FHWA R&T Now ~ September 2010 ~

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

(USDOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

GENERAL/ADMINSTRATIVE

Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center Hosts the Forum of European National Highway 

Research Laboratories and European Conference of Transport Research Institutes

On September 20 and 21, Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) hosted a delegation from 

the Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories (FEHRL) and European Conference of 

Transport Research Institutes as part of their United States Scan. The focus of the Scan was Infrastructure 

Management and how U.S. research facilities are defined, developed, funded, and managed within a 

strategic program. The visit included a tour of some TFHRC laboratories and discussions with the Federal 

Railroad Administration, Federal Transit Administration, and Research and Innovative Technology 

Administration. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently became a member of FEHRL and 

as such the Agency is exploring opportunities to collaborate on research areas of interest. 

For more information, contact Joe Conway, 202-493-3186, joe.conway@dot.gov.

Planning for SHRP 2 Implementation

The second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) continues to make progress in accomplishing 

its programs goals. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) has hosted several Webinars to share 

information about early research results, and is beginning to convene implementation workshops, where 

technical experts will collaborate on drafting preliminary implementation plans for early products and 

clusters of products. TRB will continue to manage all SHRP 2 research and pre-implementation activities, 

as authorized under Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. 

SHRP 2 is being extended to 2015 since Congress has not enacted new highway authorization legislation. 

This will allow for a more coordinated approach for implementation. 

FHWA is working with TRB, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials 

(AASHTO), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) through the multiorganizational SHRP 2 Implementation Planning Steering Group. The Steering Group recently established 

two specialty teams that will help ensure solid communications and marketing mechanisms are established 

for SHRP 2 implementation and help address all Information Technology-related SHRP 2 products by 

identifying current and future maintenance needs.

Within FHWA, SHRP 2 Implementation Team Director Margie Sheriff has been building awareness of 

SHRP 2 and its anticipated products outcomes, and planning for integrating SHRP 2 implementation into 

FHWA processes. FHWA and NHTSA have also been collaborating on key issues that will guide the 

SHRP 2 safety research and implementation.

For more information, contact Margie Sheriff, 202-366-1747, margie.sheriff@dot.gov.

Highways for LIFE Solicits Proposals

The Highways for LIFE Technology Partnerships Program is soliciting proposals to conduct selected 

product safety performance evaluations on infrastructure-based safety products that have limited or no U.S. 
installations so that public agencies can make informed purchasing decisions. Specifically, the program 

limits the scope to commercially available infrastructure-based safety products that address one of the 

following focus areas:

Roadway departure events (with an emphasis on those occurring on two-lane rural road horizontal 

curves)

Pedestrian-related detection, warning, and enhanced conspicuity

Rural, unsignalized intersections 

If there are technologies that your State is interested in evaluating, consider partnering with a manufacturer 

and submitting an application to the program. The solicitation closes on October 7, 2010.Competition under 

this solicitation is open to all nonprofit and for-profit organizations. International companies are 

encouraged to apply. For a copy of the solicitation go to:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hfl/tech.cfm , or contact julie.zirlin@dot.gov.

Report: State Planning and Research Guide For Peer Exchanges

This document provides guidance for the State Planning and Research peer reviews. It contains information 

about the philosophy and principle of the peer exchanges; the use of peer exchanges to strategically 

improve research programs; and guidance and resources on conducting peer exchanges. This report will be 

of interest to State research directors, FHWA division offices, and others at FHWA responsible for working 

on State peer exchange panels. 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/spr/10048/index.cfm

For more information, contact John Moulden, 202-493-3470, john.moulden@dot.gov

ADVANCED RESEARCH

FHWA Exploratory Advanced Research Solicitation Deadline Approaching

FHWA’s Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program working with the Offices of Acquisition 

Management, Infrastructure Research and Development (R&D), Safety R&D, Operations R&D, Planning, 

and Policy and Governmental Affairs, is soliciting proposals through a broad agency announcement in 

three topic areas. Proposals are due September 30, 2010. The topic areas include Agent-Based Modeling 

and Simulation for Transportation, Breakthrough Approaches for Network-Level Travel Data, and National 

Transportation Demand Model: Foundational Research for New Approaches. The EAR Program plans to 

award nearly $5 million to selected proposals responding to the solicitation with awards anticipated in 

2011. A link to the solicitation is posted at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/.

For more information, contact Terry Halkyard, 202-493-3467, terry.halkyard@dot.gov; or David Kuehn, 

202-493-3414, david.kuehn@dot.gov.

Fact Sheet: Driving Simulation Forward: Making Driving Simulators More Useful for Behavioral 

Research

It is often difficult for highway and traffic engineers to consider complex driver behavior in their designs, 

but failing to do so can cost lives and, if roadways must be rebuilt, millions of dollars. The aim of “Making 

Driving Simulators More Useful for Behavioral Research,” an EAR Program project, is to make driving 

simulators a more reliable tool for highway engineers. The 32-month study, launched by FHWA in 2009, is 

being conducted by the University of Iowa.
For more information on this EAR Program project, contact Chris Monk, 202-493-3365, 

chris.monk@dot.gov or visit http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/pubs/10060/index.cfm.

