[House Hearing, 110 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
SUSTAINABLE, ENERGY-EFFICIENT
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
JUNE 24, 2008
__________
Serial No. 110-110
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Science and Technology
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.science.house.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
42-962PS WASHINGTON DC: 2008
---------------------------------------------------------------------
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing
Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866)512-1800
DC area (202)512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2250 Mail Stop SSOP,
Washington, DC 20402-0001
COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
HON. BART GORDON, Tennessee, Chairman
JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois RALPH M. HALL, Texas
EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER JR.,
LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California Wisconsin
MARK UDALL, Colorado LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas
DAVID WU, Oregon DANA ROHRABACHER, California
BRIAN BAIRD, Washington ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland
BRAD MILLER, North Carolina VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan
DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma
NICK LAMPSON, Texas JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois
GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, Arizona W. TODD AKIN, Missouri
JERRY MCNERNEY, California JO BONNER, Alabama
LAURA RICHARDSON, California TOM FEENEY, Florida
PAUL KANJORSKI, Pennsylvania RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas
STEVEN R. ROTHMAN, New Jersey BOB INGLIS, South Carolina
JIM MATHESON, Utah DAVID G. REICHERT, Washington
MIKE ROSS, Arkansas MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas
BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky MARIO DIAZ-BALART, Florida
RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri PHIL GINGREY, Georgia
CHARLIE MELANCON, Louisiana BRIAN P. BILBRAY, California
BARON P. HILL, Indiana ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska
HARRY E. MITCHELL, Arizona PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia
CHARLES A. WILSON, Ohio
ANDRE CARSON, Indiana
------
Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation
HON. DAVID WU, Oregon, Chairman
JIM MATHESON, Utah PHIL GINGREY, Georgia
HARRY E. MITCHELL, Arizona VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan
CHARLIE A. WILSON, Ohio JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois
BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska
MIKE ROSS, Arizona PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia
LAURA RICHARDSON, California
BART GORDON, Tennessee RALPH M. HALL, Texas
MIKE QUEAR Subcommittee Staff Director
RACHEL JAGODA BRUNETTE Democratic Professional Staff Member
MEGHAN HOUSEWRIGHT Democratic Profession Staff Member
TIND SHEPPER RYEN Republican Professional Staff Member
PIPER LARGENT Republican Professional Staff Member
C O N T E N T S
June 24, 2008
Page
Witness List..................................................... 2
Hearing Charter.................................................. 3
Opening Statements
Statement by Representative David Wu, Chairman, Subcommittee on
Technology and Innovation, Committee on Science and Technology,
U.S. House of Representatives.................................. 7
Written Statement............................................ 8
Statement by Representative Phil Gingrey, Ranking Minority
Member, Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, Committee on
Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives.......... 9
Written Statement............................................ 10
Prepared Statement by Representative Laura Richardson, Member,
Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, Committee on Science
and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives.................. 11
Witnesses:
Mr. Paul R. Brubaker, Administrator, Research and Innovative
Technology Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation
Oral Statement............................................... 12
Written Statement............................................ 13
Biography.................................................... 20
Mr. Randell H. Iwasaki, Chief Deputy Director, California
Department of Transportation
Oral Statement............................................... 21
Written Statement............................................ 23
Biography.................................................... 34
Dr. Robert L. Bertini, P.E., Director, Oregon Transportation
Research and Education Consortium (OTREC); Associate Professor,
Portland State University
Oral Statement............................................... 34
Written Statement............................................ 37
Biography.................................................... 59
Mr. Gerald F. Voigt, P.E., President and CEO, American Concrete
Pavement Association
Oral Statement............................................... 60
Written Statement............................................ 62
Biography.................................................... 68
Dr. Christopher M. Poe, P.E., Assistant Agency Director; Senior
Research Engineer, Research and Implementation Division-Dallas,
Houston, Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University
System
Oral Statement............................................... 70
Written Statement............................................ 72
Biography.................................................... 78
Discussion....................................................... 79
Appendix 1: Answers to Post-Hearing Questions
Mr. Paul R. Brubaker, Administrator, Research and Innovative
Technology Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation... 96
Mr. Randell H. Iwasaki, Chief Deputy Director, California
Department of Transportation................................... 101
Dr. Robert L. Bertini, P.E., Director, Oregon Transportation
Research and Education Consortium (OTREC); Associate Professor,
Portland State University...................................... 106
Mr. Gerald F. Voigt, P.E., President and CEO, American Concrete
Pavement Association........................................... 112
Dr. Christopher M. Poe, P.E., Assistant Agency Director; Senior
Research Engineer, Research and Implementation Division-Dallas,
Houston, Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University
System......................................................... 116
Appendix 2: Additional Material for the Record
Statement by the Arizona Department of Transportation............ 120
Statement by Mike Acott, President, National Asphalt Pavement
Association (NAPA)............................................. 125
SUSTAINABLE, ENERGY-EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE
----------
TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 2008
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation,
Committee on Science and Technology,
Washington, DC.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:00 a.m., in
Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. David Wu
[Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding.
hearing charter
SUBCOMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Sustainable, Energy-Efficient
Transportation Infrastructure
tuesday, june 24, 2008
10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
2318 rayburn house office building
I. Purpose
On Tuesday, June 24, 2008, the Subcommittee on Technology and
Innovation will hold a hearing to review ongoing federal, State,
academic, and industry research and development activities related to
reducing life cycle energy consumption, reducing fuel use and promoting
sustainability for surface transportation infrastructure. The hearing
will also address technical, regulatory, social, and financial
challenges to implementing new measures and integrating new materials
and technologies into existing transportation networks.
II. Witnesses
Mr. Paul Brubaker is the Administrator of the Research and Innovative
Technology Administration (RITA) of the U.S. Department of
Transportation.
Mr. Randell Iwasaki is the Chief Deputy Director of the California
Department of Transportation (Caltrans).
Dr. Robert Bertini, P.E., is the Director of the Oregon Transportation
Research and Education Consortium (OTREC).
Mr. Gerald Voigt, P.E., is the President and CEO of the American
Concrete Pavement Association.
Dr. Christopher Poe, P.E., is the Assistant Agency Director and
Director of the Center on Tolling Research at the Texas Transportation
Institute.
III. Brief Overview
The surface transportation sector is a major
contributor to energy use and pollution, accounting for 33
percent of carbon emissions in the U.S. annually. In addition
to energy use and pollution from vehicles, infrastructure
construction, maintenance, and destruction have high fuel costs
and require significant materials manufacturing. Transportation
infrastructure also is a factor in heat, noise, and water
pollution.
Materials and technologies currently exist to combat
pollution and energy waste from transportation infrastructure.
Recycled or high performance pavement materials reduce
manufacturing and maintenance needs and can also cut fuel use
by reducing friction. Sophisticated traffic management and data
collection technologies reduce congestion, which resulted in
2.9 billion gallons of wasted fuel in 2007, according to the
Texas Transportation Institute.
Many State and local governments are beginning to
adopt innovative surface transportation infrastructure
materials and technologies reduce energy costs and promote
sustainability, but widespread implementation remains slow.
Some impediments include lack of performance data, high costs,
lack of trained engineers and planners, and industry reluctance
to embrace new construction techniques and materials.
Additionally, new materials and technologies must be integrated
with existing transportation systems, requiring cooperation
between researchers and planners.
Research, development, testing, and evaluation
(RDT&E) carried out by federal and State agencies, academia,
and industry is helping advance knowledge in the field of
innovative surface transportation materials and technologies,
but additional technology transfer and education efforts are
needed to engage policy-makers and the public. Strong
partnerships between the research and user communities are
vital to ensure that R&D efforts are tied to user needs and
that demonstration projects prove the effectiveness of various
technologies and materials.
IV. Issues and Concerns
What research and development efforts are needed to address current
challenges in the surface transportation sector? How should the
research community determine R&D priorities? What data collection needs
currently exist, and how do researchers measure whether new materials
and technologies have the desired impact of reducing energy use and
promoting sustainability? Researchers have established a strong link
between surface transportation infrastructure and a host of negative
environmental impacts, including wasted fuel, urban heat island
effects, carbon emissions, noise pollution, and demand on virgin
materials for pavement. The R&D community addressing these challenges
is diverse, ranging from federal agencies such the U.S. Department of
Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Research and
Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) and the Environmental
Protection Agency, universities, and industry. While entities such as
the Transportation Research Board exist to help bridge gaps between the
research and user communities, the R&D community further benefits from
formal and informal connections to their immediate communities in order
to understand users' research priorities. Additionally, data collection
helps frame the environmental, economic, and safety challenges and
influences research priorities by identifying the areas of greatest
need.
What are the roles of the Federal Government, State agencies, academia,
and industry in technology transfer? How should these entities help
policy-makers find a balance between environmental impact and safety,
cost, and efficiency? Because transportation infrastructure needs vary
by region, technology transfer is most effective when it involves
partnerships between local experts and policy-makers. Many universities
involved in transportation research convene formal and informal
meetings to discuss how available technologies might be integrated into
transportation networks. The Federal Government also engages in
technology transfer activities through partnerships, training, and
demonstration projects. FHWA offers courses through the National
Highway Institute, some of which cover innovative technologies. FHWA
and the EPA also participate in the Green Highways Partnership, which
coordinates outreach and education efforts and demonstration projects
to promote use of environmentally friendly materials and technologies.
However, acceptance and use of new transportation technologies remains
slow. Decisions on the use of innovative technologies are made by State
or local transportation officials who may or may not have access to
data on their efficacy and cost.
What standards development activities are needed in both materials and
intelligent transportation systems? What is the impact of the lack of
standards? Stakeholders have engaged in some standards development
activities for pavement materials and intelligent transportation
systems, but the community has identified a need for further efforts.
