FHWA R&T Now

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POLICY & PARTNERSHIPS

Mini-Roundabout Helps Make a Dangerous Intersection Safer

Through a Small Business Innovation Research contract managed by Dr. Wei Zhang, intersection 

safety research engineer at Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Turner-Fairbank Highway 

Research Center, a modular approach of constructing mini-roundabouts was developed and field 

demonstrated at an intersection in Annandale, VA, during the May 16–25, 2018, time frame. A 

modular approach to construction means that the components needed for the roundabout were

prefabricated elsewhere and shipped to the site for assembly.

The current two-way-stop-control intersection is dangerous for traffic entering from side streets 

and for making left turns. It’s also very dangerous for pedestrians who wish to cross the major 

road.

This mini-roundabout design will preserve the capacity on the major road, provide safe gaps to 

minor road traffic, and cut the pedestrian crossing distance from 60 feet to 12 feet with two-stage 

crossing. 

The mini-roundabout will be environmentally friendly. The raised islands are made of engineered 

plastic boards that were developed from recycled plastic bottles. 

“If the materials and design are successful, we may be able to consider similar modular 

roundabouts as an option where safety and congestion improvements are needed quickly,” said 

Wei.

 A rendering of the mini-roundabout in Annandale, VA. (Source: FHWA)

The project was completed in partnership with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) 

Northern Virginia District, and the Fairfax County department of transportation. The team from 

FHWA performed the traffic capacity analysis and the engineering design, and VDOT provided the 

crew for installation. 

For more information, contact Wei Zhang, 202–493–3317, wei.zhang@dot.gov.

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

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

May/June 2018

FHWA R&T Now
 FHWA R&T Now

EXPLORATORY ADVANCED RESEARCH

TRL Assessments Aid Research

Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Assessments 

help determine the maturity of a technology 

and provide a foundation for identifying next 

steps in the research process. TRL Assessments 

can be used in a variety of settings to fit the 

needs of the institution conducting them. 

Having a simple mechanism to determine and 

communicate technology maturity improves the 

transition of research outcomes and program 

management.

The Federal Highway Administration’s 

Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program 

uses TRL Assessments along with other tools to 

help identify which research products to 

emphasize for transition and which audiences 

would be interested in the results. Dr. Ivan 

Bartoli of Drexel University recently completed a 

TRL Assessment for his EAR Program-funded 

project, “Multipurpose Wireless Sensors for 

Asset Management and Health Monitoring of 

Structures.” The project team developed a suite 

of portable wireless sensors to provide 

important baseline data on the structural health 

of bridges. 

A researcher monitors the computer displays of 

data received from wireless sensors installed on 

the roadway bridge during a demonstration as part 

of a TRL Assessment. (Source: U.S. DOT-owned)

“During the assessment, the researchers first 

gave an overview of the project to the TRL 

panel. Then they showcased the technology in 

the field,” said Bartoli. “The researchers 

demonstrated the use of wireless sensors 

directly on an operating highway viaduct. The 

panelists were shown in real time the 

comparison of wireless and wired sensors in the 

field. This allowed them to judge the 

effectiveness and readiness of the sensors on a 

real application with real environmental and 

operational conditions rather than in more 

forgiving laboratory settings.” 

Conducting a TRL Assessment 4 to 6 months 

before a multiyear project is completed 

provides a balance between having enough 

results to assess and providing time for

researchers to act on feedback from the 

assessment. Bartoli’s assessment took place 

approximately 4 months before his project 

concluded. “The assessment was very helpful 

and constructive,” he said. “Participating 

panelists represented the industry, departments 

of transportation, other government agencies, 

and academics. All the panelists suggested 

important and useful changes to the developed 

wireless sensing system. In particular, they 

made recommendations on how to modify it to 

deploy it across a broad range of applications. 

Some of the changes are being implemented.”

The EAR Program has published the Technology 

Readiness Level Guidebook to provide those 

working in transportation research with the 

necessary information for conducting a TRL 

Assessment. The Guidebook explains what a TRL 

is and how to prepare for, conduct, and use the 

results of TRL Assessments. The TRL Guidebook

is available at 

www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/pubs/17

047/index.cfm. 

