1 

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Research and Technology Update Newsletter

July 2022 | Summer Issue

Federal Highway Administration 

(FHWA) Research and 

Technology (R&T) Story

FHWA champions R&T innovations 

to address the critical needs of the 

Nation’s highway system. The FHWA 

R&T Story presents innovations that 

ensure the safety of vulnerable 

pedestrians, evaluates concepts for 

connected and automated vehicles and 

develops better ways to test for 

pavement deterioration. These 

innovations can help renew the 

highway system, spur economic 

recovery, reduce inequities, and 

protect against the impact of future 

climate scenarios. Please visit the 

R&T Story web page. (Federal 

Highway Administration 2021) 

FHWA R&T Program Portfolio

The new FHWA R&T Program 

Portfolio web pages provide a broad 

overview of FHWA’s research and

technology activities, initiatives, 

and projects. This portfolio is just 

a glimpse into our research and 

technologies. The R&T Portfolio 

covers the entire R&T Program, 

including agenda setting; research 

and development; technology testing 

and evaluation; deployment and 

evaluation of market-ready 

technologies and innovations; 

development of regulations and 

guidance; and technical assistance. 

Please visit the R&T Program 

Portfolio web page. (Federal Highway 

Administration. n.d.a.) 

FHWA Works With the 

National Science Foundation 

(NSF) on Research to Assess 

the Benefits, Risks, and 

Barriers of Micromobility in 

Disadvantaged Communities

The FHWA Exploratory Advanced 

Research program, working with the 

Office of Human Environment, is 

supporting a funding supplement to 

an NSF award entitled Making 

Micromobility Smarter and Safer 

(M2S2). The research team from 

Rutgers University—in cooperation 

with the New Jersey Department of 

Transportation, local agencies, and 

communities—is taking a novel 

approach to assess the benefits, risks,

Source: FHWA.
FHWA Research and Technology Update Newsletter July 2022 | Summer Issue

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and barriers of micromobility in 

disadvantaged communities, using 

novel approaches, including 

instrumented electronic scooters, 

mobile devices, and roadways.

Federal Data Resource 

Showcase

During National Library Week, 

April 3–9, more than 1,000 registrants 

attended the FHWA Research 

Library’s Federal Data Resource 

Showcase webinars that explored data

resources, their contents, and how to 

access them. The showcase featured 

16 guest speakers from a diverse 

group of 9 U.S. Federal agencies. 

For more information, 

contact Dawn Vanlandingham at 

dawn.vanlandingham@dot.gov or 

202–493–3198. 

Cooperative Driving Automation 

(CDA) Stakeholder Training

The FHWA Office of Safety and 

Operations Research and 

Development provided CARMASM

tools, training, and technical support 

to the Florida Department of 

Transportation (FDOT) and several 

State universities that are interested 

in conducting CDA research with the 

FHWA suite of CARMA open-source 

tools. FHWA Saxton Transportation 

Operations Laboratory staff walked 

through use case exercises with FDOT

and university staff to help them 

understand this emerging technology 

and in which areas they can focus 

their internal research to support and 

enable CDA in the transportation 

system. The two main topics FDOT

requested include pedestrian safety 

or vulnerable road users and arterial 

management, which includes work 

zones, incidents, and weather events.

For more information, contact Dale 

Thompson at dale.thompson@dot.gov

or 202–493–3270. 

Traffic Optimization for 

Signalized Corridors (TOSCo) 

Project Demonstration

A TOSCo demonstration along 

Farm-to-Market Road (FM) 1960 in 

Houston, TX, included four partially 

automated vehicles traveling 

together through multiple signalized 

intersections. Researchers used

connected vehicle technologies to 

decrease energy consumption and 

emissions by reducing idling, 

decreasing the number of stops, and 

reducing unnecessary accelerations 

and decelerations, which resulted in 

improved traffic flow through 

signalized intersections.

