EDC-4 Innovations (2017-2018)

Highway agencies typically rely on complaints or manual data collection to identify the need for signal retiming projects and their outcomes. These projects are typically scheduled on a 3- to 5-year cycle, at a cost of approximately $4,500 per intersection. The costs and effort associated with collecting performance data translates into congestion, reduced safety, and increased delays for vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists.

That's where automated traffic signal performance measures come in. They will revolutionize the management of traffic signals by providing the high-resolution data needed to actively manage performance. High-quality service can be delivered to customers with significant cost savings to agency maintenance and operations. A number of implementation options are available, ranging from a low-cost, open-source code framework to a fully integrated traffic signal system.

Current modeling techniques used for hydraulic design apply several assumptions that can lead to overly conservative or inaccurate results. Advanced hydraulic modeling technologies offer planners, scientists, and engineers tools to depict specific physical, environmental, and habitat characteristics more accurately through 3-D visualization of flow, velocity, and depth.

Many cities have highways that have reached, or exceeded, their useful lives. The timing is ripe to hold forums for transportation professionals to discuss and consider highway retrofitting, rehabilitation, or removal options to improve connections between urban cores and neighboring communities. This innovation underscores the value of transportation in community revitalization, such as improving connectivity between disadvantaged populations and essential services.

Data-driven safety analysis is the use of cutting-edge methods and tools to analyze crash and roadway data and determine the expected safety performance of roadway projects more reliably. This type of analysis enables agencies to predict the safety implications of their decisions with confidence. Engineers now can quantify the safety impacts when making investment decisions, just as they do with environmental, traffic, and other traditional impacts. The analyses result in more scientifically sound, data-driven approaches to committing resources, as well as fewer and less severe crashes on the Nation's roadways.

State DOTs have traditionally administered contracts and managed construction of highway projects using extensive, paper-based documentation systems. By using digital e-Construction technologies, DOTs can enhance partnering among stakeholders on project teams, while improving communications and workflow to streamline the delivery of projects.

Applying a pavement preservation treatment at the right time (when), on the right project (where), with quality materials and construction (how) is a critical investment strategy to help meet performance expectations. This innovation helps deploy an array of different analyses, treatments, and construction methods to help infrastructure owners achieve and sustain a desired state of good road repair despite tight budgets.

Weather events lead to traffic delays, reduced operational effectiveness, and increases in crashes. This innovation deploys two distinct road weather management solutions: (1) Pathfinder, which brings together DOTs and the National Weather Service to provide consistent messaging on adverse weather and road conditions and (2) advanced vehicle-based technologies, also referred to as integrated mobile observations. These two solutions have the potential to be transformative, by enabling State and local agencies to be proactive when it comes to weather, so they can manage the road system ahead of heavy rain, snow, or other storms.

Prefabricated bridge elements and systems (PBES) offer superior durability and speed the onsite construction of bridges. The durability of prefabricated spans and how quickly they can be constructed is dependent on the connections between the elements. Ultra-high performance concrete can be used to help provide simple, strong, and durable connections for prefabricated bridge elements.

A TIM program is the systematic, planned, and coordinated use of human, institutional, mechanical, and other resources to shorten the duration and impact of incidents on U.S. roadways, and improve the safety of motorists, crash victims, and incident responders. This innovation focuses on improving the adoption and consistency of the collection of TIM data and increasing the volume of data from transportation, law enforcement, and other responder agencies. Further, this innovation promotes the use of low-cost, off-the-shelf technologies that streamline data collection, so agencies can measure and improve the performance of their programs.