In the materials field, the expanded use of recycled materials and
industrial byproducts in pavement to cut landfill waste requires
characterization of products (such as fly ash, slag, or even
construction waste like drywall) that may not be uniform in size,
shape, or composition. The National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) has done some work in characterization and hosts a
virtual lab to allow researchers to test their mixture of recycled
materials via computer simulation To meet users' performance
requirements, manufacturers need standards that specify the percentage
of each type of recycled material that can be safely incorporated into
cement. For data collection and traffic management systems, end-users
have identified a need for technical standards that allow inter-
operability of systems across jurisdictions to ensure that the benefits
of these technologies are seen region-wide.
V. Background
Environmental Challenges in Surface Transportation
The surface transportation sector is a major contributor to energy
use and pollution. Vehicle use, construction, maintenance, and
destruction all result in significant energy costs, and the production
of pavement materials uses valuable natural resources. Transportation
infrastructure can also contribute to noise and heat pollution,
increasing its environmental impact. Currently, the U.S. Department of
Energy estimates that the transportation sector accounts for 33 percent
of carbon emissions in the United States annually.
The United States consumes approximately 128 million tons of cement
annually, with a significant share being used for transportation
infrastructure. Though the industry has effectively cut energy use and
carbon emissions over the last few decades, the scope of cement
manufacturing means that the environmental impact remains noteworthy,
accounting for 1.5 percent of carbon emissions. According to a report
by the American Concrete Pavement Association, this translates to
52,800 tons of carbon dioxide emitted for the construction of a typical
100 kilometer highway. In addition, the construction of infrastructure
also carries considerable fuel costs, ranging from nearly 2000 to over
10,000 gallons of fuel per lane-mile, depending on the material used
for pavement.
Vehicle use also results in fuel use and emissions, especially in
congested areas. The Texas Transportation Institute estimated that
traffic congestion in the United States in 2.9 billion gallons of
wasted fuel in 2007. In a study of 85 urban areas with serious
congestion problems, TTI also found that travel delays that result in
idling, and thus fuel waste and extra emissions, have grown since 1982.
Research and development activities
Research and development activities to combat the negative
environmental impacts of surface transportation have been ongoing in
the U.S. for several decades, with contributions from federal agencies,
academia (especially U.S. DOT-funded University Transportation
Centers), and industry. State transportation agencies also participate
in data collection activities to help frame challenges and determine
the efficacy of various measures. Current research covers traffic
management and data collection activities through the use of
intelligent transportation systems, materials characterization, design,
and manufacturing research, and urban planning and transportation
system design studies.
Specific research activities addressing energy efficiency and
sustainability range from intelligent transportation system (ITS)
design and data collection technologies to paving materials design. ITS
technologies help reduce fuel consumption and emissions by managing
traffic flow to cut congestion and keep vehicles moving smoothly.
Specific projects include traffic signal timing, highway on-ramp
management, truck scales embedded in travel lanes, and other traffic
management tools. Additionally, ITS technology can be used for data
collection to identify problem areas or determine the effectiveness of
traffic management technologies. Many of these technologies also have
further safety benefits in addition to ensuring smoother traffic flow
by helping avoid collisions.
Materials research focuses on promoting sustainability and reducing
energy use in the manufacturing process by incorporating recycled
materials into paving materials or by designing high performance paving
materials that reduce friction and require less maintenance. Industrial
byproducts such as fly ash from coal power plants promote
sustainability and energy savings by reducing the need for producing
new materials while also cutting landfill waste. Academic and industry
researchers are working to determine the types of materials that can be
safely incorporated into cement, such fiberglass or drywall. They are
also studying the maximum percentage of the mix that these byproducts
can comprise.
Extending the life cycle of pavement is another important goal for
researchers working to improve energy efficiency in the transportation
structure. Doing so reduces maintenance and construction needs, thus
cutting energy costs. Researchers address this challenge through
multiple approaches, including developing pervious pavements to reduce
erosion or designing stronger pavements that are less vulnerable to
cracking and potholes. Some of the smoother high performance pavements
also help cut fuel use by reducing friction, especially for large
vehicles. A study by the National Research Council of Canada found that
fuel consumption by fully loaded trucks can be reduced by one to six
percent when traveling on smooth pavement.
Finally, some materials research efforts also address heat
pollution. Dark pavement absorbs heat from the sun and has been found
to raise ambient temperatures in urban areas by 9+F and
increase demand for energy for air conditioning. Lighter colored
pavements reflect sunlight, thus reducing the urban heat island effect.
Technology transfer and implementation issues
Technology transfer in transportation infrastructure typically
faces particular challenges related to regulations, cost, education and
training, and industry reluctance to embrace new construction
techniques. The Federal Government, academia, and industry all play a
role in demonstrating the effectiveness of new technologies, training
engineers on their use, and helping meet regulatory requirements.
A lack of standards is a key impediment to the implementation of
pavements using recycled materials and intelligent transportation
systems. For pavements, State and local regulatory performance
requirements related to the mix of materials comprising cement mean
that byproducts must be characterized to understand their effect on the
strength and performance of the pavement. Because there are not
standards for the size, composition, or other characteristics of
byproducts such as fly ash, manufacturers and researchers have a
difficult time proving the performance of their materials from batch to
batch. Technical standards for intelligent transportation systems (ITS)
are also a key requirement prior to implementation. Especially in dense
areas, such as the DC area, where multiple local governments oversee a
broad transportation system, ITS technology must be inter-operable to
ensure that the benefits are seen region wide.
The cost of technologies and materials also prevents their
manufacture and use. Concrete manufacturers must locate and ship
byproducts to be incorporated into their mixes, increasing initial
capital costs. Additionally, engineers and architects require further
training for new materials, resulting in additional expenditures.
Similarly, end-users may pay more initially for innovative materials
and technologies for managing traffic. Researchers and the Federal
Government can help promote technology transfer in the face of cost
concerns by providing further information on costs over the life cycle
of the infrastructure, rather than initial costs. Life cycle costs are
typically reduced through the use of innovative materials and
technology.
Demonstration projects play an invaluable role in encouraging
implementation of new materials and technologies. The Federal
Government funds some local demonstrations of new technologies, which
prove to engineers and policy-makers that new technologies can be
effective in spite of training needs and high initial costs.
Specifically, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) partner with State governments
and industry on the Green Highway Partnership to demonstrate
environmentally-friendly highway construction methods. University
Transportation Centers also work with local agencies to demonstrate
technologies suited to their region's specific needs.
Chairman Wu. This hearing will now to order.
I appreciate everyone's patience this morning and thank you
very, very much for being here. I would like to welcome
everyone. Right now, I can think of very few topics that are of
greater interest to the American public than the pocketbook
impact of refueling our cars and still trying to hold within
each household's budget. According to the Department of Energy,
the average price of gasoline in the United States as of
yesterday was $4.08 per gallon at the pump. At the gas station
closest to here, the number that strikes me is the number that
is north of $4.50. One thing we all agree on is that we must
take action to help reduce the costs of transportation overall
for families across this nation.
Thus far, the national focus has been on cutting or
restraining the rise of the cost of fuel. However, any of the
proposed solutions will not have a palpable impact for years to
come but there are important steps that many cities and states
are already taking to reduce fuel consumption and promote
sustainability through changes in this transportation
infrastructure which includes roads and freeways, networks of
stoplights, public transportation systems and overall urban
planning and design. Around the country, researchers in
academia, industry, State and federal agencies have been
working on developing innovative materials and technologies
that reduce the life cycle energy costs of transportation
infrastructure and promote sustainability. Pavements that
incorporate waste materials that would otherwise be landfilled,
traffic signal timing systems that cut congestion and
monitoring devices that can warn drivers to take alternate
routes around traffic jams are just a few of the examples of
innovations in transportation infrastructure and technology
that can help protect our environment.
The potential benefits of these innovative materials and
technologies are impressive. Currently, the surface
transportation sector accounts for 33 percent of carbon
emissions in the United States. Additionally, according to the
Texas Transportation Institute, congestion alone accounted for
2.9 billion gallons of wasted fuel in 2007. The Federal Highway
Administration estimates that five percent of that congestion
is due to poorly timed traffic signals. Intelligent
transportation systems can eliminate congestion due to poor
signal timing. That is a potential fuel savings of 145 million
gallons of fuel per year.
What is even more striking is that many of the technologies
we need to bring about these fuel savings already exist. So why
isn't every community in America using them? I am very
interested to hear our witnesses' thoughts on why policy-makers
opt not to use innovative materials and technologies as part of
their transportation systems, and what the Federal Government
can do to help spur technology transfer.
I am proud that in Portland, Oregon, and in the First
Congressional District, which I am pleased to represent, we
have been leaders in using energy-efficient and sustainable
transportation infrastructure.
With technologies such as transit signal priorities that
reduce idling by buses by linking on-board computers to traffic
lights, ramp meters that cut congestion on our freeways and
real-time traffic information so that drivers can avoid
backups, the State and local departments of transportation in
Oregon have worked effectively to identify and implement
innovative solutions to important transportation challenges.
These efforts are coordinated regionally, not just city by
city, so that energy savings benefit taxpayers and gasoline
purchasers and other fuel purchasers throughout the area.
Dr. Robert Bertini, who is Director of the Oregon
Transportation Research and Education Consortium, will tell us
more about how the research and policy communities collaborate
to make these projects a reality.
Soon the Congress will be considering the next surface
transportation reauthorization, and the Committee on Science
and Technology plans to play an important role in defining our
transportation research priorities for the future.
Sustainability and energy efficiency are no longer just
buzzwords in the transportation community.
They are crucial components of a working national
transportation infrastructure. Building more roads alone is not
the answer. We must use our resources carefully and wisely, and
that requires a commitment to reducing the creation of new
materials and finding simple innovative ways to conserve fuel.
I am confident that our panel today will give us some solid
ideas for moving forward on a sustainable energy-efficient
transportation policy.
[The prepared statement of Chairman Wu follows:]
Prepared Statement of Chairman David Wu
This hearing will come to order. I'd like to welcome everyone to
this morning's hearing. I can think of few topics that are of greater
interest to the American public than the impact of filling up our cars
on the household budget. According to the Department of Energy, the
average price of gas in the U.S. as of yesterday was $4.08 per gallon
at the pump. One thing we all agree on is that we must take action to
help reduce the cost of transportation for families across the country.