TOSCo employs 

vehicle-to-infrastructure 

communications as well as 

data from nearby vehicles using 

vehicle-to-vehicle communications. 

The application residing in the vehicle 

calculates the vehicle’s optimal speed 

to pass through a signalized 

intersection on a green indication or 

the most optimal manner to decelerate 

to a stop and subsequently launch at 

the start of green.

For more information, 

contact Govind Vadakpat at 

g.vadakpat@dot.gov or 

202–493–3283. 

Source: FHWA. 

Figure 1. Illustration. FHWA Research and Technology Portfolio (Federal Highway 

Administration. n.d.a.). 

Source: FHWA. 

Figure 2. Traffic Optimization for 

Signalized Corridors (TOSCo)-enabled 

cars in a cooperative adaptive cruise 

control string along Farm-to-Market Road

(FM)1960 in Houston, TX.
FHWA Research and Technology Update Newsletter July 2022 | Summer Issue

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Testing for Eco-Drive Study

FHWA is collecting data for the

Eco-Drive study, also known as

Exploring the Effects of Vehicle 

Automation and Cooperative 

Messaging on Mixed Fleet Eco-Drive 

Interactions study. This study is 

taking place at the Dominion 

Raceway in Thornburg, VA, and 

will identify driver acceptance and 

responses to eco-drive strategies 

(e.g., using infrastructure information 

and decelerating to reduce idle time, 

maintaining speed when approaching 

a green light) that a lead vehicle uses

as it approaches a signalized 

intersection. This study aims to 

evaluate interactions between drivers, 

automated driving systems, and 

in-vehicle cooperative messages 

displayed at signalized intersections. 

For more information, contact Jesse 

Eisert at jesse.eisert@dot.gov or 

202–493–3284. 

FHWA-HRT-21-087, An 

Exploration of Pedestrian 

Safety Through the Integration 

of HSIS and Emerging Data 

Sources: Case Study in 

Charlotte, NC, Available

The report introduces a proof of 

concept to spatially integrate Highway 

Safety Information System (HSIS) 

data with multijurisdictional and 

emerging datasets. To pilot the 

geospatial proof of concept, the 

project team developed a pedestrian 

count model to predict pedestrian 

volumes at locations without 

pedestrian counts and integrated 

speed information from probe data 

to supplement other roadway and 

contextual transportation data from 

several agencies. The report can be 

found here (Hamilton et al. 2021.). 

For more information, contact Ana 

Eigen at ana.eigen@dot.gov or 

202–493–3168. 

Highway Driving Simulator—

CARMA Integration

The Human Factors Team released the

first version of the Turner-Fairbank 

Highway Research Center (TFHRC) 

Digital Twin project, the common 

simulation environment to be used as 

a common database between the HDS 

and CARMA PlatformSM tools. The 

CARMA Everything-in-the-Loop 

team has begun testing the Digital 

Twin environment successfully by 

demonstrating a simulated CARMA 

vehicle running in the CARMA 

simulation program around the 

TFHRC campus roads.

For more information, 

contact Brian Philips at 

brian.philips@dot.gov or 

202–493–3468. 

National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA) and FHWA 

Cofund Projects

NOAA and FHWA are collaborating 

and cofunding projects to address 

infrastructure and environmental 

considerations holistically, 

marrying the best coastal science 

on nature-based solutions for 

reducing coastal flooding with the 

best science on minimizing inundated 

pavement deterioration.

In 2022, FHWA awarded projects 

that exemplify its priorities of climate 

change and sustainability, equity and 

environmental justice, complete 

streets, economic strength, and safety 

for all road users. FHWA has notified 

two of the recipients of their selection

for the 2022 Environmental 

Excellence award:

• Auburn University, 

University of South Alabama, 

and University of 

Wisconsin–Madison are 

developing an approach that 

Source: FHWA.

