FHWA R&T Now

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Nicole R. Nason Sworn in as New Federal Highway Administrator

On May 2, 2019, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao swore in Nicole R. Nason as 

the 20th Administrator of USDOT’s FHWA. 

Administrator Nason has served as Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Administration at 

the U.S. Department of State since June 2017. She served as Administrator of USDOT’s 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 2006 to 2008, and was USDOT’s 

Assistant Secretary for Government Affairs from 2003 to 2006.

“Working with our many State and local partners,” Nason said in her speech after her 

swearing in, “I look forward to leading the FHWA and to developing a strong, safe, and 

modern transportation network that meets the needs of our 21st-century Nation.“

Source: USDOT

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao swears in Nicole R. Nason (far left) as 

Administrator for the Federal Highway Administration. Nason’s husband, David, and 

children, Abby, Alex, and Brady, are in attendance. 

May/June 2019

A news update of research, technology, and development from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), 

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

FHWA R&T Now

A news update of research, technology, and development from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), 

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). 
FHWA R&T Now

2 

EXPLORATORY ADVANCED RESEARCH (EAR)

EAR Program Funds Research on Alternative 

Cementitious Materials

The Federal Highway Administration’s EAR 

Program funded a research project titled “Novel 

Alternative Cementitious Materials (ACMs) for 

Development of the Next Generation of 

Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure.” The 

goal of the project was to facilitate 

infrastructure construction and rehabilitation 

using concrete made with ACMs instead of 

portland cement by developing a greater 

understanding of the scalability, long-term 

performance and durability in a range of 

environments, and structural response under 

transportation-relevant loading conditions of 

ACMs.

Source: FHWA

A slump test performed on freshly mixed 

concrete made with magnesium phosphate 

(top) and calcium aluminate (bottom) cements, 

two of the cements the researchers tested as 

potential alternatives to portland cement in 

concrete construction.

The initial research demonstrated a growing 

interest in using ACMs for large-scale 

transportation projects, particularly in large 

urban areas that benefit from the rapid setting 

characteristics and early strength of the 

materials. In the first phase of the study, 

researchers from the Georgia Institute of 

Technology, in partnership with Oklahoma State 

University, Tourney Consulting, and the U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, used ordinary portland 

cement as a control measure and tested nine 

commercially available ACMs. From those nine, 

the team identified five ACMs for further 

testing: two calcium sulfoaluminate cements, 

two calcium aluminate cements, and a 

chemically activated Class C fly ash.

During the project’s second phase, the 

researchers gauged how the materials 

withstood various external and internal threats 

to concrete, such as physical abrasion and 

freezing and thawing. 

In the third phase of the project, the researchers 

conducted additional corrosion tests, extended 

lab tests, long-term field exposure studies, and 

forensic analysis of samples obtained from ACM 

pavements that had been in service for an 

extended period.

For more information, download the fact sheet

or contact Richard Meininger at 202–493–3191, 

Richard.Meininger@dot.gov. 

INFRASTRUCTURE

Hydraulics Laboratory Helps U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers Build New Flume

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineer 

Research and Development Center (ERDC)

visited the J. Sterling Jones Hydraulics Research 

Laboratory on May 7, 2019, to see a 

demonstration of the laboratory’s 

Multifunctional Flume System (MFS) and to 

discuss the design of the new ERDC Coastal and

Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) flume. The J. 

Sterling Jones Hydraulics Research Laboratory 

(Hydraulics Laboratory) at FHWA’s Turner-Fairbank 

Highway Research Center (TFHRC) is providing 

technical assistance for the design of the new 

flume. 
FHWA R&T Now

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Source: FHWA

Overhead shot of the MFS in TFHRC’s 

Hydraulics Laboratory.

The Hydraulics Laboratory will provide 

computational fluid dynamics (CFD) assistance 

to design the headworks of the new CHL flume. 

Argonne National Laboratory’s Transportation 

Research and Analysis Computing Center will 

conduct the CFD work. All specifications of the 

MFS, including screw jack design for tilting the 

MFS, will be provided. The labs will 

communicate through regular video 

conferences to track the status of the project.

