PUBLIC ROADS

Improving 

Bridge 

Presevation 

with Ultra- High 

Performance 

Concrete

www.fhwa.dot.gov Winter 2021

Also in this issue: 

Partnering to Halt Human Trafficking

Making Safer Crossings for People with Disabilities

Enterprise Risk Management — Path to Continuous Improvement
Winter 2021 | Vol. 84, No. 4

Improving Bridge 

Preservation with UHPC 

PAGE 22

FEATURES

6 Reducing Rural Roadway Departures: Moving FoRRRwD, Part II

by Cathy Satterfield and Richard B. Albin

FHWA’s Every Day Counts initiative is taking a 

comprehensive approach to saving lives on rural roads.

12 Combating Human Trafficking

by Jihan Noizet and Shari Schaftlein

USDOT is working with partners and stakeholders across the 

transportation industry to put the brakes on human trafficking.

17 Technology to Make Signalized Intersections 

Safer for Pedestrians with Disabilities 

by Govindarajan Vadakpat, Stephen F. Smith, Zachary B. Rubinstein, 

and M. Bernardine Dias

FHWA’s ATTRI program is funding PedPal, a mobile 

app that enables pedestrians to communicate directly 

with signalized intersections and actively influence 

traffic control decisions to enhance their safety.

22 Improving Bridge Preservation with UHPC

by Zachary B. Haber

Ultra-high performance concrete can advance highway bridge 

preservation and repair to enhance durability and resiliency.

28 Handling Risk: FHWA’s Integrated Approach

by Daniel Fodera

FHWA is working to make the organization more 

effective and efficient by applying an enterprise risk 

management framework that combines strategic planning, 

performance planning, and internal controls.

32 Evaluating Ultrasonic Techniques to Detect Bridge Weld Flaws

by Hoda Azari and Russell Kok

FHWA researchers examined phased array ultrasonic testing for 

performing bridge weld inspections and compared the method 

to the historically used technique of radiographic inspection.

PAGE 28 

Source: FHWA.

DEPARTMENTS

Guest Editorial ..................................................1

Hot Topic ..........................................................2

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

Along the Road .............................................. 41

Training Update .............................................44

Internet Watch ..............................................45

Communication Product Updates ..............46

ABOVE and FRONT and BACK COVERS—Installation of a UHPC 

overlay on a single lane of the Claiborne Pell Bridge (commonly 

known as the Newport Bridge) as a part of a UHPC overlay 

pilot project. The 2-plus mile-long suspension bridge structure 

spans Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island and is owned by the 

Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority. It is the longest 

suspension bridge in New England. 

© Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 1

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Federal Highway Administration

U.S. Department of Transportation

Elaine L. Chao, Secretary

Federal Highway Administration

Nicole R. Nason, Administrator

Office of Research, Development, and Technology

Kelly Regal, Associate Administrator 

Shana Baker, Director, Office of Corporate Research, 

Technology, and Innovation Management

Maria Romstedt, Editor-in-Chief

Lisa A. Shuler, Distribution Manager

Editorial Board: 

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

G. Shepherd, C. Walker 

Editorial Contractor:

Arch Street Communications (ASC), 

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C. Ibarra

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Design Contractor:

Schatz Strategy Group, Layout and Design 

E. Bailey, R. Nemec, K. Salter, C. Williams

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This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the 

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-

GUEST EDITORIAL

Combating Human 

Trafficking in Transportation

Here at the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), we take great pride in the capacity 

of America’s transportation network to enable 

Americans and goods to safely and swiftly 

get to where they need to go. Unfortunately, 

human traffickers are also taking advantage of 

the Nation’s transportation systems. To combat 

these crimes, the Department is utilizing a 

multipronged approach that reaches Department 

employees, front-line workers, other transportation 

stakeholders, and the traveling public.

The fight against human trafficking starts with this Administration taking 

a whole-of-government approach. USDOT is a member of the President’s 

Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, a Cabinetlevel entity chaired by the Secretary of State to coordinate Federal efforts to combat 

trafficking in persons. Every USDOT employee is required to complete human 

trafficking awareness training every 3 years so that no matter where our work 

takes us—from the front doors of headquarters to around the world—we can be 

informed, aware, and active participants in stopping human trafficking crimes.

The Department’s modal administrations are committed to the fight against 

human trafficking as well. This year, the Federal Transit Administration awarded 

$5.4 million to 24 organizations from across the United States to support the 

prevention of human trafficking and other crimes that may occur on buses, trains, 

and other forms of public transportation. In 2019, the Federal Motor Carrier 

Safety Administration issued a final rule that permanently banned drivers convicted 

of human trafficking from operating a commercial motor vehicle for which a 

commercial driver’s license or a commercial learner’s permit is required.

The Department also established a new annual $50,000 Combating Human 

Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award. As the first recipient of the award, 

United Against Slavery will conduct a multimodal National Outreach Survey for 

Transportation, and will make the results available to the public. 

We have strong allies across the transportation industry. Earlier this year, I 

announced the Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking “100 Pledges 

in 100 Days” campaign. I’m proud to say we greatly exceeded even that ambitious 

goal. More than 500 transportation and industry stakeholders have signed on 

to join us in combating human trafficking. This initiative includes resources for 

counter-trafficking strategies, training resources, and public awareness materials 

to help us maximize our joint impact. USDOT has also partnered with the U.S. 

Department of Homeland Security for the Blue Lightning Initiative, training more 

than 100,000 aviation industry personnel from 47 airlines, airports, and other 

aviation organizations on how to safely identify and report suspected trafficking.

Everyone can make a difference by keeping an eye out for signs of human 

trafficking. An estimated 24.9 million people worldwide are victims of human 

trafficking. Survivors have been reported being trafficked through every means 

of transportation. You can help save the victims by reporting suspected human 

trafficking to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, 

or by sending the message “info” or “help” via text to 233733 (BEFREE). Every one 

of us has a role to play in stopping this form of modern-day slavery. To learn more 

about what USDOT is doing to combat human trafficking, visit www.transportation 

.gov/stophumantrafficking. With your help and our work together, I know we can 

end human trafficking.

Elaine L. Chao

Secretary

U.S. Department of Transportation
2 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

Freeway intersection in 

Los Angeles, California. 

© Ryan Herron / iStock.com.

HOT TOPIC

Facilitating U.S. Transportation Infrastructure Investment and Innovation

by PATRICK DECORLA-SOUZA

Across the United States, transportation agencies at all levels face challenges in funding transportation infrastructure projects. 

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau 

can help.

The Build America Bureau is responsible for providing longterm financing for transportation infrastructure projects. Project 

financing is provided to State or local governments, or to their pri

vate partners, for projects delivered under public-private partner

ship (P3) arrangements. The bureau facilitates investment in proj

ects using innovative financing techniques and alternative project 

delivery models and can lend to both private and public entities.

-

-

-

Borrowing funds for construction can help combine differ

ent phases of a project that would otherwise be stretched out 

over several years or even decades while awaiting funding. This 

creates economies of scale and saves on soft costs such as multi

ple mobilizations and demobilizations, bonding, insurance, and 

management fees. By shortening construction schedules, borrow

ing also helps save on inflation costs and minimizes adverse effects 

of construction-related delays on road users and residents living 

near the construction site. 

-

-

-

Finance methods include funding through the Transportation 

Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) and private 

activity bonds (PABs).

TIFIA Financing

Numerous P3 and non-P3 projects rely on TIFIA to obtain loans 

and other forms of credit assistance. Congress enacted TIFIA in 

1998 as part of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century 

(TEA-21). The direct loans provide credit assistance at U.S. 

Treasury interest rates (or half the U.S. Treasury rate for certain 

rural projects) with maturities up to 35 years after substantial com

pletion of construction, for up to 33 percent of anticipated project 

costs. Certain rural projects or those that provide a strong rationale 

for requiring a higher level of assistance may be eligible to receive 

TIFIA loans up to 49 percent of anticipated project costs. 

-

PAB Financing

Interest on debt issued by public agencies (municipal debt) is 

tax-exempt to bond holders. Therefore, public agencies can borrow 

at a lower cost than private entities. Prior to 2005, one major 

obstacle to the use of P3s was the inability of the private sector to 

tap into tax-exempt sources of financing for long-term construc

tion loans, resulting in a higher cost of funds for private sector 

partners than for a public agency borrowing money for the same 

project. To compete with conventional public delivery of projects, 

P3s needed to have access to less expensive credit. 

-

Private activity bonds can address this need. If authorized, a 

private entity can take advantage of interest rates that are lower 

because investors are not required to pay taxes on their interest 

income. This saves on financing costs and reduces project costs 

for the public sponsor. The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient 

Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) 

first authorized PABs in 2005. Administered by the Build 

America Bureau, the program authorizes USDOT to allocate 

up to $15 billion in tax-exempt PABs for qualified highway and 

rail-highway freight transfer facilities.

Future Directions

Moving forward under the leadership of its executive director, 

Dr. Morteza Farajian, the Build America Bureau seeks to target its 

outreach to borrowers who have not used its programs and to diver

sify asset classes to include ports, airports, and technology-related

projects. The bureau also aims to lend wholesale to State infra

structure banks so that smaller rural projects can benefit from 

TIFIA, and to provide technical assistance and training to State 

and local officials on best practices for innovative financing and 

delivery methods.

-

-

For more information, visit www.transportation.gov/buildamerica.

PATRICK DECORLA-SOUZA is the program manager for P3 arrangements 

at USDOT’s Build America Bureau and at FHWA’s Office of Innovative 

Program Delivery.
CARMA

SM Research Tracks Explore Opportunities 

for Transportation System Improvement

The CARMA Program is spearheading research on cooperative driving automation 

(CDA) concepts poised to transform transportation system performance. FHWA 

has partnered with ITS JPO, FTA, FMCSA, NHTSA, and MARAD to develop CARMA 

research tracks that examine CDA impacts to transportation.

CARMA research tracks feature three key focus areas: traffic, reliability, and freight. 

Each focus area explores a specific application of CDA. 

Recurring traffic congestion 

on freeways and arterials, including:

• Congestion

• Transit

• Traffic signals

Nonrecurring traffic congestion 

on freeways and arterials, including:

• Work zones

• Weather

• Traffic incident management

Commercial motor vehicle (CMV) 

and port operations, including:

• Port drayage

• CMVs

• Truck platooning

Photos @ GettyImages.com.

CARMA research tracks help uncover opportunities for innovative transportation system 

improvements to accelerate the development and deployment of CDA.

For more information, visit https://highways.dot.gov/research/operations/CARMA or contact 

Taylor Lochrane at Taylor.Lochrane@dot.gov.
4 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

INNOVATION CORNER 

The EDC-6 Strategic Workforce Development initiative promotes strategies and resources to grow the transportation workforce. 

© N. Fobes / Getty Images.

Proven Innovations for a Nation on the Move

by JULIE ZIRLIN 

Which strategies can increase engagement with the people who build and use transportation infrastructure? What products 

save money on preserving and repairing bridges and roads? How 

can transportation agencies save time on project delivery and inci

dent management? Innovations that provide solutions for all these 

and more are highlighted in round six of the Every Day Counts 

program (EDC-6). 

-

EDC facilitates the deployment of proven but underutilized 

technologies and processes that, with more widespread adoption 

and implementation, can enhance safety, accelerate project deliv

ery, reduce congestion, and integrate automation. 

-

Every 2 years, the Federal Highway Administration works 

with key stakeholder groups to identify a new set of innovations 

that merit accelerated deployment. After receiving more than 100 

suggestions from local, State, and Federal agencies; academia; and 

industry, and consulting with stakeholders, FHWA selected seven 

EDC-6 innovations to promote in 2021 and 2022. Each one is 

timely and relevant to addressing the unique transportation chal

lenges of today. 

-

“Our common goal to enhance our infrastructure, keep 

America moving, and support economic recovery is why we have 

themed the next round of EDC – Innovation for a Nation on the 

Move,” says FHWA Administrator Nicole R. Nason. “Although 

the solicitation occurred prior to the national public health emer

gency, we believe the seven innovations selected for the EDC-6 will 

continue the legacy of the program and support our efforts as we 

work toward recovery.”

-

The Power of People

Three of the EDC-6 initiatives actively seek to leverage the power 

of people in a variety of ways. 

Building on the Highway Construction Workforce Partnership, 

the Strategic Workforce Development initiative promotes strategies 

and resources to demonstrate the value of a career in transportation 

and provides career preparation to a new audience of people. 

The Virtual Public Involvement initiative continues the efforts 

started in EDC-5 promoting transportation agency efforts to 

engage the public more effectively during the transportation 

decisionmaking process by supplementing face-to-face information 

sharing with technological tools and techniques. 

Another initiative continuing from EDC-5, Crowdsourcing for 

Advancing Operations promotes using crowdsourced data inte

grated from multiple streams to optimize roadway use for reduced 

congestion and increased safety and reliability.

-
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 5

Innovative Materials Solutions

The EDC-6 lineup also includes two products with great potential 

to best use the available resources of transportation agencies. With 

many pavements in the highway system nearing or reaching the 

end of their design life, a toolkit of Targeted Overlay Pavement 

Solutions is now available for asphalt and concrete pavements that 

enable agencies to retain the value of existing pavements in need 

of treatment, maximize their investment, and help ensure safer, 

longer-lasting roadways.

Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) for Bridge Pres

ervation and Repair presents a new application of UHPC—a 

fiber-reinforced, cementitious composite material with mechanical 

and durability properties that far exceed those of conventional 

concrete—that offers superior strength, enhanced performance, 

and improved life-cycle cost over traditional preservation and 

repair methods.

-

Thin overlays can be designed specifically to improve rutting and cracking resistance, 

increase structural capacity, improve friction, or reduce splash and spray. 

© National Asphalt Pavement Association.

Improving Transportation Processes

Two EDC-6 initiatives seek to enhance transportation projects and 

programs by implementing effective processes. 

Next-Generation Traffic Incident Management (NextGen TIM) 

programs aim to shorten the duration and impact of roadway 

incidents and improve the safety of motorists, crash victims, and 

responders. New tools such as unmanned aircraft systems, data 

analytics, and computer-aided dispatch systems help agencies 

better detect and manage traffic incidents. 

The e-Ticketing and Digital As-Builts innovation helps agen

cies leverage and integrate the massive amounts of valuable data 

generated during highway construction projects into electronic 

and digital workflows. Electronic ticketing improves the tracking, 

exchange, and archiving of materials tickets. Digital as-built infor

mation enables agencies to capture various data elements, such 

as utilities and other subsurface features in the as-built plans to 

support future operations, maintenance, and asset management. 

-

-

e-Ticketing uses mobile devices to access electronic ticket exchanges, improving 

material data handling and integration into construction management systems. 

Source: FHWA.

Getting Round 6 Underway

In December 2020, FHWA hosted a virtual summit to enable the 

State Transportation Innovation Councils to explore the benefits of 

the EDC-6 innovations and identify those that best fit the needs 

of their transportation programs. All presentations are available on 

demand at www.labroots.com/ms/virtual-event/fhwa-everyday-counts 

-6-virtual-summit. In January, EDC-6 deployment teams began 

providing technical assistance and training to help transporta

tion agencies implement the innovations at their chosen levels of 

adoption. 

-

For more information, visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation 

/everydaycounts.

JULIE ZIRLIN is the Every Day Counts Program Manager in FHWA’s Center for 

Accelerating Innovation. 

The New York State Department of Transportation frequently uses UHPC link slabs to 

replace deteriorated expansion joints. 

© 2019, New York State Department of Transportation.
About one-third of the Nation’s annual roadway deaths occur on rural roads. 

Implementing proven countermeasures and developing safety action plans can 

help local agencies address the problem. 

© Franklin County, OH.

6 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

Reducing 

Rural Roadway 

Departures: 

Moving 

FoRRRwD, 

Part II

FHWA’s Every Day Counts initiative is 

taking a comprehensive approach 

to saving lives on rural roads.

by CATHY SATTERFIELD and RICHARD B. ALBIN

Each year in the United States, nearly 12,000 people die when their car leaves its travel lane on a rural road. That is 30 people 

today, and every day.

The Federal Highway Administration is working with State 

departments of transportation, Local Technical Assistance Pro

gram centers, and local agencies across the country to combat 

this issue. Under the Every Day Counts initiative called Focus 

on Reducing Rural Roadway Departures (FoRRRwD), the team 

is promoting further use of proven strategies to reduce rural 

roadway departures. Many agencies are using these strategies and 

seeing positive results. The efforts of these agencies are getting 

more people home safely.

-

A Far-Reaching Problem Requires 

A Comprehensive Approach

The FoRRRwD approach is based on four pillars. The first 

article in this series (see “Moving FoRRRwD: Focus on Reducing 

Rural Roadway Departures” in the Autumn 2020 issue of Public 

Roads) focused on the scope of the problem and the first two 

pillars—all public roads and the implementation of a systemic 

safety approach. This article focuses on the other two pillars—the 

countermeasures recognized to reduce rural roadway departures 

and the development and implementation of safety action plans.

Proven Countermeasures 

There are many cost-effective countermeasures shown to reduce rural 

roadway departures. When properly applied, they can significantly 

reduce serious and fatal crashes.

