PUBLIC ROADS

Also in this issue: 

NEW LOOK! Guest Editorial Explores 

Advancing Research through TPF Program

MnDOT Commits to Clean 

Energy, Connectivity

Using Online Tools to Protect 

the Environment 

Resources for Applying 

Resilience Concepts to Projects 

in River Environments 

www.fhwa.dot.gov Summer 2022
Resources for Applying Resilience Concepts 

to Projects in River Environments 

PAGE 11

Source: Ryan Hagerty, USFWS.

PAGE 6 

FEATURES

6 Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) 

Streamlines Endangered Species Act Reviews

by Chellby Kilheffer and Victoria Foster

IPaC’s online resources, including the new Consultation 

Package Builder for creating biological assessments, help 

agencies understand and document how their proposed 

projects will affect listed species and critical habitats.

11 Resources for Applying Resilience Concepts 

to Projects in River Environments

by Eric R. Brown, Laura Girard, and James Neighorn

The Federal Highway Administration develops resources 

to aid transportation professionals with recognizing, 

understanding, assessing, and accommodating natural 

river functions. Preserving and enhancing these functions 

may lead to more resilient transportation projects.

16 Keeping America Moving and Accessible

by Adam Larsen and Brandon Stokes

How does FLH meet their mission in adverse conditions? 

With tenacity, ingenuity, and endurance.

20 Addressing Climate Change: A look inside Minnesota 

Clean Energy and Connectivity Projects

by Siri Simons, Jessica Oh, and David Scott

MnDOT Commits to Climate Action.

24 Exploring the Transportation Pooled Fund Program—

Advancing Research and Innovation Through Collaboration

by Patricia Sergeson

The TPF Program helps to solve common transportation 

problems at a fraction of the cost by leveraging 

partnerships across the transportation sector.

DEPARTMENTS

Guest Editorial .................................................2

What’s New .....................................................3

Innovation Corner ..........................................4

Along the Road ..............................................32

Training Update .............................................35

Recommended citation: Federal Highway Administration, Public Roads, Summer 2022 

(Washington, DC: 2022) https://doi.org/10.21949/1521876

COVERS and ABOVE—Transportation professionals benefit 

from understanding natural river functions when planning, 

designing, building, and maintaining infrastructure projects 

in river environments. Although studies of natural systems 

may seem daunting to some, even casual students 

of river science may readily learn some fundamental 

concepts to aid them in developing resilient projects.

Source: FHWA.

Summer 2022 | Vol. 86, No. 2
Are you a longtime transportation 

professional conducting new research 

on a particular topic? Or an industry 

freshman looking to expand your 

knowledge base?

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 

has the online research tool that can help. 

Since 2006, “What’s New” in FHWA publications 

has been the comprehensive online resource 

for fact sheets, TechBriefs, reports, and more to 

support your research needs. These publications 

cover a wide range of topics, including:

• Roadway safety and 

enhancements.

• Pedestrian and 

bicycle safety.

• Transportation equity.

• Connected and 

automated vehicles.

• Nondestructive 

evaluations.

• Bridge innovations, 

reconstruction, and 

rehabilitation.

• Pavement technology 

and materials.

• Intersection 

improvements and design.

• Intelligent transportation 

systems. 

To access the list of downloadable research 

documents, visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications 

/lists/whatsnew/index.cfm.

Photo illustration by FHWA. Highway image: © kanvag / AdobeStock.com. 

Vehicle image: © lunamarina / AdobeStock.com. 

Book image: © Photocreo Bednarek/ AdobeStock.com.

U.S. Department of Transportation

Pete Buttigieg, Secretary

Federal Highway Administration

Stephanie Pollack, Acting Administrator

Office of Research, Development, and Technology

Kelly Regal, Associate Administrator 

Jonathan B. Walker, Acting Director, 

Office of Corporate Research, Technology, 

and Innovation Management

TaMara McCrae, Editor-in-Chief

Lisa A. Shuler, Distribution Manager

Editorial Board: 

T. Everett, T. Hess, H. Kalla, M. Knopp, A. Lucero, 

I. Rico, G. Shepherd, C. Walker 

Editorial and Design Contractor: 

Schatz Strategy Group

M. Mitchell, R. Nemec, C. Williams, A. Jacobi, 

S. Palaia, T. Tolbert, A. Lax, D. Davis, C. McCoy

Public Roads (ISSN 0033-3735; USPS 516-690) 

is published quarterly by the Office of Research, 

Development, and Technology, Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), 6300 Georgetown Pike, McLean, 

VA 22101-2296. The business and editorial office of 

Public Roads is located at the McLean address above. 

Phone: 202–493–3375. Fax: 202–493–3475. Email: 

lisa.a.shuler@dot.gov. Periodicals postage paid at McLean, 

VA, and additional mailing offices (if applicable).

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 

Public Roads, HRTM-20, FHWA, 

6300 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101-2296.

Public Roads is sold by the Superintendent of Documents, 

U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. 

Requests for subscriptions should be sent directly to New 

Orders, Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 979050, 

St. Louis, MO 63197-9000. Subscriptions are available 

for 1-year periods. Paid subscribers should send change 

of address notices to the U.S. Government Printing Office, 

Claims Office, Washington, DC 20402.

The electronic version of Public Roads can be accessed 

through the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center 

home page (https://highways.dot.gov/research).

The Secretary of Transportation has determined that 

the publication of this periodical is necessary in the 

transaction of the public business required by law of 

this department.

All articles are advisory or informational in nature and 

should not be construed as having regulatory effect.

Articles written by private individuals contain the personal 

views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those 

of FHWA.

All photographs are provided by FHWA unless 

otherwise credited.

Contents of this publication may be reprinted, provided 

credit is given to Public Roads and the authors.

For more information, representatives of the news 

media should contact FHWA’s Office of Public Affairs at 

202–366–0660.

NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship 

of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest 

of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes 

no liability for the use of the information contained in 

this document. This document does not constitute a 

standard, specification, or regulation. 

The U.S. Government does not endorse products 

or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers’ 

names appear in this document only because they are 

considered essential to the objective of the document; 

they are included for informational purposes only and 

are not intended to reflect a preference, approval, or 

endorsement of any one product or entity. 
2 | PUBLIC ROADS | SUMMER 2022

GUEST EDITORIAL

Source: FHWA.

The Transportation Pooled Fund Program helps partners advance research 

while reducing costs and increasing benefits and impacts.

© metamorworks /AdobeStock.com.

Transportation Pooled Fund (TPF) Program: 

Moving Research Forward Through Partnerships

With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this is a historic 

time in transportation. It is now even 

more important to provide opportunities 

to collaborate and foster partnerships to 

move research and innovation forward 

to meet the Nation’s diverse transpor

tation needs. For more than 45 years, 

the Transportation Pooled Fund (TPF) 

Program has enabled public and private 

entities to combine resources to conduct 

high-priority research on a variety of shared, 

highway-related problems.

-

In this issue of Public Roads, one of the 

feature articles, “Transportation Pooled 

Fund Program: Advancing Research 

through Innovation,” showcases how the 

TPF Program helps produce research and 

innovation on a variety of important trans

portation topics.

-

The TPF Program provides a mecha

nism to allow agencies to partner together 

to invest in multiple research efforts at 

a fraction of the cost of conducting the 

research alone. A unique benefit of the TPF 

Program is that it encourages and allows 

for a variety of partners, including State 

departments of transportation (DOTs), the 

Federal Highway Administration, other 

Federal agencies, regional and local agen

cies, academic institutions, industry trade 

associations, private industry, and foreign 

entities. The TPF Program allows those with 

limited research or innovation funding to 

participate in large-scale efforts. By pooling 

funds and expertise, participants maximize 

their return on investment.

-

-

FHWA’s Turner-Fairbank Highway 

Research Center Office of Corporate 

Research, Technology, and Innovation 

Management manages the TPF Program. 

Since 2003, the TPF Program has processed 

over $600 million in collaborative funding 

between partnering agencies. As of February 

2022, there were 172 active projects and 

10 open solicitations. Of these projects, 

116 were State DOT led, and 56 were 

FHWA led. TPF research topics span safety, 

pavements, bridges, design, equity, climate, 

sustainability and much more!

The TPF Program also allows for knowl

edge transfer across partners. In addition 

to an assigned FHWA technical liaison, 

each study forms a Technical Advisory 

Committee, which includes agency repre

sentatives and subject matter experts from 

all participating agencies. Participants learn 

from others’ experience and form connec

tions that not only assist with that specific 

research but can benefit their work in other 

areas as well.

-

-

-

Many of the research or innovations 

produced by TPF studies have been used 

to advance the state of practice in their 

respective fields. For example, TPF-5(317), 

Evaluation of Low-Cost Safety Improve

ments (ELCSI), works with more than 

40 participating agencies to help improve 

safety and reduce traffic-related fatalities. In 

this study, rigorous before and after testing 

is used to evaluate how low-cost, imple

mentable countermeasure approaches reduce 

safety risks. One example of a low-cost 

safety improvement is the use of high fric

tion surface treatments. With one-quarter 

of highway fatalities in the United States 

occurring at or near horizontal curves, high 

friction surface treatments studied under 

ELSCI have shown significant reduction in 

wet pavement crashes after treatments. The 

low-cost safety improvement approaches 

have been documented in more than 60 

publications and 800 crash modifica

tion factors.

-

-

-

-

There have been several other TPF 

studies that have helped to transform the 

transportation industry. TPF-5(165), TPF-5 

(217), TPF-5(366), and TPF-5(468) have 

all researched different topics related to the 

performance of Ultra High-Performance 

Concrete (UHPC). UHPC is the most 

technologically advanced concrete available 

today. It is five times stronger and 10 times 

more durable and longer lasting than 

bridges built using conventional concrete. 

There are over 200 bridges in the US built 

with UHPC. These studies have helped 

to provide further research to bring this 

technology to the forefront of US bridge 

engineering design and construction.

The TPF Program has produced high 

value research and innovations that have 

been adopted and institutionalized by 

partners and agencies around the world. It is 

a great resource to leverage limited funds to 

address important issues. For more informa

tion on how to participate in this exciting, 

high value research program see “Transpor

tation Pooled Fund Program: Advancing 

Research through Innovation,” on page 24.

-

-

Dr. Kelly Regal

Associate Administrator for Research, 

Development, and Technology

Director, Turner-Fairbank Highway 

Research Center

Federal Highway Administration
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 3

Caption box white overlayed on photo.

© Russ Nemec / Schatz Strategy Group

FaRO used for privacy analysis and attribute extraction of a user talking on a cell 

phone while simultaneously tracking from multiple views in the vehicle. 

Source: U.S. Department of Energy/Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

WHAT’S NEW 

Computer Vision Research 

Drives Real-World Innovation

Intelligent algorithms designed to 

support FHWA research are driving 

development of new and useful 

applications in diverse disciplines.

by MARY HUIE and ADIL ANIS

Researchers at the Federal Highway Administration are using extremely large datasets to identify and 

understand complex transportation issues that can 

impact efficiency, cost, and safety. New automated 

tools for data extraction and analysis are needed 

to help make these massive datasets accessible to 

the widest possible range of researchers, academia, 

and industry. 

The second Strategic Highway Research Program’s 

(SHRP2) naturalistic driving study (NDS) demon

strates the immense scale of data gathered in recent years. 

The study focused on driver behavior and addressed 

the notion that it is possible to obtain information on 

what people do when they drive on a day-to-day basis. The 

study involved more than 3,000 volunteer drivers and their 

vehicles, each of which was equipped with four cameras, GPS, 

and various sensors. Over a two-year period, NDS researchers 

gathered more than 1.2 million hours and more than two peta

bytes of data, the majority of which came from video captured 

by onboard cameras.

-

-

The massive size of the NDS video data resulted in a bottle

neck that made traditional methods for identifying and extracting 

features of interest in video inadequate. Traditionally, researchers 

manually logged the location in the video where each feature of 

interest was found; however, it is estimated that it would take 

almost 600 technicians a full year to manually analyze all the 

video in the NDS.

-

EAR Investment in Computer Vision

Computer vision, which uses artificial intelligence algorithms to 

perform visual perception tasks, offers a more efficient method for 

analyzing video data. The Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) 

Program has funded computer vision research on SHRP2 safety 

data at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National 

Laboratory (ORNL) via an interagency agreement. One of the 

most successful ORNL efforts focused on continuing development 

of a highly flexible data processing framework for ingesting image 

data and coordinating the application of multiple facial recognition 

models to process that data. This framework includes a variety of 

machine learning tools, ranging from face detection and character

ization to body pose attributes. These tools can be used to detect 

facial attributes, such as looking forward and checking mirrors, 

and expressions or body movements, such as turning or reaching. 

ORNL calls this data processing framework “Face Recognition 

from Oak Ridge,” or FaRO. 

-

Innovations Using FaRO Computer Vision Algorithm

There have been several collateral innovations that have resulted 

from the development of FaRO. ORNL has used FaRO internally 

for enhancing unmanned aerial system capability modeling via 

a portable system that performs on-device object detection and 

avoidance. FaRO is also used by the DOE’s Office of Energy 

Efficiency and Renewable Energy for controlling access to the 

network—an application that uses industrial cameras to perform 

real-time video analytics of biometrics data. Other organizations, 

including a university, a commercial entity, and Federal intelli

gence agencies are now interested in using FaRO. The software is 

available through an open-source license and is freely distributed. 

Resultantly, the return on investment of these spinoff uses will 

continue to increase the value of the public funds invested. 

-

EAR Supports Cutting-Edge Research/Looking Ahead

FHWA’s goals are both short and long term. In the short term, 

FHWA wants to extract value from the NDS data. In the long 

term, FHWA wants to ensure that the data being collected 

will improve transportation safety. The EAR Program seeks to 

leverage advances in science and engineering that could lead 

to breakthroughs for critical current and emerging issues in 

highway transportation by supporting a community of experts 

from different disciplines who have the talent and interest to 

research solutions but who likely would not do so without 

EAR Program funding.

MARY HUIE is the manager of the Technology Transfer Program at FHWA’s 

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center. She holds a B.S. in civil engineer

ing from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

-

ADIL ANIS is a program manager working as a contractor with FHWA’s 

Technology Transfer Program. He holds a B.S. in computer engineering from 

George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.

For more information, see https://highways.dot.gov/research

/research-programs/exploratory-advanced-research/exploratory

-advanced-research-overview or contact Mary Huie, 

202-493-3460, mary.huie@dot.gov
4 | PUBLIC ROADS | SUMMER 2022

Warm mix asphalt saves time and money, improves 

pavement quality, and benefits workers and the environment.

Source: FHWA.

INNOVATION CORNER 

Every Day Counts: Innovations With Impact!

by JEFFREY ZAHAREWICZ

The Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Transportation Workforce Development and Technology Deployment is deep 

in the planning process for Every Day Counts (EDC), the agency’s 

flagship technology deployment program. The seventh round of 

EDC (EDC-7) is scheduled for 2023 and 2024 and will highlight 

the next portfolio of market ready and proven, yet underutilized, 

practices and technologies. The process of identifying these 

innovations brings with it a sense of reflection on the many past 

initiatives EDC has helped advance into more widespread and 

mainstream use. 