Thus far, the national focus has been on cutting the cost of fuel.
However, any of the proposed solutions will not have a measurable
impact for years. But there are important steps that many cities and
states are already taking to reduce fuel consumption and promote
sustainability through changes to the transportation infrastructure,
which includes roads, freeways, networks of stoplights, public
transportation systems, and overall city planning.
Around the country, researchers in academia, industry, and federal
agencies have been working on developing innovative materials and
technologies that reduce the life cycle energy cost of transportation
infrastructure and promote sustainability. Pavements that incorporate
waste materials that would otherwise be landfilled, traffic signal
timing systems that cut congestion, and monitoring devices that can
warn drivers to take alternate route around traffic jams are just a few
of the examples of innovations in transportation infrastructure and
technology that help protect the environment.
The potential benefits of these innovative materials and
technologies are impressive. Currently, the surface transportation
sector accounts for 33 percent of carbon emissions in the United
States. Additionally, according to the Texas Transportation Institute,
congestion alone accounted for 2.9 billion gallons of wasted fuel in
2007. The Federal Highway Administration estimates that five percent of
that congestion is due to poorly timed traffic signals. If intelligent
transportation systems can eliminate congestion due to poor signal
timing, that's a potential fuel savings of 145 million gallons of fuel
per year.
What's even more striking is that many of the technologies we need
to bring about these fuel savings already exist. So why isn't every
town in America using them? I'm very interested to hear our witnesses'
thoughts on why policy-makers opt not to use innovative materials and
technologies as part of their transportation systems, and what the
Federal Government can to do to help spur technology transfer.
I'm proud that the First District of Oregon has been a leader in
using energy efficient and sustainable transportation infrastructure.
With technologies such as a transit signal priority project that
reduces idling by buses by linking on-board computers to traffic
lights; ramp meters that cut congestion on our freeways; and real time
traffic information for travelers so they can avoid backups, the State
and local departments of transportation in Oregon have worked
effectively to identify and implement innovative solutions to important
transportation challenges. These efforts are coordinated regionally,
not just city by city, so that energy savings benefit taxpayers
throughout the area.
Dr. Robert Bertini, who is the Director of the Oregon
Transportation Research and Education Consortium, will tell us more
about how the research and policy communities collaborate to make these
projects a reality.
Soon, the Congress will be considering the next surface
transportation reauthorization, and the Committee on Science and
Technology plans to play an important role in defining our
transportation research priorities for the future. Sustainability and
energy efficiency are no longer just buzzwords in the transportation
community.
They are crucial components of a working national transportation
infrastructure. Building more roads alone is not the answer. We must
use our resources carefully and wisely, and that requires a commitment
to reducing the creation of new materials and finding simple,
innovative ways to conserve fuel. I'm confident that our panel today
will give us some solid ideas for moving forward on a sustainable,
energy-efficient transportation policy.
Chairman Wu. Now I would like to recognize my colleague and
friend, the Ranking Member from Georgia, Dr. Gingrey, for an
opening statement. Dr. Gingrey.
Mr. Gingrey. Good morning, Mr. Chairman, and good morning
to our distinguished panel of witnesses. I want to first thank
you for holding this hearing today and this hearing that
touches the lives of so many Americans on a daily basis. I am
pleased to work with you as we continue this subcommittee's
efforts to improve our nation's transportation infrastructure
through innovative research and development activities that
will hopefully result in a windfall of cost savings for our
nation.
While the importance of our roads and highways to our
economy and our way of life are self-evident, I would like to
take a moment to document for the Subcommittee the extent of
their impact. There are approximately four million miles of
roads in this country and Americans drive approximately four
trillion miles per year. Furthermore, there are over 200
million cars and light trucks on the road and a further eight
million trucks on the roads supporting our businesses, so
overall transportation-related activities currently account for
10 percent of our gross domestic product.
To support all this traffic, government expenditures on our
highways are approximately $140 billion a year. Unfortunately,
even with this constant influx of revenue, our infrastructure
cannot support our growing traffic needs.
According to the Urban Mobility Report published by Dr.
Poe's Texas Transportation Institute, TTI, drivers in the
Atlanta metropolitan area spend an average of 60 hours per year
stuck in traffic and they waste approximately 44 gallons of
fuel in the process. This is my hometown, by the way. With gas
prices currently at $4.08 per gallon, as the Chairman said, for
regular gasoline, this equates to almost $200 per driver that
is wasted when families are struggling to pay for rising energy
costs.
Metropolitan Atlanta has similar congestion to Washington,
D.C., and San Francisco, and only Los Angeles has a greater
congestion problem. Congestion, as we know, it is not limited
to our major cities. Nationally, TTI estimates that congestion
on our nation's roads resulted in 2.9 billion gallons of wasted
fuel in 2007 and a $78 billion drain on our economy.
Congestion aside, our transportation infrastructure
accounts for a significant portion of our total energy
consumption. Civilian transportation consumes nearly nine
million barrels of petroleum per day for gasoline, twice the
amount of industrial uses. With oil prices now at about $135
per barrel, the total cost is a staggering $1.2 billion per
day.
Despite the numerous challenges presented by our
transportation infrastructure, researchers across America are
working right now on reducing our energy consumption and easing
our congestion problems. Our panel will describe many
technologies that can improve the condition and sustainability
of our highways both in the short- and long-term.
The priority of research and development in the
transportation sector has lagged behind construction and
rehabilitation. The challenges that now face our transportation
infrastructure will require innovative design and technologies.
So I am eager to hear the panel's thoughts on how effective R&D
activities have been in the past and how R&D should be
included, as David just mentioned, the next transportation
bill.
Chairman Wu, again thank you for holding this hearing. It
couldn't be more timely. I look forward to the panel and their
testimony, and I yield back the balance of my time.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Gingrey follows:]
Prepared Statement of Representative Phil Gingrey
Good morning Mr. Chairman. I want to first thank you for holding
this hearing today that touches the lives of so many Americans on a
daily basis. I am pleased to work with you as we continue this
subcommittee's efforts to improve our nation's transportation
infrastructure through innovative research and development activities
that will hopefully result in a windfall of cost savings for our
nation.
While the importance of our roads and highways to our economy and
way of life are self-evident, I would like to take a moment to document
for the Subcommittee the extent of their impact. There are
approximately four million miles of roads in this country and Americans
drive approximately four trillion miles per year. Furthermore, there
are over 200 million cars and light trucks on the road, and a further
eight million trucks on the roads supporting our businesses. Overall,
transportation related activities currently account for 10 percent of
our GDP.
To support all this traffic, government expenditures on our
highways are approximately $140 billion annually. Unfortunately, even
with this constant influx of revenues, our infrastructure cannot
support our growing traffic needs.
According to the Urban Mobility Report published by Dr. Poe's Texas
Transportation Institute (TTI), drivers in the Atlanta Metropolitan
area spend an average of 60 hours per year stuck in traffic and waste
approximately 44 gallons of fuel in the process. With gas prices
currently at $4.07 per gallon for regular gas, this equates to almost
$200 per driver that is wasted when families are struggling to pay for
the rising energy costs.
Metropolitan Atlanta has similar congestion to the Washington, DC
and San Francisco areas, and only Los Angeles has a greater congestion
problem. Congestion--as we know--is not limited to our major cities.
Nationally, TTI estimates that congestion on our nation's roads
resulted in 2.9 billion gallons of wasted fuel in 2007 and a $78
billion drain on the U.S. economy.
Congestion aside, our transportation infrastructure accounts for a
significant portion of our total energy consumption. Civilian
transportation consumes nearly nine million barrels of petroleum per
day for gasoline, twice the amount of industrial uses. With oil prices
at $135 per barrel the total cost is a staggering $1.2 billion per day.
Despite the numerous challenges presented by our transportation
infrastructure, researchers across America are working, right now, on
reducing our energy consumption and easing our congestion problems. Our
panel will describe many technologies that can improve the condition
and sustainability of our highways, both in the short- and long-term.
The priority of research and development in the transportation
sector has lagged behind construction and rehabilitation. The
challenges that now face our transportation infrastructure will require
innovative designs and technologies. I am eager to hear the panel's
thoughts on how effective R&D activities have been in the past and how
R&D should be included in the next transportation bill.
Chairman Wu, again, thank you for holding this hearing and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Chairman Wu. Thank you, Dr. Gingrey.
If there are other Members who wish to submit additional
opening statements, your statements will be added to the record
at this point.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Richardson follows:]
Prepared Statement of Representative Laura Richardson
Thank you Chairman Wu for holding this very important hearing
today, and our witnesses for their appearance. The purpose of today's
hearing is to examine current efforts in transportation infrastructure
research that will reduce energy consumption and improve energy
efficiency.
Fact of the matter is highway construction and maintenance consumes
a lot of energy. From the amount of fuel that is consumed by cement
trucks and other construction related vehicles, to the cars that waste
fuel sitting idly in traffic due to lane closures as a result of
highway construction, plenty of energy is consumed on a daily basis.
In my home State of California, where there are more registered
vehicles than there are registered drivers; and where we have been
dealing with traffic congestion and the environmental impacts for
years, the heads of the State DOT (Department of Transportation) have
already begun to tackle this issue.
Indeed, one of the individuals testifying today is Mr. Randell
Iwasaki, Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of
Transportation. Under his leadership the State of California has
pursued a number of projects to address energy efficiency through our
transportation infrastructure. This includes the use of old tires in
rubberized asphalt, the installation of LED red lights saving the State
taxpayers more than $2 million a year in power costs, and conversion of
the Caltrans equipment fleet to clean burning fuels.
Furthermore, under Executive Order S-3-05, which established
climate change emission reduction targets for the state, Caltrans has
embarked on an effort to lower fuel consumption, and reduce greenhouse
gas emissions (GHG) by implementing several programs. The Intelligent
Transportation Systems manages traffic flow; the Cold Foam Recycle
Project (which won an award from Green Technology) recycles in-place
materials on high speed, high traffic volume roadways, and Waste Tires
which as mentioned earlier, establishes a variety of uses for waste
tire products including shredded waste tires which are used as
lightweight fill for embankments.