Although rural roads are extremely diverse, from multilane 

highways to gravel roads, there are countermeasures demonstrated to 

fit most situations. For example, edge line markings are effective at 

reducing roadway departures, but they cannot be installed on gravel 

or dirt roads. However, delineators can be used instead on these roads 

and accomplish a similar goal. Other treatments are more complex, 

but any agency can find some method to improve their roadways. If 

improving entire corridors is not practical, focusing on curves might 

be appropriate, since 42 percent of rural roadway departure fatalities 

occur at horizontal curves. The FHWA guide Low-Cost Treatments for 

Horizontal Curve Safety 2016 (FHWA-SA-15-084) provides informa

tion on the application and benefits of many countermeasures.

-

The proven countermeasures are organized around three objec

tives for reducing rural roadway departure deaths and serious injury 

crashes. In priority order, these are: (1) Keep vehicles in their lane, 

(2) Reduce potential for crashes when vehicles leave their lane, and 

(3) Minimize severity if a crash occurs. There are specific countermea

sures that apply to each objective (

-

-

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/FoRRRwD 

/countermeasures.cfm).
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 7

Keep Vehicles in Their Lane

The primary objective is to prevent drivers from leaving their 

travel lane. Another term for roadway departure is lane departure, 

which also includes crossing the center line. Once a driver departs 

the lane onto the roadside or across the center line into oncoming 

traffic, the likelihood of a severe crash rises dramatically.

Signs and Markings

In general, pavement markings, signage, and other delineators are 

used to provide better visibility of the lane or roadway edges, par

ticularly where the alignment changes. This delineation is critical 

in nighttime conditions where other cues are not available. Basic 

signing and use of center and edge lines are the first steps to pro

viding more visible roadways. These countermeasures have been 

shown to be very effective. For instance, chevron signs on hori

zontal curves can reduce nighttime crashes by up to 25 percent.

-

-

-

Enhanced delineation may be useful where risk factors indicate 

it will improve driver perception. Potential countermeasures 

included in this strategy are wider center and edge line markings; 

post-mounted delineators; signs that are larger, more retroreflec

tive, or fluorescent; and dynamic advance curve warning signs 

and sequentially flashing chevron signs.

-

Graphic retroreflective signs like these curve chevrons provide improved nighttime visibility. 

Source: FHWA.
8 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

Rumble Strips

Rumble strips are another very effective 

countermeasure for keeping vehicles in their 

lane. On two-lane rural roads, centerline 

rumble strips have been shown to reduce 

opposite direction fatal and injury crashes 

by 45 percent, and shoulder or edge rumble 

strips reduce single vehicle run-off-road fatal 

and injury crashes by 36 percent.

Alternative designs and applications have 

been developed to address issues related to 

bicycle accommodation and noise. Creating 

bicycle gaps and placing rumble strips on 

the edge line may better enable bicyclists to 

use the shoulder. Sinusoidal rumble strips, 

designed with an oscillating sine wave pat

tern to reduce noise outside of the vehicle, 

show promise to combat noise concerns 

(see “Did You Hear That?” in the January/

February 2017 issue of Public Roads). Mul

tiple States are trying these, so data should 

soon be available to assess if sinusoidal 

rumble strips provide the same level of crash 

reduction as conventional rumbles.

-

-

Many agencies have systematic criteria for 

installing center and edge rumble strips over 

a portion of the system. A systemic approach 

may be better, especially for agencies just 

beginning to consider rumble strips. (For 

more information on systematic vs. systemic 

approaches, see “Moving FoRRRwD: Focus 

on Reducing Rural Roadway Departures” 

in the Autumn 2020 issue of Public Roads). 

Installing them on corridors of highest 

risk for roadway departure fatal and injury 

crashes provides the opportunity to achieve 

the highest number of crash reductions for 

each dollar spent.

FHWA produced a short video about rumble strips. It is available on the agency’s official YouTube channel at 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V5-M4-O70E&feature=youtu.be. 

Source: FHWA.

High-Friction Surface 

Treatments (HFST)

HFST greatly increases friction on roadway 

surfaces. This is particularly important in 

locations such as curves, where friction is 

critical and tends to deteriorate prema

turely. HFST is a very durable treatment 

at such locations, and reduces the need to 

implement higher cost solutions, such as 

curve flattening, increased superelevation, 

or reconstruction. It may also eliminate the 

need for additional rights-of-way.

-

This countermeasure has been shown 

to reduce wet weather curve crashes by 

83 percent and reduce overall curve-related 

crashes by 57 percent. It has also been 

shown to be highly cost-effective, with a 

benefit-cost ratio of 6:1. Like other counter

measures, project locations can be bundled 

to increase cost-effectiveness.

-

For example, the Kentucky Transporta

tion Cabinet installed HFST in 15 short 

curves on the minor road system and 

achieved a more than 70-percent reduction 

in overall crashes. At several sites, there were 

zero crashes in the 5-years-after period.

-

Reduce Potential for Crashes

While keeping vehicles on the roadway is 

the first priority, there are several proven 

strategies for reducing the likelihood of 

a crash for those vehicles that do leave 

the roadway.

HFST has been shown to reduce wet weather curve 

crashes by 83 percent. 

Source: FHWA.

SafetyEdgeSM

The SafetyEdge technology shapes the edge 

of the pavement at approximately 30 degrees 

from the pavement cross slope during the 

paving process. That angle eliminates the 

potential for vertical dropoff at the edge of 

the pavement and enables drivers to recover 

and re-enter their lane with less potential 

to lose control. Because the SafetyEdge is 

installed during the paving process, there 

is minimal effect on asphalt paving cost, 

and it can improve pavement durability by 

preventing edge raveling. Evaluations of 

safety effectiveness have shown a 21-percent 

reduction in run-off-road crashes and a 
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 9

19-percent reduction in head-on collisions. 

This results in a very high benefit-cost ratio. 

SafetyEdge can also be installed on concrete

pavements when they are constructed, 

although the cost is more significant than 

on asphalt projects.

Enhanced Roadside Design

Improving roadside design, especially at 

curves, includes adding or widening shoul

ders, flattening slopes and improving ditch 

design, and providing and maintaining 

adequate clear zones.

-

Shoulder widening creates additional 

space for a vehicle to recover and can be 

done in conjunction with installing rumble 

strips and adding SafetyEdge. Slope flat

tening reduces the steepness of the roadside 

and provides more stability, decreasing the 

potential for rollover, and increasing the 

opportunity for drivers to recover.

-

Providing a wider roadside clear zone 

often means removing rigid objects such 

as trees and utility poles. This can be more 

expensive than other countermeasures, but 

focusing these improvements to the outside 

of specific, higher risk curves systemically 

prioritizes higher risk locations. Safety 

effectiveness evaluations show a 22-percent 

crash reduction by increasing the distance 

to trees by 3 feet (0.9 meters), and up to 

71-percent reduction when increased by 

15 feet (4.6 meters).

Rumble strips are effective for keeping vehicles in their lanes. Widening shoulders provides space for vehicle recovery and can also provide room for rumble strips. 

Source: FHWA.

Minimize Severity if 

A Crash Occurs

Sometimes crashes happen despite the best 

efforts of agencies to keep drivers in their 

travel lane or provide for a safe recovery. 

Where signs or poles are needed or where 

roadsides cannot practically be improved, 

hardware exists to minimize the severity of 

crashes that may occur. Two proven strat

egies for minimizing severity are installing 

breakaway and energy-absorbing designs on 

posts and poles and installing roadside and 

median barriers.

-

While installing a barrier can lead to an 

increase in total crashes because of reported 

property damage, it is important to remem

ber that the goal is to reduce fatal and serious 

injury crashes. A sideswipe crash into a bar

rier will damage the vehicle, but is much less 

prone to cause serious injury to the people 

in the vehicle than a collision with a tree or 

a rollover on a steep slope.

-

-

The entire goal of the FoRRRwD 

effort is to save the people behind the 

crash numbers.

Choose the Options 

That Work for You 

Severe rural roadway departure crashes 

can be reduced or eliminated in high-risk 

locations. A quote attributed to President 

Theodore Roosevelt applies: “Do what you 

can, with what you have, where you are.” 

Agencies should use the proven counter

measures that best fit their situations and 

budgets—but leaving them on the shelf 

should not be an option.

-

The three objectives of keeping vehicles 

in their lane, reducing potential for crashes, 

and minimizing crash severity can also be 

combined to provide redundancy. Providing 

curve signing to keep vehicles on the road 

will reduce crashes. However, combining 

them with the removal of fixed objects 

or providing a barrier will compound the 

reduction. This redundancy will be criti

cal to achieve the vision of zero fatalities. 

“Think of the countermeasures as a menu 

of options,” says Cornell Robertson, the 

county engineer for Franklin County, OH. 

“Each has a specific focus, but they can be 

used together for maximum effect.” 

-

Installation of multiple countermeasures 

or multiple project locations can also be 

bundled together in a single contract to 

increase cost-effectiveness. Bundling can 

happen within a single agency or across a 

region and involve several agencies. This 

provides an opportunity to get more done 

within a small budget.

Safety Action Plans 

The first three FoRRRwD pillars—

considering all public roads, using a 

systemic approach, and implementing 

proven countermeasures—provide the tools 
10 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

necessary to reduce roadway departures. 

Using them to develop an action plan is an 

effective way to prioritize and communicate 

an agency’s safety needs.

Safety action plans, such as statewide 

roadway departure action plans or local road 

safety plans, provide a framework to iden

tify, analyze, and prioritize roadway safety 

improvements. The process for developing 

these plans is flexible and can be easily tai

lored to specific agency issues and needs.

-

-

Safety action plans have many benefits. 

A plan enhances the awareness of stakehold

ers about the need to tackle rural roadway 

departure crashes. In developing the plan, 

agencies establish partnerships that can be 

further leveraged for implementation.

-

Plans can also be a communication tool 

to explain investment decisions to staff, 

leadership, and the public. By document

ing data analysis, recommendations, and 

implementation strategies, the plan explains 

the project prioritization—why particular 

projects need to be done at certain loca

tions and in what order. In addition, a plan 

may help an agency compete for additional 

funding in some instances and provides a 

yardstick to measure the agency’s efforts.

-

-

“Our safety plan has been a catalyst to 

bring all our stakeholders together with one 

vision,” says Craig Parks, the former county 

engineer for Boone County, IN. “We 

included law enforcement, public health, 

and elected officials. When we all looked 

at the plan together, they really understood 

that we were making data-driven decisions, 

and all of us had a part to play in getting 

people home safely each day.” 

Another benefit of having an action 

plan is that it can survive staff turnover. 

As people move in and out of an agency, 

the plan provides a consistent path to 

guide those who were not there when it 

was developed.

Plans are also scalable, and can be cus

tomized to an agency’s needs and priorities. 

They are not one size fits all. Some agencies’ 

plans are just a few pages. Others comprise 

more than 100 pages. The plan depends on 

what the agency’s individual needs are and 

what it is trying to accomplish.

-

Agencies can tailor their local road safety plans to meet their specific issues and needs. 

Source: FHWA.

Implementation Is Required

Safety action plans are proven to work if 

they are implemented. It is critical that 

agencies commit to seeing the improve

ments identified in their plans become 

a reality—the reason someone makes it 

home safely today. To get the most out of a 

safety action plan, agencies should consider 

aligning the plan with existing priorities, 

engaging maintenance staff, including 

implementation strategies, and marketing.

-

Align the plan with existing priorities. 

Every State has a strategic highway safety 

plan (SHSP) that outlines safety issues to be 

addressed statewide. As much as possible, 

match safety projects in the safety action 
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 11

plan with SHSP priorities. This can build 

support for the plan. However, these prior

ities may need to be adjusted based on an 

agency’s own data.

-

Engage maintenance staff. Many times, 

operations and maintenance staff form 

the front line of local agencies. Include 

maintenance staff in the development of 

local road safety plans. They can then be 

proactive in installing low-cost countermea

sures identified from the plan during their 

routine work.

-

Include implementation strategies. Along 

with the locations where countermea

sures will be effective, include strategies to 

cost-effectively implement them in the plan. 

Strategies might include maintenance staff 

performing the work, bundling projects 

with similar treatments into a single con

tract, or installing countermeasures during 

other planned work in those corridors.

-

-

Market the plan. Be intentional with 

marketing and outreach. Marketing safety 

is especially important when develop

ing a local road safety plan. Know the 

stakeholders and target the message to the 

specific audience. Add it to the agenda in 

formal meetings, but also 

bring it up in conversation. 

Talk about the benefits 

consistently to bring as 

many people as possible into 

the process, across diverse 

functional areas and even 

other agencies. Consistent 

marketing builds buy-in.

-

Help Is Available

Through the FoRRRwD 

effort, agencies looking to 

develop or implement safety 

action plans can request 

technical assistance on any 

aspect of plan development. 

Examples of technical assis

tance provided include: 

-

• Helping to form a 

stakeholder group.

• Conducting data analysis 

for agencies.

• Providing or customizing 

tools for agencies to 

analyze their own data.

• Identifying potential countermeasures 

based on risk factors, target crash 

types, and target facility types from 

the analysis.

• Developing timelines and goals 

for implementation.

• Evaluating the effectiveness of 

countermeasures already installed.

FHWA has launched a new Local Road 

Safety Plan Do-it-Yourself website at https://

safety.fhwa.dot.gov/LRSPDIY

-

 to help local 

agencies. The site includes video content 

to explain and demonstrate the steps of the 

planning process and offers dozens of tips, 

tutorials, resources, and examples. The site 

houses previously developed infographics, 

templates, videos, presentations, webinars, 

training modules, and tools, as well as fea

tured interviews with State and local agen

cies that have been engaged in developing 

local road safety plans across the country. 

For more information, see “Internet Watch” 

on page 45 in this issue.

-

Save the People 

Behind The Numbers

“Rural roadway departure crashes represent 

a huge challenge on the Nation’s roadways,” 

says Michael Griffith, director of FHWA’s 

Office of Safety Technologies. “There is, 

however, a clear path to reducing them and 

help is available from FHWA.”

FHWA urges States to consider all public 

roads, use a systemic approach, implement 

proven countermeasures, and develop a 

safety action plan. These four pillars are 

proven to work.

Thirty people will die today from rural 

roadway departure crashes. Some of them 

could be your neighbors or loved ones. Let’s 

save the people behind the numbers! 

CATHY SATTERFIELD, P.E., works on roadway 

departure and visibility programs in FHWA’s Office 

of Safety. She has a B.S.C.E from the University 

of Minnesota.

RICHARD B. ALBIN, P.E., is with the FHWA Resource 

Center and specializes in reducing roadway 

departure crashes. He has a B.S.C.E. from the 

University of Wyoming.

For more information, see www.safety.fhwa 

.dot.gov/forrrwd or contact Cathy Satterfield, 

cathy.satterfield@dot.gov, or Dick Albin, 

dick.albin@dot.gov. 

FHWA’s new website helps agencies develop a local road safety plan. 

Source: FHWA.
12 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

Combating 

Human Trafficking

Combating 

Human Trafficking

USDOT is working with partners and stakeholders across the 

transportation industry to put the brakes on human trafficking.

The transportation sector can do a lot to help stop human trafficking. 

© saiyood / iStock by Getty Images. by JIHAN NOIZET and SHARI SCHAFTLEIN

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that involves the 

use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain 

labor or a commercial sex act and includes 

the commercial sexual exploitation of 

children under any circumstances. The 

International Labour Organization esti

mates that, globally, as many as 24.9 million 

men, women, and children are exploited in 

various forms of contemporary slave-like 

practices. Human trafficking flourishes as 

a business because of the lucrative profits 

it generates—approximately $150 billion 

annually worldwide.

-

Traffickers rely on the transportation 

industry in every phase of human traf

ficking: for recruitment, for moving and 

controlling victims, and for delivering 

victims to buyers. In the United States, 

victims are being trafficked by every form of 

transportation, including cars, vans, buses, 

airplanes, subways, trains, taxis, rideshares, 

and cruise ships.

-

“The U.S. Department of Transpor

tation is committed to working with our 

public and private partners to fight human 

trafficking on America’s transportation 

system,” said U.S. Secretary of Transporta

tion Elaine L. Chao. 

-

-

In 2018, USDOT launched its Advi

sory Committee on Human Trafficking 

(ACHT). ACHT is a Federal advisory 

committee created in accordance with the 

Combating Human Trafficking in Com

mercial Vehicles Act to make recommen

dations to the Secretary of Transportation 

on actions the Department can take to help 

combat human trafficking, and to develop 

recommended best practices for States and 

local transportation stakeholders in com

bating human trafficking. The Secretary 

appointed the 15 members as a cross-section 

of stakeholders from industry and labor, 

including representatives from the aviation, 

bus, law enforcement, maritime, port, rail, 

and trucking sectors.

-

-

-

-

In July 2019, the committee published 

its final report with recommendations, 

which is available at www.transportation.gov 

/administrations/office-policy/advisory-committee 

-human-trafficking. The report provides 

valuable feedback that methodically assesses 

data, strategies, policies, protocols, and 

public awareness at the intersection of the 

transportation sector and human trafficking. 

USDOT’s Counter-trafficking Efforts

Since the ACHT issued its final report, 

including recommendations for the Depart

ment, USDOT has both continued and 

expanded counter-trafficking leadership, 

partnerships, funding, training, awareness, 

and research efforts. The Federal Highway 

Administration is working on initiatives to 

engage stakeholders and promote public 

awareness. 