For more information, contact David Kuehn, 

202–493–3414, david.kuehn@dot.gov.

EAR Program Supports Hardware-in-the-Loop 

Research

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 

Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program 

supports research using hardware-in-the-loop 

(HIL) technology to safely and effectively test 

connected and automated vehicle technologies. 
 FHWA R&T Now

Researchers for two EAR Program-supported 

research projects are testing connected vehicle 

(CV) and automated vehicle (AV) technologies 

using actual vehicle performance data 

incorporated into modeling and simulation 

platforms. 

©2016 Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Equipment captures data from connected vehicles 

and traffic signals on a test track during a simulation.

By providing real-time data on traffic patterns, 

alternate routes, and vehicle performance, CV 

and AV technologies will help support fuel 

efficiency, improve air quality, and reduce 

greenhouse gas emissions. However, creating 

simulations require realistic modeling of vehicle 

fuel economy and emissions in complex and 

changing traffic situations. Gathering accurate 

information about these parameters is difficult. 

That is what makes the HIL research so useful. 

The research will help engineers test CV and AV 

technologies under a wide range of simulated 

conditions.

A fact sheet about the research projects is 

available at 

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/p

ubs/17044/index.cfm.

FHWA’s Office of Operations Research and 

Development has installed HIL technology at 

intersections at the Turner-Fairbank Highway 

Research Center (TFHRC). The EAR Program is 

planning a demonstration and workshop at 

TFHRC to share its research results and to 

encourage research universities to adapt the 

technology for additional testing at their 

facilities.

For more information about the HIL projects and 

installation of HIL technology at TFHRC, contact 

Peter Huang, 202–493–3484, 

Peter.Huang@dot.gov. For more information 

about the EAR Program, contact David Kuehn, 

202–493–3414, david.kuehn@dot.gov.

INFRASTRUCTURE 

Benjamin Graybeal Presents as an Invited 

Speaker at ARPA-E Cement Workshop

Dr. Benjamin Graybeal attended the U.S. 

Department of Energy’s Advanced Research 

Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) Cement 

Workshop on April 10 and 11. The workshop 

explored extremely durable cementitious 

materials, and convened leading experts in 

cementitious material development, 

manufacturing, distribution, and end-use to 

identify innovations that significantly improve 

concrete durability and lower the energy 

footprint. 

Ben was invited by ARPA-E to represent the 

highway infrastructure sector and deliver a 

presentation that focused on Federal Highway 

Administration’s success with ultra-high 

performance concrete, an extremely durable 

cementitious material. Ben’s presentation—

Infrastructure Needs, Applications, and 

Pathways to Adoption—also addressed how 

other innovations can achieve success in the 

highway infrastructure sector. 

There is a clear need for durable infrastructure, 

Ben noted, and there are many applications 

wherein more durable systems could be more 

advantageous. Ben emphasized that to address

the challenge, “we must use appropriate 

materials as part of appropriate systems that 

are tailored to the anticipated environmental 

stressors and the anticipated service lives, and 

we must focus both on new construction and on 

the rehabilitation of existing constructed 

facilities.” 

Throughout the presentation, Ben offered 

advice to innovators who hope to deliver 

durable cementitious materials to the 

infrastructure sector, which included 

understanding the needs of the owners of the 

facility, offering fresh solutions to long-standing 

problems, developing a community of practice, 

and gaining and maintaining credibility within 

the infrastructure sector. 

For more information, contact Ben Graybeal, 

202–493–3122, benjamin.graybeal@dot.gov.
 FHWA R&T Now

TFHRC Hosts Advanced Ultrasonic Weld 

Inspection Techniques Workshop

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in 

cooperation with the National Steel Bridge 

Alliance (NSBA), hosted a workshop on 

advanced ultrasonic weld inspection techniques. 