Likewise the State of California uses environmentally friendly
cement, in addition to establishing the Long-life Pavement
Rehabilitation Strategies program. The purpose of this program is to
reduce the need for future repairs on our highways, by building
highways that last as long as thirty years with minimal maintenance.
With the rise in gas prices, coupled with overall rise in the cost
of living, the research being done at the University Transportation
Centers across the country is vital to the sustainability of our
national economy.
I look forward to a productive discussion, Mr. Chairman I yield
back my time.
Chairman Wu. I am delighted to have such an expert group of
witnesses before the Subcommittee today to discuss this very,
very important and timely topic. Mr. Paul Brubaker is the
Administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology
Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Mr.
Randell Iwasaki is the Chief Deputy Director of the California
Department of Transportation. My good friend, Dr. Robert
Bertini, I especially welcome here in Washington, is the
Director of the Oregon Transportation Research and Education
Consortium, a university transportation center comprised of
researchers from Portland State University, Oregon State
University, the University of Oregon and the Oregon Institute
of Technology. Next we have Mr. Gerald Voigt, President and CEO
of the American Concrete Pavement Association, and Dr.
Christopher Poe, Assistant Director and Director of the Center
on Tolling Research at the Texas Transportation Institute.
As our witnesses already know, your spoken testimony should
be timed for about five minutes. Your written testimony will be
taken into the record in its entirety, and after your
testimony, Members of the Committee will have five minutes for
each round to ask questions, and we will begin with
Administrator Brubaker. Please proceed.
STATEMENT OF MR. PAUL R. BRUBAKER, ADMINISTRATOR, RESEARCH AND
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION
Mr. Brubaker. Thank you, Chairman Wu, Dr. Gingrey,
distinguished Members of the Committee. I have the privilege of
representing the Research and Innovative Technology
Administration at the United States Department of
Transportation. Our job at RITA is to coordinate research
across all the various modes, and one of the things that we are
interested in doing is to make sure that we have mechanisms in
place to ensure the appropriate level of investment across the
Department in a variety of different areas, particularly those
materials that can reduce life cycle energy costs and ensure
sustainability for our transportation infrastructure.
Mr. Chairman, our theme for the Research and Innovative
Technology Administration is something we like to say, our tag
line, if you will, our bumper sticker is, ``Innovation for a
Nation on the Move,'' and the key there is to ensure that we
continue to be on the move, and the points you raised in your
opening statement about intelligent transportation systems and
the ability to reduce fuel consumption just by keeping traffic
moving is a really excellent one and it is one that we have
devoted significant amount of research dollars into and we have
got a number of university transportation centers across the
country including those at Portland State and those at Georgia
Tech that are engaged in--as well as other areas in the country
that are engaged in that type of research to ensure that we are
developing modern technology, the latest technology, taking
advantage of commercial developments as well as researching
ways that we can integrate existing and future technologies
including things like nanotechnology to ensure that those
developments are incorporated into the infrastructure over
time. That is on the intelligent transportation system side.
We also are conducting significant research into recycled
materials and those innovative materials and methods that can
significantly reduce life cycle energy costs and make use of
recycled materials. We have got a number of efforts underway,
particularly those that we are working with industrial and
commercial waste products trying to figure out the best way to
use waste material and industrial byproducts to achieve this
objective, and one example is that we currently see over 71
million tons of pulverized coal byproducts, also known as fly
ash, produced in the United States and only about 39 percent of
that fly ash is recycled or used for other purposes. Most of
what is currently produced winds up in landfills, which as we
know, is a very environmentally unfriendly option. So pavements
made with fly ash offer the potential for providing lower costs
and in fact more durable pavement and we are very interested in
that type of research and we are going to do that and support
that through the Department.
Recycled tire fibers are also another technology that show
great potential, and today, as we know, most old automobile
tires wind up in landfills or they get incinerated which, is
again, not exactly a very environmentally friendly option, and
what we are supporting right now based on our experience with
rubberized asphalt, we are supporting the use of recycled
materials and trying to use recycled rubber to see if the
performance that we experience with our rubberized asphalt
projects using virgin synthetic fibers has the same durability
and quality as that made with the virgin synthetic fibers.
Also, we are looking at nanotechnology, like I mentioned,
another cutting-edge innovation that may show some promise in
reducing long-term energy consumption and dramatically
increasing the sustainability. For example, at the Missouri
University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri, they
are conducting a field test of bridge decking made with fiber-
reinforced composites. What that is going to do, it eliminates
the need for steel rebar, which obviously is energy intensive
to produce that rebar for reinforcement, but it also can
significantly extend the life of the bridge, cutting down on
replacement costs and the need to conduct repair of the bridge
decking. Georgia Tech has some self-consolidating concretes
that is going to reduce the maintenance costs and improve the
durability and longer life of bridge structure. Federal Highway
Administration is involved in a demonstration project for
advanced material called ultra high performance concrete, and
we view those as pretty critical developments.
There are also some challenges though, which you asked us
to address in the letter of invitation, and we view those in
two particular areas. One is standards development: are there
sufficient standards that exist to encourage the use of
sustainable products and high-energy-efficient products, both
in the construction and the repair of these materials, and then
the second is the procurement process itself, is the
procurement process--and as you know, most of the actual
implementation is done at the State and local level--is the
procurement process supportive in requiring these sustainable
products, and those are the two areas that we see as the most
significant challenges.
So that concludes my testimony and I would be delighted to
answer any questions.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Brubaker follows:]
Prepared Statement of Paul R. Brubaker
Thank you, Chairman Wu, Ranking Member Gingrey, and distinguished
Members of the Subcommittee. I have the privilege of serving as the
Administrator for the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Research and
Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), and I am grateful to have
the opportunity to come before you today to testify on RITA's role in
coordinating and facilitating research into fuel efficiency and
sustainability in our transportation infrastructure.
With his signature on the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956,
President Dwight D. Eisenhower committed the U.S. Government to
investing in the development of a transportation system that would
revolutionize the American economy and way of life for decades to come.
However, no one could have anticipated the sheer volume of passenger
and freight movement that the transportation infrastructure must
support yearly. Our roads handled nearly three trillion vehicle miles
in 2005 alone--a 74 percent increase from 1990. As America's economy
and population continues to grow, it will push even greater demand on
our highways, interstates and roads in the decades to come. A safe,
reliable, and sustainable transportation system is key to our nation's
continued prosperity.
New construction, operational improvements, and routine maintenance
of our transportation infrastructure have an enormous cost, and are
straining federal, State and local resources. America has 162,373 miles
of National and Interstate Highways, with nearly one-third needing
extensive upgrades. Innovative, sustainable materials and systems
provide us with the opportunity to construct new bridges and
overpasses, expand capacity and make necessary operational
improvements, with less resources and better long-term durability.
Various factors, such as lagging national and State materials
standards, technical barriers and budgetary constraints, have impeded
the progress of the development and use of innovative materials,
coatings, and planning processes that can increase the sustainability
of our transportation infrastructure. It is clearly in our nation's
best interest to have a transportation infrastructure that supports
greater fuel efficiency, and is more sustainable. The Department of
Transportation is committed to collaborating with stakeholders in
government, industry and the academic community to overcome these
challenges.
Today, I will be discussing current research and programmatic
activities of RITA and the University Transportation Centers (UTC)
program within the areas of energy efficiency and infrastructure
sustainability; the processes that guide our priorities in these areas;
and the challenges to the research, development and national deployment
of innovative materials and technologies.
Research and Development Activities in Energy Efficiency and
Infrastructure Sustainability
Since its creation in 2004, RITA has sought to effectively
prioritize transportation research programs, identify innovation gaps,
and coordinate research and technology efforts within the Department,
and throughout the transportation community. While there are challenges
to effectively promoting both the research and development, and
widespread deployment of more energy efficient and sustainable
materials and technologies, there has been a lot of progress as well.
The Secretary of Transportation's seven priorities for national
transportation have driven Departmental research and development in the
areas of energy efficiency and sustainability--specifically by focusing
on Reduced Congestion, Energy Independence and Environmental
Sustainability.
Under the guidance of these priorities, the Federal Highway
Administration's Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC), ,and
the University Transportation Centers, have made great progress in
researching and developing innovative materials and technologies that
offer the potential for increasing the sustainability of our
transportation infrastructure.
University Transportation Centers
First, I would like to discuss a few of the University
Transportation Center (UTC) research and development activities in the
areas of energy efficiency and sustainability. The UTC Program is a
great example of an effective partnership that brings together State
transportation agencies and private sector stakeholders with the
academic community to find solutions to pressing transportation
challenges. UTCs are mandated to address regional issues that impact
their states, and bridge the institutional divide--providing
outstanding opportunities for technology transfer and deployment.
DOT seeks to tap into the vast pool of expertise, and existing
research portfolios, of our nation's academic community by funding UTC
transportation research--including energy efficiency and
sustainability.
There are several great examples of the important work UTCs are
engaged in:
The Missouri University of Science and Technology at
Rolla conducted a field test of a bridge deck made with fiber
reinforced composites. Using composites precludes the use of
steel bars as reinforcement, which will significantly extend
the service life of the bridge, and eliminate the need to
replace steel reinforcements at some point in the future.
Missouri S&T is involved in numerous projects to study fiber
reinforced composites, and their potential for upgrading aging
bridges.
The University Transportation Center for Materials in
Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure (MiSTI) at Michigan
Technological University conducts research in the areas of
recycled and beneficial use materials in transportation
infrastructure. For example, Portland cement production is a
significant contributor to total global greenhouse emissions.
Reducing Portland cement consumption is the simplest way to
reduce this greenhouse gas production. MiSTI is researching new
methods of constructing concrete highways and bridges using
less Portland cement, which will greatly reduce the
environmental impacts of Portland cement production.
