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Turner-Fairbank Hosts Students for Transportation Summer Mini-Camp 

Nearly twenty young high school and college students attended the third annual Transportation 

Summer Mini-Camp at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) from June 28 – June 

30, 2016. 

This year’s participants learned about transportation research in the areas of safety, operations, 

and infrastructure through discussions with staff and learned first-hand how science, technology, 

engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is applied through hands-on activities in several TFHRC 

laboratories.

New to this third annual Mini-camp is the “Literature Review Challenge” in which student teams

will be assigned a research question and a coach, conduct a research literature search, review and

organize the information they discovered, and prepare presentations to be given at the end of the 

camp.

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

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

July/August 2016

FHWA R&T Now
 FHWA R&T Now

For more information on the mini camp, please contact David Yang, david.yang@dot.gov, 202-493-

3284.

POLICY & PARTNERSHIPS

FHWA Meets with TRB Executives

On June 22 and 23, 2016, Michael Trentacoste, FHWA’s Associate Administrator for Research, 

Development, and Technology, and Tim Schmidt, a Senior Advisor at Turner-Fairbank Highway 

Research Center (TFHRC), attended the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Executive Committee 

meeting, held in Irvine, California. FHWA Executive Director Butch Waidelich also participated in 

the conference via teleconference on June 23, 2016.

The meeting focused on agenda items that will help determine what role TRB should have in the 

future regarding cyber security trends and vulnerabilities; enhancing TRB’s engagement in freight 

issues; understanding the impacts of transformational technologies; and establishing a partnership 

between TRB and the National Academies Health and Medical Division to understand and promote 

links between transportation and public health. 

The TRB Executive Committee serves as an advisory group to the chairman and the governing 

board of the National Research Council. The FHWA Administrator, other U.S. Department of 

Transportation (USDOT) modal administrators, and other sponsors serve as ex officio members. 

Members represent a balance of transportation modes, academic disciplines, private and public 

sectors, echelons of government, geographical regions, and other relevant factors. 

For more information, contact Jack Jernigan, 202-493-3363, jack.jernigan@dot.gov. 

INFRASTRUCTURE

Hydraulics Lab Spotlighted in Secretary Foxx’s Fast Lane Blog 

USDOT Chief Innovation Officer Chris Gerdes posted an article on U.S. Transportation Secretary 

Anthony Foxx’s Fast Lane #TechTuesday blog. The article highlighted the innovative research being 

conducted in FHWA’s J. Sterling Jones Hydraulics Laboratory at Turner-Fairbank Highway Research 

Center. The lab has “all sorts of amazing things,” Gerdes observes, “a 90 feet long man-made water 

channel that can simulate an artificial river, laser scanners, robots and ultrasonic velocity probes—

all coordinated to showcase bridge design of the future.” The article also explains the workings of 

an in-situ scour testing device, which is expected to help in assessing soil erosion resistance at 

bridge foundation sites and improve hydraulic design decisions. 

The article is available at https://www.transportation.gov/fastlane/techtuesday-building-bridgesground. 

For more information, contact Kornel Kerenyi, kornel.kerenyi@dot.gov, 202-493-3142. 
 FHWA R&T Now

Deputy USDOT Secretary Dedicates FAST NDE 

Lab at Turner-Fairbank

On May 31, 2016, USDOT Deputy Secretary 

Victor Mendez dedicated FHWA’s new NonDestructive Evaluation (NDE) Laboratory at 

TFHRC. The new lab—named the FHWA 

Advanced Sensing Technology (FAST) NDE 

Laboratory—has undergone a major 

refurbishment to meet FHWA and stakeholder 

needs in the 21st century. 

Renovations include developing customized, 

semi-automated, and automated NDE tools and 

robotic platforms; implementing physics-based 

modeling and numerical simulation; and 

improving data analysis approaches to give 

more actionable information to infrastructure 

owners and managers.

The original NDE Lab was established in 1998 to 

centralize and better coordinate research 

related to improving the state of the art and 

research and practice related to nondestructive 

testing. Through the NDE program and work 

conducted in its new FAST NDE Laboratory, 

FHWA will continue to play a leading role in 

developing new tools and evaluating emerging 

NDE technologies while demonstrating the value 

of technology to owners and decisionmakers.

For more information, contact Hoda Azari, 202-

493-3064, hoda.azari@dot.gov. 

FHWA Attends White House Conference on 

Resilient Building

On May 10, 2016, Sheila Duwadi, who heads 

FHWA’s Hazard Mitigation Team in its Office of 

Infrastructure Research and Development at the 

TFHRC, attended a White House Conference on 

Resilient Building Codes. The invitation came 

from the White House National Security Council 

Staff, the National Economic Council, the Office 

of Science and Technology Policy, the Council on 

Environmental Quality, and the Office of 

Management and Budget.

