FHWA R&T Now

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GENERAL/ADMINISTRATIVE

SHRP2 Announces Recipients of Fourth Round of Implementation Assistance Funding

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the American Association of State Highway and 

Transportation Officials (AASHTO) recently announced the recipients of funding under the fourth 

round of the Second Strategic Highway Research Program’s (SHRP2) Implementation Assistance 

Program (IAP). Organizations in 37 States will receive funds for project implementation and 

technical assistance. Round 4 featured the first SHRP2 opportunities in the safety area. The joint 

FHWA/AASHTO IAP began in 2013 and has thus far put 24 SHRP2 Solutions into the hands of 

transportation agencies on approximately 200 projects. 

The application period for Round 5 will begin on January 16, 2015, with selections announced in 

early April. Round 6 is planned for June 2015.

For more information, contact Carin Michel, 410-962-2530, carin.michel@dot.gov, or visit 

www.fhwa.dot.gov/goshrp2.

ADVANCED RESEARCH

Workshop on Visibility Held at Turner-Fairbank

On August 13 and 14, 2014, FHWA’s Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program, Office of 

Safety Research and Development, and Office of Safety hosted a workshop on visibility at TurnerFairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC). The workshop aimed to identify opportunities from 

advances in science and engineering that could apply to highway safety; identify gaps in the current 

transportation research field of visibility; provide direction to the broader visibility program; and 

identify novel technologies or methods that could be used in highway transportation visibility 

research. 

The event brought together individuals who conduct visibility research and allowed them to discuss 

innovative research ideas, tools, and technologies in the field. The information gathered from this 

meeting is expected to help FHWA better gauge the future direction of its visibility program. Some 

of the topics included lighting the infrastructure for roadways, intersections, and pedestrians; 

interaction of vehicle lighting with traffic control devices (retroreflectivity); as well as visibility for 

vehicles of the future and connected vehicles.

A summary report of the workshop will be published soon. For more information about the project,

contact Michelle Arnold, 202-493-3990, michelle.arnold@dot.gov. For more information about the

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

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

September 2014

FHWA R&T Now
 FHWA R&T Now

EAR Program, contact David Kuehn, 202-493-

3414, david.kuehn@dot.gov.

Mechanisms of Hydration Meeting Held at NIST

On September 2, 2014, the EAR Program held a 

project meeting on the topic, “Mechanisms of 

Hydration and Setting of Ordinary Portland 

Cement in Simple and Complex Systems.” The 

meeting, which took place at the National 

Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 

allowed researchers and stakeholders to review 

the progress of the initial research phase. 

The focus of this FHWA project is to provide 

data from physical measurements and 

observations of very early age chemical 

reactions in the transition from the plastic, fresh 

form of concrete (that can be manipulated and 

consolidated), through the initial and final set, 

to hardened concrete that is developing 

measurable strength. This real-time, molecularlevel data is being used to improve and calibrate 

NIST’s “HydratiCA” model of early age hydration 

and subsequent microlevel structural 

development in concrete for paving and other 

transportation structures. 

An improved hydration model will be a software 

tool that is powerful, but simple enough to be 

incorporated in other concrete design, 

proportioning, and troubleshooting software. 

The EAR project is being conducted by Princeton 

University with Oklahoma State University, 

University of California Santa Barbara, Rice 

University, and W.R. Grace. 

For more information about the project, contact 

Richard Meininger, 202-493-3191, 

richard.meininger@dot.gov. For more 

information about the EAR Program, contact 

David Kuehn, 202-493-3414, 

david.kuehn@dot.gov. 

EAR Program Hosts Workshop to Review 

VASTO Project Results 

On August 21, 2014, the EAR Program hosted a 

workshop at TFHRC to review results from the 

project, “VASTO--Evolutionary Agent System for 

Transportation Outlook.” The goal of this EAR 

supported research is to develop an efficient 

simulation-based traffic analysis modeling 

system that seamlessly integrates the agent

based modeling and simulation methodologies 

with existing and emerging simulation tools for 

exploring untapped possibilities of traffic 

modeling and analysis functionalities. The 

project was conducted by the University of 

Arizona with George Mason University and the 

Maricopa Council of Governments. 

