No Boundaries

Transportation Maintenance Innovation

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Maintenance Sessions and Papers from the 2025 TRB Annual Meeting

No Boundaries has published a listing of technical sessions and papers related to maintenance for the 2025 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 and presentations. If you are having trouble accessing the resources, check with your DOT or other transportation library.

Download the compendium: 2025 TRB Annual Meeting: Technical Sessions and Papers Related to Maintenance.

No Boundaries’ Activities and Achievements Highlighted at National Showcase

Last week, AASHTO’s Winter Weather Management Technical Services Program, Maintenance Committee and Maintenance Operations Technical Working Group held a virtual showcase to spotlight the various organizations dedicated to all aspects of winter and year-round maintenance. In all, 14 groups shared highlights of their activities over the past year during this session.

On behalf of No Boundaries, Jim Fox of Colorado DOT provided an overview of No Boundaries and its recent activities and accomplishments, including its online innovation database, recent peer exchange, and other opportunities members have to share maintenance innovations, strategies and best practices.

Watch the recording and download the presentation slides.

Image source: AASHTO Winter Weather Management Technical Services Program

No Boundaries Featured on Premiere Episode of New FHWA Podcast

On August 1, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) unveiled an all-new podcast devoted to research and technology activities. On the very first episode of R&T Now: Interchanges, FHWA Chief Scientist Craig Thor and FHWA Transportation Pooled Fund Program Manager Tricia Sergesondiscussed the benefits of pooled fund participation. During the episode, Sergeson praised No Boundaries for bringing members together to maximize the transfer of different technologies.

“One example is the No Boundaries Pooled Fund study, which holds biannual peer exchanges to discuss current maintenance challenges and explore innovative maintenance and operations practices,” Sergeson said. “These peer exchanges provide the opportunity to see technology and innovation practices first-hand and ask questions directly to the subject matter experts.”

No Boundaries’ new solicitation has just been posted! Learn more about our work and listen to FHWA’s newest podcast episode: Driving Change Together – the Impact of the Transportation Pooled Fund (TPF) Program.

Image source: No Boundaries

FHWA Highlights Innovations from No Boundaries Members

The July/August 2023 issue of Innovator, the bimonthly newsletter of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), recognized the efforts of a number of No Boundaries member states.

Open-ended performance plans, an innovative strategy used by the Texas Department of Transportation (DOT), allow greater flexibility when working with subcontractors.

Two innovative work zone initiatives developed by Missouri DOT – the iTrain virtual reality training simulator and a semi-autonomous truck-mounted attenuator pilot program – recently won awards from FHWA’s Accelerating Market Readiness program. The agency was also recognized for its increased use of Federal Share flexibilities to save money on a variety of projects.

Indiana DOT leverages crowdsourced data to estimate travel times and program traffic signals, while Utah DOT has expanded its use of accelerated bridge construction methods across the state.

Ohio DOT’s practice of upcycling bridge beams also earned a shout-out in the issue – the agency removes steel beams that are no longer needed and provides them to counties to help them save costs and reduce waste.

Sign up to get the next issue of Innovator delivered to your inbox.

Image source: FHWA

Webinar to Highlight Pavement Preservation Specifications

The Transportation Research Board will host the webinar, “Chip Seals, Microsurfacing, and Fog Seals Specifications” on Tuesday, September 14 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern.

The program will present the findings from a recent study and guide, and discussions will include how the guide can provide complete construction specifications or supplement existing pavement preservation practices.

Learn more and register.

Image source: Indiana Department of Transportation