Warm Mix Asphalt a Game Changer

One of the earliest EDC initiatives may also be one of the most 

impactful to the transportation industry. Warm mix asphalt 

(WMA) is the generic term for a variety of technologies that allow 

producers of hot mix asphalt pavement material to lower the 

temperatures at which the material is mixed and placed on the road. 

Using WMA can reduce paving costs; extend the paving season; 

improve asphalt compaction; allow asphalt mix to be hauled longer 

distances; and improve working conditions by reducing exposure 

to fuel emissions, fumes, and odors. This technology saves time, 

promotes good stewardship of human and environmental resources, 

and enhances project quality—all hallmarks of EDC innovations. 

As adoption increased, WMA was considered a “disruptive” 

technology and a “game changer,” as it required physical modifica

tions to asphalt mixture plants and significant adaptation of existing 

specifications. By the December 2012 conclusion of the first EDC 

cycle, the WMA deployment team celebrated the achievement of 

their implementation goal—40 State departments of transportation 

and all Federal Lands Highway Divisions had either a specification 

or contractual language allowing WMA on projects. The impact of 

using WMA has only continued to grow since: utilization of WMA 

technologies in 2019 was 879 percent more than the estimated 

16.8 million tons in the 2009 construction season, and asphalt 

produced with WMA technology made up 38.9 percent of the total 

estimated asphalt mixture market as of 2019.

-

Significant STEPs FoRRRWD in Safety

Safety has been a cornerstone topic throughout the history of 

EDC—so much so that FHWA hosted the virtual September 2021 

Safety Summit Series to highlight seven EDC safety initiatives. 

This peer exchange included professionals just beginning to learn 

about those safety innovations, as well as those further along in 

their deployment journey. Among the initiatives highlighted at 

the 2021 summit were the Focus on Reducing Rural Roadway 

Departures (FoRRRWD), which aims to address the nearly 

12,000 people who die every year in crashes when their cars leave 

their travel lane on a rural road, and Safe Transportation for Every 

Pedestrian (STEP), which is advancing the systemic application 

of proven, cost-effective countermeasures to help reduce pedestrian 

fatalities at both uncontrolled and signalized crossing locations.

As many other EDC initiatives have done, both FoRRRWD 

and STEP promoted a toolkit of resources and countermeasures 

that are adoptable by a wide range of transportation agencies. Both 

deployment teams also employed highly creative and innovative 

marketing tools, including printable trading cards to explain rural 

roadway departure crash types and countermeasures, and the 

STEP UP Campaign, which provided downloadable information 

for agencies to use in customized news articles, social media posts, 

and print items. The teams used these tools, in concert with other 

targeted training and technical assistance activities, to help 42 and 

51 States, respectively, achieve their deployment goals. 

These examples are merely a snapshot of the significant positive 

impact the EDC program has made in accelerating the deployment 

of innovations and in building a culture of innovation within the 

transportation community. FHWA is excited to continue the track 

record of positive impacts with EDC-7. Look for more informa

tion in upcoming Innovation Corner features!

-

Useful Links:

• EDC 2021 Virtual Summit 

(available through September 2022) https://www.labroots.com

/ms/virtual-event/2021-edc-virtual-safety-summit-series.

• FoRRRWD: https://highways.dot.gov/public-roads/winter-2021

/reducing-rural-roadway-departures-moving-forrrwd-part-ii.

• FoRRRWD trading cards: https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov

/forrrwd/TradingCards/.

• STEP: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts

/edc_5/step2.cfm.

• STEP UP toolkit: https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike

/step/step_up_campaign/.

JEFFREY ZAHAREWICZ is the acting director for the Accelerating Innovation 

program team in the FHWA Office of Transportation Workforce Development 

and Technology Deployment.

For more information, see https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation

/everydaycounts/ or contact Jeffrey Zaharewicz at 

jeffrey.zaharewicz@dot.gov. 
Improving Efficiency and 

Safety Through Digital 

Infrastructure and 

Cooperative Driving 

Automation Research

The Federal Highway Administration is driving the future of 

transportation through its national CDA Program.

To prepare for the deployment of automated vehicles on the Nation’s highways, the CDA Program is 

leading research on the digital infrastructure necessary to support CDA.

The CDA Program testing activities consider the future impact of CDA concepts on the transportation 

system, including the effect of CDA in traffic, reliability, and freight operations scenarios. CDA testing 

videos for basic travel, traffic incident management, weather, and work zone scenarios are available 

at https://bit.ly/CARMAVideoSeries.

The CARMASM Ecosystem of open-source tools and products enables collaborative research and 

development of CDA features and capabilities across the transportation network, setting the 

foundation for the safe introduction of CDA technology on our Nation’s roads.

YOU can help shape the future of transportation 

by contributing to this critical research. 

Learn more at https://bit.ly/CDAProgram, 

or email CARMA@dot.gov.

©Sundry Photography, iStock/Getty Images Plus.

©metamorworks, iStock/Getty Images Plus.

SunTrax 

Auburndale, FL Source: FHWA. Source: FHWA. Source: FHWA.

American Center for Mobility 

Ypsilanti, MI

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center 

McLean, VA
6 | PUBLIC ROADS | SUMMER 2022

Information for Planning and 

Consultation (IPaC) Streamlines 

Endangered Species Act Reviews

IPaC’s online resources, 

including the new 

Consultation Package 

Builder for creating 

biological assessments, 

help agencies understand 

and document how their 

proposed projects will 

affect listed species 

and critical habitats.

by CHELLBY KILHEFFER and VICTORIA FOSTER

Road and bridge projects often cross forests, streams, and other sensitive 

plant and animal habitats. Under section 

7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act 

(ESA), Federal agencies (i.e., action 

agencies) are required to consult with U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)1 to 

ensure that actions they fund, authorize, 

or carry out are not likely to jeopardize the 

continued existence of any listed species 

or destroy or adversely modify designated 

critical habitats.

1 Some cases require consultation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, but those cases are not covered by IPaC or in this article.

Along with meeting the requirements 

of section 7(a)(2), interagency consulta

tions with the USFWS help minimize the 

negative effects of infrastructure projects 

on species and habitats protected under 

the ESA. But for many agencies, especially 

smaller ones without dedicated environ

mental staff, the process was often compli

cated and time consuming.

-

-

-

To help streamline the consultation 

process, USFWS created the Information 

for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) 

system—a free, web-based application that 

provides up-to-date information on ESA 

protected species, helpful templates, and 

other useful resources for transportation 

agencies and their partners. Since its incep

tion, IPaC’s resources have assisted agencies 

across the United States with completing 

consultation on thousands of projects. The 

latest IPaC tool—Consultation Package 

Builder (CPB)—provides agencies with 

even more support during the early stages of 

infrastructure projects.

-

Early Design Consultation 

for ESA Compliance

Designing projects while considering 

potential effects to ESA-listed species and 

ESA-designated critical habitats is one of 

the most effective ways to ensure efficient 

section 7 consultation and overall envi

ronmental protection. Early coordination 

between action agencies and USFWS saves 

agencies time and money—project designs 

consider environmental resources from the 

start, the consultation is more efficient and 

predictable, and agencies avoid costly modi

fications and delays during the planning and 

permitting stages.

-

-

USFWS uses tools, like those in IPaC, to 

collaboratively solve conservation challenges 

and create opportunities for action agencies 
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 7

The candy darter is a small, freshwater fish 

endemic to portions of the upper Kanawha 

River basin in Virginia and West Virginia.

Source: Ryan Hagerty, USFWS.

to reduce impacts to the ecosystems of listed 

species through project design.

IPaC’s Three Tools: 

Streamlining Consultation

IPaC helps agencies, their applicants, and 

other project proponents prepare for their 

ESA section 7 consultations during the 

critical early stages of a transportation 

project. IPaC facilitates early coordination 

by providing automated project planning 

and analysis tools based on the proposed 

action’s location, possible trust resources in 

that location (e.g., ESA listed species, migra

tory birds, wetlands, marine mammals, and 

USFWS-managed lands like refuges and fish 

hatcheries), and listed species’ conservation 

needs. IPaC also facilitates communication 

among action agencies, project proponents, 

and the USFWS field office. Creating 

consultation documents through IPaC 

improves consistency, transparency, and 

efficiency for both the action agencies and 

the USFWS.

-

In IPaC, users begin by drawing their 

project location on an interactive mapping 

tool. IPaC uses the project location to 

gather the relevant information needed to 

use IPaC’s tools. The three tools available 

in IPaC are the official species lists (OSLs), 

determination keys (DKeys), and the new 

Consultation Package Builder (CPB). 

These tools can be used sequentially or 

independently, depending on the action 

agency’s needs.

OSLs

An OSL is a letter from the local USFWS 

field office that helps agencies evaluate 

potential impacts of their projects. Along 

with providing a project tracking number, 

the OSL includes a list of candidate, 

proposed, threatened, and endangered 

species, and proposed and designated critical 

habitats that should be considered under 

section 7 of the ESA.

Depending on field office preferences, 

OSLs may also include attached lists of 

migratory birds of conservation concern, 

USFWS-managed refuges and fish hatch

eries, marine mammals, and wetlands and 

other aquatic areas of concern under section 

404 of the Clean Water Act. The ESA 

requires an OSL be requested for projects 

conducted, permitted, funded, or licensed 

by a Federal agency.

-

The Virginia Department of Transpor

tation (VDOT) reviews projects for ESA 

section 7 compliance every six months or at 

project development milestones—a process 

that requires the agency to obtain an up-todate OSL. Amy Golden, biological resources 

program manager for VDOT, says “One 

benefit to IPaC is having a central location 

to obtain a project OSL. Prior to IPaC, 

some States would email or write a letter to 

the field office requesting an OSL, which 

was time consuming. IPaC makes it easy to 

obtain an updated OSL for projects.”

-

The first step in IPaC is to draw the project location on an interactive mapping tool.

Source: USFWS.

Why Use IPaC?

Using IPaC provides several 

benefits to transportation 

agencies:

• Available online 24 hours a day, 

7 days a week.

• Offers georeferenced analyses.

• Updated frequently so tools, 

including OSLs, DKeys, and 

CPB use the latest data.

• Provides resource lists updated 

in real time.

• Allows project proponents 

to store documents and 

collaborate on project files.

• Results in more complete, 

better formatted 

consultation packages.

• Reduces number of follow-up 

questions during the 

consultation process.
8 | PUBLIC ROADS | SUMMER 2022

DKeys

A DKey is a screening tool provided 

through IPaC that can streamline the 

consultation process for common project 

types. DKeys are based on programmatic 

biological opinions or standing USFWS 

analyses which are designed to assist action 

agencies in reaching predetermined consul

tation outcomes based on an assessment of 

their project. To use a DKey, an IPaC user 

answers a series of questions to determine 

whether a proposed project qualifies for 

an existing programmatic consultation or 

analysis. DKeys can be restricted to certain 

project types, geographic locations, agencies, 

or species. If a project qualifies for a DKey, 

the action agency may receive a consis

tency or concurrence letter, depending on 

which predetermined consultation outcome 

they reach.

-

-

Lane Masoud of the Michigan Depart

ment of Transportation recommends DKeys 

to local partners, saying “Many of the 

agencies I work with are small, rural road 

commissions who lack their own envi

ronmental staff. Utilizing IPaC has been 

extremely helpful. The Michigan DKey, 

in particular, has reduced how frequently 

I follow up with an agency to get more 

information. I really appreciate that the 

DKeys not only ask questions, but also 

provide guidance.”

-

-

CPB

When there are listed species in the project 

location that have not been addressed 

by a DKey, IPaC’s new project analysis 

tool, CPB, can be used to further analyze 

the project. CPB, which replaces IPaC’s 

formerly available “impact analysis” tool, 

walks users step by step through analyzing 

the potential effects of their project and 

assists them in making well-informed effect 

determinations. The end result is a docu

ment, typically called a biological assessment 

(BA) or biological evaluation (BE), that can 

be submitted to USFWS for consultation. 

Currently, the user must download this 

document and submit it by email or mail to 

the appropriate USFWS field office.

-

CPB is an optional tool that is helpful 

for many projects in which some species in 

the project area have not been covered by 

a DKey as it assists with writing a BA or 

BE. CPB both prompts users to populate 

all of the information needed to conduct 

the consultation and provides pertinent 

information regarding potential effects on 

species and conservation measures based on 

the specific work proposed and species in 

the area.

IPaC Usage Data and Case Studies

In fiscal year 2021, IPaC assisted Federal 

agencies in carrying out their ESA section 7 

responsibilities on more than 123,000 occa

sions (including OSLs and DKey letters). 

Based on the helpful information in the 

DKeys, and—in some cases—through 

additional consultation with the USFWS 

field office, action agencies were able to 

revise their project designs to avoid previ

ously expected adverse impacts to listed 

species and critical habitats. In many of 

these instances, after project design revision, 

the action agency was able to finalize their 

consultation via a DKey.

-

-

Case Study 1: FHWA Bats DKey

FHWA worked with USFWS to develop 

a DKey based on a programmatic biolog

ical opinion specifically for transportation 

projects that may affect two wide-ranging 

species of listed bats—the endangered 

Indiana bat and the threatened Northern 

long-eared bat (NLEB). This DKey—called 

“FHWA, FRA, FTA Programmatic Consul

tation for Transportation Projects Affecting 

NLEB or Indiana Bat”—is intended for 

projects and activities funded or authorized 

by FHWA, Federal Railroad Administration 

(FRA), and/or Federal Transit Administra

tion (FTA) that may require consultation 

with USFWS under section 7 of the ESA. 

Since the FHWA Bats DKey was published 

in 2018, use of this DKey accounts for 

about 40 percent of all projects assessed 

by DKeys.

-

-

-

For projects within the range of these 

two bat species, FHWA, FRA, FTA, and 

their designated representatives begin the 

consultation process by using IPaC to deter

mine whether their project is covered by this 

DKey. In FY2021, the DKey assisted users 

with making the determination that 1,568 

projects would have no effect on these two 

bat species, and it allowed them to complete 

consultation on an additional 1,688 trans

portation projects that may affect these 

two bat species through IPaC. Screening a 

project in IPaC often takes about an hour, 

and projects are easy to update. For projects 

where no other listed species or critical 

habitats were identified, the Federal agency 

needed no further coordination with the 

USFWS. For more information about this 

DKey, see 

-

-

https://www.fws.gov/node/266042.

Case Study 2: Using CPB to Create 

an Example BA for Similar Projects

IPaC’s CPB can also be used to create a 

sample BA that local agencies can use as a 

template when consulting with USFWS on 

similar projects. In West Virginia, FHWA, 

in cooperation with the West Virginia 

Division of Highways (WVDOH) and the 

Texas blind salamanders live in total darkness. Although they have eyes, they are located under their skin, leaving 

them totally blind. They are only found in Edwards Aquifer in Texas. 

Source: Ryan Hagerty, USFWS.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 9

USFWS West Virginia Ecological Services 

field office, created an example BA in CPB 

for a commonly occurring project type—

bridge replacement. In the future, this 

example BA will be used to develop BAs 

for other bridge replacement projects in 

West Virginia.

By creating an example BA, FHWA has 

provided partner agencies in West Virginia 

with a clear place to start their analyses. The 

template provides details on the scope and 

sample language expected by the USFWS, 

as shown in the following excerpts.