The ERDC and CHL are conducting a series of 

experiments on floating bridges. The new design 

of the CHL flume will be based on TFHRC’s MFS, 

which was designed in 2014 and began 

operation in fall 2015. 

The proposed ERDC CHL flume will have a flow 

cross-section that is 40 percent larger than the 

MFS. The biggest challenge when designing the 

new CHL flume is the design of the flume 

headworks or inlet flow accelerator. The 

challenge is because of the size; it gets more 

difficult to control the flow of the flume as the 

flume gets larger. The flow accelerator is 

needed to generate uniform flow conditions to 

ensure experiments are repeatable. The team 

will use CFD modeling to optimize the flow 

accelerator for the desired flow conditions in 

the CHL flume. 

For more information, contact Kornel Kerenyi, 

202–493–3142, Kornel.Kerenyi@dot.gov. 

Seminar Examines How States Use 

Nondestructive Testing 

The FHWA hosted a webinar on April 30, 2019, 

focused on the application of Nondestructive 

Testing (NDT) for condition assessment of 

concrete bridge decks. The webinar provided an 

overview of the study conducted under the 

second Strategic Highway Research Program

(SHRP2) titled “Nondestructive Testing to 

Identify Concrete Bridge Deck Deterioration 

(R06A).” The webinar presented and discussed 

how Oregon, Indiana, and New Mexico State 

departments of transportation have used NDT 

technologies, how the NDT technology benefits 

the States, and how to move forward to 

enhance the technology implementation. 

The agenda consisted of four parts:

• Overview of the SHRP2 R06A product and

the FHWA Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) 

program.

• Overview of the nondestructive testing

technologies.

• Presentations detailing specific agency

experience.

• Discussion on next steps to promote NDT.

Each State DOT presented its experiences using 

NDT methods. State DOT representatives also 

discussed results and compared them to 

traditional evaluation methods, such as hammer 

sounding, chain drag, and visual inspection. 

The webinar concluded that States’ experiences 

with NDT vary greatly; some NDE methods have 

worked well in some States while similar 

methods were less effective in other States 

when identifying bridge deck deterioration. This 

is primarily due to differences in geographical 

areas, bridge deck construction, and structural 

details. Participants agreed that there is no 

single “silver bullet” in terms of NDT testing that 

could work for all States in all situations. 

For more information, contact Hoda Azari, 

202–493–3064, Hoda.Azari@dot.gov. 
FHWA R&T Now

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OPERATIONS

FHWA Puts CARMASM Autonomous Vehicles 

to the Test 

Engineers from FHWA’s TFHRC successfully 

completed validation testing of new automated 

research vehicles at AutonomouStuff, a 

company that supplies autonomy-enabling 

technologies and services, during the week of 

April 22 to 26, 2019, in Morton, IL. The vehicles 

tested are part of FHWA’s Cooperative 

Automation Research Mobility Applications 

(CARMA) platform.

The TFHRC team conducted a series of 

validation and acceptance tests on the vehicles 

from AutonomouStuff to ensure that the 

vehicles met FHWA’s requirements. Testing 

consisted of safety, hardware, and software 

verification to confirm that requested 

specifications met TFHRC’s needs. 

Prior to the testing, engineers developed an 

extensive test plan. Hardware testing consisted 

of verifying the functionality of the radar, LiDAR 

[Light Detection and Ranging], and camera 

sensors. The engineers completed static and 

dynamic testing of sensor functionality. The 

software testing ensured that the automated 

driving system software and sensor fusion 

applications worked properly. CARMA software 

developers will implement the CARMA platform 

and plugins to enable the research vehicles to 

perform cooperative automation maneuvers at 

level 2 and level 3 automation. Level 2 

automation involves more than one automated 

feature in the vehicle. Level 3 automation 

means that the driving features are automated 

enough that the driver can perform other tasks. 