-

Partnerships

USDOT significantly expanded its Trans

portation Leaders Against Human Traffick

ing (TLAHT) partnership, with pledges 

signed by stakeholders from every mode of 

transportation, labor, and nongovernmen

tal organizations from every State in the 

country. Signatories commit to educating 

employees, raising public awareness, and 

sharing data on the issue of human traf

ficking. More than 500 transportation 

-

-

-

-
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 13

stakeholders have signed the pledge. As of 

October 2020, signatories include 184 air

ports and airlines, 136 urban and rural tran

sit agencies, 35 trucking and bus companies, 

9 railways, 7 ports, 49 State departments of 

transportation, 8 States, and 11 cities.

-

-

Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao (center) with USDOT’s Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking (ACHT) in 2019. 

Source: USDOT.

Funding

USDOT awarded more than $1.5 million in 

grants to support State counter-trafficking 

efforts through driver’s license standards and 

programs, $5.4 million in transit grants to 

address public safety (including human traf

ficking), and $50,000 to the winner of the 

new annual Combating Human Trafficking 

in Transportation Impact Award.

-

Training

In addition to continuing to train its 54,000 

employees every 3 years, USDOT’s Blue 

Lightning Initiative training—tailored for 

the aviation sector and a joint effort with 

the Department of Homeland Security—

expanded to 49 partners that include 

airlines, airports, and aviation associations 

reaching more than 100,000 aviation 

employees. Many of USDOT’s human 

trafficking-related grants include support for 

expanded training initiatives, and TLAHT 

partners have committed to training 1.3 

million transportation employees to recog

nize and respond to possible instances of 

human trafficking. 

-

Awareness

USDOT delivers presentations, convenes 

stakeholders, displays exhibits, and posts 

messages on social media to raise awareness 

about the intersection of human trafficking 

and transportation. Many of the Depart

ment’s grants that include a human traffick

ing component support expanded public 

awareness on the issue, and the TLAHT 

pledge also encourages stakeholders to raise 

public awareness. The Department pro

vides outreach resources to stakeholders at 

-

-

-

www.transportation.gov/stophumantrafficking. 

Research

During the 2020 Transportation Research 

Board 99th Annual Meeting of more than 

14,000 transportation researchers and 

professionals, one of USDOT’s keynote pre

sentations and an exhibit underscored the 

role of transportation in combating human 

trafficking and highlighted key research 

gaps and opportunities. USDOT continues 

to support TRB’s research programs on 

the intersection of human trafficking and 

transportation. The Department presented 

its inaugural Combating Human Trafficking 

in Transportation Impact Award to United 

Against Slavery to conduct a national 

counter-trafficking survey of transportation 

stakeholders of up to 500,000 respondents, 

the results of which will be available to the 

public, helping to inform future research on 

the intersection of human trafficking and 

transportation. 

-

Going Beyond Required Training 

Practitioners in the highway sector of 

transportation use multimodal options in 

their professional and personal travel, so it is 

helpful for them to have an understanding 

of how other modes are involved in human 

trafficking. Participating in training beyond 

what is required can help transportation 

In January 2020, leaders from Congress, State governments, and the transportation industry joined Secretary Chao (center) to pledge their commitment to fight human trafficking. 

Source: USDOT.
14 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

professionals increase their knowledge and 

awareness to serve as champions against 

human trafficking. There is a wide variety 

of transportation training available online 

that transportation professionals can take 

on a voluntary basis to supplement required 

training. In particular, there is the Blue 

Lightning Initiative for aviation; “Hiding in 

Plain Sight,” intended for Amtrak and the 

rail sector; and the Pennsylvania Depart

ment of Transportation’s “Combating 

Human Trafficking” training. 

-

Recommended Trainings

Target Transportation 

Sector Training Name Link Notes

Aviation Blue Lightning 

Initiative

https://www.cbp.gov/border-security 

/human-trafficking/blue-lightning

3-minute preview of the 

training. Full access requires a 

Memorandum of Understanding 

with USDOT and the Department 

of Homeland Security.

Rail (Amtrak) Hiding in Plain Sight https://www.youtube.com 

/watch?v=JXIFBFyZbPs

12-minute video

State Agencies: 

Pennsylvania DOT 

Training

Combating Human 

Trafficking

http://www.dot13.pa.gov/Combating%20

Human%20Trafficking%20WBT/story 

_flash.html

11-minute interactive video

The Role of State DOTs

Efforts among State DOTs to stop human 

trafficking are picking up momentum, 

although there is still a ways to go. State 

DOTs have access to pertinent information 

that can be useful to law enforcement in the 

quest to combat human trafficking. Given 

the role of State DOTs in building, main

taining, and regulating multiple large-scale 

transportation systems, State DOTs can be 

well positioned to make an impact in com

bating human trafficking. One of the most 

powerful resources available to State DOTs 

is their human capital. When employees are 

educated and trained on preventing human 

trafficking, they function as not only front

line deterrents but also as multipliers by 

helping to spread awareness to the public. 

-

-

-

The ACHT report offers a substantial 

number of recommendations for the States. 

Three critical ones are training, awareness, 

and partnerships. 

“Training is instrumental in ensur

ing frontline employees are prepared to 

respond to potential trafficking situa

tions,” says Yassmin Gramian, Secretary of 

Transportation at the Pennsylvania Depart

ment of Transportation. “Making sure that 

everyone is on the same page can save lives.” 

-

-

-

States have found success with general 

human trafficking awareness training of 

State transportation employees and law 

enforcement officials that includes case 

studies and scenario-based trainings. This 

approach has the ability to engage stake

holders and keep them vested in the process. 

-

Additionally, it is important to raise 

public awareness and adopt a uniform 

message among stakeholders through the 

use of targeted materials. Adopting a uni

form message using existing materials from 

Federal agencies emphasizes the message 

and provides an unvarying communication 

effort across all stakeholders involved—

presenting a combined front against human 

trafficking as a whole. 

-

Finally, partnerships are crucial to the 

success of getting key messages out to stake

holders. Creating a comprehensive approach 

to human trafficking through coalitions 

emphasizes that this issue transcends all 

communities, States, and the Federal Gov

ernment. The American Association of State 

Highway and Transportation Officials is 

providing a forum at national and regional 

meetings for leadership peer exchange on 

the subject. 

-

-

Transportation Research 

Board Initiatives

USDOT has partnered with TRB to 

accomplish several coordination and 

outreach efforts. These include a session 

at the 6th International Conference on 

Women and Transportation Issues, held 

in Irvine, CA, in September 2019, as well 

as 2020 TRB Annual Meeting events. 

In July 2020, TRB sponsored a webi

nar on Human Trafficking and Mobility 

of Missing and Murdered Indigenous 

Women. TRB has also recently formed 

the Human Trafficking in Transportation 

Common Interest Group Steering Com

mittee. The objectives of the group include 

-

-

Awareness, research, training, and collaboration are all 

important in the battle against human trafficking. 

© AlexLMX / Shutterstock.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 15

knowledge sharing, collaboration, and 

serving as champions on the anti-human 

trafficking topic. 

In addition, human trafficking projects 

are included in two research programs that 

TRB administers: the National Cooperative 

Highway Research Program (NCHRP) 

and the Airport Cooperative Research 

Program (ACRP).

TRB’s NCHRP Research Efforts

The NCHRP is spearheading research to 

inform State DOTs interested in developing 

structured responses to human traffick

ing that are appropriate to their State, in 

addition to supporting employees who may 

be on the front lines against this criminal 

activity. The objectives of NCHRP project 

20-121, State DOT Contributions to the 

Study, Investigation, and Interdiction of 

Human Trafficking, are to identify how 

State DOTs can assist and enhance the 

existing efforts to combat human traffick

ing, and to develop guidelines and a suite of 

tools that support effective training, policy, 

and collaborative practices related to miti

gating human trafficking. 

-

-

-

The first phase of this research is com

plete, and the results will be published 

in early 2021. Using the ACHT 

framework, the report will sum

marize findings and conclusions, 

and provide definitions, sample 

policies, scenarios, and program 

management tools.

-

-

The State DOTs, through 

AASHTO, recently added 

additional funding to the 

project. A second phase 

will support dissemination 

and implementation of the 

research results, with a focus 

on prevention, protection, 

prosecution, and partnerships. 

Some insights from the 

project to date include that partnering is 

key and that law enforcement and victim 

services are instrumental to fighting human 

trafficking. It is also essential to address 

common State DOT programming needs. 

These include executive-level interest and 

internal capacity within the State DOT; 

clear objectives aligned to partner expecta

tions; program governance that is explicit 

and well-communicated to the rest of 

the organization; training, policies, and 

processes (for example, making reporting 

familiar and automatic); education of exter

nal partners on what State DOTs bring to a 

broader anti-trafficking effort; and the need 

for a connected community of interest with 

recurring contact. 

-

-

“Human trafficking is an issue that 

all States and communities have a role in 

combating, and this report is a critical step 

in arming State DOTs with information 

to increase awareness and further advance 

anti-trafficking measures,” says Arlin 

Alvarez, the Wellness Program administrator 

for the Texas Department of Transportation 

(TxDOT) and co-chair of the NCHRP’s 

project panel for State DOT Contributions 

to the Study, Investigation, and Interdic

tion of Human Trafficking. “As TxDOT 

continues to amplify and expand the human 

trafficking awareness campaign we launched 

in 2019, we appreciate every opportunity 

to collaborate with our fellow DOTs to 

share resources and insight on how we can 

collectively make a positive difference by 

watching for and reporting trafficking.”

-

TRB’s ACRP Research Efforts 

The ACRP has launched ACRP project 

04-24, Guidelines to Develop an AntiHuman Trafficking Action Plan for Air

ports, to develop a primer, guidebook, and 

toolkit to help airport operators create and 

implement a comprehensive anti-human 

trafficking action plan. 

-

USDOT is collaborating with partners in the United States 

and abroad to put the brakes on human trafficking. 

© KatarzynaBialasiewicz, iStock by Getty Images.

How State DOTs Can Help 

Law Enforcement

State DOTs can support law 

enforcement by supplying certain 

knowledge, data, and expertise. 

Providing these resources may 

produce actionable information or 

corroborating evidence. Sources of 

information include:

• Surveillance information from 

rest areas and welcome areas.

• Documentation of observations 

by workforce in unpatrolled areas 

(for example, remote sites).

• Common trafficker routes 

or circuits—national, 

regional, and local.

• Information on suspected 

trafficker sites at or near 

transportation agency assets.

• Surveillance information from 

weigh stations, toll facilities, and 

similar roadside operations.

• Data on human trafficking 

activity from partner facilities.

• License plate images.

• Case studies from the 

transportation sector 

and State DOTs.

• Toll or station activity.

• Geospatial expertise (such 

as providing interpretation 

of aerial imagery).
16 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

International Outreach

USDOT uses its participation in inter

national activities such as the Asia-Pacific 

Economic Cooperation (APEC) Transpor

tation Working Group, the International 

Civil Aviation Organization, and the 

International Transport Forum to encour

age counterparts across the globe to engage 

their stakeholders on the issue of combating 

human trafficking. 

-

-

-

Within the APEC working group, 

USDOT is spearheading a project entitled 

“Combating Human Trafficking by Address

ing Illicit Uses of Transportation.” Under 

the project, two webinars were held in Sep

tember and October 2020 on “Combating 

Human Trafficking in the Transportation 

Sector” and “Modal Strategies to Combat 

Human Trafficking.” The two meetings 

focused on overarching best practices for 

transportation ministries, transport oper

ators, law enforcement, and civil society 

organizations to combat human trafficking 

in the transportation sector through lead

ership, data collection, reporting, employee 

training, and public awareness. 

-

-

-

-

One common thread among the webi

nars’ presentations was the importance of 

partnerships within and between govern

ments; with hotlines, where applicable; and 

with law enforcement. USDOT presented 

during both meetings and included exam

ples of modal strategies in the trucking, 

transit, aviation, and port sectors. 

-

-

-

Additional international cooperation 

efforts are needed to compile the state of 

practice and aspirational efforts focused on 

the highway system, including highways, 

arterials, adjacent supporting services, and 

land use, such as fueling, rest areas, and 

formal and informal right-of-way encamp

ments. Highway transportation agencies 

collectively can consider how they can 

communicate with vulnerable populations, 

disrupt trafficking networks, and eliminate 

forced labor in transportation construction 

through effective design, licensing, contract

ing, and operation. 

-

-

Combating Human 

Trafficking Together

FHWA strongly encourages its partners 

and stakeholders to sign the Transportation 

Leaders Against Human Trafficking pledge. 

USDOT’s TLAHT group urges transpor

tation leaders, including travel industry 

stakeholders, to connect in an effort to 

combat human trafficking. This initiative 

is supported by USDOT leadership across 

all levels and modal agencies. The Transpor

tation Leaders Against Human Trafficking 

pledge is available at 

-

-

www.transportation 

.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2020-02/TLAHT%20

Pledge%202020.pdf. 

“This call to action is not just at an orga

nizational level, it is at a personal level, too,” 

says Thomas Everett, FHWA’s Executive 

Director. “We can all make a difference, 

as long as we do our part and educate 

ourselves—knowledge is power, knowledge 

saves lives.”

-

JIHAN NOIZET is a transportation specialist in 

FHWA’s Office of International Programs and 

oversees the coordination and implementation of 

cooperative program activities between FHWA and 

its foreign counterparts. She holds a bachelor’s 

degree in business administration from the 

University of North Texas and a master’s degree 

in business administration from the University of 

Texas at Dallas.

SHARI SCHAFTLEIN is the director of FHWA’s 

Office of Human Environment. She has 33 years 

of public service spanning Tribal, State, and 

Federal governments and nonprofits. She has 

held leadership positions in the FHWA Office of 

Planning, Environment, and Realty for the past 

16 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public 

affairs and a master’s degree in environmental 

science from Indiana University.

For more information, visit www 

.transportation.gov/stophumantrafficking, see 

“Internet Watch: Combating Human 

Trafficking” in the Autumn 2020 issue of 

Public Roads, or contact Jihan Noizet at 

Jihan.Noizet@dot.gov.

© Kheng Guan Toh / Shutterstock.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 17

Technology to 

Make Signalized 

Intersections 

Safer for

Pedestrians 

with Disabilities 

FHWA’s ATTRI program is funding PedPal, 

a mobile app that enables pedestrians 

to communicate directly with signalized 

intersections and actively influence traffic 

control decisions to enhance their safety.

Pedestrians with vision or mobility impairments face challenges when crossing 

intersections. FHWA’s Accessible Transportation Technologies Research Initiative is 

funding the development of the PedPal app to help. 

© M. Bernardine Dias, Diyunu Consulting LLC.

by GOVINDARAJAN VADAKPAT, STEPHEN F. SMITH, ZACHARY B. RUBINSTEIN, and M. BERNARDINE DIAS

Transportation and mobility are key to quality of life, equity of opportunity, and 

economic well-being in urban environments. 

Yet for travelers with disabilities, naviga

tion along city streets and access to public 

transportation present significant challenges 

and often impose severe limits on freedom 

of movement and the ability to accomplish 

normal daily activities. To explore the role of 

technology in addressing these challenges, the 

Federal Highway Administration established 

the Accessible Transportation Technologies 

Research Initiative (ATTRI).

-

One focus of the ATTRI program is the 

problem of safe intersection crossing. “For a 

pedestrian who is vision impaired, navigating 

intersections poses a particularly daunting 

task,” says Mohammed Yousuf, the direc

tor of the Federal Transit Administration’s 

Office of Infrastructure and Innovation, and 

formerly the program manager for ATTRI at 

FHWA. 

-

Most frequently, the pedestrian must rely 

on the directional sounds of traffic to first 

orient him or herself to the intended crossing 

direction and then to determine when it is 

time to cross. These decisions can be facil

itated in situations where other pedestrians 

are present or if the intersection is equipped 

with accessible pedestrian signals, which 

provide audible and vibrotactile cues. In the 

absence of such cues when crossing unfa

miliar intersections, a common strategy for 

a pedestrian who has a vision impairment is 

to remain at the intersection for one or more 

cycles of the traffic signal phases in order to 

acclimate and understand traffic patterns 

sufficiently before making a move to cross. 

Once a decision is made to cross, the pedes

trian generally moves as quickly as possible, 

using cues such as the crown of the road at 

the middle of the crossing to gauge progress. 

Despite his or her best efforts, the safety of 

a pedestrian with a vision impairment often 

depends on the alertness and accommodation 

- of the drivers of oncoming vehicles.

-

-

For pedestrians who have a mobility 

impairment, the basic challenge is getting 

across the intersection in the time that is 

allocated by the traffic signal control system, 

and, again, safety often depends on the 

patience of the drivers of waiting vehicles as 

the traffic signal changes phases. 

“For pedestrians with a combination of 

disabilities,” says Yousuf, “the situation is 

even worse.”

To help address these challenges, Carnegie 
18 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

Mellon University, with funding from ATTRI, developed PedPal, a 

mobile smartphone application that enables pedestrians to commu

nicate directly with signalized intersections and to influence traffic 

control decisions to their advantage. PedPal combines emerging 

connected vehicle communication technology with a recently devel

oped real-time, adaptive traffic signal control system to provide for a 

safer and more efficient intersection crossing experience for pedestri

ans with disabilities. 

-

-

-

A pedestrian who has a vision impairment waits at an intersection for the PedPal app on 

his smartphone to announce that it the light has changed and it is time to cross. 

