AASHTO Journal, 11 April 2014
Would you like products to help renew your aging infrastructure? Would your agency use new tools to identify economic benefits of transportation improvements, and build stronger systems management and operational capabilities? Do you desire solid research data that will enable development of new methods to improve safety for your drivers?
If you have any of these challenges, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the Federal Highway Administration will be offering agency funding and technical assistance to help address them. As part of the Implementation Assistance Program (IAP) for the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2), AASHTO and FHWA will be launching 12 new products in June 2014. (Applications open May 30, 2014.) In order to ensure that transportation agencies have a clear understanding of the products and how they can fit into their program, FHWA and AASHTO are hosting a series of free webinars beginning April 25, explaining the products in detail. State transportation departments, metropolitan planning organizations, local public agencies, and tribal agencies are all invited to participate in these webinars.
Renewal Products
- April 25, 2014, 2-3:30 pm (EDT) Project Delivery–The two products featured in this webinar include practical methods for identifying, assessing, evaluating, mitigating, allocating, monitoring and otherwise managing project risk. Also, tools will address all aspects of planning a complex project in the early phases. Managing Risk in Rapid Renewal Projects (R09), Project Management Strategies for Complex Projects (R10)
- April 29, 2014, 2-3:30 pm (EDT) Pavements–Several testing tools and some fresh approaches to pavement technology will be presented at this webinar. Practical guidelines to use infrared (IR) imaging and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) for uniformity measurements along with technologies that measure concrete pavement smoothness and guidance on two types of composite pavements are all part of this webinar package. New Composite Pavement Systems (R21), Technologies to Enhance Quality Control on Asphalt Pavements (R06C), Tools to Improve PCC Pavement Smoothness During Construction (R06E)
- May 8, 2014, 2-3:30 pm (EDT) Structures–Attend this webinar to hear about a 12-step service life design framework applicable to all bridges and adaptable to specifics that vary from bridge to bridge. Also a variety of new and not so new technologies to enable faster, safer and more progressive testing of concrete bridge decks and tunnel linings. Nondestructive Testing for Concrete Bridge Decks (R06A), Nondestructive Testing for Tunnel Linings (R06G), Service Life Design for Bridges (R19A)
Capacity Products
- May 6, 2014 2-3:30 pm (EDT) Advanced Travel Analysis Tools– Explore new methods for analysis of transportation projects including information on highway-user behavioral responses to congestion, travel-time reliability, and pricing, a strategic assessment tool that allows agencies to test the impacts of policy changes related to demand management, system optimization and alternative modes, open source software linking travel behavior choices to real-world dynamics and enhanced simulation models to test the effectiveness of operations strategies. (C10/C04/C05/C16)
- May 9, 2014 2-3:30 pm (EDT)Economic Analysis Tools– Hear how a searchable database tool showing impacts for different types of projects and contexts, and a guidance tool to plug in specific project variables can lead to better analysis throughout the project life cycle. (C03/C11)
Reliability Products
- May 13, 2014 2-3:30 pm (EDT) Reliability Data and Analysis Tools Bundle–This webinar will show how specific SHRP2 products work together allowing you to apply data integration and analytical tools to move reliability into your agency business practices and enable planning to address both recurring and nonrecurring congestion, including major potential sources of unreliable travel. (L02/L05/L07/L08)
Safety
- April 30, 2014 2-3:30 pm (EDT) Concept to Countermeasure: Research to Deployment Using the SHRP2 Safety Databases (Part 1)–Gain a new appreciation for the rich data sets developed from the Naturalistic Driving Study and the Roadway Information Database and how they can inform your further safety research.
- May 8, 2014 11-12:30 pm (EDT) Concept to Countermeasure: Research to Deployment Using the SHRP2 Safety Databases (Part 2)–Ask questions and delve further into the details and specifics of accessing the NDS and RID data and the partnerships states can build to address timely safety research questions.
For more information on these webinars or any other aspect of the SHRP2 program, contact Pam Hutton at phutton AT aashto.org or 303-263-1212. Those interested may find more information at shrp2.transportation.org.