The CARMA software platform is open source to 

enable collaboration with industry, academia, 

infrastructure owner operators (IOOs), and 

other public agencies on cooperative 

automation applications. Developed on a Robot 

Operating System, a flexible framework for 

writing software, CARMA has an innovative 

approach to collaboration for automated vehicle 

development. Early work by FHWA indicates 

that cooperative automation can safely improve 

the efficiency of the road network while 

reducing fuel consumption. 

Beginning in late summer 2019, the CARMA 

research team will test the extended capabilities 

of the vehicles. By spring 2020, the team will 

test and evaluate proof-of-concept level 

applications that address transportation system 

management and operations (TSMO) use cases. 

The Human Factors research team at TFHRC will 

also use the vehicles to assess driver behavior 

under level 2 and level 3 automation. The 

vehicles tested were the first two in CARMA’s 

fleet. Over the next several months, 

AutonomouStuff will build two more light 

vehicles and four tractor trailers, at which point 

a new round of testing will commence.

Source: FHWA

The three vehicles equipped with the CARMA 

platform and logo.

For more information on CARMA, contact 

Taylor Lochrane, 202–493–3293, 

Taylor.Lochrane@dot.gov. 

New Release of Cooperative Automation 

Platform Coming to GitHub

The FHWA developed the innovative CARMA 

platform to encourage collaboration between 

researchers with the goal of improving 

transportation efficiency and safety. FHWA

seeks to advance TSMO strategies with 

cooperative automated driving technology 

focused on how vehicles communicate with 

other vehicles, infrastructure, and roadways to 

improve roadway capacity, reduce traffic, and 

increase driver and pedestrian safety.

The third phase of CARMA (CARMA3) will be 

available on GitHub in mid-July, marking a step 

forward in the technology and functionality 

available on the platform. As development 

continues, cooperative automation stakeholders 

will have more tools available at their disposal 

through CARMA. 
 FHWA R&T Now

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CARMA3 will feature:

• AutowareTM, open-source software designed 

for autonomous driving, which provides 

capabilities for localization, motion planning, 

and obstacle detection and avoidance. 

• Mobileye®-integrated roadway sensing 

devices, as well as environment sensing with 

LiDAR, radar, and video.

• Level 2 automation steering and speed 

control while maintaining lane position. 

• Basic safety message broadcasts using 

CARMA data.

• Operation on three different types of 

passenger vehicles with three different 

brands of controller modules.

Additional features will be available later this

year as CARMA3 moves past the beta version. 

For more information, contact Taylor Lochrane, 

202–493–3293, Taylor.Lochrane@dot.gov, or 

visit

https://highways.dot.gov/research/researchprograms/operations/CARMA. 

SAFETY

FHWA Works with Washington State on

Freeway Safety Analysis

The Geometric Design Laboratory (GDL) team at 

the Federal Highway Administration’s TFHRC is 

assisting Washington State Department of 

Transportation (WSDOT) with performing a 

safety analysis on a portion of the I–5 freeway in 

Bellingham, WA. The study, which applies the 

Highway Safety Manual Part C crash prediction 

methods, examines existing conditions along a 

four-mile section of the freeway, including 

mainline freeway segments and ramps at five 

interchanges. 

The GDL uses data provided by WSDOT to build 

and evaluate highway models using the 

Interactive Highway Safety Design Model 

(IHSDM). WSDOT collected the required data 

(e.g., curve data; cross-sections of lanes, 

shoulders, and medians; median and barriers; 

traffic volumes; crash data) with technical 

support from the GDL. The GDL then used 

WSDOT’s data to build highway models in 

IHSDM for the I–5 freeway section and 

interchanges. The goal of the IHSDM analysis is 

to provide input to WSDOT for evaluating the 

safety of the existing I–5 corridor, and 

potentially for developing future design 

alternatives. 

WSDOT chose this portion of I–5 after 

performing a qualitative collision analysis of the 

surrounding corridor. The WSDOT planning 

team recognizes that issues on I–5 are 

interconnected with the surrounding State route 

and local road network. 