© M. Bernardine Dias, Diyunu Consulting LLC.

How PedPal Works

PedPal encodes its user’s personal crossing constraints (such as travel 

speed) and conveys both desired crossing direction and required 

crossing time to the traffic signal system upon arrival at the intersec

tion. The signal system, which is optimizing movement of all sensed 

traffic in real time, will in return ensure that the pedestrian gets the 

requested crossing duration whenever it initiates the next crossing 

phase in the pedestrian’s direction. During crossing, PedPal and the 

traffic signal system communicate while PedPal monitors its user’s 

progress, and, if progress is determined to be slower than expected, 

then the signal phase is dynamically extended by the signal system 

to accommodate this longer passage requirement. 

-

If the user provides PedPal with pre-planned route information, 

the traffic signal control system can anticipate the pedestrian’s 

arrival time at the intersection. By factoring this information into its 

determination of the upcoming signal timing plan, the system will 

coordinate a more efficient crossing opportunity that streamlines the 

user’s overall crossing time.

PedPal’s overall system design supports both cellular and DSRC radio communication options. 

© Stephen F. Smith, Carnegie Mellon University.

System Design

To realize the functional behavior, PedPal takes advantage of recent 

technology advances in two areas: (1) vehicle-to-infrastructure 

(V2I) communication, which has produced both hardware devices 

such as dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) radios and 
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 19

V2I messaging standards, and (2) real-time 

adaptive signal control, which provides the 

ability to install personalized crossing con

straints to dynamically extend the crossing 

time when necessary and to proactively 

factor pedestrian arrival times into the inter

section’s signal timing plan. 

-

-

PedPal is currently running on an 

iPhone, selected primarily for the accessi

bility features that it provides. With respect 

to V2I communication, the app provides 

both DSRC and cellular options, the former 

achieved via Bluetooth® communication 

between the smartphone and an attachable 

DSRC “sleeve,” and the latter through a 

cloud-based server connection to the inter

section. In both modes, standardized DSRC 

map data and signal phase and timing 

message types are used respectively to com

municate relevant geometric information 

about the intersection (such as the number 

of lanes, lane width, etc.) and current phase 

information from the intersection (such as 

how much green time is left in the current 

crossing phase) to the PedPal app. Likewise, 

standardized signal request messages and 

signal status messages are used by PedPal to 

communicate crossing intent and require

ments to the intersection. The PedPal app 

can be used at any signalized intersection 

that is adaptively controlled, and can com

pensate for the absence of pedestrian signals 

at the intersection.

-

-

-

-

-

For real-time adaptive signal control, 

PedPal currently relies on the recently devel

oped Surtrac system, which was initially 

piloted and deployed in areas of Pittsburgh, 

PA, and is now operational in about a dozen 

North American cities. Surtrac is designed 

specifically for optimization of urban traffic 

networks, where there are multiple com

peting dominant traffic flows that change 

throughout the day. Surtrac takes a totally 

decentralized approach to traffic control. 

Each intersection allocates its green time 

independently in real time, based on actual 

incoming vehicle flows, as seen through 

video or radar detection devices. Then, 

once an intersection system has generated 

its timing plan, it communicates projected 

outflows to neighboring intersections to 

increase their visibility of future incoming 

traffic. 

-

-

Timing plans at each intersection are exe

cuted in “rolling horizon” fashion, and the 

planning cycle repeats every second. Reli

ance on decentralized intersection control 

ensures maximum real-time responsiveness 

to actual traffic conditions, while communi

cation of projected outflows to downstream 

neighbors enables coordinated activity at the 

network level and creation of green waves 

when appropriate. The real-time intersec

tion scheduling procedure is sensitive to 

travel mode information (such as passenger 

vehicle, bus, bicycle, pedestrian) and capable 

of multimodal optimization if sensors (and 

in this case the PedPal app) can provide 

mode information. 

-

-

-

-

These screenshots (at right) demonstrate the basic PedPal 

concept of operations. 

© Stephen F. Smith, Carnegie Mellon University.

Crossing an Intersection with PedPal 

Once a pedestrian launches PedPal, the app begins “listening” for specific messages broadcast from 

nearby smart signalized traffic intersections, and it continues to be active until explicitly turned off. 

While active, the app continues to cycle through the screens shown here. 

Screen (a): The “No nearby intersection detected” message indicates that the device is currently 

between intersections and offline. 

Screen (b): When within range of the messages being broadcasted by an upcoming intersection, 

the app uses this information to display possible crossing options to the user, along with context 

about when the crossing direction is going to change. Upon arrival at the intersection, the user 

indicates crossing intent by tapping on one of the presented options, which can be displayed 

visually or via audio voiceover. 

Screen (c): When the pedestrian makes a selection, PedPal automatically sends a message to the 

intersection indicating both the crossing option selected and the time required, and the app 

display transitions to a screen that provides guidance relevant to the selected crossing phase. If 

the user has selected a future crossing phase, PedPal warns the user that it is not safe to cross. If 

voiceover has been enabled, this message is conveyed through audio as well as visually. When 

the crossing signal is close to changing to the desired crossing direction, PedPal starts to count 

down the seconds to alert the user to get ready to go. 

Screen (d): When the intersection’s crossing signal switches to the user’s direction, the app 

announces that it is OK to cross. At this point, the app shows the amount of crossing time that has 

been allocated and begins a countdown of the time remaining until the next signal change. Once 

the pedestrian starts to cross, the app begins to track crossing progress.

Screen (e): While in either waiting or crossing mode, the user can request available information to 

assist in orienting to the crosswalk at the current corner. 

Screen (f): The countdown timer continues when the popup for more information is dismissed. 

The PedPal Mobile App

The PedPal app is the interface between 

the pedestrian and the traffic signal con

trol system. The developers designed it to 

promote ease of use and follow universal 

design principles while taking full advantage 

of iPhone accessibility features to provide 

support for pedestrians with different types 

of disabilities. The interface emphasizes 

selection from tabs and lists of options 

rather than requiring textual inputs, and 

it provides multiple modalities to the user 

for presenting information and options 

for selection.

-

For pedestrians who are not vision 

impaired, the app’s visual interface pro

vides a straightforward basis for using the 

mobile app. Upon bringing up the app, the 

user has a choice of selecting one of two 

screens: “nearby,” which provides the user 

with information and crossing options for 

the upcoming intersection, and “settings,” 

which enables the user to customize the 

app’s behavior for specific constraints and 

preferences. During travel and intersection 

crossing, the user will typically operate 

solely from the “nearby” screen. 

-

Users who have vision impairments can 
20

| PUBLIC ROADS| WINTER 2021

enable the smartphone’s native accessi

bility features—including voiceover, font 

resizing, and text zooming—and con

figure them to facilitate interaction. The 

current PedPal prototype is implemented 

for the iPhone (in large part because 

of the relative strength of its onboard 

accessibility features), but the develop

ers anticipate Android implementation 

in the future. Finally, the PedPal app is 

also designed to exploit haptic (vibra

tion-based) cues for announcing walk/

don’t walk crossing conditions and for 

issuing alerts during the act of crossing. ----

Volunteers from the local disability community in 

Pittsburgh tested PedPal in the field. © M. Bernardine Dias, Diyunu Consulting LLC.

Field Experiments

Carnegie Mellon carried out initial 

field testing of the PedPal mobile app 

at multiple intersections in the existing 

Pittsburgh Surtrac deployment to assess 

the app’s potential and to obtain feed

back for additional development. The 

development team recruited 14 people 

from the local Pittsburgh disability com

munity, spanning a range of demograph

ics and disability types but including a 

disproportionate number of individuals 

who have vision impairments. The team 

first interviewed each participant to form 

an understanding of his or her current 

challenges when crossing traffic intersec

tions. Then each participant was trained 

in the use of the PedPal app and asked 

to perform a number of crossing trials 

both with and without the assistance of 

the app. 

-

---

The developers used the crossings 

without the app as a control study for 

comparison with each user’s crossing 

performance when using the app. The 

team recorded several measurements for 

each crossing trial, including the amount 

of time the user waited upon arrival at 

the corner, the number of traffic signal 

cycles that the user waited through while 

preparing to cross, and the eventual 

crossing duration. After the trials, participants were asked to complete a survey 

designed to get their qualitative assess

ment of the technology and suggestions 

for improvement.

-

Overwhelmingly, the feedback from 

participants was positive. Although it was 

clear that the app was perceived to be of 

more benefit to individuals with specific 

types of disabilities (such as walker users 

and pedestrians with vision impair

ments), all participants were enthusiastic -
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 21

about PedPal’s potential to increase safety 

and enhance mobility for pedestrians with 

disabilities. One participant observed, “I 

rely on my Seeing Eye® dog to safely guide 

me across ... street crossings, and my Seeing 

Eye dog relies on me to confidently give 

the command to initiate a crossing. The 

PedPal app gives me the information I need 

to make an intelligent decision at a cross

ing, eliminating the need to interpret the 

cacophony of vehicular cues, often the lack 

of vehicular cues, and the occasional misin

formation from fellow pedestrians.” 

-

-

Dr. Tessa McCarthy, an orientation 

and mobility specialist at the University 

of Pittsburgh, was also enthusiastic. “The 

PedPal app is one of the most innovative 

tools for street crossings that I’ve seen in my 

career,” she says. “It has the ability to solve a 

lot of problems related to street crossings for 

people with a variety of disabilities.”

Quantitatively, the research team found 

that the use of PedPal reduced both the total 

wait time and the number of cycles needed 

to cross for participants who have vision 

impairments. However, these participants 

actually moved across the intersection at 

a slower, relaxed pace when using PedPal. 

Based on observations and post-trial discus

sions with participants, this change in pace 

appears to correlate to the confidence users 

feel when crossing the street with the app: 

they feel more reassured that they are cross

ing at the correct phase and are less frantic 

in their movements as a result. 

-

-

The observed results also confirmed prior 

expectations about the time required for 

crossing by different demographic groups. 

Individuals with mobility challenges who 

are walking require the most crossing time. 

Individuals who have vision impairments 

also require extra crossing time during peri

ods of high traffic congestion. Alternatively, 

motorized wheelchair users and people with 

hearing loss cross intersections efficiently 

and do not need extra crossing time. 

-

Next Steps

While a technological solution such as 

the PedPal app may not be right for every 

pedestrian, it can help many people with 

disabilities. Carnegie Mellon is currently 

expanding the PedPal technology to provide 

additional safety and mobility-enhancing 

capabilities, including the ability to detect 

veering outside of the crosswalk, to provide 

real-time feedback in an accessible format to 

pedestrians who have vision impairments, 

to import and export route information 

from third-party navigation apps, and to 

broadcast the presence of pedestrians with 

disabilities at the intersection to approach

ing connected vehicles. Carnegie Mellon is 

working with the company responsible for 

commercializing the Surtrac traffic signal 

control system to make the PedPal app 

available to any local municipality that has 

deployed Surtrac in the near future. 

-

“The PedPal project has taken an import

ant step toward realization of ATTRI’s 

vision of an accessible transportation net

work that provides safe, easy, and efficient 

traveling options to everyone, especially to 

people with disabilities,” says Yousuf. 

-

-

GOVINDARAJAN VADAKPAT is a highway research 

engineer at FHWA, where he managed the ATTRI 

safe intersection crossing project. He holds a Ph.D. 

in civil engineering from Penn State. 

STEPHEN F. SMITH is a research professor of 

robotics at Carnegie Mellon University and 

principal investigator of the PedPal project. 

He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the 

University of Pittsburgh.

ZACHARY B. RUBINSTEIN is a principal project 

scientist at Carnegie Mellon University and 

project manager of the PedPal project. He holds a 

Ph.D. in computer science from the University of 

Massachusetts at Amherst.

M. BERNARDINE DIAS is a recognized world leader 

in the application of technology for social equity, 

and consulted on the PedPal project. She holds a 

Ph.D. in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University.

For more information, visit https://rosap.ntl 

.bts.gov/view/dot/50548 or contact Govin

darajan Vadakpat at 

-

g.vadakpat@dot.gov or 

202-493-3283.

A guide dog user crosses a busy intersection with the help 

of PedPal. 

© M. Bernardine Dias, Diyunu Consulting LLC.
IMPROVING 

BRIDGE 

PRESERVATION 

WITH UHPC

Ultra-high performance concrete can advance 

highway bridge preservation and repair to en

hance durability and resiliency.

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) has long been used for new construction in connections between prefabricated bridge 

elements. In the last few years, its use in bridge repair and preservation has increased as well. Here, crews install the first U.S. 

deployment of UHPC as a bridge deck overlay on a reinforced concrete slab bridge located in Brandon, IA, completed in May 2016. 

Source: FHWA.

22 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

by ZACHARY B. HABER

You do not have to work in the surface transportation sector in order to be 

aware of the state of repair of many of 

the highway bridges in the United States. 

News headlines often contain the word 

“infrastructure” along with “crumbling” 

or “deteriorating.” But those stories do 

not always include a description of what 

individuals and agencies are doing to effect 

change and spur innovation in the area of 

bridge preservation.

The Federal Highway Administra

tion’s Bridge Preservation Guide (FHWAHIF-18-022) defines bridge preservation 

as “actions or strategies that prevent, delay, 

or reduce deterioration of bridges or bridge 

elements, restore the function of existing 

bridges, keep bridges in good or fair condi

tion, and extend their service life.” Keeping 

highway bridges in a state of good repair is 

challenging and requires bridge owners to 

be vigilant. There are numerous factors to 

be considered, such as availability of fund

ing, time, volume of an owner’s inventory, 

age of the structures in that inventory, and 

service conditions. 

-

-

-

Another challenge is the durability of 

traditional materials and methods used for 

bridge preservation and repair. If a bridge 

owner repairs an element of a bridge with 

a material that deteriorates within 5 years, 

the same issue will need to be readdressed 

soon. Bridge owners have a choice: repeat 

the same course of action in a continuous 

cycle, or seek out a different, potentially 

more innovative, resilient, and permanent 

solution. The latter option is what some 

bridge owners are choosing to do. 

“As a bridge owner with constrained 

resources such as money and time to 

make repairs that impact mobility, we are 

always on the lookout for new technologies 

that can help us with long-lasting bridge 

preservation actions that are life-cycle cost 

effective,” says James Nelson, director of 

the Iowa Department of Transportation’s 

Bridges and Structures Bureau, and chair of 

the American Association of State Highway 

and Transportation Officials’ Bridge Preser

vation Technical Committee.

-

Ultra-high performance concrete 

(UHPC) is a fiber-reinforced, cementi

tious composite material with mechanical 

and durability properties that far exceed 

those of conventional concrete materials. 

These properties have made it popular for 

bridge construction, especially for field-cast 

connections between prefabricated bridge 

elements. Bridge infrastructure preservation 

and repair is a new application of UHPC 

-
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 23

that offers enhanced performance and 

improved life-cycle cost over traditional 

methods. FHWA will be promoting the use 

of UHPC for bridge preservation and repair 

over the next 2 years through the sixth 

round of the Every Day Counts (EDC-6) 

program (for more information, visit www 

.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/edc_6). 

Find out where UHPC is being used near you!

FHWA created and maintains an interactive map (https://bit.ly/UHPCMap) that shows the 

locations and details of bridges in the United States that used UHPC in their construction. 

Each icon shown represents an individual bridge. By clicking on an icon, users can access 

information about the selected bridge, such as the year built, the bridge owner, and how 

UHPC was used on the structure. The interactive map also features other data visualization 

and filtering functions. For example, a user can search for bridges that have been repaired 

using UHPC. 

 

Source: FHWA. © ESRI (for map image).

In 2017, the St. Clair County Road Commission in Michigan was the first to deploy an open-source UHPC mixture on a U.S. bridge. 

UHPC was used to repair the joints between the bridge’s precast double T-beams. 

© Andrew Tai and Sherif El-Tawil, University of Michigan.

UHPC in Highway Infrastructure

It has been nearly 15 years since UHPC 

made its debut on a bridge construction 

project in the United States. Since its first 

deployment in 2006, the use of UHPC 

in U.S. bridge construction has increased 

significantly. Today, there are more than 

250 bridges in the United States that 

employ UHPC. Most of these bridges use 

UHPC for field-cast connections between 

prefabricated bridge elements.

The rise in popularity can be attributed 

to a handful of factors. First, there is 

increased awareness on behalf of bridge 

owners and designers and more readily avail

able technical guidance and support. This 

factor was greatly aided by FHWA select

ing UHPC connections for prefabricated 

bridge elements for inclusion in EDC-3 

and EDC-4. Second, in the past 5 years, 

-

-
24 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

new UHPC suppliers have entered the U.S. 

market, increasing competition and techni

cal advancement. Third, nonproprietary or 

open-source UHPC mixtures are becoming 

more readily available. Fourth, contractors 

are gaining experience with UHPC and 

specialized UHPC installers are emerging, 

which reduces contingency or risk-based 

costs associated with using UHPC in 

construction. Last and most important, 

UHPC connections for prefabricated bridge 

elements addressed a critical need: simple, 

constructable, and robust connection details 

that provide rapid installation, better dura

bility, and long-term performance.

-

-

UHPC has a proven history for use in connections for prefabricated bridge elements. The Florida Department of 

Transportation leveraged this fact in 2016 when it first used UHPC to repair an existing bridge with precast, prestressed 

adjacent slab units whose connections were failing. The agency removed the concrete in the failing connections and 

replaced it with UHPC. 