University of California-Davis' Institute of
Transportation Studies is evaluating modified binder mixes,
comparing overlays with mixes using a new process for
rubberizing asphalt binders. The results were extremely
promising. Caltrans is reviewing the results and the
recommendation to move to pilot projects and how to incorporate
results. This research should lead to more use of rubberized
asphalt, and longer lives for pavement maintenance and
rehabilitation overlays, which will save money and reduce use
of crushed stone.
At the Georgia Institute of Technology, research has
developed three acceptable mixtures for self-consolidating
concretes for use in precast bridge girders. The use of these
self-consolidating concretes will result in better quality
bridge girders which require less construction labor and time
on site, significantly reducing project costs. The improved
materials properties will also result in more reliable, longer-
lived bridge spans with reduced maintenance and repair costs.
U.S. DOT
Departmentally, there has been very good progress in pushing
innovative materials technologies as well. Turner-Fairbank Highway
Research Center is conducting research into developing methods for
using more fly ash, a by product of coal combustion, in concrete
mixtures for road paving. Fly ash is typically land-filled after it is
produced, and using more of it in concrete mixtures recycles fly ash
with little environmental impact. Pavements made with fly ash offer the
potential for providing lower-cost, more durable pavement, which uses
less energy to manufacture. Turner-Fairbank is also working on testing
procedures, construction guidelines, and supportive software
applications to promote greater use of fly ash in paving applications.
While Turner-Fairbank is exploring ways to use more fly ash in
concrete mixtures, the FHWA is involved in a demonstration project for
an advanced concrete material called Ultra High Performance Concrete
(UHPC). This project is a part of the President's National
Nanotechnology Initiative, and has broad energy efficiency and
sustainability implications for transportation construction and
maintenance. UHPC is composed of a special mixture of minerals and
fibers that is lightweight, impermeable and resistant to freezing. This
material offers the potential to reduce energy consumption across the
life cycle, as it is a precast concrete that can be constructed away
from the worksite, and subsequently transported--reducing the impact on
driving costs, reducing congestion created by construction projects,
and lowering maintenance costs. In 2006, the first highway bridge built
in North America with UHPC was opened in Wapello County, Iowa--this
bridge was the result of a collaboration of FHWA, Iowa DOT, the Iowa
State University Bridge Engineering Center, and private industry.
Partnerships such as this, and other collaborative relationships,
are essential to our success in effectively facilitating research and
development, and deploying research results in these areas. The multi-
state, multi-agency, public-private makeup of our national
transportation infrastructure necessitates cooperative research in
order for us to be successful innovators.
Coordinating the U.S. DOT Research, Development and Technology
Portfolio
While there have been very good outcomes from RITA's current
research and development activities and investments, we are actively
seeking to improve these processes. The U.S. DOT, through RITA, is
instituting a new, Research Planning and Investment Coordination (RPIC)
process for coordinating, facilitating and reviewing the Department's
research and development programs and activities. It will allow the
Department to:
Align research investments with National
transportation goals;
Track performance and net benefits of Departmental
RD&T dollars invested;
Create visibility and transparency for all directed
and discretionary research funding;
Identify potential redundancies and eliminate
unnecessary duplication; and
Leverage available research resources including those
within the U.S. DOT, at the UTCs, in the State DOTs, and in the
private sector.
The goal is to achieve greater transparency and bring into one
database all of the RD&T data that are currently scattered among many
agencies, as recommended in the GAO report Transportation Research:
Opportunities for Improving the Oversight of DOT's Research Programs
and User Satisfaction with Transportation.\1\ When completed, the
database will allow policy-makers, researchers, and other users to
search for RD&T information by research topic, funding level, grant
description, contractor, State, and more. It will be a critical tool
for coordinating research investments, and for sharing knowledge.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Government Accountability Office, ``Transportation Research:
Opportunities for Improving the Oversight of DOT's Research Programs
and User Satisfaction with Transportation,'' August 2006, http://
www.gao.gov/new.items/d06917.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additionally, we believe strongly in promoting Communities of
Interest (COI) among the Department's modal administrations, external
partners and relevant transportation stakeholders. COI allow agencies,
organizations, institutions and individuals to exchange information and
resources through multiple knowledge systems. COI offer an excellent
opportunity for organic peer review and collaboration, expanding the
pool of expertise readily available to enhance progress across priority
RD&T areas.
The Department's plan for achieving a safe, sustainable and more
efficient transportation system, Transportation Vision 2030, defined an
initial list of seven priority, multi-modal Communities of Interest
(COI) that have a significant impact on the future of energy efficiency
and sustainability:
Multi-modal policy and transportation systems
research;
Environmental stewardship and energy independence;
Physical infrastructure;
Surveillance infrastructure;
Human factors research and applications;
Materials; and
Intelligent Transportation Systems.
Modal RD&T Collaboration within the U.S. DOT
While each administration has unique, mission-related research
areas and topics it must pursue, the Communities of Interest model will
ensure that priority cross-cutting areas will be addressed through
collaborative processes, encouraging better knowledge sharing and
leveraging of RD&T dollars. Specifically, Communities of Interest in
Physical Infrastructure and Materials are driving cross-cutting
research and development activities in energy efficiency and
sustainability across U.S. DOT modal offices.
Intermodal research working groups and online forums are being
established on these topics to cultivate ongoing collaboration among
Departmental operating administrations, University Transportation
Centers (UTCs), and U.S. DOT Centers of Excellence. Communities of
Interest will help to ensure that related research is coordinated,
fostering technology transfer through more effective sharing of
outcomes and products.
Facilitating RD&T with External Partners
The U.S. DOT engages in cooperative research with stakeholders
across the transportation sector, including other federal agencies,
State and local governments, the academic community, industry, and not-
for-profit institutions. RITA has been working to build closer ties
between individual UTCs and U.S. DOT programs to ensure that UTC
research is targeted toward the critical transportation challenges as
mandated.
The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Commission
recommended that ``funding of RD&T . . . be subject to careful planning
and review by the transportation industry.'' \2\ The RD&T planning team
has reviewed the strategic research documents of key stakeholders and
will continue to work with them to ensure consistent and substantive
input into the research investment planning process. By providing
greater visibility and transparency into the U.S. DOT's research
programs, the U.S. DOT seeks to foster greater collaboration and
leveraging of resources with State and local governments, the
Transportation Research Board (TRB), and other relevant entities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Transportation for Tomorrow: Report of the National Surface
Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, p. 31, http://
www.transportationfortomorrow.org/final-report/
Challenges to the Broad Deployment of Effective Technologies
The Department's primary role in facilitating the broad deployment
of innovative technologies is to provide the necessary support to
demonstrate the viability of emerging technologies, and to establish
the regulatory framework, standards and architectures to safely and
effectively integrate new technologies into the transportation
infrastructure.
The Department does not do this in a vacuum--across all of the
modal administrations, U.S. DOT experts serve on over 300 technical
committees of 48 Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs), seeking to
ensure that new technologies and applications may be deployed to
enhance transportation safety, security and mobility. These standards
become the basis for DOT safety regulations and planning guidance. U.S.
DOT experts also serve on countless research panels and technical
exchange committees to enable implementation of significant
technological and operational innovations.
Many current construction and operational standards, and State
transportation agency contracting procedures do not adequately support
or incentivize greater use of innovative materials. Our friends at NIST
are currently reevaluating existing standards and best practices, and
developing standards for new materials, high-performance and adaptive
concrete technologies, to determine how standards and specifications
can be revised to reflect national priorities for the use of innovative
materials in construction and maintenance.
More difficult is encouraging the deployment of incremental
improvements in operational concepts, procedures and technology that do
not rise to the level of a standard. In many ways, these smaller steps,
often the result of U.S. DOT or State DOT research, are just as crucial
to improving safety and efficiency. However, due to their incremental
nature, sharing information on these advances across the many levels of
government, multiple systems operators, and the contractor and
consulting engineering community is difficult. This is where RITA's
development of Communities of Interest is vital in expanding our
processes for knowledge sharing, technology transfer and research
implementation. Under the COI model, every project is required to have
a mechanism for technology transfer and deployment by including State,
institutional and industry stakeholders in the planning process.
The multi-state, multi-agency, public-private makeup of America's
transportation infrastructure, its providers and users, requires strong
institutional arrangements and partnerships to ensure successful
cooperation when planning, evaluating or implementing research results.
State and local DOTs, transit agencies, port authorities, railroads,
trucking firms, carriers and shippers need to be aware of research
results, implementing contracting and internal operating practices that
encourage the use of new research and technology, as so much of the
implementation of transportation infrastructure research is conducted
at those levels of government, often through cooperation with the
private sector. We believe that Public-Private Partnerships offer a
practical, effective vehicle for overcoming many of these barriers.
Conclusion
RITA has made great strides in our young life towards coordinating
DOT transportation research priorities, and we are working towards a
national transportation research strategy and strategic plan.
Innovative materials and Intelligent Transportation Systems will be two
of the key priority areas we will address as we continue to advance in
this direction.
Examples of Current U.S. DOT and UTC Research and Development
Activities with Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Applications
U.S. DOT Activities
Development Of Portland Cement Concrete Pavement (PCCP) Mixtures
Containing High Fly Ash Contents
FHWA/Office of Infrastructure R&D, Pavement Materials & Construction
Team
Verify, integrate, and refine software, guidance and test
procedures to facilitate the use of high fly ash content concrete
mixtures for highway paving. The products of this research will
contribute to both greater use of fly ash in highway paving
applications and improved performance of the pavement.
Greatly Increased Use of Fly Ash in Hydraulic Cement Concrete (HCC) for
Pavement Layers and Transportation Structures
FHWA/Office of Infrastructure R&D, Pavement Materials & Construction
Team and Contractor(s) to be Identified (Solicitation in Process)
To more than double the use of fly ash in HCC and halve the use of
Portland cement. The high payoffs are decreases in energy content of
the cementitious phase, amount of CO2 given off, and amount
of fly ash land-filled--also elimination of the need for more cement
production and imports and the productive use of an otherwise wasted
material. Once technology is in place, initial costs may be lowered in
those areas where fly ash haul distances are less than Portland cement
and due to energy and disposal savings. Extended service life is also a
realistic objective due to the recognized quality of fly ash in making
concrete better--with less permeability, porosity, and microcracking,
and the potential capability to heal due to extended hydration
reactions.
