attend MoDOT’s annual Innovations Showcase, where the group will learn about new and innovative maintenance solutions. A guest presentation from Front Range Community College, and our always-popular Innovation Show & Tell will round out the first day.

Wednesday, April 26 – The second day of the peer exchange will include guest presentations from Ohio Department of Transportation and the National Local & Tribal Technical Assistance Program, and two round-table discussions on best practices and strategies for addressing common challenges.

Image source: Missouri Department of Transportation

Maintenance Sessions and Papers from the 2023 TRB Meeting

No Boundaries has published a listing of technical sessions and papers related to maintenance for the 2023 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. The compendium includes each poster and lectern session’s title, authors, identification number, and a link to find the work on TRB’s Online Program portal. Note: TRB requires a login to access full papers. If you are having trouble accessing the papers, check with your DOT or other transportation library.

No Boundaries October 2022 Peer Exchange Highlights

On October 18 and 19, No Boundaries members met in Indianapolis for the group’s second peer exchange of the year. Hosted by Indiana DOT, the event included roundtable discussions on hot-button transportation maintenance topics such as cost and supply-chain issues and successful strategies to prompt implementation of maintenance innovations.

Featured presentations from the Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program and Indiana University’s Transportation and Autonomous Systems Institute (TASI) highlighted how the state’s partners are seeking to advance and implement creative transportation solutions, while Illinois DOT shared the importance of pollinators and how the agency is maintaining its roadsides with these delicate habitats in mind.

The Innovation Show-and-Tell, which is consistently one of No Boundaries’ most popular sessions, showcased members’ new tools and practices for making maintenance work easier and safer in the field. A technical site visit to the Indiana University campus allowed members to see the research being conducted at TASI’s state-of-the-art facilities to help make roads safer for all users.

Additional information, photos and the full agenda are available on the meeting page. Details about No Boundaries’ next peer exchange, to be hosted in spring of 2023 by Missouri DOT, will be coming soon!

Image source: No Boundaries

No Boundaries Fall Peer Exchange Planned for October 18-19

No Boundaries’ members will be meeting soon for the pooled fund’s fall peer exchange and planning meeting. Hosted by the Indiana Department of Transportation on October 18 and 19 in Indianapolis, the event’s agenda includes an exciting variety of presentations and round-table discussions. The group will also participate in an on-site technical visit of Indiana University’s Transportation and Autonomous Systems Institute.

Other staff from No Boundaries member states are welcome to join remotely to listen to presentations. Please contact Brian Hirt if you would like a Zoom meeting invitation.

Image source: Transportation and Autonomous Systems Institute

No Boundaries Synthesis: Responses to Staffing Shortages

State transportation agencies are struggling to fill maintenance staff vacancies and retain the skilled employees necessary to keep the roads clear and safe. Staffing shortages have generally been an issue for several years—and for some agencies, considerably longer.

No Boundaries Synthesis: Responses to Staffing Shortages documents an effort by No Boundaries to gather data and anecdotal evidence from pooled fund members that describe the current maintenance staffing environment and highlight the practices member agencies are using to attract and retain maintenance staff.

  • Surveys of No Boundaries members and their human resources colleagues sought information about the changes and trends in maintenance staffing levels and the ability of state transportation agencies to attract and retain well-trained maintenance staff.
  • No Boundaries was also interested in agency responses to new federal commercial driver’s license requirements and information about the recruitment and retention practices agencies use to sustain, expand and diversify the applicant pool and retain workers.
  • A limited literature search gathered information to supplement survey results.

In keeping with the No Boundaries mission to identify and share transportation maintenance innovations, this synthesis effort identified innovative practices to mitigate maintenance staffing shortages. “Point of Practice” callouts throughout the report further highlight noteworthy practices and innovative efforts.