The techniques are under investigation as a 

possible alternative to radiography for 

inspection of steel welds in bridges. The 

workshop, held at FHWA’s Turner-Fairbank 

Highway Research Center in McLean, VA, on 

May 31 and June 1, 2018, included participation 

from State transportation agencies, Full Matrix 

Capture/Total Focusing Method (FMC/TFM) 

equipment manufacturers, academia, and 

contractors.

The workshop included a summary of FMC/TFM 

technology, equipment demonstrations by 

manufacturers, and discussions about potential 

bridge weld applications of the technology. 

Potential plans for FMC/TFM trials were 

discussed at the end of the workshop.

For more information, contact Hoda Azari, 

202–493–3064, hoda.azari@dot.gov.

Benjamin Graybeal Receives National 

Leadership Award

Congratulations to Dr. Benjamin Graybeal, the 

recipient of Federal Highway Administration’s 

(FHWA’s) 2017 Structures Discipline Awards –

Bridge Excellence Award for National 

Leadership.

Ben is recognized for his contributions with 

State departments of transportation, local 

agencies, consulting engineers, and contractors 

to advance the widespread implementation of 

ultra-high performance concrete connections 

for prefabricated bridge elements and systems 

as part of the Every Day Counts initiative. The 

National Leadership Award specifically 

recognizes facilitating innovation, casting vision, 

creating or guiding significant policy and followthrough, and developing and deploying 

technology.

Dr. Benjamin Graybeal (center) receives FHWA’s 

2017 Structures Discipline Awards – Bridge

Excellence Award for National Leadership from 

Cheryl Richter, Director of the Office of 

Infrastructure Research (left) and Hari Kalla, 

Associate Administrator for Research, Development, 

and Technology (right). (Source: FHWA)

This awards program, originally established by 

the FHWA Bridge Leadership Council, recognizes 

members of the FHWA Structures Discipline who 

lead by example. Bridge Excellence Awards are 

intended to provide peer recognition for 

significant efforts that exemplify leadership, 

technical involvement, strategic planning, and 

innovation in the practices and methods 

employed by members of the FHWA Structures 

Discipline. The focus is not on the success of a 

project, but rather on what the FHWA Structures 

Discipline nominee did to make the project 

successful.

For more information, contact Ben Graybeal, 

202–493–3122, benjamin.graybeal@dot.gov.

OPERATIONS

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center 

Hosts Inaugural MMITSS Development Group

The Federal Highway Administration’s TurnerFairbank Highway Research Center hosted the 

Multi-modal Intelligent Traffic Signal Systems 

(MMITSS) Development Group (MDG) meeting 

on May 2–3 in McLean, VA. Two additional MDG 

meetings are being planned.

The first meeting of the MDG was a productive 

one. Meeting attendees included 

representatives from traffic signal controller 

manufacturers; manufacturers of connected 

vehicle roadside units; manufacturers of vehicle 

onboard units; and academics, practitioners, 

and infrastructure owners. The wide range of 

participants gave many different, but important, 
 FHWA R&T Now

perspectives. Infrastructure owners and 

operators had great input related to the 

deployability of the technology. Device 

manufacturers for both roadside units and 

onboard units also provided their perspectives 

on requirements for their devices and standards 

necessary for interoperability. The Principal 

Investigator, Dr. Larry Head of the University of 

Arizona, reflected that the perspectives from 

the participating members were invaluable.

MMITSS is the next generation traffic signal 

system that will provide a comprehensive traffic 

information framework to service all modes of 

transportation, including general vehicles, 

transit, emergency vehicles, freight fleets, and 

pedestrians and bicyclists in a connected vehicle 

(CV) environment. The original prototype was 

developed under the auspices of the CV Pooled 

Fund Study, partly funded by the Intelligent 

Transportation Systems Joint Program 

Office. The goal of the current MMITSS project is 

to make the system deployment ready so that it 

can be used across the United States.

The project is scheduled to be completed in 

2019. One of the biggest objectives of MMITSS 

is to make the product user friendly. Under the 

auspices of the Advanced Transportation and 

Congestion Management Technologies grant, 

smart city initiatives, and State and local 

agencies throughout the United States, there 

are many projects currently underway that use 

CV technology. This project will help pave the 

way for the agencies considering the 

deployment of MMITSS on their arterial 

networks.