Recycled Materials Resource Center
University of New Hampshire
Expand the extent of use of industrial byproduct materials in
highway construction through training, technology transfer, and
research to support agency use of recycled materials.
Warm Mix Asphalt
FHWA/Office of Pavement Technology with support from the Office of
Infrastructure R&D
Efforts to implement high priority findings from the international
scan completed last year and field demonstration projects to better
understand the use and benefits of the technology. Warm mix asphalt
technology will allow for increased levels of recycled asphalt
materials in the production of hot mix asphalt.
Use of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement
FHWA/Office of Pavement Technology
Advancement of increased usage of recycled asphalt (RAP) in asphalt
mix design. These efforts are focusing on support efforts with states
to use much higher levels of RAP (> 25 percent) in hot mix asphalt
applications. FHWA has helped in sponsoring workshops with industry, we
have formed an Expert Task Group that has worked hard to conduct
demonstration/pilot projects, and we have conducted on site support of
high RAP mixes through the use of our mobile lab.
In-Place Pavement Recycling
FHWA/Office of Pavement Technology with support from the Resource
Center
FHWA recently supported a workshop in Utah on in-place pavement
recycling and we are working with industry and State representatives to
update training and design references on the use of this technology.
Use of Industrial Byproducts
FHWA/Office of Infrastructure R&D with Recycled Materials Resource
Center (Designated Program)
FHWA in partnership with EPA recently helped support a workshop in
Denver on the use of industrial byproducts as a material resource to
design and produce pavements.
Green Highways Partnership
FHWA/Office of Pavement Technology
FHWA has continued to support the Mid-Atlantic Green Highway
Partnership which includes the use of Recycled/Re-Use Materials as a
major theme within the partnership. This partnership has encouraged the
delivery of pilot projects using recycled materials on a few highway
projects in the Mid-Atlantic area.
UTC Activities
University Transportation Centers across the Nation engage in a
wide variety of research projects. Here is a sampling from some of
these centers.
Fibers from Recycled Tires as Reinforcement in Hot Mix Asphalt
Texas Transportation Institute (Texas A&M University)
High-quality long-lasting hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavements are
essential to the sustainability of the U.S. economy. Previous research
and construction projects have demonstrated that virgin synthetic
fibers can provide excellent reinforcing aids in asphalt paving
mixtures. Fibers from scrap tires offer an excellent low-cost
alternative supplement to virgin fibers. As no good use has been found
for these byproduct fibers from the tire grinding process, they are
currently being disposed of in landfills or, in some cases,
incinerated.
The proposed researchers have successfully incorporated virgin
synthetic fibers into HMA and demonstrated the benefits in the
laboratory and even in the field, on a limited basis. Virgin fibers can
improve the resistance of HMA to cracking and rutting. This promising
work needs to be continued to determine the value of using fibers from
the tire recycling process in HMA. Equipment is available to
incorporate fibers into HMA.
A laboratory study will be developed and implemented to examine the
utility of byproduct tire fibers in HMA for paving purposes.
Researchers will incorporate the waste fibers into HMA, prepare and
test HMA specimens in the laboratory, evaluate the benefits of fibers
in different types of HMA. If tire fibers appear beneficial in HMA, the
researchers will recommend modifications to materials specifications
and field construction guidelines that can be used by State departments
of transportation and other highway specifying agencies. This project
may lead to additional research for TTI if the use of byproduct tire
fibers in HMA appears promising.
Use of Recycled Materials in Bicycle and Pedestrian Trails
Texas Transportation Institute (Texas A&M University)
The proposed research will investigate the feasibility and benefits
of paving bicycle/pedestrian trails with recycled material. The
proposed study will also perform field tests of paving bicycle/
pedestrian trails with recycled material. A preferred mix of recycled
materials will be used in a test section of an off-road bicycle trail
and then evaluated by the researchers and trail users.
The proposed research would include site-identification, planning
and coordination of a field experiment. Minimal lab testing would be
required to establish and characterize the mix design for the materials
chosen for evaluation. Field test sections will be evaluated for
bicyclist/pedestrian satisfaction, constructability, cost, performance,
environmental impact, and aesthetics.
The increased use of byproducts in construction applications will
provide numerous environmental and economic benefits. Positive
environmental effects include reduced sold waste and reduced use of
natural resources. Positive economic benefits should include (a)
reduced construction costs; (b) creation of alternate materials for
non-existent, poor, or depleting aggregate resources; (c) savings in
energy prices versus disposal; (d) creation of new jobs through new
manufacturing and marketing opportunities; and (e) extension of
creative rationale to other byproducts.
Implementation of a System for Evaluating Waste/Recycled Materials in
Transportation Projects
Texas Transportation Institute (Texas A&M University)
Enormous quantities of waste materials are generated every year in
Texas and recycling these waste materials is necessary to preserve the
country's natural resources. A waste and recycled material evaluation
system has already been developed which takes into account technical,
economic, societal, and environmental aspects of waste and recycled
material utilization in roadbase.
Under this research project, the evaluation system will be field
tested and implemented in various administrative levels including one
or two TxDOT districts and one or two city of county projects. This
will help reduce the volume of waste and recycled materials going into
landfills by permitting reuse in transportation projects. The
implementation will also help reduce the energy required to produce
virgin aggregate involved in more than 110 million tons of recycled
aggregate base for AC and PCC pavements in addition to several other
environment related benefits.
RFID Applications in Transportation Operation and Intelligent
Transportation Systems (ITS)
Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (Portland State
University)
It is anticipated that great applications of Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) technologies in transportation operations are
foreseen in next few years. The lower cost producing and the long-
lasting energy supply enables RFID technology with potential
applications in many areas including transportation and logistics.
Under the RFID equipped vehicle and highway system, almost all
components (vehicles, highways, traffic signals, signs, symbols,
pavement markers, etc.) can be provided with the long-lasting and cheap
RFID tags or labels. RFID system typically includes an RFID device
containing data, an antenna transmitting signals, a Radio Frequency
(RF) transceiver generating signals, and a reader receiving RF
transmissions. This research is intended to investigate the potential
RFID applications in transportation operations through literature
review and survey; and identify the possibility of incorporating RFID
into the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS).
Evaluation of Traffic Simulation Models for Supporting ITS Development
Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (Portland State
University)
The deployment of various ITS facilities will likely change the
functions and structures of the existing urban transportation network
components. The continuing expansion of ITS user service definitions is
adding more and more travel and traffic control elements to the already
complex network configurations. The dynamic interactions between the
traffic control and management components and the traffic flows are
becoming more complicated than ever before. In this context, the use of
a traffic simulation model is becoming the most cost-effective way to
analyze the complicated ITS networks. Many traffic simulation models
are available for analyzing operations and management. While each type
of traffic simulation model seems to have its own merit and
shortcomings, there is a need to comprehensively evaluate and document
all of the existing models and identify those models that are most
suitable for application to different ITS network and development
scenarios.
Biography for Paul R. Brubaker
Paul Brubaker was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve as
Administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Research
and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) on June 18, 2007. He
was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 3, 2007, and was sworn into
office on August 8, 2007.
As RITA Administrator, Mr. Brubaker leads the agency responsible
for coordinating and reviewing DOT's roughly $1 billion investment in
research, development and technology, and is charged with advancing
technologies that will improve the Nation's transportation system. RITA
oversees the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Volpe Center,
Intelligent Transportation Systems program, Transportation Safety
Institute, and numerous cross-modal research initiatives.
Mr. Brubaker previously served as CEO of Procentrix, a firm that
helps organizations plan, manage and achieve measurable performance
improvement through the effective use of process and technology. His
diverse background and expertise positioned him with the ability to
empower public sector transformation and drive new models for
government efficiency. Prior to this role, Mr. Brubaker served as
Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of SI
International, one of the Nation's fastest growing government
contractors.
Mr. Brubaker previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary and
Deputy Chief Information Officer at the U.S. Department of Defense
(DOD) where he was the Department's second highest-ranking technology
official and supervised DOD's $50 billion annual Information Technology
expenditure. He drove the transformation of many of DOD's business and
war-fighting processes including personnel, logistics, finance and
command and control, and supervised the Department's electronic
business activity including implementation of paperless contracting
initiatives, travel process management and electronic mail. He was
awarded the Distinguished Public Service Medal (with bronze palm) for
his efforts on behalf of the Department.
Before serving at DOD, Mr. Brubaker held various executive
positions within the public and private sectors, including Vice
President of Strategic Programs for Litton PRC, Vice President of
Business Development for Federal Data Corporation, and in senior
positions within the U.S. Senate and General Accounting Office. While
serving as Republican Staff Director of the Senate Subcommittee on
Oversight of Government Management, Mr. Brubaker was the principal
staff architect of the Clinger Cohen Act while working for then-Senator
William S. Cohen (R-Maine).
He has also won numerous awards including the Association for
Information Resource Management's (AFFIRM) Government Executive
Leadership Award in 2000. He was named to Federal Computer Week's
Federal 100 in 1996 and 2002, and was appointed to the board of the
Virginia Innovative Technology Authority in 1998 where he served as
chairman from 2001 to 2003. He recently ended terms as Chairman of the
Technical Committee of the Armed Force Communications and Electronics
Association (AFCEA) and President of its D.C. Chapter.
Mr. Brubaker holds a B.A. from Youngstown State University and a
M.P.A. from Kent State University, and is very active with the
Churchill Centre. He lives with his family in Oakton, Virginia.
Mr. Wilson. [Presiding] Thank you. Are there any questions?
Pardon me. I recognize Mr. Iwasaki.
STATEMENT OF MR. RANDELL H. IWASAKI, CHIEF DEPUTY DIRECTOR,
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Mr. Iwasaki. I think I need more than five minutes, though.
