New England Transportation Consortium

New England Transportation Consortium

Completed

18-2 Framework of Asphalt Balanced Mix Design (BMD) for New England Transportation Agencies

Project Objectives

  • Synthesize existing data and develop recommendations for a rational balanced mix design (BMD) approach for use by the New England transportation agencies.
  • Gaps in testing and performance data will be identified through this project and an experimental plan for required future work will be developed.

Technical Committee Members

  • Joe Blair (TC Chair), New Hampshire Department of Transportation
  • Michael Byrne, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
  • David Howley, Connecticut Department of Transportation
  • Matthew Courser, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
  • Ed Naras, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
  • Casey Nash, Maine Department of Transportation
  • Aaron Schwartz, Vermont Agency of Transportation

AC Liaison, Ann Scholz, New Hampshire Department of Transportation

Project Coordinator, Kirsten Seeber, CTC & Associates

Implementation Activities

VT AOT will implement aspects of this project. VTrans will base their pass/fail criteria for performance test results during mix design review/approval on the anticipated traffic loads, at least for Hamburg results. NHDOT feels the lowest level of BMD may be realistic and beneficial for to implement at some point in the future. The Connecticut Advanced Pavement Lab is building a library of BMD test results, which will be implemented once the library is complete.

Tech Transfer Activities

18-1 Development of MASH Computer Simulated Steel Bridge Rail and Transition Details

Project Objectives

The objective of this project was to develop details for MASH compliance using computer simulations of the New England steel bridge rail configurations including transitions. The researchers uses LRFD strength calculations and finite element analysis (FEA) computer simulation to evaluate the crash performance of three NETC bridge rail and approach guardrail transition (AGT) designs. The impact conditions and assessment procedures conformed to the specifications in MASH for TL-3 or TL-4 (as appropriate) and included evaluations of structural capacity of the railing, risk of occupant injury, and vehicle stability during impact and redirection.

Project Results

The results of this project provide evidence of the crashworthiness of the NETC designs, which will aid the engineers of the New England State transportation agencies in making informed decisions on the continued use of these systems.

Technical Committee Members

  • Jeff Folsom (TC Chair), Maine Department of Transportation
  • David Kilpatrick, Connecticut Department of Transportation
  • Alex Bardow, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
  • Robert Landry, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
  • Michael Savella, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
  • Jim Lacroix, Vermont Agency of Transportation

AC Liaison, Dale Peabody, Maine Department of Transportation

Project Coordinator, Kirsten Seeber, CTC & Associates

Implementation Activities

VT AOT S-360 series standards for the NETC 2-Rail bridge rail and approach rail are being updated to reflect the findings in the study by VT AOT. S-361 series NETC 3-Rail bridge rail and approach rail are being developed. NETC 20-1: In-Service Performance Evaluation of NETC Bridge Railings is a follow up to this project.

Tech Transfer Activities

17-2 Quick Response: Quantification of Research Benefits

Project Objectives

  • Implement or adapt the MnDOT research project Benefit Estimation Tool for 2-3 NETC projects.
  • Develop detailed guidelines to identify and gather the inputs required for the benefit categories of these projects.

Technical Committee Members

  • Emily Parkany (Chairperson), Vermont Agency of Transportation
  • Flavia Pereira (Chairperson), Connecticut Department of Transportation
  • Lily Oliver, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
  • Dale Peabody, Maine Department of Transportation
  • Ann Scholz, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
  • Michael Sock, Rhode Island Department of Transportation

Implementation Activities

One state intends to implement this tool where research results are quantifiable. Two states are investigating how to quantify project benefits in order to utilize the tool.

Tech Transfer Activities

15-4 Quick Response: Optimizing Quality Assurance (QA) Processes for Asphalt Pavement Construction in the Northeast

Project Objectives

  • Develop a detailed document listing Quality Assurance processes, including Agency Acceptance and Contractor Quality Control, of member states through interviews of Agency and Contractor staffs and literature review.
  • Develop a regional white paper describing Quality Assurance practices for NETC constituents regarding HMA Acceptance and Quality Control testing.

Technical Committee Members

  • John Grieco (Chairperson), Massachusetts Department of Transportation
  • Vice-Chairperson Mark Brum, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
  • Aaron Schwartz, Vermont Agency of Transportation
  • Kevin Cummings, Maine Department of Transportation
  • Bob Lauzon: Connecticut Department of Transportation
  • Michael Byrne, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
  • Denis Boisvert, New Hampshire Department of Transportation

Implementation Activities

VTrans is rewriting their main HMA specifications (Sections 406 and 407) to accommodate a tiered approach and is incorporating some of the recommendations from this research. ConnDOT already has some of the project recommendations in place and will be implementing others based on a number of factors. One state would implement if there was a regional effort.

Tech Transfer Activities

17-1 Quick Response: New England Connected and Autonomous Vehicles

Project Objectives

The research objectives of this project include:

  • Identify multi-state issues related to the testing and deployment of CVs, AVs, and CAVs in New England
  • Document opportunities and challenges related to multi-state CV, AV, and CAV issues
  • Prepare an action plan that minimizes the challenges and pursues the opportunities

Technical Committee Members

  • Emily Parkany (Chairperson), Vermont Agency of Transportation
  • Joe Segale, Vermont Agency of Transportation
  • Kara Aguilar, Maine Department of Transportation
  • Peter Calcaterra, Connecticut Department of Transportation
  • Daniel Sullivan, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
  • Julia Gold, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
  • Susan Klasen, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
  • Kody McCarthy, New Hampshire Department of Transportation

Implementation Activities

The project resulted in a roadmap for the six states to follow. The framework has led to the six states continuing the discussions, meeting quarterly and one-to-two times a year in person. The states continue to share ideas and resources about CAVs and plan joint activities inspired by the roadmap.

Tech Transfer Activities

15-2 Using the New SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study Safety Databases to Examine Safety Concerns for Older Drivers

Project Objectives

This project aims to address highway safety challenges by funding research using the SHRP2 NDS and RID data to examine intersection safety for drivers 65 and older.  This study will utilize a phased approach with Phase I constituting a preliminary examination of the data, some safety analysis for proof of concept and insights into its application for improving intersection safety for this age group and some data analysis.  Phase II will be based on the success of Phase I.  Research in the second phase shall define and undertake innovative approaches that ultimately provide advancements in the study of road crashes and/or implementable solutions to real-world problems.  The program shall ultimately lead to final deliverables that have direct value to highway safety practitioners at the State and local level.

Technical Committee Members

  • Duane Brunell (Chairperson), Maine Department of Transportation
  • Bonnie Polin, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
  • Bruce Nyquist, Vermont Agency of Transportation
  • Michael Dugas, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
  • Michael Whaley, Connecticut Department of Transportation
  • *Charles Fay, FHWA
  • *Yusuf Mohamedshah, FHWA
  • *Rhonda Fletcher: Maine Department of Transportation
  • *Non-voting members

Implementation Activities

This study confirmed for five states that older drivers tend to have more crashes as signalized intersections. These states will use the information as a basis for further research and/or as information to share with older drivers.