Figure 3. Illustration. The CARMA-Highway Driving Simulator (HDS) integration project.
FHWA Research and Technology Update Newsletter July 2022 | Summer Issue

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evaluates road damage 

from inundation and the 

effectiveness of nature-based 

approaches to mitigate 

inundation impacts in 

Alabama (National Centers 

for Coastal Ocean Science

2017a). 

• University of New 

Hampshire, University of 

South Alabama, and 

Rockingham (NH)

Metropolitan Planning 

Organization are identifying

primary coastal processes that 

cause pavement deterioration 

and damage and evaluating

nature-based solutions in 

coastal Alabama, New 

Hampshire, Massachusetts, 

and Maine (National Centers 

for Coastal Ocean Science

2017b). 

For more information, 

contact Amir Golalipour at 

amir.golalipour@dot.gov or 

202–493–3089. 

National Highway Institute (NHI) 

Resilience Courses 

NHI has developed the Addressing 

Climate Resilience in Highway 

Project Development and Preliminary 

Design courses to provide knowledge 

about these concepts and to describe 

example applications. The courses 

explore the relationship between 

engineering inputs and the design 

process, identify how conditions 

for those inputs may change in the 

future, and outline how to conduct a 

robust assessment of future risks 

and consequences to guide more 

effective decisions. 

The prerequisite web-based trainings 

are posted on the NHI website at the 

following links: 

• FHWA-NHI-142081: 

Understanding Past, Current 

and Future Climate 

Conditions 

• FHWA-NHI-142082: 

Introduction to Temperature 

and Precipitation Projections 

• FHWA-NHI-142083: Systems 

Level Vulnerability 

Assessments

• FHWA-NHI-142084: 

Adaptation Analysis for 

Project Decision Making

For more information, 

contact Rob Kafalenos at 

robert.kafalenos@dot.gov or 

202–366–2079. 

Test Method for 

Ultra-High Performance 

Concrete (UHPC) Approved

As the highway community begins to 

engage UHPC-based solutions to 

address bridge design, construction, 

and maintenance challenges, FHWA 

recognized that there was a need for 

standardized tests to assess the 

engineering properties of this new 

generation of concrete. To address 

this need, FHWA developed the 

Standard Method of Test for Uniaxial 

Response of Ultra-High Performance 

Concrete. In coordination with the 

American Association of State 

Highway and Transportation Officials 

(AASHTO) Committee on Materials 

and Pavements, the test method, now 

given the designation of T 397-22, 

was refined and successfully balloted 

by AASHTO in late 2021 (AASHTO 

Forthcoming).

For more information, 

contact Ben Graybeal at 

benjamin.graybeal@dot.gov or 

202–493–3122. 

Every Day Counts (EDC)-6 

UHPC for Bridge 

Preservation and Repair

FHWA’s initiative to encourage the 

use of innovative UHPC-based bridge 

preservation and repair solutions is 

well underway. For departments of 

transportation beginning to consider 

this topic area, FHWA has developed 

an 8-h workshop. The workshop has 

been delivered 18 times to different 

audiences around the country, and 

Source: FHWA.

Figure 4. The Human Factors Team testing detection of an articulated child 

pedestrian dummy.
FHWA Research and Technology Update Newsletter July 2022 | Summer Issue

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6 more are scheduled for later in 

2022. The technical leads on the 

initiative have also developed design 

and construction recommendations 

that will be published soon. A 

four-part national webinar series is 

also being planned to raise awareness 

of these promising solutions within an 

engaging, compelling format. Finally, 

agency technical experts have been 

providing project-specific technical 

assistance to early adopters across the 

country as they encounter the types of 

challenges for which information 

sharing and expert advice can be quite 

valuable. To see examples of UHPC 

deployments, visit the interactive map

on the TFHRC website (Federal 

Highway Administration. n.d.b.). 

For more information, contact Zach 

Haber at zachary.haber@dot.gov or

202–493–3469. 