Would that be okay? All right. Thank you.
Good morning, Members of the Subcommittee. My name is Randy
Iwasaki and I am the Chief Deputy Director at the California
Department of Transportation and I am just going to get right
into it.
Government works the best when we have definite clear-cut
goals. In California, we have AB-32, the California Global
Warning Solutions Act of 2006, and then Governor Schwarzenegger
signed an executive order which established climate change
emission reduction targets for the state. We have to go back to
1990 levels by 2020. So we have goals.
Proposition 1B generated $19.925 billion for congestion
relief in California. We have to take congestion levels down,
delay levels down to below today's level by 2016. So we have
goals not only on our climate change, on carbon reduction but
also on congestion.
So I want to get right into it. Some of the innovative
materials that we are looking at--and by the way, our budget is
about $14 billion at Caltrans. Less than 20 percent of that is
federal. So we are a state that helps ourselves. In the area of
materials, I am the technical coordinating committee chair of
the Strategic Highway Research Program, SHRP 2, we call it, and
I am in the renewal section. We are looking at getting in,
getting out and staying out, basically rapid rehabilitation,
minimize disruption and create longer-life facilities. In the
area of materials--and by the way, what Congress can do is, it
was set up at $450 million. It was cut to $150 million, and
besides renewal, there is congestion--or there is capacity,
reliability and safety as well, research in that area. When we
talk about materials, we are looking at longer lasting. We are
looking at recycling. We are actually doing recycling projects
in California. Rubberized asphalt concrete, Administrator
Brubaker talked about that. Thirty percent of our program,
asphalt concrete rehabilitation, is done with asphalt rubber.
We are looking at warm asphalt. You don't have to heat it as
high so therefore you don't burn as much fuel.
And we recently received an EPA award for environmentally
friendly concrete and cement, and you wonder what is that.
Well, on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in the
foundations, we poured concrete that had 50 percent fly ash in
it. So in California, probably anywhere else, when you
manufacture cement, one pound of cement equals one pound of
CO2. It is a little bit less but for practical
purposes it is one for one. And so two percent of our
greenhouse gas emissions are cement manufacturing and so we are
trying to reduce the amount of cement but still get the same
strength and durability because the last thing you want is your
facility to wear out faster and have to redo it sooner because
you are just going to spend money there. The last thing in the
area of materials is, we need to get in, get out, we need to do
it rapidly. Get the facility in the hands of the traveling
public sooner so we are doing it very, very quickly.
We are looking at fuels. We are the first State agency, the
major buyer of low-sulfur diesel in California five or six
years ago. People wonder why are you buying that expensive
fuel. Well, today they know because all fuel sold in California
that is diesel is low sulfur and so we started that program.
Hydrogen--we are going to build a hydrogen fueling facility in
our Shop 7 in Los Angeles, the equipment shop. E85--we are
building facilities throughout California. How you can help us
is, we need one standard specification for the hardware that
doesn't fluctuate and we get into conflict with the fire
marshal.
In the area of technology, there is so much technology out
there that is hard to explain but the problem is integrating it
into the transportation system. So I will talk about LED
lights. It is a simple technology. We started working on that
15 years ago because our controller box would kick out because
of the heat. Today many, many states use LEDs. It is a lower
draw. It is an energy saving. It is sustainable. We are proud
to say that we are the recipient, the only recipient so far of
the Safe Trip 21 effort. It is along the lines of VII, Vehicle
Infrastructure Integration program, where cars talk to cars,
cars talk to the infrastructure. One of these days, those cars
are going to refuse to crash, refuse to run off the road, but
in order to expedite that program, we applied for a Safe Trip
21 grant and that is where the communication technology is not
imbedded in the car but it is actually in consumer mobile
devices. You know them as cell phones. And so we are going to
take 10,000 cell phones and run through the Bay area and we are
going to get arterial information, probe information so that
you can take your trip faster, not shortest distance but
quickest time. What does that mean? You are in your car less,
you burn less fuel. We think that has a lot of potential.
Travel information--we are beefing up our 511 systems. We want
people to have up-to-date information to make mode choices, put
people in other modes of transportation. And lastly on the
technology, we just opened a system-wide adaptive ramp metering
where we have 35-mile-an-hour mainline flows and we adjust each
meter along the 210 in Los Angeles to maximize throughput and
then we are looking at electronic tolling.
You wonder how does California do it. We opened up right-
of-way for deployment. When the ITS World Congress came to San
Francisco in 2005, we did a call for submissions with the
private sector. It is like a three-legged stool for deployment
of technologies: academia, government and the private sector.
We don't build anything in State government, but when the ITS
World Congress came to Sacramento, we opened up our right-of-
way. We have some great, great partnerships there and it
morphed into the ultra-successful innovative mobility showcase
where you could touch ITS. We have two test beds for mobility,
one on Interstate 80 near Berkeley, the other one on the I-405
near UC-Irvine. We fully fund our UTCs. We have five in the
state. We partner with the Transportation Research Board,
AASHTO, ITS America, U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal
Highway Administration and others. We have joint research
programs with other nations. We do mobility research for the
last 20 years with France. We do material research with
Denmark. We do seismic research with Taiwan and Japan.
States should probably play in the deployment of technology
because we need the overarching standards. We don't want the
widget or the product not to work when you cross State lines or
county lines. We have to have inter-operability. Some of the
impediments are on the federal side when it is a federally
over-sighted project. If we have a new mix design, it takes
time to get those approvals. At the end of the day, the states
are responsible for our rehabilitation projects, so if
something happens, they don't come back to the Federal Highway
Administration. They come back to the states. The non-
competitive bid--we have patent laws in the United States that
allow the private sector to develop new widgets, new
technology, but when you try to deploy them on a project, you
have to go through a PIF process, that's a public interest
forum. It takes time. And so we are trained not go through the
PIF process, but how do you get innovation if you don't go
through the PIF process.
I think since I am red now, and I have so much to say, demo
projects, you know, back in 1970, then-Governor Ron Reagan
flipped a switch on the first transportation management center
in Los Angeles. Today transportation management centers are
spread throughout the United States. We need deployment. We
need demo projects. AASHTO sponsors a number of scans that go
throughout the Nation as well as internationally to look at
technology and how they deploy those technologies so we don't
have to reinvent the wheel. We use our strategic plan at
Caltrans to help guide our research program.
The last thing I would say is, we need people to maintain,
operate, design and build these systems. That is where the UTCs
come into play. They teach the next generation of leaders. We
need to get people in trades. So thank you very much for your
time.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Iwasaki follows:]
Prepared Statement of Randell H. Iwasaki
Mr. Chairman, Members of the Subcommittee:
My name is Randell Iwasaki. I am the Chief Deputy Director of the
California Department of Transportation, also known as Caltrans. I
would like to thank you for the invitation to testify before you today.
As Chief Deputy Director of Caltrans, I am responsible for a budget
of 14 billion dollars, an organization of more than 23,000 employees,
and a transportation system that includes 52,000 lane-miles of State
highways, two of the five largest transit systems in the Nation, three
Amtrak routes, and the two busiest ports in the United States.
I serve as the Chair of the Intelligent Transportation Society of
America's Board of Directors. I am also a member of the Intelligent
Transportation Systems (ITS) Advisory Committee, which is providing
executive-level advice and guidance for U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT) Secretary Mary Peters' Five-Year ITS Program Plan.
As you know, all State departments of transportation belong to the
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, or
AASHTO. I have been a member of the AASHTO Standing Committee on
Research since 1999. This committee represents the Association's
interests in all research activities for all transportation modes. The
Committee makes reports and recommendations on the $35 million National
Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) and other activities to
the AASHTO Board of Directors. I am also a founding member of the
AASHTO Technology Implementation Group (TIG) that provides leadership
for promoting and supporting rapid implementation of selected
technologies.
With regard to the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Strategic
Highway Research Program (SHRP 2), I am Chair of the Technical
Coordinating Committee for Renewal.
I was recently a member of the Committee on Climate Change and U.S.
Transportation for TRB's Special Report 290: Potential Impacts of
Climate Change on U.S. Transportation.
California is growing rapidly, and by 2020, its population is
expected to increase from 37 million to 44 million people; about one
out of every eight Americans now lives in California. We have more
registered vehicles (24 million) than we have licensed drivers (22
million), so vehicle travel is an important part of our culture, and by
2020, annual vehicle miles traveled will increase by 38 percent to 475
billion miles. Trade volumes through our ports will also more than
double by 2020. Responding to this growth is a high priority for the
state. Our objectives are to protect the existing investment, fuel the
economy, enhance the quality of life for our citizens, and protect our
environment. Achieving these objectives will require a substantial
effort.
The need for the benefits that we receive from new materials and
technologies could not be more apparent anywhere than it is here in
California. Each year, our state suffers a societal cost of more than
$46 billion in terms of car crashes and traffic congestion. Car crashes
annually cause more than 4,000 deaths, 300,000 serious injuries, and
the associated level of property damage. Traffic congestion leads to a
loss of economic productivity, wasted fuel, and disrupted goods
movement, the cost of which continues to rise. We sincerely believe
that new materials and technologies will help us significantly improve
safety and reduce traffic congestion, and we are committed to
investigating the benefits of implementing them.
On June 1, 2005, Governor Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order
(EO) S-3-05, which established climate change emission reduction
targets for the State. The Climate Action Team (CAT) was created to
coordinate the statewide effort. Assembly Bill (AB) 32: California
Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 further established the first-in-
the-world comprehensive program of regulatory and market mechanisms to
achieve quantifiable and cost-effective reductions of greenhouse gases
(GHG), and required the reduction of GHG emissions to 1990 levels by
2020. Caltrans is a member of the CAT, and we are committed to working
with the California Air Resources Board to implement transportation
strategies that will help reduce GHG emissions. The Caltrans' Climate
Action Program was developed to promote clean and energy efficient
transportation and provide guidance for incorporating innovative
solutions into its business operations. Furthermore, Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger's Strategic Growth Plan, a ten-year mobility investment
program, targets a significant decrease in traffic congestion below
today's level by 2016. Therefore, Caltrans' approach to lowering fuel
consumption and GHG from transportation is to:
1) Reduce congestion and improve efficiency of transportation
systems through smart land use, operational improvements, and
Intelligent Transportation Systems. These are objectives of the
State Strategic Growth Plan; and
2) Institutionalize energy efficiency and GHG emission
reduction measures and technology into planning, project
development, operations, and maintenance of transportation
facilities, fleets, buildings, and equipment.