© Florida Department of Transportation.

An Emerging Application, 

A Proven Technology

Some bridge owners are now addressing 

another critical need by turning to UHPC 

as a solution for bridge preservation, repair, 

and strengthening to maintain or extend the 

service life of bridge structures. As a repair 

solution, UHPC offers enhanced perfor

mance and improved life-cycle costs over 

traditional methods. Furthermore, UHPC 

can provide an optimum solution for some 

repairs because of its strength and durability. 

It can be used in situations that normally 

use conventional concrete or repair mortars, 

and even in some cases that typically use 

structural steel. 

-

“UHPC has been a game-changer in our 

industry, particularly in accelerated bridge 

construction applications. I see UHPC 

having a similar impact on the repair 

and preservation of concrete structures,” 

says Jason Hastings, chief of bridges and 

structures at the Delaware Department of 

Transportation (DelDOT).

Another attractive aspect of using UHPC 

for preservation and repair is that some 

repair projects are relatively small in scale 

and are viewed as low risk by the bridge 

owners. As such, repair applications have 

become an alternative entry point for bridge 

owners looking to generate institutional 

knowledge and familiarize local contractors 

with UHPC. For example, States such as 

California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, 

and Rhode Island all got their first expe

rience deploying UHPC through a bridge 

repair application.

-

Thirty-five States plus the District of Columbia have 

deployed UHPC in bridge engineering projects, and 13 

have used UHPC for bridge preservation and repair. 

Source: FHWA.

Early Adopters, 

Accessibility at All Levels

UHPC-based solutions can be used by local, 

State, Federal, and private transportation 

agencies, and, although some new knowl

edge is required, designers and contractors 

will be able to leverage their existing skill 

sets to deploy UHPC-based solutions. To 

date, more than 20 bridges in the United 

States have been repaired or strengthened 

using UHPC. Half of these projects were 

completed in 2019. As some States use 

repair applications to gain experience 

with UHPC, others have institutionalized 

UHPC-based repairs or made considerable 

investments to vet UHPC-based solutions. 

Furthermore, local transportation agencies 

have also played a role in the early deploy

ment of this technology.

-

-

The New York State Department of 

Transportation (NYSDOT) is a great exam

ple of an agency that has institutionalized 

the use of UHPC for bridge repair. 

-

“UHPC’s proven ability to withstand the 

harsh environment our bridges experience 

here in New York State, combined with its 

versatility and high strength, make UHPC 

an ideal material for extending the service 

life of our bridges,” says Jim Scarlata, a 

major projects engineer with NYSDOT’s 

Structure Policy & Innovation Bureau. 

NYSDOT has deployed UHPC link 

slabs on more than 20 bridges for both 

repair of expansion joints and new con

struction. Because of NYSDOT’s com

mitment to advancing the use of this 

technology, other transportation agencies 

-

-
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 25

commonly look to the standard UHPC link slab details developed 

by NYSDOT as a point of reference. 

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) took 

its own approach to deploying a UHPC-based repair solution. The 

agency invested in a multiyear research and development effort with 

the University of Connecticut and bridge engineering consultants 

to develop and vet the solution they needed prior to deploying it on 

a bridge. CTDOT needed a more efficient and cost-effective way 

to repair deteriorated steel beam ends, which corrode as a result of 

water laden with de-icing salt spilling down from leaky expansion 

joints. The agency installed its first beam end repair solution on an 

I–91 highway bridge in New Haven in 2019.

“The use of UHPC has transformed the way we look at the 

rehabilitation of deteriorated steel beam ends,” says Andrew 

Cardinali, CTDOT’s State bridge engineer. “It has opened the 

door to additional tools in CTDOT’s toolbox to address the 

ever-growing problem of bridge maintenance.” 

The University of Connecticut conducted extensive research on the uses of UHPC for 

beam end repair. Researchers load tested numerous large- and full-scale specimens 

with repaired steel beam ends, completed extensive computer simulations, 

and developed engineering design guidance. 

© Kevin McMullen, University of Connecticut.

UHPC overlays are an emerging solution for enhancing the durability and extending the 

service life of highway bridge decks. Typically, UHPC that has been specially formulated 

for overlay applications can be applied to the bridge after deteriorated concrete has 

been removed and the deck surface roughened. 

Source: FHWA.

Fresh UHPC can be finished using a vibrating screed bar or more specialized equipment. 

Source: FHWA.

Promising UHPC-Based Repair Solutions

There are a number of different UHPC-based preservation and 

repair solutions that have been deployed by State or local transporta

tion agencies, or conceptualized and laboratory tested by university 

or Federal researchers. Some of these solutions include:

-

• UHPC overlays for bridge deck rehabilitation.

• Structural strengthening of deteriorated girder ends.

• Expansion joint removal and replacement using UHPC 

link slabs.

• Structural patching of reinforced concrete bridge decks, 

prestressed girders, and bearing pedestals.

• Repair of existing connections between prefabricated 

bridge elements.

• Expansion joint repair with UHPC header.

• Seismic retrofit of deficient bridge column-footing lap splices.

Some applications can extend the service life of bridges well 

beyond that of traditional repair strategies and are more cost 

efficient than bridge replacement. For example, UHPC overlays 

for highway bridge decks are gaining attention from State, Federal, 

and privately owned toll bridge authorities due to their potential 

for extending the service life of bridges. UHPC overlays have 

been extensively used in Europe with much success, and were first 

deployed in the United States in Iowa in 2016.

DelDOT was an early adopter of UHPC overlay technology 

and has implemented this solution on multiple bridges in the State. 

“We have installed a couple of UHPC overlays in Delaware, and we 

see them [having] a significant role in extending the service life of 

bridges,” says DelDOT’s Hastings. 

Other promising solutions, which FHWA will be emphasizing 

through its EDC-6 deployment of UHPC for preservation and 
26 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

repair, are UHPC link slabs and beam end 

repair. Both solutions have immense poten

tial to advance current practices related to 

the repair of failing expansion joints and 

the associated maintenance challenges 

they cause.

-

“NYSDOT has found UHPC to be an 

excellent material for link slabs due to its 

capability to accommodate high tensile 

strains, exceptional bond to existing con

crete and rebar, and extremely low permea

bility,” says NYSDOT’s Scarlata.

-

-

Addressing Needs through 

Applied Engineering Research

With any new technology, there will be a 

learning curve, new challenges, and new 

questions that require answers. Luckily, 

FHWA is well positioned to provide 

support. 

“FHWA’s research branch, the TurnerFairbank Highway Research Center 

(TFHRC), has a track record of developing 

innovations, then delivering them to stake

holders,” says Benjamin Graybeal, the leader 

of the Bridge Engineering Research Team 

within FHWA’s Office for Infrastructure 

Research and Development. “Based on our 

years of success with UHPC-based concepts, 

we will provide technical support to our 

partners as they engage this promising set of 

preservation and repair solutions.”

-

Since 2016, researchers at TFHRC have 

been working to address questions from 

early adopters of UHPC for preservation 

and repair. TFHRC staff have been devel

oping technical guidance and best practices 

by executing laboratory-based, applied 

engineering research. Much of this work is 

influenced and carried out by forming col

laborations and partnerships with transpor

tation agencies and stakeholders. 

-

-

-

For example, a few months after the 

installation of the first UHPC overlay in 

the United States, researchers from TFHRC 

visited the Iowa bridge site to conduct field 

testing of the UHPC overlay to assess the 

installation quality. The findings of this 

work and subsequent research have been 

published and have been used to develop 

UHPC overlay installation guidance (see 

Field Testing of an Ultra-High Performance 

Concrete Overlay [FHWA-HRT-17-096] and 

Ultra-High Performance Concrete for Bridge 

Deck Overlays [FHWA-HRT-17-097], 

for example).

Replacing deteriorated, leaky expansion joints with UHPC link slabs offers bridge owners a maintenance-free, permanent solution. 

LEFT: First, the existing expansion joint and some of the surrounding concrete must be removed. CENTER: Workers install components of the new link slab, such as new steel 

reinforcing bars and UHPC. RIGHT: The cured UHPC link slab is ground to match the profile of the existing deck and grooved for skid resistance. 

© NYSDOT, 2019.

Moving Forward with EDC-6

FHWA has a strong, proven history of 

providing technical assistance and outreach 

on UHPC. UHPC for prefabricated bridge 

element connections was an innovation 

included in EDC-3 and EDC-4, and it was 

a highly successful effort by bridge engi

neering stakeholders, TFHRC, and FHWA 

as a whole. Yet this technology is still being 

underused when compared to its transfor

mative potential. Bridge preservation and 

repair is also an area where UHPC can have 

a dramatic impact. 

-

-

In 2020, FHWA selected UHPC for 

Bridge Preservation and Repair as one of 

the technologies to be included in EDC-6, 

which runs throughout 2021 and 2022. 

Under the EDC banner, FHWA is ready to 
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 27

assist States and especially local partners in 

maintaining and preserving their bridges 

using proven UHPC preservation and repair 

solutions. This initiative will focus on a suite 

of UHPC-based preservation and repair 

solutions, with an emphasis on solutions 

that have the most promise, such as UHPC 

overlays for bridge decks, UHPC link 

slabs for repair of failing expansion joints, 

and UHPC for repair of deteriorated steel 

beam ends.

To support the deployment of this 

initiative, FHWA is developing a guidance 

document entitled Design and Construc

tion of UHPC-Based Bridge Preservation 

and Repair Solutions, which is scheduled 

for publication in 2021. The document 

will provide a background on UHPC-class 

materials, discuss common applications of 

UHPC for preservation and repair, provide 

design guidance and commentary, and offer 

a few case studies on successful projects. 

-

The document will serve as a cornerstone 

for other technical assistance and out

reach efforts.

-

Other planned activities include virtual 

or in-person 1-day workshops for State and 

local transportation agencies, a four-part 

national webinar series, and development of 

training content for local agencies and con

tractors. Transportation agencies interested 

in hosting a UHPC preservation and repair 

workshop should contact their FHWA 

division office or Zachary Haber. 

-

ZACHARY B. HABER, Ph.D., is a research structural 

engineer with the Office of Infrastructure Research 

and Development at FHWA’s Turner-Fairbank High

way Research Center. Dr. Haber leads research 

and provides technical assistance on topics 

related to UHPC, conventional structural concrete, 

bridge engineering, and seismic design. He holds a 

doctorate in civil engineering from the University of 

Nevada, Reno. 

-

For more information on FHWA’s EDC 

deployment of UHPC for preservation 

and repair of bridges, contact Zachary B. 

Haber at zachary.haber@dot.gov or Mark A. 

Leonard at mark.leonard@dot.gov. For more 

information on FHWA’s UHPC research 

activities, contact Benjamin A. Graybeal at 

benjamin.graybeal@dot.gov.

Deterioration of steel bridge girder ends is a prevalent challenge for bridge owners in the northeastern part of the United States.

LEFT: Rusting steel leads to section loss, compromising the strength of the steel beam. CENTER: To strengthen the deteriorating steel, before adding UHPC, a worker welds headed 

shear studs to the remaining quality steel. RIGHT: The end region is encased in field-cast UHPC, resulting in a strong and durable repair. 

© University of Connecticut.

Collaboration is a critical aspect of advancing new technology in civil infrastructure. In 2019, researchers at TFHRC’s 

Structures Lab tested an innovative UHPC-based strengthening method to increase structural strength of riveted steel 

thru-girder bridges. This was a collaborative effort between FHWA and NYSDOT, which was looking for a unique solution 

and which has partnered with FHWA in the past for research-to-deployment projects. 

Source: FHWA.
28 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

Risk exists throughout an organization, at the 

enterprise, program, project, and activity levels. 

Source: FHWA.

FHWA’S INTEGRATED APPROACH

FHWA is working to make the organization more effective and efficient by applying an 

enterprise risk management framework that combines strategic planning, performance 

planning, and internal controls.

by DANIEL FODERA

Over the years, government operations have changed dramatically, becom

ing increasingly complex and driven by 

changes in technology. At the same time, 

stakeholders expect greater program 

integrity, efficiency, and transparency in 

government operations within existing 

resource constraints.

-

In response, Federal agencies are 

implementing enterprise risk management, 

an approach that brings together risk 

management, strategic and performance 

planning, and internal control processes. 

Implementing enterprise risk management 

engages an organization across all mission 

and mission-support functions to improve 

efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance.

“For the Federal Highway Adminis

tration, enterprise risk management is 

the latest step in the agency’s journey of 

continuous improvement,” says Peter Steph

anos, FHWA’s acting Chief Strategy Officer. 

“What is new is the integrated approach 

between strategic planning and review, 

internal control, and risk management.”

-

-

Using Risk Management 

To Focus on Results

Strategic and performance planning gained 

traction in 1993 after Congress required 

Federal agencies to focus on performance by 

developing long-term and annual goals, then 

measuring and reporting on progress toward 

those goals. The intent was to shift Federal 

Government focus from program activities 

and processes to a focus on desired results.

To achieve successful outcomes and fulfill 

an organization’s mission, policymakers and 

program managers continually seek ways 

to improve accountability. A key factor in 

improving accountability is implementing 

an effective internal control system. Doing 

so helps the organization adapt to shifting 

environments, evolving demands, new pri

orities, and changing risks by applying risk 

management techniques.

-

Risk management has been a part of 

FHWA’s approach to stewardship and 

oversight for two decades. In 2001, FHWA 

policy called for each office to conduct 

risk/benefit assessments to evaluate the 

implementation of FHWA programs 

and develop work plans consistent with 

the results. The policy aimed to enable 

flexibility for FHWA offices in tailoring a 

process with their partners. As FHWA and 

its partner agencies became more familiar 

with the risk/benefit assessment process, 

FHWA issued additional guidance on how 

to manage risk.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 29

Source: FHWA.

Managing Risk in the Recovery Act

FHWA used a risk management approach 

in the successful delivery of the American 

Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009. In 

order to deliver projects quickly, the $787 

billion Recovery Act released an additional 

$27.5 billion for highway projects across the 

Nation. Although the highway portion rep

resented a small part of the total program, it 

was highly visible. The visibility, rapid influx 

of dollars, economic environment, and 

Federal reporting requirements gave rise to a 

challenging risk environment.

-

Some of the specific risks included 

projects administered by local public 

agencies—some of which were unfamil

iar with Federal requirements related to 

contract administration, environmental 

compliance, civil rights program require

ments, and project reporting. FHWA took a 

national, strategic approach and responded 

to these risks by increasing communica

tions, providing additional resources, and 

conducting onsite reviews of projects to 

identify and resolve issues. Federal-aid 

divisions identified risks within each State 

and tailored their risk response activities to 

their environment. Division and national 

engineers and technical specialists worked 

to identify and effectively address risks to 

individual projects. The result was that 

FHWA successfully delivered the Recovery 

Act projects by addressing risks at multiple 

levels of the organization.

-

-

-

Part of risk management is knowing when to accept or 

avoid threat risks, and when to pursue opportunities. 

Source: FHWA.

Risk Management at All Levels

The multilevel approach to the Recovery 

Act exemplifies how an organization 

manages risk. Effective organizations 

manage risk at the enterprise, program, 

project, and activity levels. 

Risks at the enterprise level affect the 

entire organization. They may be external 

strategic risks or internal risks that cut 

across units or multiple programs. Programs 

comprise the groups of related projects, 

subsidiary programs, and program activi

ties. Coordinating and managing risk at a 

program level provides benefits not available 

from managing these activities individually. 

Projects comprise temporary endeavors 

undertaken to produce a unique product, 

service, or result. Individual projects may 

have unique risks to their success. Activities 

involve a coordinated set of ongoing actions 

-
30 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

taken to support projects or programs. There 

are risks at the activity level too.

The responsibility for managing risk at 

each level lies with the managers or leaders 

responsible for the success of that part of 

the organization. Enterprise-level risk is 

managed by the senior executives, program 

risk by the program managers, project risk 

by the project managers, and activity risk by 

those responsible for that activity.

“The process for managing risk is 

consistent regardless of whether it’s being 

applied at the enterprise, program, project, 

or activity level,” says Brian Bezio, FHWA’s 

Chief Financial Officer.

This consistency in the core process 

can also be seen in the different standards 

or guides for risk management—such as 

ISO 31000:2018, the Project Manage

ment Institute’s Project Management Body 

of Knowledge, or OMB Circular No. 

A-123, “Management’s Responsibility for 

Enterprise Risk Management and Internal 

Control.” The process includes communi

cation and consultation, understanding the 

risk context, risk assessment (identifying, 

analyzing, prioritizing), responding to risk, 

and monitoring the results. An important 

consideration in applying the risk manage

ment process is the organization’s attitude 

toward risk—its risk appetite.

-

-

-

Source: FHWA.

Risk Appetite

Risk appetite is the type and amount of risk, 

on a broad level, that the agency is willing 

to accept in pursuit of program objectives. 

Explicit risk appetite statements aid units 

in understanding when an organization will 

and will not accept risk in order to achieve 

goals and objectives. In addition, risk 

appetite describes how an organization will 

respond to risk, including the subsequent 

actions undertaken as a result.

Risk appetite informs decisionmaking. It 

represents risk posture at the enterprise level, 

and the absence of a risk appetite statement 

does not imply that there are not other 

risks that the agency also faces. FHWA has 

developed risk appetite statements with the 

intention that they will evolve over time in 

response to changing priorities and internal 

and external contexts.