WVDOH described the habitat present 

in the action area:

“In West Virginia, the Gauley River rises in 

the Monongahela National Forest on Gauley 

Mountain in Pocahontas County as three 

streams, the North, Middle, and South Forks, 

each of which flows across the southern 

extremity of Randolph County and converges 

in Webster County...Within the project area 

on the Gauley River, the stream substrate is 

composed of mainly boulder and cobble, with 

a good amount of sand... The existing piers 

are founded on bedrock, which is below a 

layer of sand...The riparian zone is somewhat 

vegetated and harbors plant life generally 

associated with riparian corridors, with 

typical streamside species such as sycamore 

(Platanus occidentalis), maples (Acer spp.), 

black cherry (Prunus serotina), willows 

(Salix spp.), Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria 

japonica), and various woody shrubs...”

The agency also described the proj

ect’s purpose:

-

“The Bolair Bridge has been closed to 

vehicular traffic since 2017 due to safety 

concerns. The proposed plan is to demolish 

and replace the existing bridge over the 

Gauley River to restore traffic on Webster 

CR 20/23 in order to maintain residential 

access, school buses, mail, and emergency 

services. The new proposed bridge will be 

a three-span, steel W-beam bridge with a 

wooden deck supported on two concrete 

piers...The temporary detour that has 

been in use since 2017 causes hardship 

for the community...This detour was not 

designed for the traveling public as a 

permanent route.”

WVDOH described how and where 

anticipated stressors would occur 

throughout the project area:

“Exposure of bare soil during site 

preparation activities could increase 

erosion...The stream characteristics, such 

as riffles, runs, or pools, will still function 

normally (USFWS, 2020). Potential habitat 

changes are possible during construction 

and restoration activities and will remain 

until after restoration is completed and 

fine sediments have been flushed through 

the watershed by storm events...We will 

use heavy duty silt fencing, silt socks, 

dirt bags, and streambank stabilizing 

measures to avoid sedimentation in the 

project location...”

WVDOH also analyzed specific effects 

to the candy darter—a small, colorful fish 

that is key to the local ecosystem. Candy 

darters are listed as federally endangered 

under the ESA and their conservation needs 

include dissolved oxygen, invertebrates, 

spring streamflow, shallow water depths, 

relatively warm water, and substrate from 

An Indiana bat hibernating on a cave ceiling. Indiana bats hibernate in tight clusters on the ceilings and sides of caves and mines. 

Source: Ryan Hagerty, USFWS.

Key Terms:

USFWS: U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service

ESA: Endangered Species Act

OSL: Official Species List

IPaC: Information for Planning 

and Consultation

DKey: Determination Key

CPB: Consultation 

Package Builder

BA: Biological assessment

BE: Biological evaluation

NLEB: Northern long-eared bat
10 | PUBLIC ROADS | SUMMER 2022

small gravel to boulders. Candy darters are 

often affected by sedimentation, contamination, and other changes to rivers and streams 

from transportation activities. Considering 

all effects that were suggested by USFWS 

and expected to occur during their bridge 

construction project, WVDOH reached an 

effect determination of “likely to adversely 

affect” for the candy darter.

WVDOH used CPB to write conservation measures for the project using language 

suggested by USFWS. One conservation 

measure was developed for designing projects to allow fish passage, thereby reducing 

the barrier effects to the candy darter.

The document generated using IPaC’s 

CPB contained all the information FHWA 

and WVDOH needed to complete the 

review and consultation on this project 

with the USFWS West Virginia field office. 

Because the non-Federal partners used CPB 

in IPaC, the final document was formatted 

consistently with other BAs and much of 

the administrative record was automatically 

recorded in the USFWS project-tracking 

system. 

IPaC users can also share the IPaC 

project with other non-Federal partners 

or FHWA before completing the analysis. 

Future projects can follow this template 

while filling out CPB (or offline, if needed), 

which will streamline review time with the 

USFWS West Virginia field office. In the 

future, USFWS plans to improve CPB to 

allow a user to save templates such as this in 

IPaC so users can start their similar project 

in CPB from an established template.

Developing an example BA saves the lead 

Federal agency (in this case, FHWA) and 

the USFWS field office time and resources 

because the submitted BA contains the 

necessary information from the start. Future 

BAs that are written using the example BA 

and submitted to FHWA, and subsequently 

the USFWS West Virginia field office, 

are likely to be considered complete upon 

submittal and require less consultation time 

to review and revise.

IPaC Resources & Contacts

IPaC has two platforms available for action 

agencies to use: production (or live) IPaC 

and beta IPaC. Production IPaC is found at 

https://ipac.ecosphere.fws.gov/ and is intended 

to be used for real projects where the action 

agency is ready to analyze a project and send 

official documents to USFWS. On production IPaC, OSLs and DKey documents are 

automatically sent to the local field office 

for their review and are logged in USFWS’s 

internal project tracking system.

Beta IPaC is found at https://ipacb.

ecosphere.fws.gov/ and is intended to be used 

for testing and training. Beta IPaC has the 

same functionality as production IPaC, 

but no official correspondence is created 

or distributed. Beta IPaC is highly recommended for new users or users who want to 

test different options in the system.

USFWS offers several on-demand IPaC 

and ESA section 7 training videos. Links 

are available through the IPaC homepage (https://ipac.ecosphere.fws.gov/) under 

“Helpful Videos.”

The USFWS IPaC team is continuously 

striving to improve its functionality and 

tools through new development and incorporating agency feedback. The team is also 

available to answer questions or schedule 

demonstrations. To provide feedback, ask 

questions, or schedule a demonstration, 

please contact fwhq_ipac@fws.gov.

CHELLBY KILHEFFER is a biologist on the national 

IPaC team. Previously, Chellby completed a Ph.D. 

in wildlife biology from the State University of 

New York College of Environmental Science and 

Forestry and a Knauss marine policy fellowship.

VICTORIA FOSTER is the national IPaC program 

coordinator. Previously, Victoria worked on species 

conservation issues at State and Federal environmental regulatory permitting agencies in Florida.

See https://ipac.ecosphere.fws.gov/for more 

information, or contact the National 

IPaC team, fwhq_ipac@fws.gov, or contact 

Daniel Buford with the FHWA, daniel 

.buford@dot.gov.

1) What is your effect determination for the Candy Darter?

 No Effect

This effect determination is not available because you have determined in your analysis that the project will have 

effects on listed species.

 Not Likely to Adversely Affect

All effects are beneficial, insignificant, or discountable. IPaC will facilitate getting concurrence from USFWS.

 Beneficial effects have contemporaneous positive effects without any adverse effects to the species or habitat

 Insignificant effects relate to the size of the impact and include those effects that are undetectable, not 

measurable, or cannot be evaluated. 

 Discountable effects are those unlikely to occur.

 Likely to Adversely Affect

This determination is appropriate for all projects where the effects do not fit in with 'No Effect' or 'Not Likely to 

Adversely Effect' category. This determination requires formal consultation with USFWS.

The Colorado hookless cactus is a barrel shaped with funnel-shaped or bell-shaped pink to violet flowers. 

Source: Bekee Hotze, USFWS.

Agencies use CPB to analyze species before making an effect determination.

Source: USFWS.

Agencies can use the CPB to write conservation measures for the project after 

species and critical habitat analyses are completed.

Source: USFWS.

This conservation measure is used to address the following effects:

Direct interactions crushing, deters movement, disturbance, entrapment

Critical habitat Candy Darter Critical Habitat

1) How will you implement 'Design Project for Fish Passage'? Using the implementation suggestions below, compile an implementation plan for ‘Design Project for Fish Passage’.

If an aquatic barrier cannot be removed or prevented, then design and install structures that will ensure safe, timely, 

and effective upstream and downstream passage of fish species and other aquatic organisms, necessary to maintain all 

life stages of these species. While fish passage structures should be designed to provide passage for a variety of species, 

focus on providing passage for listed or sensitive species.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 11

Resources for 

Applying Resilience 

Concepts to Projects 

in River Environments When in close proximity, rivers and roads interact 

in numerous ways, and frequently to the detriment 

of both natural and built environments. 

Source: FHWA.

The Federal Highway Administration develops resources to aid transportation professionals 

with recognizing, understanding, assessing, and accommodating natural river functions. 

Preserving and enhancing these functions may lead to more resilient transportation projects.

by ERIC R. BROWN, LAURA GIRARD, and JAMES NEIGHORN

Ariver presents a particular challenge for highway projects. Its complex natural 

conditions and functions vary with both 

time and location within the river corridor. 

Careful assessment and consideration of 

rivers is paramount for the safe, resilient, 

and ecologically sensitive planning, design, 

and operation of highways.

Federal, State, and local transportation 

project teams regularly build highway 

projects in river environments. To meet 

the needs of these diverse teams, FHWA 

is developing a variety of high-quality 

resources and engaging, interactive 

training—including online and instructorled courses, immersive and virtual reality 

(VR) experiences, videos, and protocols—to 

help teams acquire the knowledge they need 

to be successful.

Waterway-Road Interactions 

and Resilient Design

Paul Wirfs, State hydraulic engineer for the 

Oregon Department of Transportation, has 

spent his career working on infrastructure 

projects. “It is vitally important to under

stand the dynamics of the natural and 

built environment,” says Wirfs. “Today’s 

hydraulic engineering professionals are chal

lenged daily with balancing environmental 

and infrastructure considerations while also 

providing practical design solutions. The 

riverine environment must be treated like a 

living organism in order to provide resilient 

hydraulic engineering solutions.”

-

-

FHWA courses and related resources 

focus on core themes of river science. One 

prominent theme upholds that the preser

vation and enhancement of natural river 

functions may improve the resilience and 

sustainability of highway projects.

-

FHWA resources identify four primary, 

natural river functions as follows:

1. Conveyance and storage of water, 

sediment, wood, and debris.

2. Channel evolution, including sideto-side and vertical movements.

3. Habitat within the channel, 

along the streambank (riparian) 

zones, and in the floodplain.

4. Connectivity of the channel in the 

long-stream (direction of flow), 

lateral, and vertical directions.

The FHWA resources introduced in this 

article explain how project planning and 

design efforts that preserve and restore these 

river functions in a holistic manner may 

significantly reduce adverse interactions 
12 | PUBLIC ROADS | SUMMER 2022

between rivers and infrastructure. Preserving 

natural river functions has many potential benefits, including lowered risk of 

roadway overtopping, less erosion and more 

stable stream banks, and reduced scour at 

bridge foundations.

Transportation Infrastructure 

and Aquatic Organism Passage

Another important theme covered by 

FHWA resources is Aquatic Organism 

Passage (AOP). Effective AOP (through 

stream reaches and bridge and culvert openings) relies on connectivity, and specifically 

long-stream connectivity. When bridges 

and culverts disrupt natural flow patterns, 

fish and other aquatic life may be cut off 

from large swaths of the habitat they use for 

spawning and feeding.

In the United States, restoring AOP at 

bridge and culvert locations is increasingly 

a priority, as evidenced by the proliferation 

of laws and regulations, design procedures, 

and increasing project expenditures aimed 

at improving ecological connectivity and 

restoring natural river conditions. Infrastructure owners and environmental agencies continue to seek improved AOP design 

approaches to road-stream crossings that 

produce measurable results.

Riverine Projects Require 

Multidisciplinary Teamwork

Highway projects in river environments 

require close collaboration among many 

Example Benefits of Preserving Natural River Functions

Natural River Function Description

Example Infrastructure 

Benefits by Preserving 

River Function

Conveyance and 

storage (water, sediment, 

wood, and debris)

River channels move water, which in 

turn carries sediment, wood, and debris. 

Floodplains temporarily move and store 

water, sediment, and wood during 

floods that crest the channel banks. 

Maintaining channel and 

floodplain conveyance and 

storage may lower risks of 

bridges and culverts becoming 

plugged with sediment and wood, 

which could trigger roadway 

overtopping and other failures.

Evolution

(changing location, 

planform shape as 

seen from above, and 

vertical profile)

Natural rivers continually move from 

side-to-side (lateral migration) 

and adjust their bed elevations 

(aggradation is upward movement 

and degradation is downward 

movement) as soil is eroded in one 

location and deposited in another. 

Allowing for some space 

adjacent to the existing channel 

for channel evolution to occur 

may avoid triggering some 

unintended up- and downstream 

soil erosion and deposition 

resulting from infrastructure in 

and adjacent to the channel.

Habitat

(within the channel, 

streambank riparian 

zone, and floodplain)

Vegetation, woody material, rocks, 

overhanging banks, and other natural 

materials and features provide 

nutrients, shade, shelter, and spawning 

areas to fish and other aquatic life.

Natural habitat and features may 

promote stable stream banks, 

for example deep, dense root 

masses of vegetation effectively 

hold soils in place. Stable 

vegetated banks have a lower 

risk of erosion and movement.

Connectivity

(long-stream, lateral, 

and vertical)

Rivers in natural conditions allow for 

the movement of water, sediment, 

wood, nutrients, and aquatic 

organisms up- and downstream 

(long-stream), into and out of 

floodplains (lateral), and in and out 

of underlying aquifers (vertical). 

River connectivity allows flood 

flow energy to spread into the 

floodplain, potentially lowering 

scour (erosion) potential 

at bridges and culverts.

Natural river functions include floodplain and longstream connectivity, evolution, habitat, and conveyance 

and storage of water, wood, and sediment. 

Source: FHWA.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 13

offices, disciplines, and skill sets to realize 

successful outcomes. Multidisciplinary 

teamwork necessitates that project members 

with a wide range of experience and duties 

have knowledge of key river science vocabu

lary and concepts.

-

Greg Bergquist, environmental protec

tion specialist with the FHWA Central 

Federal Lands Highway Division, recognizes 

how multidisciplinary teams develop holistic 

and resilient transportation projects, empha

sizing the specialized knowledge required 

for river environments: “Understanding 

river and stream processes and considering 

how those processes affect the built envi

ronment are essential in the holistic design 

of transportation infrastructure in and 

around waterways.”

-

-

-

Bergquist notes teams that share a 

framework for understanding river func

tions can communicate and collaborate 

more effectively. “Interdisciplinary design 

teams can consistently assess the root causes 

of conflicts between infrastructure and the 

river environment by utilizing structured 

frameworks to evaluate river functions,” 

Berquist says. “These frameworks can foster 

opportunities for improved communication 

and collaboration in determining solutions 

that are both resilient and context sensitive.”

-

Engineers and environmental scientists 

may, through education and experience, be 

well equipped for working in and around 

river settings; however, other professions 

often lack the knowledge, tools, and confi

dence to practically apply key river science 

concepts to their projects. So how do trans

portation professionals new to river science 

and engineering get up to speed?

-

-

FHWA Training and Resources

FHWA maintains an abundance of tech

nical information and training resources 

related to river science and engineering, the 

majority of which may be accessed through 

the agency’s hydraulic engineering website 

(

-

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/engineering

/hydraulics/). The sheer volume of 

information may seem daunting to 

the inexperienced.

FHWA recognizes the specific needs 

of new learners. The Rivers and Roads 

(R&R) Connection initiative (introduced 

in the Autumn 2020 issue of Public Roads

Magazine) is primed to help novices in river 

science and engineering quickly learn funda

mental, practical knowledge and procedures.