Structural Design with UHPC

FHWA is continuing to support 

AASHTO’s interest in developing 

structural design guidance for the use 

of UHPC in primary bridge 

components. To advance the state of 

knowledge in the topic area, FHWA 

embarked on a major experimental 

research study investigating key 

structural performance behaviors. 

The effort is bearing fruit, with these 

six peer-reviewed journal articles 

having been published recently. These 

research findings are key to informing 

the structural design guidance that the 

AASHTO Committee on Bridges and 

Structures is beginning to debate.

• El-Helou, R. G., Z. B. Haber, 

and B. A. Graybeal. 

“Mechanical Behavior and 

Design Properties 

of Ultra-High-Performance 

Concrete” (El-Helou, Haber, 

and Graybeal 2022).

• El-Helou, R. G., and B. A. 

Graybeal. “Flexural 

Behavior and Design of 

Ultrahigh-Performance 

Concrete Beams” (El-Helou

and Graybeal 2022a). 

• El-Helou, R. G., and B. A. 

Graybeal. “Shear Behavior of 

Ultrahigh-Performance 

Concrete Pretensioned Bridge 

Girders” (El-Helou and 

Graybeal 2022b). 

• Mohebbi, A., and B. 

Graybeal. “Prestress Loss 

Model for Ultra-High 

Performance Concrete”

(Mohebbi and Graybeal 

2022). 

• Mohebbi, A., B. Graybeal, 

and Z. Haber. “TimeDependent Properties of 

Ultrahigh-Performance 

Concrete: Compressive Creep 

and Shrinkage” (Mohebbi, 

Graybeal, and Haber 2022). 

• Muzenski, S., Z. B. Haber, 

and B. Graybeal. “Interface 

Shear Behavior of 

Ultra-High-Performance 

Concrete” (Muzenski, Haber, 

and Graybeal 2022). 

For more information, 

contact Ben Graybeal at 

benjamin.graybeal@dot.gov or 

202–493–3122.

Robotic Utility Mapping and 

Installation (RUMI) System

FHWA took possession of the RUMI 

prototype robot that was developed 

under the Small Business Innovation 

Research Program as a tool for 

subsurface utility detection. RUMI 

autonomously surveys an area and 

constructs a three-dimensional map, 

which is displayed in augmented 

reality to provide real-time situational 

awareness. The robot is now housed 

within FHWA’s Nondestructive 

Evaluation Laboratory. 

Source: FHWA.

Figure 5. Screenshot of FHWA InfoBridge home page (Federal Highway Administration n.d.c.). 
FHWA Research and Technology Update Newsletter July 2022 | Summer Issue

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For more information, contact Morgan 

Kessler at morgan.kessler@dot.gov or 

202–493–3187. 

Long-Term Infrastructure 

Performance Student Data 

Analysis Contest

The Long-Term Infrastructure 

Performance Student Data Analysis 

Contest is now open for the 2022 

year. Students are encouraged to 

use data, information, and tools from 

Long-Term Pavement Performance

InfoPaveTM or Long-Term Bridge 

Performance (LTBP) InfoBridgeTM 

to address specific highway 

infrastructure challenges. The 

contest guidelines are on the InfoPave

and InfoBridge web portals (Federal 

Highway Administration. n. d.d.

and Federal Highway Administration. 

n.d.e.). Papers are due by 

July 29, 2022. 

For more information, contact Jean 

Nehme at jean.nehme@dot.gov or 

202–493–3042. 

Recent Enhancements 

to InfoBridge

The most recent version of 

InfoBridge, released in November 

2021, features several usability 

enhancements, including tools and 

projects that resulted from LTBP 

research studies. Highlights of some 

of the enhancements include an asset 

valuation tool, a bridge performance 

transition forecast, a new module on 

historical changes to concrete shear 

design, and data collected on 

experimental bridges. For a complete 

list of new InfoBridge features and 

enhancements, visit 

https://infobridge.fhwa.dot.gov/Page/i

nfobridge_update_notes (Federal 

Highway Administration n.d.c.). 