FHWA risk appetite statements describe 

opportunities the agency is willing to 

pursue to help achieve goals and objectives. 

Acceptable risk means that the benefits of 

pursuing certain opportunities outweigh the 

potential threats. For example, transferring 

certain responsibilities to recipients when 

effective controls are in place and pursuing 

the deployment of innovations could realize 

long-term benefits to transportation, and 

those benefits could outweigh the risks. 

Each statement contains conditions that 

must be met when taking on these risks.

The FHWA risk appetite statements 

also describe how the agency will respond 

to threat risks. These are situations 

where threats, if realized, could have 

adverse impacts to public safety, system 

resiliency, the Federal investment, and 

FHWA’s credibility.

Identifying Program Objectives

Defining objectives at the appropriate level of the organization is an essential 

component of the enterprise risk management framework. By definition, risk 

represents the effect of uncertainty on objectives, so risk management cannot be 

effective if objectives are unclear, undefined, or inconsistently understood. FHWA 

uses its enterprise risk management to explicitly define objectives for Federal 

Highway programs.

Program objectives support the achievement of FHWA strategic goals and objec

tives. They provide a consistent framework for understanding risk and developing 

activities across the organization. The agency evaluates the risks to achieving its 

program objectives and prioritizes responses based on risk appetite.

-

Risk Management at FHWA

FHWA applies the risk management process 

across the enterprise to develop strategic 

plans every few years and unit performance 

plans each year. The agency integrates 

strategic planning, performance planning, 

and risk management into the performance 

planning cycle. The cycle begins with the 

establishment of program objectives and 

risk appetite. The FHWA leadership team 

establishes risk appetite and agency-wide 

program objectives that align to the strate

gic objectives.

-

Program offices assess program areas to 

evaluate efficiency, effectiveness, and com

pliance at a national level. These program 

assessments validate or identify critical activ

ities to be undertaken by the agency. They 

also identify areas to reduce effort or improve 

efficiency and use of agency resources. The 

program offices apply the program and risk 

assessment process to involve stakeholders, 

offices, and individuals from across the 

agency. The program offices, coordinating 

with the Chief Strategy Officer, bring the 

results of these assessments to the FHWA 

leadership team, which then communicates 

them to the agency as draft activities.

-

-

Units provide comments on the draft 

activities that provide important perspective 

and are considered in developing a final 

enterprise performance plan. Units conduct 

risk assessments to evaluate opportunities 
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 31

and threats to achieving program objectives, 

assigned critical activities, and available 

resources. By using the risk management 

process and applying risk appetite through

out, units identify, evaluate, and prioritize 

their risks and develop response strategies 

to address the top risks. The risks identified 

by FHWA for programs and projects are 

managed in consultation with State partners 

within the context of a federally-assisted, 

State-administered program.

-

The finalized annual unit performance 

plans include significant activities for the 

coming year, critical activities, and responses 

to top risks. Units implement plans, moni

tor results, and reassess risks. The program 

offices and FHWA leadership team monitor 

and consider performance results and risks, 

which become part of the organizational 

context as the cycle repeats.

-

Framing the Future

The enterprise risk management framework 

establishes a consistent approach to identify, 

assess, and prioritize threats and opportu

nities so that FHWA can decide how to 

address future issues affecting the Federal-aid 

and Federal Lands Highway Programs and 

national objectives. The framework helps 

to focus limited resources, strengthen the 

ability to efficiently and effectively manage 

programs, and communicate consistently 

about what the agency should focus on and 

why. Enterprise risk management helps to 

provide reasonable assurance that FHWA 

understands the risks associated with achiev

ing objectives and responds appropriately.

-

-

“Enterprise risk management is about 

making risk-based corporate decisions to 

most effectively and efficiently carry out our 

programs,” says Thomas Everett, FHWA’s 

Executive Director. “Through ERM, we 

will better understand when we should be 

involved and when we can reduce effort in 

our program and project level actions. By 

considering our appetite for risk and by 

assessing our programs, we can make these 

decisions in a more informed manner.”

Managing risk involves paying attention to factors that affect the work, 

monitoring results, and making adjustments in how to focus resources. 

Source: FHWA.

DANIEL FODERA is the corporate performance 

and risk management officer in FHWA’s Office of 

Stewardship, Oversight, and Management. He 

has held positions in field offices and head

quarters. Daniel holds one U.S. patent and is a 

Certified Enterprise Risk Manager. He holds a 

master’s degree in public administration from the 

University of Maryland Global Campus (Europe) 

and a Master Black Belt Certificate in Lean Six 

Sigma from Villanova University.

-

For more information, contact 

Daniel Fodera at 404-562-3672 

or daniel.fodera@dot.gov.

How does ERM help achieve 

objectives? Begin with “The Work 

We Do” and follow the process. 

Source: FHWA.
EVALUATING ULTRASONIC TECHNIQUES 

TO DETECT BRIDGE WELD FLAWS

FHWA researchers examined phased array ultrasonic testing for performing bridge weld inspections and compared the method to the historically used technique of radiographic inspection.

32 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

The welds between steel plates on bridge girders are critical to the strength and integrity of the bridge. Advances in nondestructive evaluation 

techniques like ultrasonic testing may help both manufacturers and field inspectors identify and address flaws safely and accurately. 

© Randy Hergenrether / Shutterstock.com. 

by HODA AZARI and RUSSELL KOK

The welds between steel plates are critical components of steel girders in bridges. 

They must be welded and inspected 

carefully, and to ensure the integrity of the 

girder, inspectors use nondestructive evalu

ation (NDE) methods. However, the high 

levels of radiation needed for the historic 

approach, radiographic inspection, can 

present a safety and work area disruption 

concern for fabricators. Ultrasonic inspec

tion presents an alternative NDE method.

-

-

The American Association of State 

Highway and Transportation Officials/

American Welding Society (AWS) D1.5M/

D1.5 Bridge Welding Code establishes 

the rules for weld inspection, including 

which NDE methods can be used, what 

types and sizes of flaws need to be repaired, 

and more. Steel bridge girders comprise 

fabricated assemblies of built-up steel 

plates welded together in fabrication shops. 

For the evaluation of potential subsurface 

flaws in the welds, two NDE methods are 

used: radiographic inspection and ultra

sonic inspection.

-

Why Use Ultrasonic Inspection?

Historically, fabricators have used radio

graphic methods to inspect welds. This 

technology dates back to the 1930s, and 

over time has become the baseline approach 

to inspect bridge welds. Whereas medical 

radiology uses a low-dose radiation source to 

expose a film or digital imaging plate to get 

an image of a broken bone, the thick steel 

welds require much higher energy radiation 

levels and doses to penetrate the weld and 

produce an image. These high radiation 

levels present a safety and productivity prob

lem for fabricators.

-

-

Ultrasonic inspection methods have been 

available since the 1960s; however, many 

bridge owners do not yet accept them with 

confidence. While ultrasonic methods can 

be used for some less critical welds, other 

welds still require the cumbersome and 

dangerous radiography. Certified inspectors 

perform conventional ultrasonic testing by 

manipulating a handheld single-element 

probe around the weld and use their train

ing and experience to detect and evaluate 

any weld flaws. This can be a subjective pro

cess that varies between inspectors, and is 

one reason bridge owners and code-writing 

authorities hesitate to fully accept the 

method. Also, bridge owners have more 

confidence in radiography because they can 

-

-
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 33

see the weld images themselves, whereas 

with conventional ultrasonic testing, they 

only get a documented report without 

images or other data.

Just as medical ultrasonic imaging has 

evolved with faster computing power and 

the resulting higher resolution images, 

industrial ultrasonic technology has fol

lowed with similar improvements. Phased 

array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) uses probe 

arrays in lieu of single-element probes 

and position encoders to capture the scan 

data and produce images of the inspection 

results, similar to a radiographic image. The 

probe array produces a fan of sound rather 

than the single sound beam used in con

ventional ultrasonic testing. This results in 

a more productive inspection because more 

weld volume can be inspected at one time, 

and, in conjunction with the stored scan 

data and encoder information, an inspector 

can produce an image of the scan, which 

adds confidence in the inspection results.

-

-

The latest development in PAUT test

ing is a more advanced image processing 

method called full matrix capture. This 

innovation can use the same basic instru

ment and probe, but offers new software 

processes to create a higher resolution image 

of any flaws.

-

-

The Federal Highway Administration’s 

Advanced Sensing Technology (FAST) 

NDE Laboratory has been conducting 

research activities to explore PAUT and 

full matrix capture NDE techniques. 

The NDE laboratory is part of FHWA’s 

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center 

in McLean, VA. The lab’s PAUT research 

directly supports the overarching goal to 

support the implementation of ultrasonic 

techniques in lieu of radiographic tech

niques for AASHTO/AWS D1.5 Bridge 

Welding Code inspection of full penetration 

bridge fabrication welds.

-

A worker performs an ultrasonic inspection of a weld in a steel fabrication shop. 

© High Steel.

Radiation boundaries in a fabrication shop help keep workers safe from the high levels of radiation needed to 

radiographically inspect welds. 

© High Steel.
34 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

PAUT enables inspectors to capture data and produce images similar to a radiographic image. 

© High Steel.

When Can PAUT Be Used?

The 2015 D1.5 Bridge Welding Code 

added an annex, “Advanced Ultrasonic 

Examination,” as a means to integrate 

PAUT into inspection workflow as a 

substitute for radiographic testing, pending 

approval of the substitution by the engineer. 

The annex provides requirements for the use 

of PAUT to inspect bridge fabrication welds 

in lieu of the historic single-transducer, 

manual ultrasonic testing allowed by D1.5 

for decades.

The D1.5 code permits ultrasonic testing 

inspection for some full penetration bridge 

welds, but still requires that welds subjected 

to tensile or reversal stresses be inspected by 

radiographic testing. Butt welds in frac

ture critical members, welds made by the 

electroslag welding narrow gap process, and 

electrogas welding also require both radio

graphic and ultrasonic testing.

-

-

While the D1.5 code approves some 

applications of PAUT, there are still appli

cations that require further investigation 

and validation of the performance of PAUT 

to potentially replace the cumbersome and 

costly radiographic testing method. The 

overall objective of the continuing PAUT 

work at the FAST NDE Laboratory is to 

evaluate the state of PAUT technology and 

its potential application as an alternative to 

all radiographic testing in D1.5.

-

Implementation of a PAUT program is a 

big step beyond manual ultrasonic testing. 

The benefits of moving to PAUT can result 

in more efficient and reliable inspections. 

While the general approach to ultrasonic 

testing of a weld is similar, PAUT is a more 

complex inspection process that requires 

an upfront investment in equipment and 

software, as well as the need for additional 

inspector training.

FHWA fabricated specimens like this test plate to use in comparing PAUT and radiographic techniques. The test plate 

shown here has a submerged arc weld, and the section lies at the end of the plate where the runoff tab has been sawed 

off. These flaws do not necessarily represent the flaws along the entire length of the weld. 

Source: FHWA.

Exploring PAUT in the Lab

The FAST NDE Laboratory has been 

investigating PAUT technology for several 

years, including prior to the publication 

of the “Advanced Ultrasonic Examination” 

annex. The first phase of these investiga

tions involved the fabrication of suitable 

test specimens and development of pre

liminary procedures. Bridge fabricators 

prepared welded test specimens to ensure 

that they represented commonly applied 

bridge fabrication welding techniques. They 

fabricated full penetration butt joints and 

transition butt joint specimens. The welders 

intentionally implanted weld defects such as 

porosity, cracks, lack of fusion, and slag in 

the test specimens.

-

-

The initial comparisons of the results 

from PAUT, conventional ultrasonic testing, 

and radiographic images provided a broad 

understanding of the effectiveness of PAUT. 

The results from PAUT generally agreed 

with the radiographic results on each of the 

test specimens, supporting the decision to 

continue the PAUT investigations.

The next phase of the study was an effort 

to continue to create PAUT requirements 

and support the development of PAUT 

acceptance criteria for proposed incorpo

ration into the D1.5 specification. FHWA 

presented highlights of this early work to the 

AWS committees, along with contributions 

from many other participants supporting 

the committee, which resulted in the 2015 

-
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 35

adoption of the annex PAUT requirements 

in D1.5.

Researchers selected commonly available 

off-the-shelf PAUT equipment and trans

ducers for the data collection and analysis. 

FHWA used a 64-element, 2.25 MHz linear 

array probe. While the AWS D1.5 require

ments do not limit the probe frequency to 

the 2.25 MHz range as they do for manual 

ultrasonic inspection, researchers chose 

2.25 MHz to better compare the results to 

manual inspection results.

-

-

FHWA performed the PAUT calibration 

in accordance with D1.5. The calibra

tion block includes a series of 1/16-inch 

(1.6 millimeter) diameter side drilled holes 

at different depths to set a uniform inspec

tion sensitivity throughout the thickness 

of the weld to be examined. This is a very 

different approach to calibration compared 

to the manual ultrasonic testing inspection 

requirements in D1.5, where a single side 

drilled hole is used. With manual D1.5 

ultrasonic testing, the correction of inspec

tion sensitivity as the sound attenuates 

through the material is calculated using an 

assumed sound attenuation rate. Currently, 

the AWS committee is discussing which 

approach is better for calibration because 

both have their pros and cons.

-

-

-

The research team fabricated test speci

mens to be representative of the materials, 

weld joint designs, thicknesses, and weld 

processes typical in bridge fabrication. To 

ensure that the welding would represent 

production bridge welding practices, the 

specimens were manufactured by two steel 

bridge fabricators using electroslag welding 

narrow gap and submerged arc welding 

processes. The fabricators attempted to 

implant natural defects in the specimens 

that could typically be encountered during 

the manufacturing process, such as cracks, 

lack of fusion, lack of penetration, porosity, 

and slag. FHWA fabricated a total of 10 

butt joint specimens.

-

This chart illustrates the good comparability of detection and rejection of flaws using PAUT and radiographic testing in the lab. This set of test plates had 39 flaws, including cracks, 

lack of fusion (marked LOF on the chart), porosity, and slag. The detection and rejection results for the two methods are nearly identical for this particular set of test plates. 

Source: FHWA.

NDE Lab Results

The research team found that PAUT and 

radiographic testing had comparable rates 

of detection and rejection of flaws. Out 

of the total 39 discontinuities in the data 

set, radiographic testing rejected 5 flaws 

accepted by ultrasonic testing, and ultra

sonic testing rejected 4 flaws accepted by 

radiographic testing.

-

The largest flaw rejected by PAUT 

and missed by radiographic testing was a 

5-inch (13-centimeter)-long defect sus

pected to be caused by lack of fusion. The 

largest flaw rejected by radiographic testing 

but accepted by PAUT was a 1.88-inch 

(4.78-centimeter)-long defect caused by 

lack of fusion. PAUT detected this lack 

of fusion, but at a signal amplitude below 

the threshold requiring evaluation per 

AWS D1.5.

-

While missing a lack of fusion almost 

2 inches (5 centimeters) long may raise 

questions about the reporting threshold in 

AWS D1.5, welds can exhibit low ampli

tude discontinuities of this length. In NDE, 

thresholds are always needed to avoid the 

unnecessary evaluation of every small signal 

detected, and the AWS approach is based on 

the fact that low-amplitude signals have not 

been found historically to be detrimental. 

The radiographic testing process missing a 

5-inch (13-centimeter)-long lack of fusion 

raises greater questions about the reliability 

of radiographic testing to detect that flaw. 

The NDE community understands the issue 

as a generally known weakness of radio

graphic testing.

-

-

The overall goal of FHWA’s ongoing 

research effort is to establish whether 

PAUT is a viable alternative to the use of 

radiographic testing. The initial results—

indicating a good correlation of the com

parative inspection results between PAUT 

and radiographic testing—support PAUT as 

an alternative. However, there is a need to 

develop a more comprehensive set of weld 

flaws to ensure that researchers can evaluate 

a fully representative flaw set. Consequently, 

the FAST NDE Lab is currently using ultra

sonic simulation software to supplement 

the test plate data with a virtual database of 

simulated flaws. The researchers will also 

model and use physical test plate flaws to 

validate the modeling results.

-

-

Advances in PAUT Techniques

Although D1.5 added the annex with 

PAUT requirements in 2015, the AWS 

committees continue to receive feedback 

to improve the requirements, incorporate 

evolving technology, and address lessons 
36 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

learned from early adopters of PAUT in the 

bridge fabrication community.

The latest advances in industrial ultra

sound use full matrix capture and total 

focusing method PAUT techniques. These 

techniques employ the same basic PAUT 

instruments and probe arrays used for 

conventional PAUT, but they process the 

image data in ways not previously possible 

because of limitations in computer process

ing power.

-

-

To illustrate the capabilities of the eval

uation and imaging techniques of various 

methods, FHWA conducted activities using 

a steel block with a series of closely spaced 

holes of 1 millimeter in diameter drilled in 

the sides, in three groups of three holes. The 

location of the holes presents a challenge to 

traditional ultrasonic testing methods using 

a single-element transducer, which cannot 

produce an image of high enough resolution 

to indicate all the holes.

-

Using conventional PAUT testing with 

an unfocused sound beam—used when 

an entire weld is being inspected without 

knowledge of any existing flaws—creates 

an image indicating the three groupings. 

