FHWA R&T Now

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POLICY & PARTNERSHIPS

FHWA-Funded Projects for NSTSCE Featured in Report 

FHWA recently published a report that summarizes the projects it funded for the National Surface 

Transportation Safety Center for Excellence (NSTSCE), which was established in 2006 at the Virginia 

Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) by authorization in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient 

Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. FHWA was an important founding member of 

NSTSCE, chaired the original stakeholders committee for several years, and maintained 

membership in NSTSCE until June 2014. 

NSTSCE’s efforts were structured around a diverse stakeholders group: the Federal Government 

(FHWA and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration), State Government (the Virginia 

Department of Transportation), academia (VTTI), and the private sector (General Motors® and 

Travelers® Insurance). With FHWA’s guidance and financial contribution, 58 projects were 

conducted that support NSTSCE’s mission of developing and disseminating advanced transportation 

safety techniques and innovations in both rural and urban communities. This report, “Summary of 

Projects Funded by the Federal Highway Administration for the National Surface Transportation 

Safety Center for Excellence from July 2006 to June 2014,” is organized according to NSTSCE’s five 

research focus areas: enhancing driver performance, examining roadway lighting and delineation, 

addressing age-related issues, addressing issues of fatigue, and providing outreach. Each project 

contains a brief, general description about its methods and findings and identifies deliverables.

To access the report, visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/16014/index.cfm. 

ADVANCED RESEARCH

ARPA-E Announces $30 million in Funding for NEXTCAR Program

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announced 

$30 million in funding for a NEXT-Generation Energy Technologies for Connected and Automated 

on-Road-vehicles (NEXTCAR) Program. The program will explore the development of new and 

emerging vehicle dynamic and powertrain control technologies that can reduce the energy 

consumption of future vehicles through the use of connectivity and vehicle automation. The ARPAE NEXTCAR Program will look at transformative technological solutions that will enable at least an 

additional 20 percent reduction in the energy consumption of future connected and automated 

vehicles. The program builds on connected and automated vehicle concepts supported by FHWA’s

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

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

May/June 2016

FHWA R&T Now
 FHWA R&T Now

Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program 

with technical leadership from FHWA’s Office of 

Operations Research and Development. 

For more information about the program, 

contact Taylor Lochrane, 202-493-3293, 

taylor.lochrane@dot.gov. For information about 

the EAR Program, contact David Kuehn, 202-

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

Wearable Sensors in Transportation 

The EAR Program recently published a report on 

the potential of mobile and wearable sensors for 

transportation research. Wearable sensors are 

small enough to be carried in smart phones or 

on fitness bracelets and can collect data on 

environmental, physiological, activity, and 

location variables. This report, “Wearable 

Sensors in Transportation—Exploratory 

Advanced Research Program Initial Stage 

Investigation,” summarizes an initial stage 

investigation into wearable sensors for 

transportation research applications. As recent 

advances in hardware, connectivity, and data 

analysis have converged, the public are 

beginning to purchase more technology mobile 

sensors that can improve existing methods of

transportation research and open up avenues 

for new research. This document is available to 

download at 

www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/pubs/16

034/index.cfm. 

For more information, contact David Kuehn,

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

Video Analytics Workshop Introduces New 

Safety Analysis Tools to Stakeholders

With support from the Volpe National 

Transportation Systems Center, FHWA’s EAR 

Program and its Office of Safety Research and 

Development recently hosted a workshop on 

presenting video analytics tools for analyzing 

safety data from the Second Strategic Highway 

Research Program. The event brought together 

over 75 stakeholders (including highway safety 

researchers and researchers from other 

industries) and highlighted recent research 

results. Participants discussed progress in the 

development of automated tools to assist 

researchers in the use of large video data files. 

Further information about video analytics 

research is available at 

www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/pubs/15

025/index.cfm. 