The event, which coincided with National 

Building Safety Month, took place at the 

Eisenhower Executive Office Building and 

brought together participants from the private 

and public sector to discuss resilience of the 

built environment and the critical role effective 

codes and standards play. Participants also 

discussed impacts of climate change and 

extreme events on the built environment. 

For more information, contact Sheila Duwadi, 

202-493-3106, sheila.duwadi@dot.gov. 

OPERATIONS

FHWA Supports Smart Work Zone 

Demonstration

On June 23, 2016, FHWA’s Office of Operations 

Research and Development supported the 

demonstration of a Connected Vehicle Smart 

Work Zone application funded under its Small 

Business Innovative Research Program. The 

demonstration took place in an active work zone 

along the Dulles Access Road in northern 

Virginia and was coordinated with FHWA’s 

Virginia Division, the Virginia Department of 

Transportation (VDOT) Research, VDOT Work 

Zone and Operations, VDOT Northern Virginia, 

and the Dulles Metro Authority. 

The Smart Work Zone system is to be deployed 

at work zones on freeways and major arterials. 

As drivers approach the work zone, the system 

informs them about work zone conditions, such 

as the number of lanes closed, estimated travel 

time through the work zone, and other 

conditions. The system also has the capability to 

detect the starting location of the congestion or 

queue backup and can relay that information 

beyond the queue backup using a novel hopping 

TFHRC NDE Program Manager Hoda Azari 

demonstrates an infrared-sensitive camera to 

Deputy USDOT Secretary Victor Mendez.
 FHWA R&T Now

pattern. In addition, the backend system can 

collect traffic performance metrics for analysis 

and decisionmaking in real time. The system 

makes use of a combination of dedicated shortrange communications and cellular technologies 

to interface with its various components.

For more information, contact Taylor Lochrane, 

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

FHWA Delivers Instrumented Vehicle to the 

Volpe Center

On May 13, 2016, research engineers from 

FHWA’s Office of Operations Research and 

Development visited the Volpe Center in 

Cambridge, MA to deliver one of their 

instrumented research vehicles. Equipped with 

front and rear radar, the vehicle will be used to 

collect driver behavior data to support an 

ongoing effort to enhance car-following in 

microsimulation models. 

Gregg Fleming (FHWA Center Director for Policy, 

Plan and Environment), Rick Marquis (FHWA 

Division Chief of Organizational Performance), 

and David Arthur (FHWA Division Chief of 

Energy Analysis and Sustainability) were briefed 

on the project during their visit. 

Although data collection is focused on collecting 

car-following behavior in freeway work zones, 

the Volpe team plans to collect data during 

various road weather and operational 

conditions, such as rain and incident events. The 

Volpe Center is supporting this research through 

an interagency agreement with TFHRC.

For more information, contact Christopher 

Melson, 202-493-3271, 

christopher.melson@dot.gov. 

FHWA Releases BAA for ATTRI Application 

Development

FHWA has released a Broad Agency 

Announcement (BAA) that calls for research will 

enable and expedite the development of 

revolutionary approaches, methodologies, and 

breakthroughs required to drive innovation and 

greatly improve the efficiency of independent 

mobility options for people with disabilities and 

provide greater accessible transportation 

choices for all travelers.

Under this BAA, which is written in support of 

the Accessible Transportation Technology 

Research Initiative (ATTRI), funds will be 

awarded for the development of applications in 

each of the ATTRI priority application areas 

through robust stakeholder outreach and userneeds assessment. Application areas include 

smart wayfinding and navigation systems; pretrip concierge and virtualization; and safe 

intersection crossing. 

ATTRI is a joint multimodal, multiagency USDOT

initiative, co-led by FHWA and the Federal 

Transit Administration (FTA), with support from 

the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint 

Program Office (ITS-JPO), National Institute on 

Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation 

Research (NIDILRR), and other Federal partners. 

The BAA is jointly funded by the ITS Joint 

Program Office and the Federal Transit 

Administration.

The objective of ATTRI is to advance technology 

applications that enhance accessible 

transportation and independent mobility 

choices for travelers with disabilities; and to 

improve opportunities for a seamless and 

complete trip that meets the diverse needs of 

travelers with mobility, vision, hearing and 

cognitive disabilities and provides them the 

ability to plan and execute an on-demand trip 

anytime of the day and from any location. ATTRI 

FHWA delivered one of its 

instrumented vehicles to the Volpe 

Center in Cambridge, MA.
 FHWA R&T Now

research focuses on the needs of three 

stakeholder groups: persons with disabilities, 

older adults, and veterans with disabilities.