-

A recently completed R&R product 

is the National Highway Institute (NHI) 

Web-based training course 135096, 

Roadway Interactions with Rivers and 

Floodplains: Basic Concepts. This free 

training introduces participants to river 

terminology and functions, river-infrastruc

ture interactions, and resilient design in 

river environments.

-

A new FHWA technical manual, 

Hydraulic Engineering Circular 16 (HEC16), Highways in the River Environment: 

Roads, Rivers, and Floodplains, Second 

Edition, will be available in fall 2022. 

Together, this new manual and course 

135096 provide engaging entry points 

for learners with limited time and who 

may initially feel intimidated by river 

science. HEC-16 provides information for 

understanding, assessing, and addressing 

interactions between river functions and 

transportation infrastructure. The manual 

adopts a holistic assessment approach 

by illustrating not only the effects of 

rivers on roads and bridges, but also the 

effects of roads and bridges on rivers and 

their floodplains.

Instructor-led training course NHI 

135097, Roadway Interactions with Rivers 

and Floodplains, is another companion 

course to HEC-16 that will be available 

in fall 2022. It provides overviews of the 

following topics:

• Federal policy pertaining to highways 

in the river environment.

• Concepts important for planning, 

design, construction, and maintenance 

of transportation infrastructure in 

river settings.

• Practical tools in hydrology and 

hydraulics, fluvial geomorphology 

(i.e., river science), and sediment 

transport modeling.

• River biology.

• Specialty topics including flows at river 

confluences, ice flows, wood in rivers, 

human-generated debris, water quality, 

invasive species, beaver activity, mud 

and debris flows, alluvial fans, tidally 

influenced and tidally dominated 

rivers and streams, and inspection 

and monitoring.

HEC-16 and the two NHI courses 

constitute a “starter kit” for quickly training 

individuals in the basics of river science 

and engineering.

Field Scoping Videos

To complement the technical manual and 

courses, FHWA recently completed a series 

of five videos titled “Hydraulic Engineering: 

These two “perched” (outlet higher than the streambed) culverts may act as barriers to AOP, thereby disrupting long-stream connectivity and habitat functions 

of a river or stream. Fish trying to swim upstream would likely be unable to navigate the jump heights and the shallow water depths in the culverts. 

Source: FHWA.
14 | PUBLIC ROADS | SUMMER 2022

Field Scoping Videos” to help teams identify 

and categorize problems observed during 

project visits. The videos are intended to 

introduce good practices and procedures of 

project reconnaissance (such as visual field 

assessment, data collection, and data inter

pretation) necessary for the hydraulic design 

and maintenance of transportation infra

structure. The specific field scoping video 

topics cover bridges, river and stream chan

nels, highway drainage (culverts, ditches, 

medians, pavements, and storm drains), 

drainage maintenance projects, and pre-field 

visit data collection. The videos are available 

at 

-

-

-

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/engineering

/hydraulics/media.cfm.

Elwha River Immersive Workshop

FHWA is also finalizing development of 

the one-day Stream Technology Immersive 

Learning Environment (STILE) workshop, 

currently scheduled for completion during 

summer 2022. This workshop will teach 

basics of river functions and river-road inter

actions through the use of a physical stream 

model (known as a stream table) and a VR 

site visit of a river crossing, the U.S. 101 

bridge over the Elwha River in northern 

Washington State. To view a short stream 

table demonstration, please visit 

-

https://www

.youtube.com/watch?v=FeLff5a8MeE.

The Elwha River offers an ideal learning 

environment to examine essential river 

system considerations and river-road 

interactions. Olympic National Park and 

the recently deconstructed Glines Canyon 

Dam lie upstream of the U.S. 101 bridge. 

Downstream of the crossing are the 

recently deconstructed Elwha Dam and the 

confluence with the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

The dam removals fostered the return 

of long-stream connectivity and salmon 

migration, sediment and wood conveyance, 

and habitat reestablishment. As natural river 

functions returned, flow conditions at the 

U.S. 101 bridge also changed. Through 

the VR experience, workshop participants 

will travel to the bridge site to explore river 

channel lowering, large wood material 

buildup at the bridge piers, and other results 

that necessitate actions by the bridge owner. 

They will also learn about tools and tips for 

conducting river assessments. The Elwha 

River VR site visit also touches on AOP, 

using salmon migration as an example.

AOP Monitoring Protocol

Another FHWA activity dives into the 

details and nuances of AOP. To assess the 

effectiveness of culverts and bridges to pass 

aquatic organisms, FHWA Federal Lands 

Highway Division staff led an effort to 

develop a multi-stage AOP monitoring 

protocol. The protocol, which was field 

tested in 10 States, consists of a stream 

assessment based on observations and 

measurements by a multidisciplinary team 

of two or three trained staff (e.g., engineers 

and biologists) using available and easy to 

use tools. Required data includes channel 

and structure (bridge or culvert) geom

etry, slope, bed material composition, and 

features that may potentially limit passage. 

These data are collected in both up- and 

downstream channel reaches and within 

crossing structures.

-

The protocol developers created inspec

tion forms compatible with mobile plat

forms and for use on tablets or phones. 

Future users may modify the forms to suit 

their specific needs. Use of readily available 

personal equipment and mobile devices with 

GPS capabilities allows teams to quickly 

-

-

Large river crossings, such as the U.S. 101 bridge over the Elwha River in northern Washington State, present ideal 

opportunities to study river ecology, functions, and both positive and negative interactions with infrastructure. 

© 2021. Casey Kramer.

The Elwha River VR site visit provides workshop 

participants opportunities to explore several locations 

within the river to assess natural functions and 

changes resulting from two dam removals. 

Source: FHWA.

Large wood and sediment collect at the U.S. 101 

bridge piers. Changes in any river system may 

alter local conditions at highways, bridges, and 

culverts, which may necessitate assessment and 

possible remediation by infrastructure owners. 

Source: FHWA.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 15

and consistently complete multiple georef

erenced inspections per day. Teams can 

upload data directly into their database and 

generate formatted reports.

-

Assessment team members can consoli

date the collected information into a dataset 

to be used to identify sites with potential 

passage issues requiring either immediate 

action or a detailed analysis. Data may also 

be used to evaluate structure resiliency, life 

cycle costs, and other impacts to stream 

systems, and to inform improvements 

to design, construction, and mainte

nance practices.

-

-

“Although not typically part of the 

project delivery process, monitoring of 

various stream metrics is essential in under

standing how a water crossing is achieving 

project goals and functioning over time. 

The FHWA AOP monitoring protocol 

is a great tool that that brings a multidis

ciplinary team together to assess how a 

crossing allows for the natural movement 

of water, sediment, and woody material, 

which is essential for maintaining natural 

processes and passage for various aquatic 

species,” says Casey Kramer, a civil engineer 

and codeveloper of the monitoring protocol. 

“With various geomorphic settings, species 

of interest, and acceptable risks to infra

structure, designing a water crossing that 

considers these and other metrics, on a 

project-by-project basis, is critical to achieve 

project goals and provide resilient transpor

tation infrastructure to the traveling public.”

-

-

-

-

Looking Ahead

By using concepts presented by these 

resources and tools, design teams may 

enhance the resilient design and operation 

of transportation infrastructure in riverine 

settings. FHWA continues to develop 

resources for educating practitioners and 

students in the understanding, assessment, 

and application of natural river functions in 

their transportation projects. Planned future 

efforts include development of additional 

training resources and advanced assessment 

methods. For more information on R&R 

activities, please reach out to the authors or 

your FHWA hydraulic engineering point 

of contact.

ERIC R. BROWN, Ph.D., is a senior hydraulic 

engineer with the FHWA’s Office of Bridges and 

Structures, where he supports hydraulic engineer

ing program areas. Dr. Brown holds a Ph.D. in civil 

engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

-

LAURA GIRARD, P.E., MSCE, is a senior hydraulic 

engineer with the FHWA’s Resource Center, where 

she provides technical support on hydraulic 

design and modeling. Girard holds a M.S. in civil 

engineering from Colorado State University.

JAMES NEIGHORN, P.E., is the hydraulic discipline 

champion with FHWA’s Office of Federal Lands 

Highway, where he supports the hydraulic 

discipline’s program and project delivery. 

Neighorn holds a B.S. in civil engineering from 

Oregon State University.

For more information, see www.fhwa

.dot.gov/engineering/hydraulics or contact 

Eric R. Brown at 202–366–4598 or 

eric.r.brown@dot.gov.

A gravelometer is used to measure the representative 

sizes of gravels and small cobbles found on river channel 

beds. Engineers use results of sediment analyses to inform 

project designs: for example, depths of bridge foundations. 

© 2021. Casey Kramer.

Using instructions provided by the FHWA AOP 

monitoring protocol, two engineers measure 

and record flow depths through a large culvert 

with a fish friendly natural rock bottom. 

Source: FHWA.

FHWA Rivers and Roads Resources

FHWA’s latest learning resources:

• Roadway Interactions with Rivers and Floodplains: 

Basic Concepts/135096: (https://www.nhi.fhwa.dot

.gov/course-search?tab=0&cat=7&srt=10&sf=0&co

urse_no=135096). This free Web-based course from NHI 

presents fundamental river terminology and processes.

• Roadway Interactions with Rivers and 

Floodplains/135097 (available fall 2022): This 

NHI three-day, instructor-led training targets 

all transportation professionals and emphasizes 

interdisciplinary and interagency collaboration.

• A four-part Web-based training series (142081, 142082, 

142083, and 142084) on resilient highway project 

development and design (https://www.nhi.fhwa.dot

.gov/course-search?tab=0&cat=10&srt=10&sf=0&res=1). 

These free NHI Web-based courses can be completed 

as standalone training or in preparation for 142085.

• Addressing Climate Resilience in Highway Project 

Development and Preliminary Design/142085

(available summer 2022). This course represents 

current understanding of the engineering approaches, 

and underlying physical relationships, on how 

extreme weather resilience can be incorporated into 

surface transportation project decisionmaking.

• Highways in the River Environment: Roads, Rivers, and 

Floodplains/HEC-16 (available fall 2022): This reference 

manual presents practical planning, assessment, 

design and maintenance concepts, methods, and 

tools associated with river and road interactions.

• Stream Technology Immersive Learning Experience 

(STILE) workshop (available fall 2022): This 

one-day workshop will feature hands-on activities 

with a physical stream model and a VR site visit 

to a major crossing of the Elwha River.

• Field scoping/reconnaissance videos for bridges, river 

channels, culverts, and roadway drainage features (https://

www.fhwa.dot.gov/engineering/hydraulics/media.cfm).

• Riverine Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for Highway and 

Transportation Resilience: This white paper explores the 

use of riverine NBS in transportation projects and will 

inform the development of an implementation guide.

• Written procedures and forms for conducting 

assessments of culverts designed for aquatic 

organism passage (available by request).

Please contact any of the authors to discuss 

these and related FHWA resources.
16 | PUBLIC ROADS | SUMMER 2022

KEEPING AMERICA 

MOVING AND 

ACCESSIBLE

How does FLH 

meet their mission 

in adverse conditions? With 

tenacity, ingenuity, and endurance.

A winding road in Badlands 

National Park, North Dakota.

© wakr10 / AdobeStock.com.

by ADAM LARSEN and BRANDON STOKES

I

magine traveling on winding roads in the 

North Dakota Badlands, on the isolated 

forested roads of the great Northwest, 

or witnessing the raw beauty of Eastern 

California’s Death Valley at sunset. These 

may sound like stunning views or vacation 

destinations, but they could also be lonely 

roads without fuel stations, the necessary 

routes to transport freight packages in 

inclement weather, or roads to access emer

gency facilities during a wildfire. The roads 

built across the Nation’s National Parks, the 

national conservation areas managed by the 

Bureau of Land Management, and other 

wide-open spaces—including Tribal Nations 

and national forests—can become anxious 

ordeals in times of emergencies.

-

The Federal Highway Administration’s 

Office of Federal Lands Highway (FLH) 

serves as a conduit between road managers 

and the diverse population that need to 

transverse these types of roads—no matter 

the reason. So, how does FLH complete 

their mission in the face of adverse condi

tions like weather, wildfires, pandemic 

shutdowns, and other extremes? What 

fuels the FLH team to serve the public in 

all types of extreme situations? In a word, 

tenacity! Below are some descriptive actuali

ties of FLH staff overcoming challenges and 

establishing partnerships to keep America 

moving and accessible.

-

-

How Does FLH Work through the

COVID-19 Pandemic? With Ingenuity

and Virtual Reality.

FHWA is required, under Title 23 of the 

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), to 

provide oversight of functions that utilize 

Federal-aid for design; plans, specifica

tions, and estimates; contract awards; 

and inspections with respect to projects 

both on and off the National Highway 

System. Further, FHWA provides technical 

assistance to recipients of Federal-aid to 

ensure the requirements of Title 23 of the 

CFR are met.

-

Oftentimes, site visits are carried out at 

the beginning of projects to realize the proj

ects’ scope; the scope helps to determine the 

related activities, deliverables, subprojects, 

and resources associated with completing 

the project for successful execution. Site 

visits—examinations of a location’s char

acteristics to accurately design the right 

solution for the site’s context—continue 

throughout the project delivery. This 

person-to-person contact is essential for 

field verification and has been a mainstay of 

doing business; however, due to the rapid 

spread of COVID-19, visitations became 

difficult, if not impossible, to conduct.

-

-

With the COVID-19 restrictions on 

travel, staff within FLH’s Office of Tribal 

Transportation (OTT) had to find new 

ways to conduct site visits and carry out site 
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 17

Sara Yockey, a transportation planner, mounts a virtual tours camera kit 

onto the roof of her vehicle. The camera kit is easily installed onto most 

vehicles and does not require special equipment.

The virtual tours camera kit provides 360-degree video captures of the 

road and roadside features in using two lenses, one forward facing and 

one rear facing.

Source: FHWA.

inspections on projects for oversight and 

technical assistance functions. The inge

nuity of FLH staff came to the rescue so 

that projects could continue to be scoped, 

designed, and inspected—virtually. OTT 

assembled a virtual tours camera kit. They 

fashioned a camera kit so that it could be 

boxed and mailed as a package to their 

Tribal partners. The kit was equipped with 

a magnetic mount so that the camera could 

be attached securely to the roof of a moving 

vehicle to capture spherical video and 

photos of a project’s elements and surround

ings from all directions. Once the video was 

recorded, it could be played back online 

via a desktop computer or tablet. Hence, 

projects continued to be delivered despite 

the unanticipated challenge of no contact 

during the height of the pandemic.

-

-

OTT has deployed the camera kit to 

assist with project close outs, asset manage

ment, virtual road safety audits (RSAs), and 

final construction inspections. As travel 

resumes, FLH staff expect to still make 

use of the camera kit to help document 

project visits.

-

Video from a virtual tours camera kit 

is significantly better than the cell phone 

images that were traditionally used since 

video allows for 360-degree viewing—

viewing in any direction from the camera’s 

location—as if the viewer was physically on 

site. Footage from the virtual tours camera 

kits can then be used for video logs, asset 

or risk management, safety studies, grant 

applications, and more. For a project team, 

virtual tours are the next best thing for 

accomplishing tasks when an in-person visit 

is not feasible due to travel or gathering 

restrictions. “The virtual tours camera kit 

not only allows our team to visit projects 

while under travel restrictions, but it also 

provides an opportunity to obtain advice 

from experts who may otherwise not be 

available to visit the project” says Elizabeth 

Romero, program administration manager 

within the OTT.