For more information about this project, contact 

David Yang, 202-493-3284, david.yang@dot.gov.

For more information about the EAR Program, 

contact David Kuehn, 202-493-3414, 

david.kuehn@dot.gov.

Summary Report: Utilizing Various Data 

Sources for Surface Transportation Human 

Factors Research

This report summarizes a 2-day EAR Program 

workshop to discuss data sources for surface 

transportation human factors research. Held on 

November 6 and 7, 2013, the workshop was 

designed to assess the increasing number of 

different datasets and multiple ways of 

collecting data that can be used to increase 

`understanding of human errors. Participants 

discussed how to resolve controversies among 

different datasets and how to choose the best 

datasets for particular applications. Expert 

speakers shared their research experience of 

using various datasets from sources such as 

driving simulators, field studies and field 

operational tests, and naturalistic driving 

studies. The expert panel identified several 

potential research topics to address challenges 

that must be overcome to integrate data from 

multiple sources. 

The document is available at 

www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/pubs/14

077/index.cfm. For more information about the 

project, contact David Yang, 202-493-3284, 

david.yang@dot.gov. For more information 

about the EAR Program, contact David Kuehn, 

202-493-3414, david.kuehn@dot.gov. 
 FHWA R&T Now

Summary Report: Use of Vehicle Noise for 

Roadways, Bridge, and Infrastructure Health 

Monitoring

This report covers the workshop, "Use of Vehicle 

Noise for Roadways, Bridge, and 

Infrastructure Health Monitoring,” held on 

August 20 and 21, 2013. The objectives of the 

workshop were to discuss the possibilities of 

using vehicle noise for roadways, bridge, and 

infrastructure health monitoring and to use a 

noise-based data collection system that could 

assess infrastructure for proactive and efficient 

infrastructure maintenance and operations, 

higher infrastructure safety, and less traffic 

congestion.

This report is available at 

www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/pubs/14

059/14059.pdf. For more information about the 

workshop, contact Mohammed Yousuf, 202-

493-3199, mohammed.yousuf@dot.gov. For 

more information about the EAR Program, 

contact David Kuehn, 202-493-3414, 

david.kuehn@dot.gov.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Report: Mitigation of Wind-Induced Vibration 

of Stay Cables: Numerical Simulations and 

Evaluations 

The objective of this report is to supplement the 

existing knowledge base on some of the 

outstanding issues of stay cable vibrations and 

develop technical recommendations that may be 

incorporated into design guidelines. The report 

discusses a project focused on the effectiveness 

of cable crossties, external dampers, and the 

combined use of crossties and dampers. Finite 

element simulations were carried out on the stay 

cable systems of constructed stay cable bridges 

under realistic wind forces in order to address 

these issues. Explicit time-history analysis 

enabled the performance of stay cable systems 

with different mitigation strategies to be 

assessed and compared for their relative 

advantages and disadvantages.

This report will be of interest to bridge 

engineers, wind engineers, and consultants 

involved in the design of cable-stayed bridges. It 

is available at 

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

ructure/structures/bridge/14049/index.cfm. For 

more information, contact Harold Bosch, 202-

493-3031, harold.bosch@dot.gov. 

Report: Fatigue Testing of Galvanized and 

Ungalvanized Socket Connections

The fatigue resistance of welded traffic signal 

support structure details is an ongoing research 

topic being addressed at multiple universities 

primarily through state funding mechanisms. 

Researchers have hypothesized that some 

premature failures of these structures were 

caused by cracking in the zinc metal bath during

galvanizing. This led to a fatigue testing matrix of 

socket connection geometries in a galvanized 

and ungalvanized state. Specimens were 

attained from two different pole manufacturers 

and fabricated using their own techniques. 

This report describes how the specimens were 

tested along with the results showing the

difference in fatigue life between galvanized and 

ungalvanized structures. It is available at 

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

ructure/bridge/14066/14066.pdf. For more 

information, contact Justin Ocel, 202-493-3080, 

justin.ocel@dot.gov. 