For more information, contact Jean 

Nehme at jean.nehme@dot.gov or 

202–493–3042. 

Forever Open Road (FOR)

FHWA is working with the Forum of 

European National Highway Research 

Laboratories (FEHRL) on an update 

of the Resilient Road element of the

FOR Program. FHWA is part of an 

ad hoc working group. At an April 

meeting, the FEHRL Research 

Committee reviewed the draft update 

and planned a final review and 

approval for the fall General 

Assembly meeting. The other two

elements of FOR are the Automated 

Road and the Adaptable Road. The 

FOR document contextualizes moving 

research toward implementing new 

technologies and building 

opportunities to cooperate on research 

and pilot deployments with national 

road administrations or the European

Commission. Documents are located 

at https://www.foreveropenroad.eu/

(Forum of European National 

Highway Research Laboratories n.d.). 

Transportation Pooled Fund 

(TPF) Excellence Award

FHWA is partnering with the 

AASHTO Research Advisory 

Committee to further promote 

research, innovation, and excellence 

through a proposed TPF Program 

Excellence Award. The award would

be given biannually to two TPF 

studies that have significantly 

advanced national research efforts in 

the areas of safety, economic growth, 

equity, climate solutions, or 

transformation. The TPF Program 

has existed for more than 45 yr and 

has enabled public and private entities 

to combine resources to conduct 

high-priority research on a wide 

variety of shared, highway-related 

problems. By pooling funds and 

expertise, participants develop 

innovative solutions at a lower cost 

while extending the reach and impact 

of their research. The TPF Excellence 

Award would help bring additional 

knowledge, recognition, and support 

for the excellent collaborative work 

being done through the TPF Program. 

The award program is in the early 

stages of development; additional 

information, including nomination 

materials, will be sent out soon. 

For more information, 

contact Tricia Sergeson at 

patricia.sergeson@dot.gov or 

202–493–3166.

Source: FHWA.

Figure 6. Robotic Utility Mapping and 

Installation (RUMI). 
FHWA Research and Technology Update Newsletter July 2022 | Summer Issue

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References

AASHTO. Forthcoming. Standard 

Specifications for 

Transportation Materials 

and Methods of Sampling 

and Testing and Provisional 

Standards. Washington, DC: 

American Association of 

State Highway and 

Transportation Officials.

El-Helou, R. G., and B. A. Graybeal. 

2022a. “Flexural 

Behavior and Design of 

Ultrahigh-Performance 

Concrete Beams.” Journal 

of Structural Engineering

148, no. 4. https://doi.org/ 

10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-

541X.0003246, last accessed 

March 9, 2022. 

El-Helou, R. G., and B. A. Graybeal. 

2022b. “Shear Behavior of 

Ultrahigh-Performance 

Concrete Pretensioned Bridge 

Girders.” Journal of

Structural Engineering 148,

no. 4. https://doi.org/10.1061/ 

(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.00032

79, last accessed 

March 9, 2022. 

El-Helou, R. G., Z. B. Haber, and B.

A. Graybeal. 2022. 

“Mechanical Behavior and 

Design Properties of UltraHigh-Performance Concrete.” 

ACI Materials Journal 119, 

no. 1: 181–194. 

https://doi.org/

10.14359/51734194, last 

accessed March 9, 2022.

Federal Highway Administration. 

2021. “The FHWA R&T

Story: Innovating the 

Future of Transportation” 

(web page). 

https://highways.dot.gov/rese

arch/publications/corporate/22

035, last accessed 

June 7, 2022. 

Federal Highway Administration. 

n.d.a. “Research and 

Technology (R&T) Program 

Portfolio” (web page). 

https://highways.dot.gov/rese

arch/rtportfolio/home, last 

accessed June 7, 2022. 