OTT now has virtual tours camera kits 

that can be loaned to Tribal governments. 

The camera kits are sent to Tribal partners 

to mount on their vehicles for a drivethrough of a road project, or to mount 

on a tripod for capturing static images at 

various road locations. FLH processes the 

Tribes’ videos and posts them online for easy 

viewing, sharing, and overall use.

The camera kits were first deployed to 

new construction at the Navajo Nation 

where roundabouts had recently been 

installed. The virtual tours camera kit not 

only permitted FLH’s safety engineers to 

conduct oversight responsibilities, but the 

resulting video was shared and permitted 

FHWA engineers with expertise in round

about designs to weigh in virtually. The 

engineers were able to offer comments about 

the project that improved its design and the 

design of similar, future projects.

-

In like manner, a virtual RSA was 

conducted at the Tohono O’odham Nation 

in south central Arizona. The number of 

people allowed to gather at the Tohono 

O’odham Nation’s facilities was limited due 

to COVID-19 restrictions. Such restrictions 

hampered the process by which the RSA 

team seeks to meet with and gather a variety 

of input from stakeholders. Typically, input 

is collected through in-person discussions 

on how routes are managed and to review 

available data. Then, the team drives their 

vehicles on the route to pinpoint and 

examine concerns and to capture photo

graphs for an RSA findings report. For this 

virtual RSA, before its start-up or kick-off 

meeting, OTT partnered with Jeff King, 

a safety specialist at the FHWA Arizona 

Division, to capture images and publish a 

virtual tour in using a virtual tours camera 

kit. As a result, a map was generated that 

displays both crash data and links to the 

corresponding crash locations in the virtual 

tour video. This information enabled 

team members to participate in the RSA 

that would have otherwise been unable to 

contribute. Images were also extracted from 

the virtual tour for use in the report.

-

Furthermore, a crowdsourcing feature 

was added to the Tohono O’odham Nation 

study to gather input from the RSA team 

and other Tohono O’odham Nation 

stakeholders. An online data collection map 

Road Safety Audits

An RSA is the examination of an existing 

or future road or intersection by an 

independent, often multidisciplinary, team.

The goal of an RSA is to identify elements 

of the road that present a safety concern, 

and what opportunities exist to eliminate 

or mitigate the safety concern. This type 

of audit considers all potential road users, 

not only motorized traffic. Therefore, 

equitable solutions for all road users are 

considered in the final resolution options.
18 | PUBLIC ROADS | SUMMER 2022

HollyAnna Littlebull, an engineering safety traffic coordinator for the 

Yakama Nation, carries a virtual tours camera attached to a tripod on her 

way to evaluate bus stops for pedestrian safety. As COVID-19 restrictions 

taper, staff expect to still make use of the camera kit to help document 

project visits.

© Yakama Nation.

Flowchart of the virtual road safety audit process.

Source: FHWA.

(https://fhwapolicy.maps.arcgis.com/apps

/CrowdsourceReporter/index.html?appid

=3307bc8a86e14ca7b81d5487e12cffac) 

was generated. It includes a simple form 

that allows users to geospatially locate 

areas of concern, note any issues, and 

provide additional comments as well as 

files, such as photos. This functionality is 

straight-forward and simple to set up using 

typical industry solutions for geographic 

information systems (GIS).

A FLH research project entitled, 

Development of Safety and Traffic Data 

Collection System and Analysis Framework 

for Federal Lands Highway, is underway. 

This project is examining both common 

and customized solutions for using GIS to 

improve transportation safety for partner 

agencies such as Tribal Nations, Federal 

Land Management Agencies, and State and 

local governments. The project has reviewed 

current practices and research, developed 

a safety and traffic data framework and 

schema, and is currently conducting case 

studies for partners to collect and analyze 

data in support of RSAs, safety action plans, 

or other projects. For more information on 

the research project, visit https://highways.dot

.gov/federal-lands/programs-planning/studies

/safety-traffic-gis-framework.

According to Matt Hinshaw, highway 

safety engineer with FLH, using GIS-based 

tools can greatly improve the impact and 

efficiencies of safety efforts like the Tohono 

O’odham Nation is conducting. “We 

are excited about the potential for using 

GIS-based data collection and analysis tools 

to improve our partners’ ability to improve 

their safety analysis capabilities by lever

aging the data they already have, utilizing 

open-source and other publicly-avail

able tools such as the University of 

Wisconsin-Madison’s CurveFinder applica

tion, and applying our data analysis frame

work,” he says. “These tools make it easier 

to review broad road networks, especially for 

rural and often lower-volume roadways, and 

determine cost-effective systemic improve

ments that can be included as part of a 

safety action plan, RSA, and other capital or 

maintenance-type projects.”

-

-

-

-

-

How does FLH Keep

Denali National Park Accessible?

With Endurance.

FLH responds to the needs of its partner 

agencies. As such, with the National Park 

Service (NPS), FLH will supply and assign 

several dozen engineers and inspectors to 

oversee construction of a new 400-foot 

(122-meter) bridge in Alaska’s Denali 

National Park. This bridge will span the 

actively moving Pretty Rocks landslide. 

Since there is nearly 24 hours of daylight 

during summers in Alaska, FLH staff and 

contractors will work around the clock, 

full days and nights, to usher this project 

to completion, to restore road access to 

affected areas. Construction is scheduled 

to start in the summer of 2022 and be 

completed by fall of 2023. The project also 

consists of reconstructing a section of the 

park’s Denali Park Road. Ground anchors 

will likely be needed to stabilize the rock 

mass at the proposed bridge abutments—to 

achieve acceptable factors of safety—and the 

new bridge will likely require realignment 

of the Denali Park Road and excavation at 

either end of the bridge.

Construction will take place at mile

post 45.4, a section of the 92.5 miles 

(148.9 kilometers) long Denali Park Road 

that was closed to traffic due to signifi

cant changes by ongoing movement of the 

-

- The Tohono O’odham Nation Route 21 Crowdsource Reporter is an online mapping tool that displays the types of 

crashes that occurred along a particular route as well as points on the route that were documented via the virtual 

tours camera kit.

© 2022 Ersi. Created using MaxarTM imagery and data. Modifications: FHWA.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 19

Pretty Rocks in Alaska’s Denali National Park is named for the reddish-brown basalt and 

the varying rock types in a compressed site.

Source: FHWA.

The Denali Park Road is nearly 93 miles, running east to west. Locations are usually 

referred to by their mile number, meaning how many miles they are from the eastern 

end (park entrance, Mile 0). The project location is near Mile 46, Polychrome Overlook.

© NPS Image.

landslide. Rock is steadily slipping into the 

valley floor below, causing the access road to 

shift. NPS could no longer safely main

tain access, and had to close the road to all 

traffic, affecting tourists, concessionaires, 

and in-holders (landowners and lodges with 

the Kantishna community).

-

During the summer of 2021, the Pretty 

Rocks landslide, at milepost 45.4, acceler

ated from approximately 2 inches (5.1 centi

meters) per day to over 1 foot (0.3 meters) 

per day. A year prior, in the summer of 

2020, the road’s elevation dropped 30 feet 

(91 meters) over a few months. Nonetheless, 

Pretty Rocks is actually considered a rock 

glacier—a relatively slow-moving landslide.

-

-

Due to the increase in movement of 

Pretty Rocks, the remaining 47 miles of the 

Denali Park Road, beyond milepost 45.4, 

will remain inaccessible to traffic until the 

construction project is complete. Prior to 

2020, the Denali National Park received 

over 600,000 visitors annually, mostly 

accessing the road by bus. The road is still 

accessible up to the project location at 

milepost 45.4.

Conclusion:

In addition to a commitment to tenacity, 

ingenuity, and endurance, the staff of FLH 

utilize their expertise, physical strength, 

and problem-solving skills to help keep 

America accessible and moving. In the wake 

of COVID-19 travel restrictions, FLH 

performed their mission through ingenious 

solutions such as shipped camera kits and 

the use of desktop GIS-data to identify 

and remedy safety problems along roads in 

remote Tribal lands. Furthermore, engi

neers were quick to design a solution for 

a complex land glacier in Denali National 

Park so that patrons can access this national, 

treasured destination. When opportunity 

strikes, no matter the time of day, night, or 

location, FLH is there to assist its partners 

and the traveling public to reach destina

tions across the Nation with the confidence 

of a safe and reliable roadway.

-

-

ADAM LARSEN is a safety engineer within the FHWA 

Office of Tribal Transportation, providing safety 

technical assistance to Tribes and managing the 

Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund.

BRANDON STOKES, P.E., is an experienced civil engi

neer and project manager with the FHWA Office 

of Federal Lands Highway. He currently manages 

such projects as the Denali National Park and 

Reserve, the Federal Lands Access Program, and 

the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads.

-

For more information, contact Adam Larsen 

(adam.larsen@dot.gov) or Brandon Stokes 

(brandon.stokes@dot.gov).

On A Mission

The mission of the U.S. Department of 

Transportation is ensuring that America 

has the safest, most efficient, and modern 

transportation system in the world, which 

boosts our economic activity and global 

competitiveness and enhances the quality 

of life in communities both rural and urban.

The mission of the FHWA Office 

of Tribal Transportation is:

Through mutual respect and understanding, 

enhance the quality of life in Tribal 

communities by supporting the Tribes’ 

delivery of transportation programs.

For more information, visit https://highways

.dot.gov/federal-lands/programs-tribal.

Field crews from the Western Federal Lands Highway Division visit the Pretty Rocks landslide to scope potential 

remedies for the land glacier as seen on the right side of the photo extending from the road into the valley below.

Source: FHWA.
20 | PUBLIC ROADS | SUMMER 2022

ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE:

A look inside Minnesota Clean 

Energy and Connectivity Projects

MnDOT Commits to Climate Action.

A rooftop solar garden in downtown Minneapolis. 

© MnDOT.

by SIRI SIMONS, JESSICA OH, and DAVID SCOTT

I

n the words of American horticulturist Liberty Hyde Bailey, “A 

garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow 

merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive 

because someone expended effort on them.” The same can be said of 

a solar garden that harvests large amounts of electricity. 

Climate change is impacting Minnesota; the transportation 

and electric sectors are the largest two sources of carbon pollution, 

and the weather is getting warmer and wetter, including frequent, 

intense, and damaging rainfalls. The impacts can be seen across the 

State, from the increased severity and regularity of floods and wild

fires to the worsening air quality that harms public health. 

-

The use of solar energy can arrest these worsening effects of 

climate change. For this reason, solar energy projects are beneficial 

to the State of Minnesota by supporting local clean energy 

jobs, saving money on electricity costs, increasing 

resilience to extreme weather and power 

outages, identifying secondary purposes 

for right-of-way, and reducing carbon 

pollution. The Minnesota Depart

ment of Transportation (MnDOT) is 

exploring how new clean energy and 

connectivity projects can leverage the full value and productivity 

of existing highway right-of-way to meet sustainability and clean 

energy goals.

-

Past work to reduce carbon pollution has been directed by the 

Minnesota Legislature and through internal MnDOT leadership 

in related plans, goals, and performance measures. The State of 

Minnesota is not currently on track to meet emission reduction 

goals under Minnesota’s Next Generation Energy Act; the need 

to take bold action is urgent. Therefore, in 2020, MnDOT 

convened a new Sustainable Transportation Advisory Council 

(STAC), following recommendations outlined in the agency’s 2019 

Pathways to Decarbonizing Transportation in Minnesota report. 

STAC is charged with helping Minnesota transition to a low-carbon 

transportation future in a way that is consistent with statutory goals 

for energy and emissions reductions and in a way that recognizes 

the importance of continued work toward improving safety, 

reducing inequities, and supporting economic development. 

As STAC pursues bold action to reduce carbon pollution from 

the transportation sector, MnDOT is simultaneously reducing 

carbon pollution from its agency operations and supporting 

the renewable energy industry.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 21

The First Stage of Commitment

In April of 2019, the Governor of Minne

sota issued Executive Order (EO)19-27 

(

-

https://mn.gov/governor/assets/2019_04_04

_EO_19-27_tcm1055-378973.pdf) that directed 

State agencies to reduce greenhouse gas 

(GHG) emissions 30 percent from 2005 

levels by 2025 and reduce facility energy 

use 30 percent from 2017 levels by 2027. 

In late 2018, MnDOT established a chief 

sustainability officer and two sustainability 

coordinator positions in the Office of 

Sustainability to work with key partners 

and stakeholders to champion long-term, 

cost-effective investments that improve 

energy efficiency, renewable energy, 

transportation electrification, and resource 

conservation. In 2019, as a follow up action, 

MnDOT created an assistant commissioner 

role to lead a Sustainability and Public 

Health Division to address the climate crisis 

and improve public health for all Minneso

tans, especially the vulnerable populations 

who will be most impacted by the effects of 

climate change.

-

The MnDOT Sustainability and Public 

Health Division has five focus areas that 

connect back to agency and statutory 

transportation and climate goals. The focus 

areas include:

1. Reducing carbon pollution from the 

transportation sector in all modes.

2. Increasing operational efficiencies 

that support EOs, including efforts to 

reduce fuel consumption and energy 

use, and investments in solar projects.

3. Improving resilience of the 

transportation system to climate 

change and other natural 

and human disruptions.

4. Promoting public health in 

transportation decisionmaking.

5. Developing creative strategic 

partnerships with nontraditional 

partners to improve the lives of people 

and communities in Minnesota.

Community Solar Projects

To reduce GHG emissions from agency 

operations, meet agency energy needs, 

reduce long-term operational costs, support 

cost planning, and improve agency resil

ience, MnDOT is pursuing solar energy on 

its right-of-way areas and through commu

nity solar garden subscriptions. MnDOT 

holds subscriptions to two community 

solar gardens on agency property and 15 

community solar gardens off-site. One early 

effort was an agreement with a nonprofit 

community solar garden developer to install 

a 1.4 megawatt solar garden on the top of 

a large downtown Minneapolis Mobility 

Hub and parking garage, known as the ABC 

Ramps Mobility Hub. The 3,760 elevated 

solar panels in this solar garden provide 

weather coverage for vehicles without losing 

any parking spaces. MnDOT is a backup 

subscriber for 20 percent to 40 percent of 

the energy produced for 25 years, and bill 

credits offset MnDOT Metro District elec

tricity costs for lighting on Interstate 394 in 

Hennepin County. The agency saves $.01 

per kilowatt-hours of electricity generated 

by the project.

-

-

-

In 2019, MnDOT issued a request for 

proposals to purchase community solar 

garden subscriptions for facilities and 

operations serviced by the servicing elec

trical utility. In October 2019, the agency 

announced two 25-year agreements with 

local community solar garden developers 

to purchase 7.4 million kilowatt-hours 

annually from 14 different gardens within 

the State to support agency operations in 

18 counties. This is equivalent to approx

imately 24 percent of the agency’s total 

annual electricity use. “MnDOT has part

nered with private industry and nonprofits 

to support solar energy as a way to save 

money on electricity, reduce pollution, 

and lead by example in the transition to 

a low carbon economy,” says Tim Sexton, 

MnDOT’s chief sustainability officer.