To examine the results of the analysis, the GDL 

team conducted a webinar on May 15, 2019, 

with key WSDOT staff. WSDOT will use the 

results of the safety analysis to determine if 

there are any safety issues that warrant further 

investigation. The results will help WSDOT 

evaluate how the subject location is performing 

in comparison with other stretches of similar 

freeways. 

WSDOT envisions that the study could serve as a 

pilot to demonstrate the usefulness of the 

IHSDM safety analysis tool. Additionally, other 

States can learn from the process used to 

perform the safety analysis and the research 

conducted by WSDOT. The results could also be 

used to identify potential safety 

countermeasures and to develop alternative 

designs. The GDL could assist WSDOT in 

conducting a safety analysis of any future 

proposed alternative designs.

For more information, contact Abdul Zineddin, 

202–493–3288, Abdul.Zineddin@dot.gov. 

Using Diamonds on Highways to Manage 

Traffic, Intersections, and Expectations

Wei Zhang, Highway Research Engineer at 

FHWA’s TFHRC, conducted a technical 

presentation on Northern Virginia’s first 

Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) on May 

29, 2019. This presentation examined the 

experience gained by using aerial survey to 

collect various types of traffic data, and 

discussed the improvements observed in traffic 

operation and safety after the DDI opening.

The double bridge DDI configuration has 

become a popular option in DDI design for its 

ease of creating the desired crossing angle and 

for making the entire interchange more 

aesthetically appealing.
 FHWA R&T Now

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The DDI at I–66 and Route 15 in Haymarket, VA, 

is a $59 million design–build project that began 

in September 2015. The new interchange was 

completed in August 2017. According to the 

Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), 

the interchange serves approximately 95,000 

vehicles per day, of which 60,000 continue to 

travel on I–66 and 35,000 continue to Route 

15.(1) The interchange has two overpass bridges, 

and one 10-ft shared pedestrian and bicyclist 

path on the east side of Route 15.

The interchange on Route 15 and I–66 was a 

major bottleneck, and a train crossing located 

just two blocks to the southwest on Route 15

made it worse. FHWA collaborated with VDOT, 

Northern Virginia District, to perform beforeand-after evaluations of this DDI using 

helicopter and drone-based aerial surveys to 

collect traffic data from before the DDI was 

constructed to after its construction. Before the 

DDI, there were 79 annual crashes from 2012 to

2014. After the new interchange, annual crashes 

in 2018 dropped to 44.

Source: FHWA

The DDI in Northern Virginia at Route 15 

(elevated section) and I–66 (nonelevated).

(1) Virginia Department of Transportation, VDOT News – Northern 

Virginia. August 22, 2017. Available at 

https://www.virginiadot.org/newsroom/northern_virginia/2017/i66-route_15_diverging-diamond_interchange118753.asp.

Source: FHWA

The diamond interchange before construction.

For more information, contact Wei Zhang, 

202–493–3317, Wei.Zhang@dot.gov. 

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

FHWA Introduces Pilot Program to Assess a 

Project’s Readiness Level

The FHWA Small Business Innovation Research 

(SBIR) program is a competitive multiphased 

program that encourages domestic small 

businesses to engage in Federal research and 

development with the potential for 

commercialization. 

Phase I awards go to small businesses to 

determine the technical and scientific merit and 

feasibility of a proposed research idea. A panel 

of experts decides whether to grant a Phase II 

award to develop the idea further, which in 

most cases involves creating a working

prototype of the proposed product. Additional 

Phase II funding (known as Phase IIB) is available 

if needs exist that will advance the proposed 

product toward commercialization. 

It can be difficult, however, to assess the status 

of a given technology without a thorough 

review. 

To address this challenge, FHWA instituted a 

pilot program to assess the Technology 

Readiness Level (TRL) for each completed Phase 

II project. The National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration developed the TRL process, 

which consists of a 1–9 scale. One equates to 

basic research and nine equates to a fully 

deployable product. 