Rescanning with a focused sound beam—

used for greater detail once the location and 

depth of a flaw are discovered—provides 

an even clearer image. Finally, using the 

more advanced PAUT full matrix capture 

technique—which does not require focusing 

at a known depth—creates the image with 

the greatest clarity showing the three group

ings of three holes each.

-

The research team collected all of the 

PAUT and PAUT full matrix capture data 

with a 60-element straight beam 2.25 MHz 

probe in order to highlight the differences 

in imaging technology. Different frequency 

and different size probes will change the 

resolution of an image.

The ultrasonic sound beam path analysis 

carried out to develop the PAUT scan plans 

indicates that there is a need to conduct 

a minimum of two scans along each side 

of the weld at different probe index point 

offsets from the weld centerline to ensure 

complete volumetric coverage of these rela

tively thick welds. This scanning approach 

is applicable to both straight thickness butt 

welds and transition thickness butt welds.

-

The large-grain microstructure observed 

in electroslag welds did not influence the 

propagation of ultrasonic waves to a point 

where it affected the detectability of the 

implanted flaws.

Two key benefits result from the use 

of full matrix capture and total focusing 

method technology. The first is better weld 

flaw detection and characterization pro

ducing an image much more representative 

of the actual flaw shape than what can be 

visualized with previous ultrasonic tests. The 

second is better flaw sizing, supporting more 

advanced engineering analyses to evaluate 

whether a flaw needs to be repaired, which 

is particularly applicable to in-service bridge 

inspections where costly repair decisions 

are required.

-

To illustrate the difference in the visual display capabilities of ultrasonic testing methods, 

FHWA’s NDE Lab created this steel block with three sets of three holes with 1-millimeter 

diameters, and scanned it using different techniques. 

Source: FHWA.

Scanning the steel block using historic methods of ultrasonic testing with a singleelement probe results in a display like this one. The peaks represent the holes; the two 

peaks in the center of the display are two of the three holes in the middle set. 

Source: FHWA.

Pennsylvania DOT Perspective

In 2017, the Pennsylvania Department of 

Transportation (PennDOT) procured a 

PAUT instrument. The agency’s primary 

focus to date is to determine the feasibil

ity of substituting PAUT for radiography 

by conducting numerous assessments of 

capability and limitations. PennDOT is 

looking to potentially replace the current 

testing practice for full penetration welds in 

a fabrication setting.

-

“Analyzing the results with the current 

workmanship standards, the data [have] 

shown a promising comparison to that of 

the radiographic method in place today 

in terms of length and detection,” says 

Nicholas Shrawder, a civil engineer at 

PennDOT. “While it is understood that we 

will never get a true one-to-one comparison, 

the advantages of evaluating the change 

from radiographically to ultrasonically 

testing welded splices include eliminating 

potential radiation hazards, ability to better 

detect flaw types deemed more critical, 

and retention of an image for a permanent 

record much like that of radiography.”

“Full matrix capture/total focusing 

method is without question the next gen

eration of PAUT for more accurate sizing 

and discontinuity characterization,” says 

Shrawder. “PennDOT has been closely 

monitoring the technology as it progresses.”

-

PennDOT is evaluating a pilot project 

to be launched in 2021 assessing another 

advanced technology feature of PAUT for 

data analysis via market-available software 

using advanced algorithms for interpretation 

and reporting.

USACE’s Perspective

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

(USACE) is responsible for the maintenance 

and operation of thousands of steel bridges 

and hydraulic steel structures. The structures 

are steel gates used to maintain navigation 
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 37

pools, operate locks, and maintain reservoir 

storage for flood risk management and 

hydropower operations. Maintaining these 

assets becomes an ever-increasing challenge 

given decreasing operating budgets and the 

increasing age of the infrastructure. Struc

tural failures can result in loss of life, as 

well as negative economic impacts. USACE 

continually searches for methods and tools 

to extend the service life of these structures 

while maintaining safety and operability.

-

One approach is to evaluate a structure 

for fitness for service, which is defined as the 

ability to demonstrate the structural integ

rity of an in-service component containing a 

flaw or damage. For welded steel structures, 

this means detecting and quantifying flaws 

and evaluating acceptability through the 

application of fracture mechanics.

-

“Ultrasonic testing is a useful tool for 

sizing or quantifying embedded flaws and 

the extents of surface flaws,” says Phillip 

Sauser, a structural engineer with USACE. 

“Traditionally, single-probe, pulse-echo 

ultrasonic testing has been used and has 

given acceptable results when used by highly 

skilled operators. The challenge has been 

finding and procuring operators of this 

skill level.”

Recently, USACE has been investigating 

more advanced testing methods including 

PAUT and time-of-flight diffraction. Initial 

PAUT studies showed a wide variation of 

results, with some measurements within 

less than 1 percent of actual size and others 

as much as 300 percent greater than actual 

size. These studies found that the greatest 

accuracy often comes with scanning both 

faces of the member from both sides of the 

weld, conducting multiple scan offsets from 

each face and each side, and rastering to 

maximize signal return.

ABOVE LEFT: Using conventional 

PAUT methods with an unfocused 

sound beam—as an inspector 

would when doing an initial scan 

for flaws without knowing whether 

any exist or where they might be 

located—produces a display like 

this one. The three sets of holes in 

the steel block are visible, but are 

not distinct.

ABOVE RIGHT: Once an inspector 

discovers flaws using an 

unfocused sound beam, the scan 

is repeated using a focused beam. 

The greater resolution of the 

image produced provides more 

information about the number and 

size of holes in each set.

RIGHT: With advanced full matrix 

capture PAUT scanning, the 

display provides enough resolution 

to clearly show the three sets of 

three holes in the steel block. 

Sources: FHWA.

“Access for this amount of scanning is 

not always possible and thus results cannot 

be optimized,” says Sauser. “Time-of-flight 

diffraction studies have shown good results 

except near the scanning surface where 

detectability is less reliable and where 

member geometry conflicts with the timeof-flight diffraction scanning equipment.”

USACE is currently conducting research 

on advanced ultrasonic testing methods, 

PAUT, time-of-flight diffraction, total 

focusing method, and full matrix capture in 

order to evaluate these systems for detecting 

and sizing defects in welded steel joints. 

The first phase will evaluate the capabilities 

of the equipment to determine what can 

reliably be detected with ultrasonic testing.

One of the outcomes of this phase will 

be guidance on developing test procedures 

to optimize equipment capabilities and to 

define the limits of what can be reliably 
38 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

detected and sized with these methods. The 

second phase will evaluate the reliability of 

operators by conducting round-robin testing 

of flawed samples. The outcome of this 

phase will be the development of operator 

qualification requirements, such as perfor

mance qualification procedures or other 

means that increase the reliability of results. 

The overall outcome of the research will 

be to quantify the reliability of the system, 

equipment, and operator and to incorporate 

that into the evaluation process for fitness 

for service.

-

The welds between steel plates used in fabricating bridge girders can develop flaws both during manufacturing and 

after construction. 

© High Steel.

The Bridge Fabricator’s Perspective

PAUT offers significant advantages in weld 

inspection. Compared to radiographic 

testing, it is far less disruptive in the shop, 

is much safer, and is better at locating flaws 

because PAUT provides flaw depth infor

mation that radiographic testing does not. 

Further, it provides inspection at a wide 

range of angles, improving discovery of 

planar discontinuities, and, when defects are 

discovered, it provides more accurate defect 

location. Compared to ultrasonic testing, 

PAUT generally takes longer to use, but it is 

less operator-sensitive, and when encoded, it 

offers the advantage of providing a perma

nent record of the data that can be reexam

ined or verified at any time.

-

-

-

“Each of the three of the volumetric 

methods in D1.5 presents some advantage 

over the others, but, on balance, PAUT 

offers the best overall quality verification,” 

says Ronald Medlock, the vice president for 

Technical Services at a steel manufacturer. 

“Given this and its improved safety, PAUT 

represents a logical and superior replace

ment for radiographic testing in a steel 

bridge fabrication shop.”

-

The Future of 

Advanced Methodologies

All of the major manufacturers of PAUT 

equipment have systems capable of full 

matrix capture and total focusing method 

either already on the market or in the 

process of development for marketing. That 

all the major manufacturers have pursued 

this relatively new system capability is a 

strong indicator that these methods are the 

new direction for ultrasonic inspection and 

parallels how PAUT was developed and 

implemented. As recently as 5 or 10 years 

ago, only a few major NDE equipment 

manufacturers marketed PAUT equipment. 

Today, there are more than 10 major manu

facturers marketing PAUT systems. FHWA 

expects that full matrix capture and total 

focusing method will follow the same path. 

In fact, the capability of full matrix capture 

and total focusing method systems has 

emerged much faster than PAUT, with at 

least five major suppliers already providing 

the equipment.

-

FHWA Future Work

FHWA’s research plans include the fabrica

tion of additional weld specimens to ensure 

that researchers can address a more com

plete test bed of representative flaw types, 

joint configurations, and plate thicknesses. 

The new specimen flaw types will be 

established after getting additional input 

from bridge owners, fabricators, and other 

industry stakeholders. The expected weld 

flaws include longitudinal cracks, transverse 

hydrogen-related cracks, incomplete fusion, 

incomplete penetration, slag, and poros

ity. The vertical fusion faces in electroslag 

welding narrow gap and electrogas welding 

processes require special manual pitch-catch 

type ultrasonic scans when a discontinuity 

is noted in weld metal-base metal fusion 

interface. The feasibility of using PAUT 

techniques to perform these historic manual 

pitch-catch type scans needs to be developed 

and evaluated as a potential AWS D1.5 

annex requirement.

-

-

-

FHWA will also evaluate advanced ultra

sonic flaw modeling software to supplement 

the ultrasonic validation data. Through 

modeling, the ultrasonic response from 

flaws with various types, sizes, lengths, and 

orientations can be simulated and evalu

ated according to the AWS D1.5 criteria. 

Using modeling should limit the number 

of additional weld specimens that need to 

be fabricated and inspected. A small set of 

actual implanted flaws will be manufactured 

and used to physically validate the modeling 

and provide additional confidence in the 

modeling results.

-

-

FHWA is also evaluating PAUT full 

matrix capture, time of-flight diffraction, 

two-dimensional PAUT arrays, and other 

advanced ultrasonic testing techniques to 

evaluate potential improvements in flaw 

detection and flaw sizing. The current 

AWS D1.5 manual ultrasonic acceptance 

criteria require the use of probe motionbased techniques to identify flaws with 

significant flaw-through-wall height. The 

use of advanced techniques will support the 

potential addition of a quantifiable accep

tance criterion for this condition. AWS is 

considering the adoption of new accep

tance criteria that use the flaw-throughwall height, as there is a general industry 

trend toward more of a fitness for service 

approach to ultrasonic acceptance criteria in 

lieu of the historic workmanship flaw signal 

amplitude-based criteria.

-

-

HODA AZARI is the manager of the NDE Research 

Program and FAST NDE Laboratory at FHWA’s 

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center. She 

holds a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University 

of Texas at El Paso.

RUSSELL KOK is a research engineer working as a 

contractor in the FAST NDE Laboratory. He holds 

a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the State 

University of New York at Buffalo.
© suriyasilsaksom / iStock.com.

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.

How-To Guide

Writing for Public Roads:

FHWA-HRT-20-026
Contracting Alternatives Suitability Evaluator 

(CASE) Webtool

Select Your Project Delivery Method Using National Best Practices 

Transportation agencies have many contracting options for delivering highway projects. 

Would your agency like help choosing the most cost-effective, efficient contracting 

method? The Federal Highway Administration has developed the CASE Webtool to help 

States and organizations identify the right method for every highway project. 

CASE incorporates proven selection criteria to help your agency evaluate which 

contracting method might be best for your project and stakeholders. CASE can 

be customized for your specific organization or situation.

• Design-Build (DB)

• Progressive Design-Build (PDB) 

• Construction Manager/General 

Contractor (CM/GC)

• Public-Private Partnership (P3) 

• Design-Build-Finance (DBF)

• Design-Build-Operate-Maintain 

(DBOM)

• Design-Build-Finance-OperateMaintain (DBFOM)

The CASE Webtool assists and validates your decision by considering: 

• Cost

• Time

• Community 

Input

• Permitting

• Environmental 

Clearance

• Maintenance

• Aesthetics

• Disruption to 

Existing Service

Get started today! Contact David.Unkefer@dot.gov.

© Matthew Van Dyke / Getty Images.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 41

ALONG THE ROAD

Rural roadways are critical to the Nation’s transportation network. 

© Flystock / Shutterstock.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

USDOT Toolkit Supports Funding 

Of Rural Transportation Projects

The U.S. Department of Transportation developed an applicant toolkit to provide guidance as part of the Rural Opportunities 

to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) Initia

tive. This toolkit helps support rural transportation providers in 

identifying and navigating USDOT discretionary grant funding 

opportunities. The toolkit provides user-friendly information and 

resources to support rural applicants’ understanding of USDOT 

discretionary grant programs, planning opportunities, programs, 

and funding processes. 

-

While one-fifth of Americans live in rural areas, 70 percent of 

the Nation’s road miles are in rural areas, carrying nearly 50 per

cent of truck traffic. In addition, 44 percent of automobile travel 

on rural roads is done by metropolitan area citizens and rural traf

fic fatalities are disproportionately high, with a fatality rate twice 

that of urban areas. Further, of the Nation’s bridges that are posted 

for weight limits, 90 percent are in rural areas.

-

-

The ROUTES Applicant Toolkit illustrates key applicant 

requirements when participating in the Department’s discretionary 

grants processes. It also catalogues discretionary grant programs 

by applicant type and eligible project activities. Additionally, the 

toolkit provides resources for applicants to maximize the potential 

for award success. The toolkit is available at www.transportation.gov 

/rural/toolkit.

The ROUTES Initiative is coordinated across key modal 

administrations, including the Federal Highway Administration, 

the Federal Transit Administration, the Federal Railroad Admin

istration, and the Federal Aviation Administration. For more 

information, visit 

-

www.transportation.gov/rural.

USDOT Enhances Safety Band Website 

I

n September 2020, USDOT launched updates to its Safety Band 

website with new interactive graphics and materials highlighting 

the importance of the 5.9 gigahertz (GHz) wireless spectrum in 

addressing State safety challenges across the country. 

Established by the Federal Communications Commission in 

1999, the Safety Band is a dedicated wireless spectrum at 5.9 GHz 

in use for transportation-related safety communications that enable 

secure, interoperable, connected, and automated ITS ecosystems.

These technologies use the interference-free Safety Band 

for high-precision, low-latency vehicle-to-everything (V2X) 
42 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

communications among vehicles, traffic signals, roadside units, 

work zones, and even personal devices like smartphones. The tech

nologies generate real-time alerts to prevent crashes, manage traffic 

flow, warn drivers about hazardous weather conditions, and adjust 

signals to give emergency vehicles priority in congested traffic. The 

innovative technologies using the Safety Band have the potential to 

dramatically improve transportation safety and mobility. 

-

USDOT’s enhanced Safety Band site provides detailed informa

tion about these lifesaving deployments via an interactive map and 

a State-by-State index. Users can explore the interactive map to 

view operational and planned locations across the country deploy

ing V2X communications technologies. The State-by-State index 

of crash fatalities and related economic costs that could potentially 

be mitigated through deployment of technology using the Safety 

Band is available to download. 

-

-

The Safety Band website also features fact sheets, reports, 

upcoming related events and announcements, and content from 

past events on the Safety Band. For more information, visit 

www.transportation.gov/content/safety-band.

FHWA Releases Updated Livability Fact Sheets

FHWA recently released updates to a series of fact sheets discussing how livability considerations during the transportation 

decisionmaking process can benefit communities. Through the 

Transportation and Livability resources available at 

-

www.fhwa.dot 

.gov/livability, FHWA provides support to State departments of 

transportation, regional planning agencies, Tribes, and other part

ners in both rural and urban settings. 

-

The most recent updates focus on the topics of economic 

development, safety, and rural livability. The “Transportation 

and Economic Development” fact sheet discusses how targeted 

transportation investments can improve access to jobs, education, 

shopping, and goods movement through compact development, 

relocation decisions, and increased connectivity. “Transportation 

and Safety” promotes safer roads for all users, including strate

gies to combine safety and redevelopment, repurpose spaces, and 

create bike-friendly cities. Since rural communities vary widely, the 

“Transportation and Rural Livability” fact sheet focuses on pro

viding transportation choices and connections to a broad audience 

through projects that enhance quality of life, improve safety for 

students, and create active transportation networks.

-

-

All of the livability fact sheets are available at www.fhwa.dot.gov 

/livability/fact_sheets.

Source: FHWA.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s first Safety Citizens challenge asked what teen drivers should know before getting behind the wheel. 

© pixelheadphoto digitalskillet / Shutterstock.com.

ALONG THE ROAD
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 43

Overhead changeable message signs warn other drivers about wrong-way drivers on the freeway as part of Arizona’s pilot project. 

© Arizona Department of Transportation.

PennDOT Launches Safety Citizens Program

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) recently launched its Safety Citizens program, which encour

ages community members to answer traffic safety questions in orig

inal and creative ways.

-

-

The program introduces bimonthly traffic safety topics and 

poses a question for the public to answer. Participants can respond 

by submitting a short video, a poem, or an original piece of 

artwork. PennDOT will display selected submissions on statewide 

social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

PennDOT aims to creatively inspire Pennsylvanians to prac

tice safe behaviors on the road. Whether traveling by vehicle, 

motorcycle, bicycle, or on foot, everyone has the opportunity to 

be safer on the road. The agency encourages individuals, classes, 

families, clubs, or other groups to consider this new safety initiative 

as a program challenge.