-

-

-

MnDOT’s Solar Project 

Guiding Principles

As MnDOT gains more and more experi

ence in solar projects, past operations and 

successes are reviewed. From it, MnDOT 

has identified a set of guiding principles to 

promote consistency with the agency’s vision 

and mission, and to support the sustain

ability goals declared in the annual MnDOT 

Sustainability and Public Health Report. The 

following principles will evolve as more 

experience is acquired and input is received:

-

-

• Solar projects should generally be costneutral or save money for the agency.

• MnDOT may pursue solar projects 

with higher costs if the project 

supports the agency’s vision (e.g., 

improve access to renewable energy 

by low-income residents).

• Solar projects should support 

agency goals around equity and 

diversity in contracting.

• Renewable energy credits (RECs) 

should help MnDOT meet agency 

sustainability goals for renewable 

energy and to reduce carbon pollution. 

When RECs are available for a solar 

project, costs should be estimated with 

and without RECs. Decisions about 

A rooftop solar garden in downtown Minneapolis. 

© Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).

A rooftop solar garden on the ABC Ramps Mobility Hub in downtown Minneapolis. 

© MnDOT.

Solar Gardens Defined

Community Solar Gardens 

(also called Community 

Solar and CommunityShared Solar) are centrally 

located solar photovoltaic 

(PV) systems that produce 

electricity for participating 

subscribers. They are a way 

for people in Minnesota 

to benefit from solar PV 

systems without installing 

their own stand-alone 

project. Programs vary by 

utility in Minnesota; many 

cooperative utility customers 

can subscribe to a project 

owned by their local utility.
22 | PUBLIC ROADS | SUMMER 2022

A 1 megawatt community solar garden in Afton, MN. This location was formerly a gravel pit. 

© MnDOT.

purchasing RECs, or replacement 

RECs, should weigh the cost of the 

RECs against the financial viability 

of the project. Projects without RECs 

advance agency renewable energy goals 

and the spirit of EO 19-27, while 

purchasing RECs help MnDOT make 

progress toward the GHG emissions 

reduction goal in EO 19-27.

• Solar projects should offset as 

much annual average energy load 

as possible, while minimizing 

excess energy returned to the 

grid. MnDOT does not want to 

become net energy producers.

• All new building projects and roof 

upgrades should evaluate the potential 

to install cost effective solar panels.

• When MnDOT receives unsolicited 

solar proposals in MnDOT rightof-way, staff may gather additional 

information to explore new ideas. 

Once a potential project is identified, 

the agency may explore posting 

a competitive solicitation.

MnDOT worked with a second commu

nity solar garden developer to construct a 

1 megawatt community solar garden on 

agency property at a former gravel pit south 

of Interstate 94, near the city of Afton. 

Project development started in 2016 and 

was completed in fall 2020. MnDOT 

receives lease payments and subscribes to 40 

percent of the total subscriptions for energy 

produced at the site. Bill credits from this 

community garden offset electricity costs for 

the MnDOT Metro District headquarters 

building in Roseville, MN, which was the 

first ground-mounted community solar 

garden project on MnDOT-owned property. 

MnDOT is continuing to work with the 

same developer to add a second 1 megawatt 

community solar garden at the same site in 

2022. Bill credits from this garden will be 

assigned to MnDOT facilities in the Twin 

Cities area.

-

MnDOT will continue to seek out 

opportunities to support solar energy on 

and off the right-of-way. Recently, MnDOT 

installed the agency’s first solar array outside 

of utility company, Xcel Energy, territory at 

the MnDOT facility in Morris, MN. The 

150 kilowatt array demonstrates the feasi

bility of installing solar at agency headquar

ters and truck stations throughout the State. 

Going forward, the agency will update 

facility design standards for truck stations to 

include solar on new construction when it’s 

cost-effective.

-

-

MnDOT is also exploring collabora

tions with Tribal nations and other stake

holders to advance joint carbon reduction 

and economic development goals. “We’re 

exploring innovative partnership models 

that go beyond MnDOT energy needs and 

offer benefits to the State of Minnesota 

more broadly,” says Levi Brown, MnDOT’s 

director of Tribal affairs.

-

-

Advancing Clean Energy and 

Connectivity through Next 

Generation Highways

To support Federal and State goals for 

decarbonizing the economy and electri

fying transportation, additional electricity 

transmission is needed to incorporate 

renewable resources, serve new loads 

(especially for electrical vehicle (EV) 

charging) and improve grid reliability. 

Recognition of the need for investments 

in the electricity grid were apparent in the 

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act 

(IIJA), signed into law on November 15, 

2021. In 2021, MnDOT joined a feasibility 

-

Solar Garden installation at a MnDOT operations and maintenance building in Morris, MN. 

© MnDOT.

Lessons Learned from Siting Solar Gardens

• Start with underutilized right-of-way that will 

not interfere with future transportation needs.

• Consider sites with opportunities for cobenefits for air quality improvements.

• Propose strategic locations for commercial 

solar developers with high solar potential.

• Select a site that can accommodate 

native plants and pollinator habitats.

• Seek early and frequent coordination with 

solar garden developer and internal offices 

for efficient project implementation.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 23

assessment to evaluate technical and regulatory considerations for 

Next Generation Highways—highways that strategically co-locate 

buried high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission lines with 

broadband in highway right-of-way. Through its Next Generation 

Highways work, MnDOT is evaluating whether existing highway 

right-of-way can be used to accelerate the siting and permitting of 

new buried transmission lines. “The development of new transmission infrastructure can take seven to 10 years for a single large-scale 

project,” said Laura Rogers, deputy director for The Ray, MnDOT’s 

nonprofit feasibility assessment partner. “Our roadsides are part of 

the solution hiding in plain sight. By leveraging the public rightof-way for transmission siting, we can expedite the grid expansion 

that we need to support connected and electric transportation.” The 

development timeline for electrical transmission must be reduced 

for Minnesota to have the electric grid it needs for government, 

people, and businesses to achieve their climate goals. The NextGen 

Highways Workgroup believes that the decade-long transmission 

development timeline could be reduced to five years or less through 

the siting of buried HVDC transmission in interstates and other 

existing highway rights-of-way. Notably, there is significant societal 

value to be realized from this reduction in the permitting timeline 

for a typical large-scale transmission project.

MnDOT activated a NextGen Highways workgroup with more 

than a dozen offices including Utility Accommodation, Intelligent 

Transportation Systems (ITS), Right of Way, and Connected and 

Autonomous Vehicles to evaluate the safety, statutory environment, 

and long-term planning implications of this model. It became 

immediately clear that this analysis could align many different 

internal planning efforts to leverage highway right-of-way to 

meet future needs—connected and autonomous ITS investments, 

EV charging infrastructure, and State fiber assets—in a strategic 

way. MnDOT, like many State departments of transportation, 

has a prohibition on longitudinal utilities in controlled access 

environments. Allowing a buried transmission line in interstate 

rights-of-way would be a significant shift in policy for MnDOT.

“Nationally, interest in these alternative uses of rights-of-way 

to support modernizing the grid and decarbonization goals is 

increasing. Leveraging existing highway rights-of-way for clean 

energy and connectivity projects are attracting the attention of 

the Department of Energy and USDOT to address insufficient 

transmission capacity and the need for a more resilient electric grid 

in the United States” Sexton says.

Several considerations are central to MnDOT’s analysis, 

including addressing future utility relocation expenses, publicprivate partnership models, siting limitations, and maximizing 

dig-once coordination for additional State fiber needs. The analysis, 

or feasibility assessment, has underscored the need for coordination 

among other State agencies including the Public Utilities 

Commission (PUC) and the Minnesota Department of Commerce. 

MnDOT is evaluating how it’s jurisdictional authority over highway 

right-of-way interacts with the transmission siting and permitting 

process conducted by the PUC and Department of Commerce. The 

assessment was published in April 2022 (https://www.buildngi.com 

/work-1/nextgen-highways) and additional short-term actions include 

more coordination with statewide broadband expansion plans, 

updates to MnDOT utility accommodation policies and process, 

and analyzation of priority corridors to pilot the co-location of fiber 

with buried HVDC transmission lines.

SIRI SIMONS is the sustainability program supervisor in MnDOT’s Division 

of Sustainability and Public Health. She leads and coordinates statewide 

transportation sustainability efforts, including the Clean Transportation 

Pilot Program, statewide EV planning, and the Governor’s Climate Change 

Subcabinet - Transportation Action Team.

JESSICA OH is MnDOT’s strategic partnerships director in the Sustainability 

and Public Health division. In her role, she facilitates public-private 

partnerships supporting quality of life, public health, alternative uses of 

right-of-way, and clean energy and connectivity projects.

DAVID SCOTT is the deputy division administrator with the FHWA Minnesota 

Division and oversees general operations. He holds a B.S. in civil engineering 

from the University of Massachusetts.

For more information, see http://www.dot.state.mn.us/sustainability/, 

http://www.dot.state.mn.us/sustainability/solar.html, and http://www.dot 

.state.mn.us/sustainability/docs/2019-sustainability-report.pdf, or you 

may contact David Scott (david.scott@dot.gov; 651-291-6103) or 

Siri Simons (siri.simons@state.mn.us; 651-366-4834).

Next Generation Highways. 

© NGI Consulting. Graphic created by FHWA.

Burying transmission lines will prove beneficial and could support clean energy efforts. 

© libin / AdobeStock.com.
24 | PUBLIC ROADS | SUMMER 2022

Exploring the 

Transportation Pooled Fund Program—

Advancing Research and Innovation Through Collaboration

The TPF Program helps to solve common transportation problems at a fraction 

of the cost by leveraging partnerships across the transportation sector.

by PATRICIA SERGESON

We are in an unprecedented time of opportunity and need in transportation. Following the enactment of the Bipart

isan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law in November 

2021, identifying proven research, innovation, and new technol

ogies to meet the pressing needs of the transportation sector has 

become even more important. Transportation stakeholders face 

a multitude of issues from safety concerns to bridge degradation. 

Many of these issues are not unique to one area or agency. The 

Transportation Pooled Fund (TPF) Program provides an opportu

nity for stakeholders to address common concerns by collaborating 

to leverage resources, funding, and expertise to study projects of 

common interest.

-

-

-

The research and innovation conducted through the TPF 

Program not only helps address stakeholders’ shared transportation 

problems, but also advances the state of practice. One of the 

Federal Highway Administration’s strategic goals is to “lead in 

the development and deployment of innovative practices and 

technologies to improve the safety and performance of the 

Nation’s transportation system.” This goal is further described in 

the U.S. Department of Transportation’s innovation principles, 

including allowing for experimentation and failure, providing 

opportunities to collaborate, and being flexible and adaptable as 

technology changes. FHWA is helping to accelerate this goal and 

the innovation principles through its investment and facilitation 

of the TPF Program. Many TPF studies have produced research, 

new innovations, or best practices that were later adopted and 

institutionalized around the world. The TPF Program has 

demonstrated that it helps to save time and resources, increases 

knowledge transfer, and produces proven research and innovations 

that improve the state of the practice.

What is the TPF Program?

The TPF Program is a collaborative program that has existed for 

more than 45 years. It creates an opportunity for partners to pool 

their funds, subject matter expertise, and resources to conduct high 

priority research to meet a wide variety of shared transportation 

problems. Being able to pool funds allows participants to get more 

out of the study than if they conducted the study on their own. 

By pooling funds and expertise, participants develop innovative 

solutions with a smaller investment while also extending the reach 

and impact of their research. Projects that previously could have 

been cost prohibitive become much more achievable through 

participation in the TPF Program. By offering hundreds of active 

pooled fund studies, the TPF Program assists partners in finding 

and funding projects applicable to their agency’s needs.

Since 2003, the TPF Program has processed more than $615 

million in collaborative funding. As of February 2022, there were 

over 167 active projects and 10 open solicitations. One hundred 
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 25

The Transportation Pooled Fund Program enables State departments of transportation, and other public and private entities, to combine resources to address transportation-related 

challenges. By combining efforts and resources on high-priority highway research topics such as high friction surface pavement treatments, steel bridge maintenance, and 

bicyclist and pedestrian safety, our Nation’s transportation agencies can advance solutions that stimulate economic growth, advance equity, and improve safety.

Source: FHWA.

fourteen of those active projects were led by State departments of 

transportation (DOTs) and 53 were led by FHWA, and span a wide 

array of topic areas. The diverse topics allow transportation partners 

to remain nimble and focus on solving their specific transportation 

issues while stretching their funds to learn about a wide array of 

topic areas.

TPF Program by the Numbers

TPF Program 

Area Total FHWA State DOT

Active projects 167 53 114

Total funding 

(active and 

closed projects)

$614,886,428 $236,479,186 $378,407,242

Total active 

project funding $319,206,130 $133,310,351 $185,895,779

Open 

solicitations 10 0 10

Completed 

projects 446 177 269

An overview of the TPF Program funding and current projects.

Source: FHWA.

This graphic demonstrates the wide diversity of research and 

innovation topics that are studied in the TPF Program.

Source: FHWA.
26 | PUBLIC ROADS | SUMMER 2022

Save Time 

and Resources

One of the greatest benefits of 

the TPF Program is the ability 

to leverage limited funds and increase a 

partner’s return on investment (ROI). By 

pooling funds, some agencies are able to 

participate in larger-scale research efforts 

that would otherwise not be feasible. 

Through collaborative partnerships, agencies 

can solve shared problems at a fraction of 

the cost of conducting the research alone.

Iowa DOT’s participation in the TPF 

Program is one example of successful collab

orative partnerships. Iowa DOT currently 

works with more than 48 State partners 

on their 20 active pooled fund projects. By 

working with these partners, Iowa DOT has 

documented that the average pooled fund 

returns a benefit of 18 times greater than its 

cost to Iowa DOT.

-

“Iowa DOT is always on the lookout 

for new materials, methods, and technolo

gies that can help improve safety, increase 

efficiency, and save money. However, 

transportation research projects can be 

expensive, and often Iowa is interested 

in lines of inquiry that might duplicate 

efforts of other States with similar needs. 

By sharing the research cost and oversight 

with other State DOTs through the Federal 

TPF Program, Iowa DOT has found a way 

to get the best of both worlds: cutting-edge 

research within an established budget,” says 

Khyle Clute, Iowa DOT State planning and 

research engineer.

-

Iowa DOT has found that without 

participating in these pooled fund studies, 

it would take 67 years to fund the same 

amount of research. Pooled Fund studies 

help partners to join together and share the 

benefits of the research results.

Washington State DOT (WSDOT) 

also explained the value and benefit of 

their participation in the TPF Program. 

“WSDOT participated in a total of 38 

transportation research pooled funds of all 

sizes in FY 2020, contributing $2,126,500 

to the $51,364,973, raised by the collective 

effort of participating States and others for 

these projects,” says Jon Peterson, multi

modal research manager, research and 

library services for WSDOT’s transportation 

safety and systems analysis division. “By 

combining our funds with the other States, 

in return for every $1 dollar of pooled 

fund investment during this time period, 

WSDOT benefitted from an estimated $24 

dollars of research power, sparking innova

tion, and enabling us to implement new, 

promising techniques into agency processes 

and project design.”