SAFETY

FHWA Releases 2014 Version of Interactive 

Highway Safety Design Model 

On September 9, 2014, FHWA released version 

10.0.0 of the Interactive Highway Safety Design 

Model (IHSDM), which implements AASHTO’s 

Highway Safety Manual (HSM) Part C Predictive 

Methods and includes the following major 

enhancements: 

• An extension of Crash Prediction Module sitebased data input and analysis capabilities to 

freeway ramps, collector-distributor (C-D) roads, 

and ramp terminals. Similar capabilities were 
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previously implemented for rural two-lane 

highways, rural multilane highways, 

urban/suburban arterials, and freeway 

segments.

• An extension of the IHSDM Calibration Utility 

to freeway ramps, C-D roads, and ramp 

terminals. The Calibration Utility assists agencies 

in implementing the calibration procedures 

described in the Appendix to HSM Part C.

First released in 2003, IHSDM has six evaluation 

modules: crash prediction, policy review, design 

consistency, intersection review, traffic analysis, 

and driver/vehicle. The modules provide 

quantitative safety performance measures, 

check designs against applicable guidelines, and 

diagnose factors contributing to safety. 

IHSDM, which is supported by FHWA’s 

Geometric Design Laboratory at TFHRC, covers 

two-lane rural highways, multilane rural 

highways, urban and suburban arterials, 

freeway segments, and ramps/interchanges. It is 

an essential resource in support of AASHTO’s 

Highway Safety Manual, Part C: Predictive 

Methods. 

The software is available for free download at 

www.ihsdm.org. For more information, please 

contact Clayton Chen, 202-493-3054, 

clayton.chen@dot.gov. 

Report: Design Criteria for Adaptive Roadway 

Lighting 

Adaptive lighting is a design methodology where 

the light output of a system is adjusted as traffic 

conditions change. This report provides the 

background and analysis used to develop 

criteria for the implementation of an adaptive 

lighting system for roadways. Based on the 

analysis of crashes and real-world lighting 

performance, a series of criteria and the 

associated design levels have been developed to 

provide an approach for light level selection and 

the adjustability of the light level based on the 

needs of the driving environment. The data, the 

analysis, and the developed methodology are all 

considered in the document.

Results from this research are expected to assist 

jurisdictions in making sound safety-based 

decisions when considering adaptive lighting 

approaches. This analysis of real-world lighting 

data is intended to serve as the foundation for

future roadway lighting analyses.

This report is available at 

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

y/14051/index.cfm. For more information, 

contact Craig Thor, 202-493-3338, 

craig.thor@dot.gov. 

RECENT PERIODICALS

Public Roads—September/October 2014

This issue includes: Your Go-To Data Source for 

Roadway Safety Research; The ABCs of 

Designing RCUTs; Celebrating a Century of 

Cooperation; A Crowning Achievement; The 

Case for Cutting-Edge Construction in Puerto 

Rico.

The IHSDM Crash Prediction Module 

implements Highway Safety Manual Part 

C Predictive Methods.
 FHWA R&T Now

It is available online via 

www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/14

sepoct/index.cfm. For more information, 

contact TaMara McCrae, 

tamara.mccrae@dot.gov. 

Innovator: Accelerating Innovation for the

American Driving Experience—July/August

2014

This issue includes: Arizona Captures Local 

Audience with Novel Approach; Wisconsin 

Builds a Winner in Traffic Incident Management; 

CM/GC Benefits Oregon Bridge Project;

3-D Workshop Helps Arkansas Get Ready for 

Change; Fast Moves: Colorado Accelerates 

Bridge Repair; First Responders Learn Lifesaving 

Teamwork; States Innovate!; Calendar.

The issue is available online via 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hfl/innovator/eversion/issue_43/. For more information, 

contact Kathleen Bergeron, 

kathleen.bergeron@dot.gov. 

Links:

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center: 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/

Resource Center: 

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

National Highway Institute: 

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

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