-

The program kicked off in September 2020 with a focus on 

teen driver safety. PennDOT asked participants to respond to 

question, “What do you think every teen driver should know 

before getting behind the wheel?” Some of the featured responses 

are available at www.facebook.com/hashtag/safetyCitizens.

The topic for February 2021 will be highway safety.

For more information, visit www.PennDOT.gov/SafetyCitizens or 

email SafetyCitizens@pa.gov. 

Technical News

ADOT Innovative System to Detect Wrong-Way Vehicles

Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is piloting a first-of-its-kind thermal camera system on I–17 in Phoenix 

to detect wrong-way vehicles. The pilot has proven the technol

ogy to be a reliable way to detect wrong-way vehicles, alert law 

enforcement, and warn other drivers to reduce the risk of crashes 

involving often-impaired wrong-way drivers. ADOT has already 

expanded use of the technology, with plans to do more as time and 

funding allow. 

-

Compared to waiting for 911 calls from other drivers, the 

immediate alerts provided by thermal camera detections result in 

faster response times by law enforcement, a finding borne out by 

ADOT’s assessment of the I–17 system. The report assessing the 

pilot project includes recommendations for ADOT to add compo

nents at urban and rural locations as funding becomes available. 

-

ADOT installed the detection technology and converted 

thermal cameras already used on traffic signals to send alerts to the 

Traffic Operations Center and the Arizona Department of Public 

Safety (AZDPS) when wrong-way vehicles are detected. Since the 

system began operating in January 2018, it has detected more than 

100 vehicles traveling the wrong way, mostly on exit ramps and 

frontage roads. 

The alert system also features specialized internally illuminated 

wrong-way signs with flashing LED lights along I–17 off-ramps, 

designed to get the attention of a wrong-way driver. At the same 

time, the system immediately alerts AZDPS and ADOT, enabling 

law enforcement to respond immediately and ADOT to immedi

ately alert other freeway drivers with “Wrong Way Driver/Ahead/

Exit Freeway” warnings on overhead message boards.

-

In addition to installations completed and planned, ADOT 

is prepared to work with regional planners on adding wrong-way 

vehicle alert technology elsewhere as funding becomes available. 

The priority will be locations with the greatest incidence of wrongway incursions.
44 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

TRAINING UPDATE

NHI’s 2D hydraulic modeling tools course is now available virtually. Hydraulic Modeling Training Goes Virtual © Leonard Zhukovsky / Shutterstock.com.

by DR. MELONIE BARRINGTON and SABRINA SYLVESTER

I

n the past, hydraulic designers and engineers have used onedimensional modeling tools for bridge and other hydraulic struc

ture projects. Although improvements have been made throughout 

the years, this modeling tool has caused inaccurate outcomes. 

-

As part of the fourth and fifth rounds of Every Day Counts, the 

Federal Highway Administration created Collaborative Hydraulics: 

Advancing to the Next Generation of Engineering (CHANGE) 

modeling tools to improve the design and communication for a 

more efficient project delivery. 

This two-dimensional (2D) hydraulic modeling resource 

provides a better understanding of the multifaceted collaboration 

between waterway environments and transportation assets—

therefore resulting in designing safer, more cost-effective, and 

more resilient structures on waterways. 

The benefits of 2D modeling tools include:

• More precise flow condition representation to improve 

project quality

• Better communication of complex interaction between 

waterways, transportation infrastructure, and surrounding 

environments through 3D graphical visualizations

• Improved collaboration to streamline project development 

Achieving Success with the National Highway Institute

NHI now offers virtual training of this 2D modeling tool. Design

ers and engineers can sign up for the Two-Dimensional Hydraulic 

Modeling of Rivers at Highway Encroachments course (FHWANHI-135095). Participants will be introduced to comprehensive 

2D modeling concepts, as well as extracting hydraulic parameters 

for bridge scour evaluation use. In this 3-day course, learners will 

identify the difference between one-dimensional and 2D hydraulic 

models; use background and surface water modeling systems to 

run 2D models projects; and visualize, add, and review structures 

and 2D models. 

-

The following additional online courses present supplementary 

trainings to further understand, identify, and use 2D modeling 

technology to improve projects between transportation infrastruc

ture, waterways, and surrounding environments. 

-

SRH-2D Model Data Files, Diagnostics & Verifying 

2D Model Results WCT (FHWA-NHI-135095A). This 

Web-conference training (WCT) introduces data files used for 

sedimentation and river hydraulics (SRH) 2D input. Participants 

will learn how to monitor lines in SRH-2D and how to use their 

output to verify model convergence.

Model Terrain Development with Various Data Sources 

WCT (FHWA-NHI-135095B). This WCT provides instruction 

to identify potential data issues, process and effectively define 

geometry for 2D hydraulic models, and modify geometry methods 

for simulation and data sourcing. 

Course participants should be familiar with the fundamentals 

of open channel flow hydraulics before taking any instructor-led 

hydraulics courses. Consequently, NHI offers a free Webbased training, Basic Hydraulic Principles Review (FHWANHI-135091), as a prerequisite refresher course. 

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, which encompasses more than 400 courses spanning 

18 program areas. To sign up for alerts when a course session is 

scheduled, visit the individual course’s description page and select 

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 http://bit.ly 

/NHIHome. 

NHI is an approved Accredited Provider by the International 

Association 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.

DR. MELONIE BARRINGTON is an NHI training program manager. 

SABRINA SYLVESTER is a contracted senior marketing specialist for NHI.
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 45

INTERNET WATCH

The Local Road Safety Plan Do-It-Yourself site offers a highly visual interface with many videos, downloads, and examples to provide the right information at the right time. 

Source: FHWA.

Helping Locals Develop Local Road Safety Plans

by HILLARY ISEBRANDS and JERRY ROCHE

Approximately 40 percent of the Nation’s roadway fatalities occur on locally owned roads—an average of 12,000 deaths 

each year. Local road safety plans (LRSPs) offer a proven safety 

countermeasure that can help address the issue. Local agencies 

can use LRSPs to identify at-risk locations on their roadways and 

deploy cost-effective safety solutions.

The Federal Highway Administration recently unveiled 

a unique website to help local agencies reduce serious and 

fatal crashes on their roadways. The Local Road Safety Plan 

Do-It-Yourself website (available at https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov 

/LRSPDIY) includes resources that local agencies and their partners 

need to create and implement these plans in order to save lives.

Expanding FHWA’s Reach

FHWA, in cooperation with the National Association of County 

Engineers and the National Local & Tribal Technical Assistance 

Program Association, has spent the last 5 years helping local agen

cies create these plans, but with more than 23,000 local agencies 

in the country, it is impossible to deliver in-person training to each 

one. Consequently, FHWA developed the website to connect with 

all local agencies efficiently. 

-

The LRSP website comprises a delivery method to simulate 

a personal, hands-on workshop experience to guide agencies 

through the LRSP development process: identifying stakeholders, 

using safety data, choosing proven solutions, and implementing 

solutions. 

LRSPs have proven to be successful in small and large agencies 

alike. The plans all include some common steps, but they are tai

lored to reflect each community’s needs. FHWA’s new site explains 

how. A quote attributed to President Theodore Roosevelt provides 

inspiration for deploying LRSPs: “Do what you can, with what 

you have, where you are.”

-

Site Features

Each page has an introduction video in the center that explains 

the primary objectives of that step. Along the right sidebar there 

are additional videos, such as Local Agency Insights, which feature 

practitioners sharing their experiences in developing local road 

safety plans.

Each page includes a Tools and Resources section with a wealth 

of information in the form of guides, templates, tools, tutori

als, training, examples, and helpful links. The site went live on 

October 1, 2020, and is being updated periodically with addi

tional content.

-

-

“Our goal is to connect FHWA to America’s 3,000 counties and 

20,000 cities and towns that could benefit from a local road safety 

plan,” says FHWA Administrator Nicole R. Nason. “This innovative new tool includes everything local agencies need to develop a 

local road safety plan to help reduce fatalities on their local roads.” 

For more information, contact Hillary Isebrands at hillary 

.isebrands@dot.gov or Jerry Roche at jerry.roche@dot.gov.

HILLARY ISEBRANDS, P.E., Ph.D., is a senior safety engineer/team leader on 

the Safety and Design Technical Service Team in FHWA’s Resource Center. 

JERRY ROCHE, P.E., is a transportation specialist on the Safety Design Team 

in FHWA’s Office of Safety.
46 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

COMMUNICATION PRODUCT UPDATES

Below are brief descriptions of communications products recently developed by the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Research, 

Development, and Technology. All of the reports are or will soon be available from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). In some cases, 

limited copies of the communications products are available from FHWA’s Research and Technology (R&T) Product Distribution Center (PDC).

Compiled by LISA A. SHULER of FHWA’s Office of Corporate Research, Technology, and Innovation Management 

When ordering from NTIS, include the NTIS publication number 

(PB number) and the publication title. You also may visit the 

NTIS website at www.ntis.gov to order publications online. Call 

NTIS for current prices. For customers outside the United States, 

Canada, and Mexico, the cost is usually double the listed price. 

Address requests to:

National Technical Information Service 

5301 Shawnee Road 

Alexandria, VA 22312

Telephone: 703–605–6050 

Toll-free number: 1–888–584–8332 

Website: www.ntis.gov 

Email: customerservice@ntis.gov

Requests for items available from the R&T Product Distribution 

Center should be addressed to:

R&T Product Distribution Center 

Szanca Solutions/FHWA PDC 

700 North 3rd Avenue 

Altoona, PA 16601 

Telephone: 814–239–1160 

Fax: 814–239–2156 

Email: report.center@dot.gov

For more information on R&T communications products available 

from FHWA, visit FHWA’s website at www.fhwa.dot.gov, the FHWA 

Research Library at www.highways.dot.gov/resources/research-library 

/federal-highway-administration-research-library (or email fhwalibrary 

@dot.gov), or the National Transportation Library at ntl.bts.gov (or 

email library@dot.gov).

Properties and Behavior of UHPC-Class Materials 

Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-18-036

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is a cementitious com

posite material composed of an optimized gradation of granular 

constituents, a water-to-cementitious materials ratio less than 0.25, 

and a high percentage of discontinuous internal fiber reinforce

ment. UHPC-class materials can be differentiated from conven

tional concrete-like materials by their exceptional mechanical and 

durability properties. As the demand for this innovative class of 

materials increases, so will the need for knowledge about the mate

rial properties and characteristics. 

-

-

-

-

To fill this knowledge gap, researchers at FHWA’s 

Turner-Fairbank High

way Research Center 

(TFHRC) executed an 

experimental study on six 

different commercially 

available materials being 

marketed as UHPC class. 

The goal of the research 

was to provide the bridge 

engineering community 

with a more comprehensive 

set of properties for this 

class of materials, which 

in turn could facilitate 

broader use within the 

sector. The researchers 

evaluated the UHPC-class 

materials using 14 different 

test methods developed by 

ASTM, the American Association of State Highway and Transpor

tation Officials, or the TFHRC. Results indicate that these mate

rials behave similarly with respect to some performance measures 

such as compressive strength, tensile strength, and durability, but 

vary with respect to others such as dimensional stability, bond to 

precast concrete, and compressive creep.

-

-

-

The publication is available at www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications 

/research/infrastructure/structures/bridge/18036/index.cfm. 

Performance of Grouted Connections for Prefabricated 

Bridge Deck Elements 

Publication Number: FHWA-HIF-19-003

Accelerated bridge construction (ABC) has become increasingly 

popular for new bridges and for replacement/rehabilitation proj

ects. ABC offers numerous advantages, which include reduced traf

fic disruption, expedited project delivery, and increased work zone 

safety. To realize some of these advantages, construction typically 

employs prefabricated bridge elements and systems (PBES). 

-

-

Laboratory research and field studies indicate that the primary 

challenge for PBES lies in the design and construction of the 

connections, which are typically made using interlaced connector 

elements and field-cast grout. Poor detailing and design consid

erations have been shown to pose problems with fabrications, 

construction, durability, and capacity. 

-

This study investigated deck-level connections employing inter

laced reinforcing bars with different grout materials and different 

-
WWW.FHWA.DOT.GOV | 47

precast panel details for 

potential use in acceler

ated bridge construction 

projects. The research team 

began by reviewing rele

vant literature to determine 

promising grout materials 

for field-cast connections 

as well as different precast 

panel details currently 

being deployed in precast 

deck systems. Research

ers then created a test 

matrix of grout materials 

and different connection 

detail combinations.

-

-

-

The research team 

conducted two series of 

experiments. The first 

tested the bond behavior between precast concrete and different 

connection grouts. The second investigated several parameters 

frequently considered during the design of these connections: shear 

key shape, reinforcement type, connection grout material type, and 

precast surface preparation. 

The study concluded that test variables showed varying influ

ence on the behavior of the deck-level connections. Thus, the 

selection of field-cast grout materials represents one of the most 

critical design considerations for deck-level PBES connections. 

-

The publication is available at www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications 

/research/infrastructure/structures/bridge/19003/index.cfm. 

Techbrief: Safety Evaluation of Flashing Yellow 

Arrows at Signalized Intersections 

Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-19-035

A flashing yellow arrow for permissive left-turn movements at 

signalized intersections helps drivers who are turning left on a 

permissive circular green signal avoid confusion. The concern is 

that drivers turning left on a permissive circular green signal might 

mistake that signal as implying that the left turn has the rightof-way over opposing traffic, especially under certain geometric 

conditions. 

FHWA’s study aimed to undertake a before-and-after evaluation 

of the safety effectiveness of flashing yellow arrows at signalized 

intersections. The study used data from four States—Nevada, 

North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Oregon—to examine the effects 

for specific crash types, 

including total, injury 

and fatal, rear-end, angle, 

left-turn, and left-turn 

opposite through crashes. 

The evaluation included 

307 treated sites and 438 

reference sites.

The research found that 

a flashing yellow arrow is 

the best overall alternative 

to the circular green signal 

as the permissive signal 

display for a left-turn 

movement and that leftturn drivers demonstrated 

a high level of understand

ing and correct response 

to flashing yellow arrows. 

Also, a flashing yellow arrow display in a separate signal face for the 

left-turn movement offers more versatility in field application. It is 

capable of operating in any of the various modes of left-turn timeof-day operations and is easy to program to avoid the “yellow trap” 

associated with some permissive turns at the end of the circular 

green signal.

-

The results of this study show that crashes decrease when flash

ing yellow arrow signal phasing replaces a permissive or protected/

permitted left-turn signal. The crash reduction ranged from 15 to 

50 percent depending on the treatment type. The treatment has a 

positive benefit, especially for total crashes, injury and fatal crashes, 

and crashes related to left-turn movements.

-

The publication is available at www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications 

/research/safety/19035/index.cfm. 

Asphalt Binder and Mixture Laboratory (ABML) Look-In 

Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-20-057

The Asphalt Binder and Mixture Laboratory–Implementation 

and Delivery (ABML-ID) is currently assessing automated asphalt 

extraction technology prescribed in ASTM D8159, the Stan

dard Test Method for Automated Extraction of Asphalt Binder 

from Asphalt Mixtures. Evaluations will be based on the com

parison of physical property changes in high, intermediate, and 

low-temperature asphalt binders, reclaimed asphalt pavement 

(RAP), and binder blended with RAP extracted using the tradi

tional AASHTO T 164 Method A and automated extraction. 

-

-

-
48 | PUBLIC ROADS | WINTER 2021

ASTM D8159 covers 

the quantitative determi

nation of asphalt binder 

content in asphalt mixtures 

and pavement specimens—

using the automated 

computer controller or 

human-machine inter

face system—to perform 

a solvent extraction for 

specification acceptance, 

service evaluation, quality 

control, and research. The 

benefits of ASTM D8159 

include the reduction of 

sources of variability due to 

automated process, ease of 

use, less hazardous material 

exposure, reduction in pur

chase and disposal costs of trichloroethylene, and determination of 

asphalt binder content and gradation in one working day.

-

-

-

ABML-ID is a partnership between the Office of Preconstruc

tion, Construction, and Pavements; the Office of Infrastructure 

Research and Development; and the Resource Center to actively 

support implementation-focused activities that advance research 

products into field evaluation and deployment. The ABML-ID 

supports the FHWA Mobile Asphalt Technology Center in pro

viding technical expertise to the asphalt pavement community. 

ABML-ID also focuses on projects of national interest from State 

departments of transportation and stakeholders.

-

-

The publication is available at www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications 

/research/infrastructure/pavements/20057/index.cfm. 

High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST) Quick Reference

High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST) is a pavement surface 

treatment consisting of a polymer resin binder used to bond a 1- to 

3-millimeter nominal-size polish- and abrasion-resistant aggregate 

to the pavement surface. HFST is typically used as a spot treat

ment on targeted locations, and specifically restores or enhances 

the friction of virtually any structurally sound pavement surface to 

reduce roadway departure crashes. 

-

This quick reference guide provides an overview of HFST 

including applications, site selection, specifications, materials, 

installation, inspection, testing and acceptance, and performance 

monitoring. It also provides links to additional resources for more 

information. 

The publication is available at www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications 

/research/safety/highfriction/index.cfm. 

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