For more information, contact David Kuehn,

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

INFRASTRUCTURE

Chemistry Lab to Advance X-ray Fluorescence 

Analysis 

FHWA’s Chemistry Laboratory at the TurnerFairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) 

recently completed a study of 102 samples of 

asphalt binders that the Ohio Department of 

Transportation sent to be analyzed. To date, the 

Chemistry Lab has analyzed 1,549 samples of 

asphalt binders from 43 State and Federal 

agencies. Researchers in the lab have discovered 

that 11 percent of these samples contained 

recycled engine oil bottoms (REOB), 11 percent 

contained phosphoric acid, and 3 percent 

contained ground tire rubber. REOB is the liquid 

residue left over from refining used engine oils. 

Although further research is needed to 

determine the effect REOB might have on 

pavement life, some States have banned or 

restricted its use in asphalt.

To examine the asphalt binder samples, 

researchers employed a technique called X-ray 

Fluorescence Analysis (XRF), a method widely 

used by State departments of transportation 

(DOTs) to analyze cement. The Chemistry Lab is 

currently working with 12 State DOTs and four 

testing labs on a round robin study to refine its 

XRF technique, which will be offered to the 

American Association of State Highway and 

Transportation Officials (AASHTO) as a standard 

test method that industry can use.

For more information, contact Terry Arnold, 

202-493-3305, terry.arnold@dot.gov. 
 FHWA R&T Now

FHWA Reviews Progress of LTPP Program at 

Committee Meeting

FHWA recently met with the Long-Term 

Pavement Performance (LTPP) Committee to 

review the progress of the LTPP program. The 

meeting consisted of briefings by LTPP staff 

followed by questions and answers and an open 

discussion. Key discussion topics included an 

update on highway legislation and its impact on 

the program, changes in FHWA leadership, a 

review of the LTPP Data Analysis Plan, and LTPP 

book distribution. 

Other topics discussed included: 

• FHWA’s response to committee letter 

report #36.

• Pooled fund projects. 

• LTPP outreach activities.

• LTPP State Coordinators Task Group.

• LTPP Information Management 

System.

• The status and schedule for LTPP 

InfoPaveTM.

• The release of LTPP Climate and 

LTPPBind Tools.

• The International Data Analysis 

Contest.

• New LTPP experiments.

For more information, contact Deborah Walker, 

202-493-3068, deborah.walker@dot.gov. 

Journal to Publish FHWA Report on Pavement 

Safety Performance

The International Journal of Pavement 

Engineering recently accepted a paper that 

discusses an FHWA study that uses crash data to 

show how pavements contribute to safety. 

Detailed in the report, “Evaluation of Pavement 

Safety Performance,” the study aimed to isolate 

the effects of various low-cost pavement 

treatments on roadway safety. Researchers 

retrospectively examined pavement safety 

performance, looking back at crash data before 

and after treatments were installed. They 

analyzed both flexible and rigid pavement 

treatments, with the majority typically used for 

pavement preservation or minor rehabilitation 

purposes, with one exception, high-friction 

surfacing, which is typically applied as a spot 

safety treatment. Conducted as part of Phase VI 

of FHWA’s Evaluation of Low-Cost Safety 

Improvements Pooled Fund Study, this research 

has the potential to help State DOTs and other 

transportation agencies improve roadway safety 

by providing crash modification factors and 

benefit-cost ratios for different pavement 

treatments.

The International Journal of Pavement 

Engineering publishes cutting edge research and 

development related to pavement engineering, 

as well as project reviews, case studies, and 

special topics of importance and interest to the 

pavement community. “Evaluation of Pavement 

Safety Performance” (FHWA-HRT-14-065) is 

available at 

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

h/safety/14065/index.cfm. 

For more information, contact Roya Amjadi, 

202-493-3383, roya.amjadi@dot.gov. 

OPERATIONS

Senator Cornyn Briefed on FHWA’s CACC 

Testing, Colonel Bodrick Takes Part in 

Platooning Experiment at Aberdeen Test 

Center

On April 15, 2016, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (RTX) visited the U.S. Army’s Test and Evaluation 