Proposals are due by August 11, 2016. To view 

the announcement, visit 

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mo

de=form&id=4f937d191f59cdccb30e8844684db

9c0&tab=core&_cview=0. 

For more information, contact Mohammed 

Yousuf, 202-493-3199, 

mohammed.yousuf@dot.gov. 

ATTRI Collaborates with HHS and NIDILRR on 

Grant Opportunity

ATTRI recently collaborated on a grant 

opportunity with the Department of Health and 

Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for 

Community Living and the National Institute on 

Disability, Independent Living, and 

Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). Released on 

June 2, 2016, the grant opportunity— Disability 

and Rehabilitation Research Projects Program: 

Accessible Transportation—is focused on 

robotics and automation technology use in 

ensuring accessible transportation for people 

with disabilities. 

The opportunity aims to advance the application 

of robotics and automation to enhance 

accessible transportation and improve 

opportunities for a seamless travel chain that 

meets the diverse needs of travelers with 

mobility, vision, hearing, and cognitive 

disabilities and enables them to plan and 

execute on-demand trips and associated 

services at any time and from any location. 

Applications are due by August 1, 2016. To view 

this opportunity, visit 

www.grants.gov/web/grants/viewopportunity.html?oppId=284347. 

For more information, contact Mohammed 

Yousuf, 202-493-3199, 

mohammed.yousuf@dot.gov. 

SBIR-Funded Project Wins Best of ITS Award

A project made possible through USDOT’s Small 

Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program 

recently won the Best of Intelligent 

Transportation Systems (ITS) Award at the ITS 

America Annual Meeting held at the McEnery 

Convention Center in San Jose, California. 

Savari Networks, which was awarded a contract 

from FHWA (through the SBIR Program) for the 

project, won the award for developing a traffic 

signal interface application (app) for 

smartphones called SmartCross. The app can 

interface with traffic signal systems that control 

traffic lights and receive information about 

pedestrian signals. 

According to Traffic Technology Today, which 

covered the Best of ITS Awards in a brief article, 

the technology “makes pedestrians and 

bicyclists active participants in the [vehicle-toinfrastructure] landscape, by connecting them 

to vehicles and traffic lights through their 

smartphones without the need for [dedicated 

short-range communication].”

The technology can send signals between the 

pedestrian’s phone and the nearest traffic signal 

box, notifying pedestrians when it is safe to step 

into the crosswalk. It also allows users to 

request pedestrian signals. For enhanced safety, 

the app provides audio, visual, and haptic 

(typically vibration) feedback to the user.

USDOT announces new topics each year through 

its solicitations, supporting projects like the 

 SmartCross app
 FHWA R&T Now

SmartCross app to develop technological 

innovation using the highest level of expertise in 

the small business community. 

For more information, contact James Pol, 202-

493-3371, james.pol@dot.gov. 

SAFETY

FHWA Publishes Report on Continuous Green T 

Intersections 

FHWA recently published the report, “Safety 

Evaluation of Continuous Green T Intersections” 

(FHWA-HRT-16-036). The continuous green T 

(CGT) intersection is characterized by a 

channelized left-turn movement from the minor 

street approach onto the major street, along 

with a continuous through movement on the 

major street. The continuous through 

movement typically has a green through arrow 

indicator to inform drivers that they do not have 

to stop. The report documents research 

conducted as part of FHWA’s Evaluation of LowCost Safety Improvements Pooled Fund Study. 

To overcome prior safety studies’ statistical 

challenges and improve product reliability, 

researchers used a propensity scores-potential 

outcomes framework to compare the safety 

performance of the CGT with conventional 

signalized T intersections using 30 treatment 

and 38 comparison sites from Florida and 16 

treatment and 21 comparison sites from South 

Carolina. The benefit-cost analysis indicated that 

the CGT intersection is a cost-effective 

alternative to the traditional, signalized T 

intersection. 

This report is intended for practicing engineers 

when contemplating application of CGT 

intersections and for researchers who wish to 

consider the propensity scores-potential 

outcomes framework in non-randomized, 

observational traffic safety evaluations. 

The document is available to download at 

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

y/16036/index.cfm. 

For more information, contact Roya Amjadi, 

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

RECENT PERIODICALS

Public Roads—May/June 2016

This issue includes: Celebrating a Double 

Anniversary; Leading the Charge for Safer 

Streets; Nailing the Cheats; A Sidekick for Rural 

Safety; Investing in Today and Tomorrow; and 

Hot Topic

It is available online via 

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

mayjun/index.cfm. 

For more information, contact Lisa Shuler, 

Lisa.A.Shuler@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 Melissa Yu at 

melissa.yu@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 
 FHWA R&T Now

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