Fact Sheet: Investigating Congestion and Solutions: Experiments on Congestion Conditions and 

Pricing Initiatives

When and why drivers choose a priced or tolled facility over an untolled but congested parallel route is the 

subject of 3-year project funded by the FHWA EAR Program, in partnership with the University of Central 

Florida and Georgia State University. “Experiments on Driving under Uncertain Congestion Conditions 

and the Effects on Traffic Networks from Congestion Pricing Initiatives” will examine how drivers’ risk 

preferences influence their choice of route and travel departure time.

For more information on this EAR Program project, contact Karen White, 202-366-9474, 

karen.white@dot.gov or visit http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/pubs/10061/index.cfm.

Fact Sheet: New Ways to Predict Bridge Performance: Advances in Structural Health Monitoring

Fiscally responsible, safe, life-cycle management of the Nation’s bridges depends on reliably predicting 

their health over time. The goal of the EAR Program project “Development and Demonstration of SystemsBased Monitoring Approaches for Improved Infrastructure Management Under Uncertainty,” is a nextgeneration, integrated framework to advance the reliability of bridge assessment. FHWA awarded this 

project to researchers from the University of Central Florida and Lehigh University.

For more information on this EAR Program project, contact Hamid Ghasemi, 202-493-3042, 

hamid.ghasemi@dot.gov or visit http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/pubs/10062/index.cfm.

INFRASTRUCTURE

More Than 50 International Pavement Specialists Attend LTPP Pavement Analysis Forum

The Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) Pavement Analysis Forum was held August 31 to 

September 2 in Irvine, CA, for the purposes of gathering information and suggestions of 50+ international 

pavement specialists for ways to revise and enhance the Strategic Plan for LTPP Data Analysis. Attendees 

of the forum, which was jointly planned by LTPP and TRB, developed new problem statements and project 

descriptions that will be considered by the TRB LTPP Committee at its next meeting in November. 

For more information, visit the LTPP Analysis Web site at 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/ltpp/analysis.cfm or contact Larry Wiser, 202-493-3079, 

larry.wiser@dot.gov.

To learn more about the LTPP program and products, visit: 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/ltpp/index.cfm or contact the LTPP Customer Support Service Center, 

(202) 493-3035, ltppinfo@dot.gov. 

SAFETY

National Crash Analysis Center Technical Summaries Now Available

The Advanced Crash Analysis Program, of the FHWA Office of Safety R&D, announces the availability of 

new reports, working papers, and technical summaries covering research into a number of topics including: 
guardrail systems, cable barriers, and concrete barriers; crashworthiness criteria and testing; crash 

simulation and vehicle modeling; motorcycle safety; and highway design. The FHWA funded this research 

under a contract with the National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC), at George Washington University. 

Among the documents most recently posted are:

“Development of an Energy-Absorbing End-Terminal for the Steel Backed Timber Guardrail” –

Phase I (NCAC 2009-W-006); Phase IIA (NCAC 2010-R-002), and Phase IIB (NCAC 2010-R003).

“Using Vehicle Dynamics Simulation as a Tool for Analyzing Cable Barriers Effectiveness”

(NCAC 2010-W-006) 

“FOIL Cable Median Barrier Retrofit Testing” (NCAC 2008-T-001)

“Evaluation of Roadside Hardware Performance under Updated Crashworthiness Criteria” (NCAC 

2008-W-002)

“Modeling, Testing, & Validation of the 2007 Chevy Silverado Finite Element Model” (NCAC 

2009-W-005)

“California Motorcycle Crashes: Roadway & Rider Contributing Factors” (NCAC 2010-T-001)

These documents, and many more, can be downloaded from the NCAC Web site at:

http://www.ncac.gwu.edu/research/reports.html.

For more information, contact Steve Kan cdkan@ncac.gwu.edu, or Ken Opiela at kenneth.opiela@dot.gov.

Report: Safety Effectiveness of the HAWK Pedestrian Crossing Treatment

This study was part of a larger FHWA study to quantify the effectiveness of engineering countermeasures 

in improving safety and operations for pedestrians and bicyclists. The project focused on existing and new 

engineering countermeasures for pedestrians and bicyclists that have not yet been comprehensively 

evaluated in terms of effectiveness. This effort involved data collection and analysis to determine whether 

these countermeasures reduced fatalities and injuries or increased appropriate driving behaviors. In this 

study, the safety effectiveness of the High intensity Activated crossWalK (HAWK) pedestrian beacon was 

evaluated using a before-after empirical Bayes (EB) approach.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/10042/index.cfm

For more information, contact Ann Do, 202-493-3319, ann.do@dot.gov.