Federal Highway Administration. 

n.d.b. “North American 

Bridges Employing 

UHPC” (web page). 

https://usdot.maps.arcgis.com/

apps/webappviewer/index.ht

ml?id=41929767ce164eba934

d70883d775582, last accessed 

June 7, 2022.

Federal Highway Administration. 

n.d.c. “Long-Term Bridge 

Performance” (web page). 

https://highways.dot.gov/rese

arch/long-term-infrastructureperformance/ltbp/long-termbridge-performance, last 

accessed March 15, 2022. 

Federal Highway Administration. 

n.d.d. “Long-Term 

Infrastructure Performance 

(LTIP) Student Data Analysis 

Contest” (web page). 

https://infobridge.fhwa.dot.go

v/Page/ltip_student_contest, 

last accessed June 7, 2022. 

Federal Highway Administration. 

n.d.e. “Student Data Analysis 

Contest” (web page). 

https://infobridge.fhwa.dot.go

v/Page/ltip_student_contest, 

last accessed June 7, 2022. 

Forum of European National Highway 

Research Laboratories. n.d. 

“Forever Open Road” 

(web page). 

https://www.foreveropenroad.

eu/, last accessed June 7, 

2022. 

Hamilton, I., K. Kersavage, R. J. 

Porter, K. Smith, J. Sanchez, 

V. Gayah, and K. Eccles. 

2021. An Exploration of 

Pedestrian Safety Through 

the Integration of HSIS and 

Emerging Data Sources: Case 

Study in Charlotte, N.C.

Engineering Structures

Report No. 

FHWA-HRT-21-087. 

Washington, DC: Federal 

Highway Administration. 

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

blications/research/safety/210

87/index.cfm, last accessed 

June 7, 2022. 

Mohebbi, A., and B. Graybeal. 2022. 

“Prestress Loss Model for 

Ultra-High Performance 

Concrete.” Engineering 

Structures 252. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engst

ruct.2021.113645, last 

accessed March 9, 2022a.

Mohebbi, A., B. Graybeal, and Z. 

Haber. 2022. “TimeDependent Properties of 
FHWA Research and Technology Update Newsletter July 2022 | Summer Issue

 8 

Ultrahigh-Performance 

Concrete: Compressive 

Creep and Shrinkage.” 

Journal of Materials in Civil 

Engineering 34, no. 6. 

https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASC

E)MT.1943-5533.0004219, 

last accessed May 16, 2022.

Muzenski, S., Z. B. Haber, and B. 

Graybeal. 2022. 

“Interface Shear of 

Ultra-High-Performance 

Concrete.” ACI Structural 

Journal 119, no. 1: 267–280. 

https://doi.org/10.14359/ 

51733008, last accessed 

March 9, 2022. 

National Centers for Coastal Ocean 

Science. 2017a. “Surface 

Transportation, Sea Level 

Rise, and Coastal Storms: A 

Sustainable Path to Increased 

Resilience” (web page). 

https://coastalscience.noaa.go

v/project/surfacetransportation-sea-level-riseand-coastal-storms-asustainable-path-to-increasedresilience/, last accessed June 

7, 2022. 

National Centers for Coastal 

Ocean Science. 2017b. 

“Pavement Resilience to Sea 

Level Rise and Potential 

Mitigation Options Using 

Natural

and Nature-Based Features” 

(web page). 

https://coastalscience.noaa.go

v/project/coastalcommunities-pavementresilience-to-sea-level-riseusing-natural-and-naturebased-features/, last 

accessed June 7, 2022. 

Recommended citation:

Federal Highway Administration,

FHWA R&T Update - Quarterly 

Newsletter (Summer 2022 Edition) 

(Washington, DC: 2022) 

https://doi.org/10.21949/1521915

HRTM-10/03-22(WEB)E 

FHWA-HRT-22-086

CONTACT:

Mary.Huie@dot.gov