-

-

While the specific ROI varies by partner, 

WSDOT and Iowa DOT are both great 

examples of how States can use limited 

funding to meet their needs through partici

pation in the TPF Program.

-

Partnerships 

and Collaboration

Another advantage of joining the 

TPF Program is the knowledge 

transfer that occurs via partnerships and 

collaboration. Every TPF study is assigned 

an FHWA subject matter expert in that 

research topic area. In addition, each study 

forms a Technical Advisory Committee that 

includes agency representatives and subject 

matter experts from all partners. This allows 

for knowledge and technology transfer 

across staff at different agencies. Participants 

are able to learn from each others’ experi

ence and form connections that not only 

can assist with that specific research but 

also benefit in other areas as well.

-

The Smart Work Zone Deploy

ment Initiative (SWZDI), study 

number TPF-5(295), is a great example 

of the benefits that come through the 

partnerships and collaboration of the TPF 

Program. Partners have built momentum 

from the relationships developed by sharing 

experiences and lessons learned. SWZDI 

partners include State DOTs, universities, 

State Local Technical Assistance Programs 

(LTAPs), and industry professionals.

-

In 2019, there were 762 crashes related 

to work zones and 842 fatalities, according 

to data from the National Work Zone 

Safety Information Clearinghouse on 

the American Road & Transportation 

Builders Association’s website. SWZDI has 

leveraged partnerships to produce more 

than 90 studies, evaluations, and research 

products addressing safety and mobility in 

work zones. The study topics change every 

year to adapt to the most pressing safety 

needs of the different partners. For a list of 

completed SWZDI studies from 2000 to 

2022, visit https://swzdi.intrans.iastate.edu

/research/completed/. One example of the 

completed research is the use of portable 

variable speed limit signs to improve safety 

and operational efficiency. The goal of this 

system is to provide a dynamic means to 

reduce speeds as needed in active construc

tion zones.

-

Other topics studied include driveway 

assistance devices, autonomous/connected 

vehicles in work zones, a smartphone-based 

prototype system for incident work zone 

management driven by crowd-sourced 

data, evaluation of temporary work zone 

pavement markings, and many more. The 

TPF SWZDI study has served as a research 

arm to help solve common problems of the 

partner agencies.

“The SWZDI pooled fund provides 

an approach for members to do initial or 

follow-up explorations of tools, technol

ogies, and methodologies that may help 

improve the mobility and safety of work 

zones,” says Iowa LTAP Director and 

SWZDI Program Manager Keith Knapp. 

“It also provides a venue for member States 

to network, collaborate, and communicate 

-

Example of a warning sign used in traffic control zones.

Source: FHWA.

“By sharing the 

research cost and 

oversight with other 

State DOTs through the 

Federal TPF Program, 

Iowa DOT has found a 

way to get the best of 

both worlds: cuttingedge research within 

an established budget.”
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 27

about their experiences, needs, and 

approaches with a wide range of existing 

and proposed work zone issues.”

Partnerships across agencies, like 

those formed in the SWZDI study, help 

with continuity. Many organizations and 

agencies have consistent staff turnover and 

changes. TPF studies provide a means for 

new staff at those organizations to learn 

through documented past challenges and 

lessons learned, and by meeting other 

subject matter experts who can share their 

institutional knowledge. SWDZI members 

have also seen this benefit.

Another great example of using part

nerships and collaborations to move 

innovation forward is the Evaluation of 

Low-Cost Safety Improvements Pooled 

Fund Study (ELCSI–PFS), study number 

TPF-5(317). This study has one of the 

largest participation rates, with more than 

43 partner agencies.

-

“This pooled fund study has been 

invaluable to both MDOT (Michigan 

DOT) and the staff in the safety programs 

High friction surface treatments, one of the proven low-cost 

safety countermeasures studied by TPF-5(317), reduces 

crashes at horizontal curves up to 48 percent.

© 2020 The Transtec Group, Inc.

“This pooled fund study has been 

invaluable to both MDOT and the 

staff in the safety programs area.”

The Low-Cost Safety Improvements Study works with more than 43 partner agencies.

Source: FHWA.
28 | PUBLIC ROADS | SUMMER 2022

area. The annual meeting allows various 

staff members to learn about new and 

improved low-cost safety improvements 

and, more importantly, to network and 

learn from fellow DOTs and researchers,” 

says Mark Bott, engineer of traffic and 

safety for MDOT.

Through collaboration, the study 

has issued over 60 publications studying 

low-cost safety countermeasures.

Institutionalizing Proven 

Innovations and 

Best Practices

The research produced by 

partners in the TPF Program has helped 

to influence and improve the state of the 

practice. Several studies have produced 

research and innovations that have been 

later adopted as an institutionalized best 

practice. The ELCSI study has helped to 

document safety solutions for budgets 

of all sizes. While some countermeasures 

may appear to be minimal, they have 

been proven to reduce crashes. With an 

estimated 36,096 traffic-related deaths in 

2019, this study helps evaluate potential 

low-cost improvements by their benefit 

to cost ratio, overall effectiveness, and 

other technical information (material, 

design, and construction). The proven 

research, technologies, and innovations 

from the study have been incorporated 

as institutionalized best practices across 

the country. Countermeasures such as 

wrong-way alert systems, mumble strips, 

increased retroreflectivity, improved curve 

delineation, and many more are included in 

some of the published reports.

“ELCSI will continue to be pertinent 

and valuable to highway practitioners and 

stakeholders for years to come,” says Roya 

Amjadi, research highway safety specialist, 

FHWA’s Office of Safety Research & 

Development.

Another TPF study that stakeholders 

have seen benefits from is the Transpor

tation Avalanche Research Pool (TARP), 

study number TPF-5(337). The TARP 

study explores research related to avalanche 

mitigation equipment to improve the safety 

and efficiency of highway transportation 

in mountain corridors. Reducing the 

avalanche hazard to transportation corri

dors is crucial to the winter operations of 

agencies around the world. Participation 

in this study includes State DOTs and 

international partners facing similar pressing 

avalanche hazard issues. TARP has studied 

various remote avalanche control systems 

to perform hazard mitigation without any 

needed human interaction.

-

-

“TARP is one of the most successful 

The Transportation Avalanche Research Pool study evaluated avalanche mitigation 

technology that uses a hydrogen/oxygen gas mixture housed inside an open cone shell 

to create pin-point explosions to trigger avalanches. The structure is semipermanent 

and positioned in known avalanche start areas before the snow season begins.

© 2019 Colorado Department of Transportation.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 29

The TPF-5(337) study looked at the effectiveness of remote avalanche control 

systems to reduce avalanche hazards along highway corridors.

© 2019 Colorado Department of Transportation.

The TCD Consortium Pooled Fund study 

has led to changes that have been 

incorporated into the MUTCD. The MUTCD 

establishes the minimum traffic control 

device standards to ensure uniformity of 

traffic control devices across the Nation.

Source: FHWA.

pooled funds I have participated in, and 

having international partners adds a lot of 

perspective and value to our group,” says 

Jamie Yount, winter operations program 

manager at Colorado DOT. “TARP 

brings almost all of the highway avalanche 

programs in North America together for a 

strong collaborative effort that has produced 

valuable research that has delivered mean

ingful results on the highway.”

-

Many of the innovations identified in 

the TPF-5(337) study have been further 

developed and implemented in mountain 

corridors around the world. According to 

one of TARP’s international partners, “We 

(Milford Roads) find the TARP work hugely 

valuable, and many innovations discussed 

or developed there [are ones] we have 

picked up or developed further,” says Kevin 

Thompson, Milford Road alliance manager, 

Fiordland, New Zealand.

Research conducted through TPF studies 

allows for States to stay agile and adopt 

some of the most current up-to-date inno

vations and best practices. For example, the 

Traffic Control Device (TCD) Consortium, 

study number TPF-5(447) demonstrates 

how research can continue to adapt to 

the needs of transportation agencies. The 

purpose of the TCD study is to address 

emerging traffic control device (TCD) 

research needs by evaluating the efficacy 

of novel TCDs for potential incorporation 

into the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control 

Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) 

to best meet agencies’ changing needs.

-

“The TCD Pooled Fund study provides 

a venue for collaboration and information 

sharing among members,” says Laura Mero, 

FHWA research psychologist.

The TPF-5(447) study conducts cutting 

edge research to provide local and State 

agencies with a faster response to both their 

existing TCD needs, as well as emerging 

needs brought on by new technologies.

“The TCD Consortium Pooled Fund 

Study has proven to be an invaluable 

mechanism for providing timely, efficient 

human factors evaluation of a variety of 

new concepts and applications for the 

MUTCD,” say FHWA’s Martin (Marty) 

Calawa, transportation specialist, and Kevin 

Sylvester, lead transportation specialist. 

“A great number of changes found in the 

2009 MUTCD were supported by the 

results of this Pooled Fund project, as well as 

a number of interim approvals, so that road 

users could benefit without having to wait 

for the next edition of the MUTCD,” say 

Calawa and Sylvester.

The TCD Consortium Pooled Fund 

study results have led to significant changes 

that have been incorporated into the 
30 | PUBLIC ROADS | SUMMER 2022

MUTCD, influencing design and construc

tion standards across the country.

-

These studies are examples of the great 

work that is being done through collabora

tion and partnerships in the TPF Program. 

More details about study results are posted 

to an interactive TPF website at 

-

https://www

.pooledfund.org/. The posted results not only 

benefit those that are part of the TPF study, 

but also other partners that would like to 

learn about the topic.

Program Participation

For interested participants, TPF studies 

must be initiated and led by either a State 

DOT or FHWA. The TPF Program is 

unique in that it allows for a wide variety 

of partners to participate and collaborate. 

For example, the program embraces public/

private partnerships and international 

organization participation. The following 

types of agencies are encouraged to join as 

study partners:

• FHWA.

• State DOTs.

• Federal agencies.

• Regional and local agencies.

• Academic institutions.

• Associations.

• Private industry.

• Foreign entities in positive standing 

with the U.S. Government.

Looking to the Future

The TPF Program has produced high value 

research and innovations that have been 

adopted and institutionalized by partner 

agencies around the world. It serves as a 

great resource to leverage limited funds to 

address important transportation issues. 

Through collaboration, transportation agen

cies can adapt as technology changes, experi

ment, learn from failures, reduce duplicate 

research practices, build on each other’s 

successes and expertise, and improve the 

transportation system. The TPF Program is 

excited for the future research that will be 

conducted to address stakeholders’ needs 

and improve the transportation system.

-

-

To help support this future research, 

there will be enhancements to the TPF 

website, updated manuals, and new training 

on the TPF process. Also, a biennial TPF 

Excellence Award will be launched, which 

will recognize two TPF studies each cycle 

that have made a significant impact toward 

advancing national research efforts through 

meaningful partnerships and collaboration. 

The award will be a great opportunity to 

highlight the work achieved through the 

TPF Program.

New solicitations and projects are 

posted every month on the TPF website, 

as well as updated resources for the 

program and opportunities to help meet 

your agency’s needs and goals. For more 

information about initiating a Pooled 

Fund study and viewing a list of open 

solicitations, visit the TPF website at 

https://www.pooledfund.org/ or contact Tricia 

Sergeson at patricia.sergeson@dot.gov.

PATRICIA SERGESON, MPA, PMP, is the TPF program 

manager and State planning and research, 

subpart B funding point of contact with FHWA’s 

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in 

McLean, VA. She has a master’s degree from 

Rutgers University in public administration, and 

two bachelor’s degrees—one in political science 

and another in foreign languages (Spanish) from 

Washington State University.

TPF Global Partner Participation

 CANADA

Alberta

• City of Edmonton

British Columbia

• 360° Networks, Vancouver

• BC Hydro, Vancouver

• British Columbia Ministry of 

Transportation & Infrastructure, Nelson

• Greater Vancouver Area

• Transport Canada, Richmond

Manitoba

• Manitoba Infrastructure, Winnipeg

• Manitoba Transportation, Winnipeg

Ontario

• Greater Toronto Area

• Ontario Ministry of Transportation, 

St. Catherine

• Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston

• Transport Canada, Ottawa

Quebec

• Quebec Ministry of 

Transportation, Quebec City

Saskatchewan

• International Road Dynamics, 

INC, Saskatoon

 NETHERLANDS

• HITEC, Amsterdam

 NEW ZEALAND

• Milford Road, Dunedin

 TURKEY

• GanTek, Istanbul

 UNITED KINGDOM

• University of Nottingham

The Transportation Pooled Fund Program collaborates with partners all over the world.

Source: FHWA.
Cooperative driving automation (CDA) research is the key to creating a safer and more efficient transportation 

system. The CARMA product suite provides the necessary software to enable this research. 

All four products (CARMA CloudSM, CARMA PlatformSM, CARMA Streets, and CARMA Messenger) work together 

with V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) Hub, a separate system that enables networked, wireless communications 

between automated vehicles, infrastructure devices, and personal communications devices. 

These tools are available online for collaboration and are currently being used in a set of research tracks 

examining the impact of CDA on traffic, reliability, and freight operations.

CARMA Cloud is a set of cloud-based, open-source software 

services enabling communication and cooperation between 

cloud services, vehicles, infrastructure, and road users. 

CARMA Streets is an infrastructure-based system that allows automated 

vehicles to share information with other vehicles and infrastructure to 

enable cooperation and improve transportation operations and safety.

CARMA Platform is a vehicle-based platform that enables 

automated vehicles to interact and cooperate with road elements, 

such as other vehicles, infrastructure, and pedestrians.

CARMA Messenger is a vehicle-based system for nonautomated vehicles, and enables their communication with 

other road entities to allow participation in the CDA network.

Download CARMA products at https://github.com/usdot-fhwa-stol.

Learn more at https://highways.dot.gov/research/operations/CARMA-products.

CARMASM Products Pioneer Cooperative 

Driving Automation Research
32 | PUBLIC ROADS | SUMMER 2022

Along the Road is the place to look for information about current and upcoming activities, developments, trends, and items of general interest to the 

highway community. This information comes from U.S. Department of Transportation sources unless otherwise indicated. Your suggestions and input 

are welcome. Let’s meet along the road.

ALONG THE ROAD

PANDA is expected to extend FHWA’s capabilities by using diverse 

research findings to address the varied needs of FHWA’s disciplines.

© DedMityay / AdobeStock.com.

Along the Road is the place to look for information about current and upcoming activities, developments, trends, and items of general interest to the 

highway community. This information comes from U.S. Department of Transportation sources unless otherwise indicated. Your suggestions and input 

are welcome. Let’s meet along the road.

Public Information and Information Exchange

FHWA’s PANDA to Advance Data-Driven Innovation

The Path to Advancing Novel Data Analytics (PANDA) is a data science laboratory being established at the Federal Highway 

Administration’s Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in 

McLean, VA. PANDA will be both a physical and virtual space, 

providing access to cutting edge analytic tools—including artifi

cial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)—for research 

across multiple transportation disciplines. FHWA personnel, other 

agencies, and external partners can utilize PANDA to conduct 

research using their own data or Federal datasets. “It is commend

able that a government agency is leading in establishing an AI/ML 

lab, which is usually done by private industry,” says Vidya Mysore, 

a senior multi-disciplinary program specialist at the FHWA 

Resource Center.