Command at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in 

Maryland, where the Aberdeen Test Center is 

located. Unmanned Vehicle Division Chief Scott 

Savoie briefed the Senator on FHWA’s 

Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) 

testing, which the U.S. Army is supporting 

through a recent interagency agreement with 

TFHRC. Savoie presented Senator Cornyn with 

the design of the connected vehicle system and 

showed him the components in the vehicle. The 

visit was organized to inform the Senator about 

U.S. Army robotics and autonomous research 

being tested at the Aberdeen Test Center.
 FHWA R&T Now

Six days later, Colonel Morris Bodrick, 

Commander of the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test 

Center, participated in one of the experiments 

that FHWA researchers and engineers from the 

Volpe National Transportation Systems Center 

are conducting to evaluate CACC at the 

Aberdeen Test Center. The experiment featured 

four vehicles, traveling between 30 and 45 miles 

per hour, platooning at different gaps and 

acceleration/declaration rates. The tests 

highlight FHWA’s positive partnership with the 

U.S. Army and underscore the capabilities and 

success of FHWA researchers and engineers 

through working at the Saxton Transportation 

Operations Laboratory at TFHRC.

For more information, contact Taylor Lochrane, 

202-493-3293, taylor.lochrane@dot.gov. 

ATTRI and NIDILRR Collaborate on FOA

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s 

Accessible Transportation Technologies 

Research Initiative (ATTRI) and the National 

Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and 

Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) are 

collaborating on a Funding Opportunity 

Announcement (FOA) for robotics and 

automation technology application 

development to support independent mobility. 

NIDILRR’s grant, “Disability and Rehabilitation 

Research Projects (DRRP) Program: Accessible 

Transportation,” aims to advance the 

application of automation and robotics to 

enhance accessible transportation for travelers 

with mobility, vision, hearing, and cognitive 

disabilities and improve opportunities for a 

seamless travel chain that meets their diverse 

needs. Further details about the grant are 

available at 

https://forecast.grantsolutions.gov/index.cfm?s

witch=grant.view&gff_grants_forecastInfoID=73

886. 

For more information, contact Mohammed 

Yousuf, 202-493-3199, 

mohammed.yousuf@dot.gov. 

Subcommittee Proposes 21 Recommendations

As part of the Department of Labor’s State 

Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED), 

the Council of State Governments (CSG) and the 

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) 

established the National Task Force on 

Workforce Development for People with 

Disabilities. The initiative provides an 

opportunity for State leaders to identify barriers 

to employment at the State level for people 

with disabilities and provide legislative and 

administrative policy recommendations to 

address these barriers. 

FHWA’s Mohammed Yousuf is serving as an 

advisor on the Task Force’s Transportation, 

Technology and Other Employment Supports 

Subcommittee, which is developing 

recommendations that address transportation 

and technology related issues. The 

subcommittee, which recently met in 

Washington, DC, has proposed 21 new 

recommendations. These recommendations, 

and those of three other subcommittees, will be 

included in a final report to be completed in 

December. The report will also include a State 

engagement plan to assist in the 

implementation of these recommendations.

For more information, contact Mohammed 

Yousuf, 202-493-3199, 

mohammed.yousuf@dot.gov. 

SAFETY

TCD Pooled Fund Consortium Hold Annual 

Meeting

Members of FHWA’s Traffic Control Device 

(TCD) Pooled Fund Consortium recently held 

their annual meeting in Cincinnati. The Ohio, 

Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky DOTs 

attended the meeting as guests and experienced

the benefits of being a contributing member. 

The Alabama, Delaware, and Montana DOTs 

have recently joined, increasing State DOT 

membership to 26. Other current members 

include FHWA’s Office of Safety and Office of 

Operations, the City of Los Angeles DOT, 
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Broward County, Florida DOT, the American 

Traffic Safety Services Association, and the 

International Bridge, Tunnel, and Turnpike 

Association. In the map below, member States 

are shown in blue. 

The annual meeting allows members to gather 

and view presentations of ongoing and 

completed research projects funded by the 

pooled fund and managed by FHWA. Members 

also discuss TCD-related issues in their State and 

region and they vote on the next round of 

project funding. The pooled fund and the annual 

meeting provide an excellent platform for FHWA 

to be aware of State and local level issues.