TechBrief: Safety Effectiveness of the HAWK Pedestrian Crossing Treatment

This document is a technical summary of the FHWA report, Safety Effectiveness of the HAWK Pedestrian 

Crossing Treatment, FHWA-HRT-10-042. 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/10045/index.cfm

For more information, contact Ann Do, 202-493-3319, ann.do@dot.gov.

TechBrief: Crash Impact of Smooth Lane Narrowing with Rumble Strips at Two-Lane Rural StopControlled Intersections

As part of an effort to reduce crashes at unsignalized rural intersections, this study evaluates a safety 

treatment for two-way stop-controlled intersections.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/10047/index.cfm
Surrogate Safety Assessment Model Software Download is Now Online

After reading the terms of the license agreement, complete the form below. The terms of the license 

agreement are as follows:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/software/research/safety/ssam/

OPERATIONS

TFHRC Transmitter Installed, Intellidrive Research Continues

TFHRC now has a 5.9GHz transmitter installed in the Transportations Operations Laboratory’s 

Cooperative Vehicle-Highway Testbed. In addition, the IntelliDrive car has received and displayed 

messages transmitted from TFHRC’s intelligent intersection. The car’s On Board Equipment has 

successfully communicated its position back to the Intelligent Intersection. Moreover, TFHRC’s intelligent 

intersection communicated back to the Service Delivery Node in Michigan so that it could see researchers 

as they moved around TFHRC. Researchers also could see TFHRC’s vehicle in real-time on a laptop.

For more information, contact Joe Peters, 202-493-3269, joe.peters@dot.gov.

RECENT PERIODICALS

FOCUS Newsletter—August 2010

This issue includes: New Health Track Analysis Tool Offers a Checkup for Your Pavement; TIG 

Announces Solicitation for 2011 Focus Technologies; Welcome to WIM: FHWA Releases New Data 

Analyst’s Manual; Visit FHWA’s Online Work Zone Training Compendium; Showcasing Enhanced 

Bridge Inspections Through Nondestructive Evaluation; Highway Technology Calendar; FHWA Issues 

New Guidance on Pavement Friction Management; and, FHWA Solicits Comments on Creation of 

National Tunnel Inspection Standards.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/focus/10aug/index.cfm

lgpope@woodwardcom.com

FOCUS Newsletter—July 2010

This issue includes: Transportation Asset Management: Beyond the Short Term; FHWA Launches Online 

Training on Asphalt Paving Field Inspection; Webinar to Explore Key Performance Indicators for 

Transportation Projects; Precast Concrete Pavement Systems: Acceleration Through Innovation; Ultra High 

Performance Concrete: Taking Concrete to New Levels; and, Highway Technology Calendar.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/focus/10jul/index.cfm

lgpope@woodwardcom.com
Public Roads—July/August 2010

This issue includes: Transportation Lessons from Central Europe; Are We Winning or Losing the War on 

Weeds?; Complete Streets; IntelliDrive; From Hot to Warm; and, Scour, Flooding, and Inundation.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/10julaug/index.cfm

paula.magoulas@dot.gov

Innovator–Accelerating Innovation for the American Driving Experience—June/July 2010

This issue includes: Q&A With Greg Nadeau: Making Every Day Count; Trenchless Technology Trial 

Works for Montana DOT; Choosing Right Delivery Method Key to Project Success; Highways for LIFE 

Seeks States to Try Innovations; Seminar Challenges Engineers to Innovate; and, Calendar.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hfl/innovator/issue19.cfm

kathleen.bergeron@dot.gov

Transportation and Climate Change Newsletter—July/August 2010

This issue includes: AASHTO Hosts 2010 National Climate Change Symposium; TRB Environment and 

Energy Research Conference Presentations Posted; 2010 Transportation Energy Data Book Released; 

Welcome Mike Culp; FHWA Seeks Input on FY2011 Research; FHWA’s STEP to Host Air Quality and 

Climate Change Webinar September 28; ASCE Green Streets & Highways Conference Announced; and, 

Online Sustainable Transportation Certificate Program Offered Through University of Washington.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/climatechange/newsletter/ccnews0710.htm

LTPP Newsletter, Summer 2010 

This issue includes information on: LTPP Welcomes Stakeholder Input; 36th LTPP Pavement Distress 

Accreditation Workshop; and, In Brief: LTPP Completes Transition of the Falling Weight Deflectometer 

Calibration Center Support to AASHTO Materials Reference Laboratory.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/ltppnews/10074.cfm

LTBP Newsletter, Summer 2010

This issue includes information on: Pilot Study Field Investigation Underway; From the Desk of Jorge 

Pagan-Ortiz, Director, Office of Infrastructure, R&D; Stakeholder Input: Meet Sandra Larson, Iowa DOT; 

Developmental Phase; Defining Bridge Performance; Focus Group Meetings; Data Infrastructure and 

Bridge Portal; Decision Support Tool; LTBP Geotechnical Workshop; and, Mark Your Calendar!

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/ltbpnews/10058.cfm

Links:

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center: www.tfhrc.gov

Resource Center: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/resourcecenter/

National Highway Institute: http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/home.aspx
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