For more information, contact Govind Vadakpat, 

202–493–3283, g.vadakpat@dot.gov, or 

Deborah Curtis, 202–493–3267, 

Deborah.Curtis@dot.gov.

COMMUNICATIONS

TFHRC Showcases its Work at STEM 

Symposium

Representatives from Federal Highway 

Administration’s Turner-Fairbank Highway 

Research Center (TFHRC) attended the fifth 

annual Science, Technology, Engineering, and 

Math (STEM) Symposium on Saturday, April 14, 

at The Nysmith School in Herndon, VA. This 

marks the fourth year that TFHRC attended the 

event, which drew an estimated 4,000 

attendees, and there are plans to attend 

upcoming STEM symposia.

“The experience allows us to show what we do 

here at Turner-Fairbank to an audience of 

potential engineers and their parents,” said 

Daniel Wolfe, Marketing and Communications 

Specialist at TFHRC. Dan noted that business 

was terrific, and the success of the event would 

not have been possible without support from 

the team at TFHRC: Joe Moyer, Rick Meininger, 

Lincoln Cobb, Sheila Duwaldi, Abdul Zinnedin, 

Osman Altan, and Tim Schmidt.

The STEM program encourages students to 

explore the science, technology, engineering, 

and math disciplines, and instead of teaching 

each discipline as a separate subject, STEM 

integrates them into a cohesive program with 

real-world applications.

For more information, contact Daniel Wolfe, 

202–493–3186, Daniel.Wolfe@dot.gov. 

Sheila Duwaldi speaks with a visitor to TFHRC’s 

booth at the fifth annual STEM Symposium on 

Saturday, April 14, at The Nysmith School in 

Herndon, VA. (Source: FHWA)

FHWA Plans for a Busy Summer 2018

Many people take some much-needed time off 

during the summer, but that doesn’t mean that 

things slow down for the Federal Highway 

Administration. 

Here are some important events coming up 

during the summer months:
 FHWA R&T Now

Early June FHWA readies two 

publications: 

• Freight 

Conditions and 

Performance 

Report

• Urban 

Congestion 

Trends Report

Late June Federal Register will 

publish Notice of 

Funding Opportunity 

(NOFO) for 

Competitive Bridge 

Program. No specific 

date is known yet.

June 29 Anniversary of the 

Highway Act of 1956

July 1 Deadline for West 

Virginia to submit its 

application for a 

BUILD grant to 

demolish the old, 

unreliable, and 

privately owned 

Bellaire Bridge near 

Benwood, WV.

Late July FHWA will publish 

web-only versions of 

volumes 1 and 2 of 

the Motorcycle Crash 

Causation Study 

(MCCS) data 

documents:

• Motorcycle Crash 

Causation Study 

Volume 1: Data 

Collection Forms 

and Variable 

Naming

• Motorcycle Crash 

Causation Study 

Volume 2: 

Coding Manual

RECENT PERIODICALS

Public Roads—Spring 2018

This issue includes: Building a Bridge to 

Sustainability; Rolling Out Pavement 

Technologies; Are We Ready for Connected 

and Automated Vehicles; Human Mosaics 

Move the Nation; Ready, Willing & Able; 

Turning Skeptics into Adopters. 

It is available online via 

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

roads/18spring/index.cfm.

For more information, contact Lisa Shuler, 

lisa.a.shuler@dot.gov. 

Innovator: Accelerating Innovation for the 

American Driving Experience—May/June 2018

This issue includes: Every Day Counts Turns the 

Tide in Vermont’s Road Diet Deployment; 

Capturing the Value of Innovation Investments; 

Automated Traffic Signal Performance 

Measures; Getting a Jumpstart on Safer 

Intersections; States Innovate!

The issue is available online via 

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/innovat

or/issue66/3dIssue/.

LINKS

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center: 

www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/ 

Resource Center: 

www.fhwa.dot.gov/resourcecenter/ 

National Highway Institute: 

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

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