Five FHWA SBIR Phase II projects completed a 

TRL assessment within the last year under this 

pilot program. 

For each project, representatives from the small 

business presented information to a panel of 

experts, followed by a question-and-answer 

session. The panel holds a closed-door session 

to arrive at a TRL level for the technology and 

reports its findings to the small business. 

In all cases, both FHWA and the small business 

find this assessment to be very informative and 

helpful. It helps FHWA understand how further 

investment would advance its goals and it 

provides the small business with an 

independent assessment of its technology. 
FHWA R&T Now

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FHWA plans to make the TRL assessment 

process a permanent fixture within the SBIR 

program, and wants to help other modes within 

the United States Department of Transportation 

and FHWA implement similar assessments. 

For more information, contact Craig Thor, 

202–493–3338, Craig.Thor@dot.gov. 

RECENT RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

Infrastructure

Formation Factor Demystified and Its 

Relationship to Durability

Lightweight Concrete: Transfer and 

Development Length of Prestressing Strands,

Development of Experiment Design: SPS-12 

Portland Cement Concrete Pavement 

Preservation Study

Technical Note Design and Construction of 

Field-Cast UHPC Connections

EAR

Inorganic Polymers: Novel Ordinary Portland 

Cement-Free Binders for Transportation 

Infrastructure

General

Public Roads Magazine -- Spring 2019 

FHWA R&T Now -- March/April 2019

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center 

Publications Process

RECENT PERIODICALS

Innovator—March/April 2019

Articles include: Virtual Public Involvement; 

Project Bundling; Agencies Streamline 

Environmental and Permitting Reviews to 

Deliver Projects Faster; Success Stories: Every 

Day Counts Advances FHWA Strategic Plan; 

Rhode Island Goes Digital for Interchange 

Projects; States Innovate!; Explore How States 

Innovate.

The issue is available online.

LINKS

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center:

https://highways.dot.gov/research/

Resource Center:

www.fhwa.dot.gov/resourcecenter/

National Highway Institute: 

www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/home.aspx

Please forward this newsletter to others you 

think might find it interesting and/or useful. 

Suggestions may be submitted to

FHWA_Now@fhwa.dot.gov. 

ABOUT FHWA R&T NOW

FHWA R&T Now is a newsletter containing 

information and updates about research, 

technology, and development from the U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Federal Highway 

Administration. The newsletter is an electronic 

newsletter and is updated approximately every 

other month.

Send your comments, questions, and feedback 

to FHWA_Now@dot.gov. 

Online access: 

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/rtnow/. 

Mail:

Federal Highway Administration

FHWA Office of Research, Development, and 

Technology

Attention: R&T Now Managing Editor

6300 Georgetown Pike

McLean, VA 22101

QUICK ACRONYM LOOKUP

ACMs Alternative Cementitious Materials

CARMA Cooperative Automation Research Mobility 

Applications

CHL Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory

CFD Computational Fluid Dynamics

DDI Diverging Diamond Interchange

EAR Exploratory Advanced Research

ERDC Engineer Research and Development Center

FHWA Federal Highway Administration

GDL Geometric Design Laboratory

IOOs Infrastructure Owner Operators

IHSDM Interactive Highway Safety Design Model

LiDAR Light Detection and Ranging

MFS Multifunctional Flume System

NDE Nondestructive Evaluation

NDT Nondestructive Testing

SHRP2 Second Strategic Highway Research 

Program

SBIR Small Business Innovation Research

TRL Technology Readiness Level

TSMO Transportation System Management and 

Operations

TFHRC Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center

USDOT U.S. Department of Transportation

VDOT Virginia Department of Transportation

WSDOT Washington State Department of 

Transportation
FHWA R&T Now

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Distribution—FHWA R&T Now is being distributed according to a standard distribution. Direct 

distribution is being made to the FHWA Divisions and Resource Center. 

Key Words—LTPP, concrete, bridges, freeways, interchanges, intersections, safety, infrastructure, 

operations, hydraulics, nondestructive technology, research. 

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. 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.