The purpose of the TCD Pooled Fund 

Consortium is to fund the systematic evaluation 

of novel TCDs, employing a consistent process 

that addresses safety, human factors, and 

operations issues for each proposed TCD 

concept. TCD Pooled Fund research will address 

TCD issues identified by local and State 

jurisdictions, industry, and other transportation 

safety organizations. These efforts will comply 

with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control 

Devices (MUTCD) rule-making process, helping 

to incorporate novel TCDs into the MUTCD.

For more information, contact Jim Shurbutt, 

202-493-3420, jim.shurbutt@dot.gov. 

Technical Brief Discusses ICWSs Study

FHWA recently published the technical brief, 

“Safety Evaluation of Intersection Conflict 

Warning Systems (ICWS).” This document 

discusses an evaluation of ICWSs conducted 

under the Evaluation of Low Cost Safety 

Improvements Pooled Fund Study, which 

currently has 40 State members. The strategy 

that was used intended to reduce the frequency 

of crashes by alerting drivers to conflicting 

vehicles on adjacent approaches at unsignalized 

intersections. 

Researchers obtained geometric, traffic, and 

crash data for four-legged, rural, two-way, stopcontrolled intersections with ICWS installations 

in Minnesota, Missouri, and North Carolina. To 

account for potential selection bias and 

regression-to-the-mean, researchers conducted 

an empirical Bayes before-after analysis using 

reference groups of similar four-legged, rural, 

two-way stop-controlled intersections without 

ICWS installation. 

The analysis also controlled for changes in traffic 

volumes over time and time trends in crash 

counts unrelated to the strategy. The combined 

results for all States indicated statistically 

significant crash reductions for most crash types 

for two-lane at two-lane intersections and for 

four-lane at two-lane intersections. This 

document is available to download at

www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safet

y/15076/index.cfm. 

For more information, contact Roya Amjadi, 

202-493-3383, roya.amjadi@dot.gov. 

ELCSI-PFS Meeting Brings Together States

FHWA’s Technical Advisory Committee for the 

Evaluation of Low-Cost Safety Improvements 

Pooled Fund Study (ELCSI-PFS) recently held its 

annual meeting at TFHRC. The purpose of the 

meeting, which brought together 34 of 40 State 

participants, was to set a research agenda, share

State members’ experiences and perspectives, 

and examine issues facing the Nation’s 

roadways (among other technical safety 

exchanges). State members discussed safety 

challenges and the advancement of statistical 

methodologies and tools to advance safety 

research. The meeting featured presentations 

and discussions about intersections, lane 

departures, wrong way driving, speed concerns, 

future directions in research, and the impact of 
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the pooled fund study on advancing safety and 

the state of the practice. 

Established by FHWA in 2004 to measure lowcost safety improvement strategies, the ELCSIPFS conducts research within FHWA’s 

Development of Crash Modification Factors 

(DCMF) program, a comprehensive, long-term 

safety research effort. The goal of the DCMF, 

created in November 2012 to support and 

complement the ELCSI-PFS, is to save lives by 

identifying new safety countermeasures that 

effectively reduce crashes. The DCMF aims to 

promote these countermeasures for nationwide 

installation by providing measures of their 

safety effectiveness, including benefit-to-cost 

ratios obtained through research. 

For more information, contact Roya Amjadi, 

202-493-3383, roya.amjadi@dot.gov. 

RECENT PERIODICALS

Public Roads—March/April 2016

This issue includes: Toward More Flexible 

Design; Environmental Justice: The New Normal 

for Transportation; The World of Tomorrow Is 

Today; Spotlighting Speed Feedback Signs; and 

The Evolution of Geometric Design. It is 

available online via 

www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/16

marapr/index.cfm. 

For more information, contact TaMara McCrae, 

tamara.mccrae@dot.gov. 

Innovator: Accelerating Innovation for the 

American Driving Experience—May/June 2016

This issue includes: Alabama's First Bridge Slide 

Exceeds Expectations; States Explore New Uses 

for 3D Models and Data; Diverging Diamond 

Interchanges Boost Safety Nationwide; 

Stakeholder Partnering; FHWA Incentives Help 

States Pursue Innovation; States Innovate!; and

Events! The issue is available online via 

www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/innovator/issue5

4/3dIssue/. 

For more information, contact Kathleen 

Bergeron, kathleen.bergeron@dot.gov. 

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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