-

-

PANDA will enable testing and application of new and novel 

analytic techniques developed through other research efforts. 

Though PANDA will be a neutral site where traditional and 

non-traditional data sources are tested and where analytics will 

be segregated so that there’s no interference with normal IT 

operations, PANDA is expected to extend FHWA’s capabilities by 

using the diverse research findings to address the varied needs of 

FHWA’s disciplines.

Two projects are underway to establish PANDA. The Minimum 

Viable Product project and the Initial Operating Capability project 

will provide a connection to the U.S. Department of Transporta

tion’s common operating environment and cloud-based analytics 

tools, and will provide means for cataloging use-cases into datasets, 

respectively. The common operating environment standardizes IT 

across USDOT and promotes consistent cybersecurity practices. 

The Initial Operating Capability project will be developed span

ning FHWA’s Infrastructure Research and Development (R&D), 

Operations R&D, Safety R&D, Transportation Policy Studies, 

Highway Policy Information, Freight Management, Environment 

and Planning disciplines.

-

-

FHWA will initially operate the PANDA lab for two years after 

its opening in 2022. A report will then be produced, summarizing 

the operation of PANDA, lessons learned, and research conducted.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 33

Keep It Moving: New Mexico’s First 

Continuous Flow Intersection

New Mexico’s U.S. Route 550 (U.S. 550) Corridor is a welltraveled, local, and regional roadway. In November 2021, the 

New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) reached a 

significant milestone on this roadway with the debut of the State’s 

first ever continuous flow intersection (CFI)—an accomplishment 

two years in the making.

New Mexico’s CFI was strategically placed at an intersection 

on U.S. 550—between New Mexico State Road (NM) 313 

and NM 528—to improve traffic flow and 

reduce congestion. The CFI is also projected 

to contribute to the economic development of 

surrounding areas like Bernalillo, Santa Ana 

Pueblo, and Rio Rancho.

With the use of new traffic signals, the CFI 

uses a green light to allow southbound traffic 

and northbound traffic to turn left and safely 

cross oncoming traffic—concurrently, a red light 

signals oncoming traffic to stop. Eastbound and 

westbound traffic navigate into newly built lanes 

on the far left-hand side of U.S. 550. North

bound turning vehicles will no longer have to 

stop at the intersection and can continuously flow 

into traffic.

-

Because this CFI is the State’s first, NMDOT 

developed a driver education video (https://www

.youtube.com/watch?v=bHiN6yhHGOo) and simula

tions to help drivers become more familiar with 

the intersection. For more information on the 

U.S. 550 project, visit 

-

https://keepmoving550.com/

Screenshot from an educational video NMDOT published to help drivers understand how the State’s first 

continuous flow intersection works.

@ NMDOT.

PennDOT Updates 511PA, Adding Charging 

Stations and Customizable Alerts

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) recently updated 511PA—a free, 24/7 

traveler information service designed to provide detailed and 

reliable traffic, transit, and weather. More specifically, 511PA 

offers news on roadway and bridge closures, weather alerts 

and forecasts, rest facility locations, active roadwork, live 

traffic cams, and more.

With the latest updates to 511PA, PA motorists are able to 

create even more personalized alerts, including selecting the 

type of alerts they would like to receive versus receiving all 

alerts. Categories include incidents, roadwork, general travel 

information, travel restrictions, and weatherrelated alerts.

Commercial drivers can benefit from two enhancements 

tailored to their needs. 511PA now includes locations for 

all bridges under legal height (less than 13 feet, 6 inches or 

4 meters, 15 centimeters). This information can be viewed 

on the 511PA web map and is also available as an alert that 

can be heard in drive mode in using the 511PA mobile 

app. Another added feature in the mobile app is the ability 

to obtain alerts based on a driver’s mode of transportation, 

whether it is a commercial or passenger vehicle. If commer

cial vehicle is selected, low-bridge and vehicle restrictions 

reports are turned on in drive mode by default.

-

511PA now also allows users to search for electric vehicle 

charging stations by connector type.

Information from 511PA can be accessed in several 

ways—by phone, the 511PA mobile app, social media, and 

online at https://www.511pa.com/.

511PA offers news on roadway and bridge closures, weather alerts, rest facility locations, live 

traffic cams, and more.

© PennDOT.
34 | PUBLIC ROADS | SUMMER 2022

Technical News

FHWA BIM for Infrastructure Study 

Examines Better Project Delivery

The Federal Highway Administration’s Global Benchmarking Program (GBP) champions the usage of proven, global 

technology innovations and best practices that improve highway 

transportation. One such innovation and best practice is Building 

Information Modeling (BIM)—a collaborative, digital approach 

for optimizing the design, construction, and life cycle of a project.

Once considered just for buildings, BIM is rapidly gaining 

acceptance in the building of transportation structures (e.g., 

highway and bridges), known as BIM for Infrastructure. With 

BIM, projects are built virtually and in real life, which enables 

the recognition of mistakes or challenges early on and the 

visualization of solutions. Upon completion of the project, the 

structure becomes part of a virtual collection of the asset data that 

an organization can use for future construction, decisionmaking, 

maintenance, operations, and asset management.

FHWA completed a National Strategic Roadmap (https://www

.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/pavements/21064

/index.cfm) of structured activities to advance BIM for Infrastruc

ture in the United States. This effort has been followed up with 

a pooled fund, TPF-5(480), that will build off the foundational 

work charted within the roadmap.

-

A recent GBP study documented how six foreign nations and 

their public agencies use BIM to better deliver transportation proj

ects, manage assets, and provide related services. In studying these 

nations—the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, 

and the United Kingdom—GBP noted several key components 

and lessons for successful BIM implementation. Its benefits were 

recorded as well: cost savings and cost avoidance in the design, 

construction, and operations phases of a project; improved asset 

information, storage, and accessibility; and improved strategic 

transportation project planning.

-

For more information on the international study, visit 

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure

/pavements/22048/22048.pdf. For more information on 

TPF-5(480), visit https://www.pooledfund.org/Details/Study/707.

Internet Watch

Crash Reports Now Available Online through NDDOT

I

n March 2022, the North Dakota Department of Transporta

tion (NDDOT) began offering a more rapid way of receiving 

crash reports.

-

Available at https://www.dot.nd.gov/crashreport, an 

online delivery system replaces the State’s former, 

more time-consuming process, where request forms 

were printed, filled out, signed, and sent by mail to 

NDDOT. Now, insurance companies, law firms, 

citizens, and other individuals involved in vehicle 

crashes within the State, can obtain State of North 

Dakota crash reports, virtually instantaneously. When 

using the online service, at least two of the following 

pieces of data are required: The date of the crash, the 

motorist’s last name, and the county the crash occurred. 

To further narrow large yielding results, users can enter 

in additional information such as the license plate 

number of the vehicle involved in the crash.

The online delivery system, however, only 

provides reports for traffic crashes that are reportable 

to NDDOT; a reportable crash in North Dakota is 

defined as a motor vehicle traffic crash which results 

in injury, fatality, or at least $4,000 in total property 

damage. This definition also comes with an exception: Crashes 

involving undomesticated animals (deer, bison, bear, wolf, moose, 

etc.) where no injury or fatality occurs, regardless of the property 

damage amount, are not reportable.

BIM for Infrastructure life cycle for projects that use a design-bid-build contracting.

© 2016 Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. 

Modified by FHWA to include U.S. practices and life cycle phases and to reflect specific 

report recommendations.

Insurance companies, law firms, citizens, and other individuals involved in reportable vehicle crashes 

within North Dakota can now obtain crash reports online.

© NDDOT.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 35

TRAINING UPDATE

Online NHI training provides transportation professionals 

with courses on bridge scour and stream stability.

© 2015. Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.

Scour and Stability Highway Bridge Trainings are Now Virtual

by STAN WORONICK and SABRINA SYLVESTER

President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or 

BIL, on November 15, 2021. This statute supports investment in 

infrastructure, which includes roads, highways, and bridges.

As we work toward cultivating the Nation’s infrastructure, 

improving the stability and structure of highway bridges is 

imperative to the safety of our community. The Federal Highway 

Administration’s National Highway Institute (NHI) has converted 

three comprehensive courses into an online format. The courses 

will provide transportation professionals with the best methods to 

create stable and sustainable highway bridges.

Achieving Stream Stability and Scour Success 

on our Nation’s Highway Bridges

NHI now offers three virtual instructor-led trainings (VILTs) for 

bridge inspectors and engineers that focus on the various scour and 

stream instability concepts, analysis techniques, and scour counter

measure designs for the riverine and bridge environment. The VILTs 

will explain how to identify countermeasures for stream instability 

and scour, and also describe a Plan of Action for scour critical 

bridges. These VILTs will provide transportation professionals with 

the knowledge to effectively improve highway bridge structures. 

-

Stream Stability and Scour at Highway 

Bridges (FHWA-NHI-135046V)

This comprehensive, virtual training provides methods to 

identify, analyze, and calculate various hydraulic factors that 

impact bridge stability. During the course, learners will identify 

stream types, recognize indicators of instability issues, and conduct 

an analysis of stream stability. They will also define and compute 

various types of scour, describe a Plan of Action for scour critical 

bridges, and describe open-channel hydraulics concepts in bridge 

scour and stream stability.

Stream Stability and Scour at Highway Bridges 

for Bridge Inspectors (FHWA-MHI-135047V)

Designed specifically for bridge inspectors, this online hydrau

lics course is a concentrated version of Stream Stability and Scour 

at Highway Bridges (FHWA-NHI-135046V). This course explains 

how to detect hydraulic-related issues at highway bridges. Partici

pants will learn the effects of steam instability, scour, erosion, and 

stream aggradation and degradation, as well as identifying effective 

scour countermeasures. The training focuses on visual cues to 

detecting scour and stream instability problems and introduces 

portable scour monitoring instrumentation. Participants have the 

option of taking the course independently or as a group. 

-

-

Countermeasure Design for Bridge Scour 

and Stream Instability (FHWA-NHI-135048V)

This course provides an overview of scour countermeasures for 

stream instability and scour. Participants will learn how to correct 

stream instability and scour issues and apply hydraulics analysis 

techniques to countermeasure design to reduce the risk of scour to 

the Nation’s bridges. 

Prerequisite Information

Course participants should be familiar with the fundamen

tals of stream stability and scour before taking any of the virtual 

instructor-led hydraulics courses listed. Consequently, NHI offers 

the following Web-based, on demand training at no cost to partici

pants, as prerequisite courses:

-

-

• Stream Stability Factors and Concepts (FHWA-NHI-135086)

• Scour at Highway Bridges: Concepts and Definitions 

(FHWA-NHI-135087)

How to Attend or Host a Course

NHI invites professionals interested in earning continuing 

education units or professional development hours to visit http://

bit.ly/NHIHome and browse the complete digital course catalog. The 

catalog lists over 400 courses in 19 program areas. 

To sign up for email alerts and to see when a particular course 

session is available, visit the description page for that course and 

then click on the “Sign Up for Session Alerts” link. 

Interested hosts can submit a host request form or find more 

information about hosting NHI courses by visiting https://www.nhi

.fhwa.dot.gov/training/host.aspx?. 

NHI is an approved Accredited Provider by the International 

Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). As 

an IACET Accredited Provider, NHI offers continuing education 

units for its programs that qualify under the American National 

Standards Institute/IACET Standard.

STAN WORONICK is a training program manager for hydraulics at NHI.

SABRINA SYLVESTER is a contracted senior marketing specialist for 

FHWA’s NHI.
WRITE FOR PUBLIC ROADS!

Public Roads offers FHWA and State department of transportation staff an avenue for 

communicating both technical and general-interest topics with peers (such as engineers, 

scientists, and economists) and other stakeholders across the highway industry.

Other Federal agencies, local and Tribal DOTs, field researchers and practitioners, and academia 

may also submit content for Public Roads but are encouraged to collaborate with FHWA and 

State DOTs.

Check out our Writing for Public Roads: How-to Guide to learn about the many ways you can 

contribute to Public Roads. From full-length feature articles to 200-word summaries, you can 

choose the option that best fits the information you want to share. 

To access the guide and learn more about article types, submission 

deadlines, and requirements, visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/

publicroads/author.cfm.

Questions? Contact us at PublicRoads@dot.gov.

© suriyasilsaksom / iStock.com.
Public Roads has several categories of subscribers. Find your category below to learn how you can update your contact information.

Paid Subscribers: These individuals and companies pay to receive printed copies of the magazine. The mailing list for this group is maintained by the 

Superintendent of Documents for the U.S. Government Printing Office. Paid subscribers who have an address change should notify the U.S. Government 

Printing Office, Claims Office, Washington, DC, 20402; or call 202–512–1800; or fax 202–512–2168. Please do not send an address change for a paid 

subscription to the editorial office of Public Roads. We do not manage the paid subscription program or mailing list, and we are not able to make the 

requested change.

Complimentary Subscribers: Complimentary copies of Public Roads are distributed to select Federal Highway Administration offices and congressional 

leaders who have responsibility for highway-related issues. Most of these copies are mailed to offices for their internal distribution or to people by title 

rather than by name. Offices or individuals who receive complimentary copies and have an address change should send the complete previous mailing 

address and the complete new address to our distribution manager, Lisa Shuler, via email (lisa.a.shuler@dot.gov), telephone (202–493–3375), or mail 

[Lisa Shuler, Public Roads Distribution Manager (HRTM), Federal Highway Administration, 6300 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA, 22101-2296].

Electronic Subscribers: Electronic subscribers are notified via email whenever a new issue of Public Roads is available online. This service is available at no 

cost to our readers. The Public Roads editorial office maintains the mailing list for this group. Subscribers in this category can update their contact 

information by sending the complete previous email address and the complete new email address to our distribution manager, Lisa Shuler, via email 

(lisa.a.shuler@dot.gov), telephone (202–493–3375), or mail [Lisa Shuler, Public Roads Distribution Manager (HRTM), Federal Highway Administration, 

6300 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA, 22101-2296].

Reporting Changes of Address

Order Form

For privacy protection, check the box below:

Do not make my name available to other mailers

Check method of payment:

Check payable to Superintendent of Documents

 GPO deposit account 

Mail to: U.S. Government Publishing Office • Superintendent of 

Documents • P.O. Box 979050 • St. Louis, MO 63197-9000

YES, enter subscriptions to Public Roads at $21 each ($29.40 foreign) per year so I can get 

news on cutting-edge research and technology, and on the latest transportation issues and problems.

For faster service:

Superintendent of Documents Order Form

Order online  website: http://bookstore.gpo.gov

email: contactcenter@gpo.gov

Order by phone  866–512–1800 or 

202–512–1800 (7:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. EST)

fax: 202–512–2104.

Order Processing Code: *5514 

10/19

The total cost of my order is $  . Price includes 

regular shipping and handling and is subject to change.

COMPANY OR PERSONAL NAME (PLEASE TYPE OR PRINT) 

ADDITIONAL ADDRESS/ATTENTION LINE 

STREET ADDRESS 

CITY, STATE, ZIP 

DAYTIME PHONE INCLUDING AREA CODE

PURCHASE ORDER NUMBER (OPTIONAL) 
FHWA-HRT-22-004

HRTM-20/07-22(426)E

U.S. Department 

of Transportation

Federal Highway 

Administration

Attn: HRTM

 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300