Innovation is one of the four core values that guide and shape the
department, and staff is empowered to seek creative solutions and take
intelligent risks. Caltrans has the largest and most vigorous research
division of a State DOT in the Nation. We have ongoing studies that
address the potential impacts of climate change and State legislation
that mandates the consideration of environmental impacts in State
decision-making and project development. We use innovative technologies
for traffic management systems. We also have programs to develop
alternative fuels, green pavement, fleet vehicle greening, smart
parking, and many other projects that help to improve mobility and
sustain a high quality of life in California.
Questions:
1) What innovative materials and technologies are currently available
to State and local transportation departments, and how do you decide
which materials and technologies to use in California? Who are your
resources for information on technical capabilities and engineering and
design, and how would you rate their technology transfer efforts? How
are new materials and technologies integrated into existing
transportation networks, especially across multiple regions and
jurisdictions?
Caltrans encourages the use of innovative solutions. We have
instituted a Green Highway Program to guide us in using environmentally
friendly and recycled products and technologies. Caltrans'
environmentally friendly business practices include using innovative
materials, waste tires, pavement recycling, office waste recycling, and
many other applications. Here are a few highlights from this program:
Cold Foam Recycle--Caltrans' Interstate 80 Cold Foam
Recycle Project won an award from Green Technology, a nonprofit
organization that works with federal and State officials on
environmental solutions. The project was the first in
California and the United States to recycle in-place materials
on a high-speed, high-traffic volume roadway (Traffic counts
range from 30,000 to 60,000 vehicles/day).
The innovative aspect of the project was three-fold: First,
the recycling methodology used 100 percent of the existing in-
place asphalt concrete on a high-volume, high-speed interstate.
This was done in a single pass, allowing for the free flow of
traffic through the construction zone. This method reduced
construction zone congestion and idling motors at traffic
standstills, therefore lowering non-construction vehicle
emissions. Second, trucks were not needed to haul away the
existing milled asphalt concrete or bring in new replacement
hot mix asphalt. Third, the modern computer-driven all-in-one
recycler eliminated the need for the following three high-
horsepower diesel engines: paver, pickup machine and breakdown
roller. This saved additional fuel and further reduced the
emissions as compared to conventional construction methodology.
The Cold Foam technology has been used successfully in over 10
projects statewide, and more projects are anticipated in 2008/
2009.
Waste Tires--Caltrans has established a variety of
uses for waste tire products. They include rubberized asphalt
concrete as a pavement alternative and shredded waste tires,
which are used as lightweight fill for embankments.
Environmentally Friendly Cement--Carbon dioxide (CO2)
is a major byproduct in the production of cement (0.86 ton of
CO2 per ton of cement in California, where cement
plants are among the most efficient in the world). California's
production of cement accounts for two percent (two percent) of
the state's total CO2 emission. Caltrans, the Air
Resources Board, the California Environmental Protection
Agency, and our concrete industry are international leaders in
efforts to reduce GHG from cement production and concrete
cement usage. Our goal is to stretch the amount of cement used
in concrete and to reduce the energy necessary for production.
We are focused on concrete that meets our materials quality
requirements as we strive to meet the goals of State statue AB
32 (similar to the Kyoto Treaty).
Specifically, Caltrans and our industry have been looking
into ways to reduce the amount of carbon in concrete mixes by
using more supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) and by
limiting the amount of cement in concrete mixes. For example,
we are reducing the amount of cement in the mix by allowing up
to five percent (limestone and 25 percent fly ash. The percent
of fly ash may be increased to 50 percent. Last year Caltrans
won an award from the EPA for building the new San Francisco
Oakland Bay Bridge with concrete that had 50 percent of the
cement replaced with SCM. We are investigating using different
fuels to produce cement so there are less GHG emissions.
Caltrans is also studying the adoption of a GHG emission
standard to assure that cement imported to California has at
most the same cement intensity (so that it is as GHG friendly)
as cement produced in California. To accomplish this objective,
we are looking into the amount of GHG from shipping material by
different modes of transportation including ship, train and
truck.
Caltrans Vehicle Fleet Greening Program--This program
began as a five-year plan in August 2000 to reduce emissions
from the Caltrans fleet, ahead of future regulations, and set
an example for the use of emerging, clean air technologies.
Today, Caltrans continues to promote an efficient fleet mix and
use of efficient, low emission vehicles to reduce our use of
petroleum, and our emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse
gases. Through a combination of regulatory compliance, State
purchasing policies, and innovative demonstrations, we have
implemented hybrid passenger vehicles; solar-powered equipment;
propane-fueled vehicles; low dust street sweepers, diesel
particulate filters on heavy-duty, diesel-powered vehicles;
hydrogen demonstration vehicles; and an E-85 fuel ethanol
demonstration project. We are also pioneers in the use of low-
sulfur diesel and bio-diesel in our vehicle fleet.
California Hydrogen Highway Network (CaH2Net)--
Created as part of Executive Order S-7-04 issued by Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the mission of the program is to assure
that infrastructure is in place to enable fuel cells and other
hydrogen vehicle technologies to be used by consumers as they
reach commercial readiness. Working in partnership with other
components of California's environmental and energy programs,
the CaH2Net can help achieve more stable and sustainable energy
usage, and increase the number of zero emission vehicles (ZEVs)
on California's roads. We are also currently installing a
hydrogen fuelling facility in one of our equipment shops in the
Los Angeles area.
Long-life Pavement Rehabilitation Strategies
(LLPRS)--The goal is to rebuild high volume urban freeways with
pavements that are designed to last more than thirty years with
minimal maintenance. The program will reduce the need for
future repair projects and ultimately save public resources and
help preserve the environment for future generations of road
users. LLPRS candidate projects were selected from among
highways that experience minimum volume demands of 150,000
Average Daily Traffic or 15,000 Average Daily Truck Traffic,
and that have poor structural pavement condition and ride
quality. Most LLPRS candidate sections are Portland cement
concrete pavements on interstate freeways in urban networks, 80
percent of which are within the Los Angeles Basin, and 15
percent of which are in the San Francisco Bay Area. Pilot
projects include the I-10 concrete rehabilitation in Pomona, I-
710 asphalt concrete rehabilitation in Long Beach, and I-15
concrete rehabilitation in Devore.
Rapid Rehab: Construction Analysis for Pavement
Rehabilitation Strategies (CA4PRS)--By reducing highway
construction time and its impact on traffic, CA4PRS is a
schedule and traffic analysis tool that helps designers select
effective, economical rehabilitation strategies. The software's
scheduling module estimates highway project duration,
incorporating alternative strategies for pavement designs,
lane-closure tactics, and contractor logistics. On the I-15
Devore reconstruction project, CA4PRS software justified
implementing the one-roadbed continuous (24/7) closure
scenario, which saved $6 million in construction costs and $2
million in road user delay costs. The project was completed in
18 days by closing down one direction of traffic and
reconstructing the freeway. This project would normally have
taken 10 months to complete with nighttime closures. CA4PRS is
funded through a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) pooled-
fund, multi-state consortium (California, Minnesota, Texas, and
Washington), CA4PRS was developed by the University of
California Pavement Research Center through the UC-Berkeley
Institute of Transportation Studies. FHWA formally endorsed
CA4PRS as a ``Priority, Market-Ready Technologies and
Innovations'' product in 2008 for nationwide deployment. Over
700 people have been trained on the use of this software
product.
Caltrans Stormwater Management Program--The program
received a Green Technology Leadership Award in the
transportation category for its pioneering integrated approach
to incorporate protection and treatment of stormwater. The
approach starts with project planning, design and construction,
and includes ongoing efforts in operations and roadside
maintenance. Through the corporate business cycle, practices
are continually being evaluated and improved.
Our resources for information on technical capabilities and
engineering come from many areas, including academia, Federal, State
and local governments, private industry, and from other nations.
Caltrans has established excellent working partnerships with our
research community. Here are some of the partners we work closely with:
Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction
Technology (AHMCT), University of California, Davis,
California Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways
(PATH), University of California, Berkeley,
California Center for Innovative Transportation
(CCIT)--As part of the Institute of Transportation Studies at
UC-Berkeley, (Its focus is technology transfer efforts),
Partnered Pavement Research Center--UC-Berkeley and
UC-Davis,
Western Transportation Institute (WTI), Montana State
University-Bozeman (MSU),
University Transportation Centers:
The University of California Transportation Center
(UCTC) at UC-Berkeley,
The Mineta Transportation Institute at California
State University, San Jose,
The METRANS University Transportation Center at the
University of Southern California,
The Sustainable Transportation Center at the
University of California, Davis,
The Leonard University Transportation Center at
California State University, San Bernardino,
U.S. Department of Transportation, including the
FHWA, the Federal Transit, Administration (FTA), and the
Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA),
Transportation Research Board (TRB),
American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and
International Partners:
France--Mobility Research,
Denmark--Pavement Research,
Japan/Taiwan--Seismic Research,
Holland--Sustainable Transportation Research,
Caltrans is committed to the research and timely deployment of new
and innovative materials and technologies, which includes the
development of policies that promote sustainability and reduce energy
consumption and impacts to the environment. At the same time, there are
industry standards that we must follow to be in compliance with federal
and State regulations for types of materials used, construction
standards, and the like. These policies support our commitment to
safety and reliability of the State transportation system. For example,
in our pavement unit, a Pavement Standards Team (PST) evaluates
pavement design, construction, and maintenance practices and procedures
and, as appropriate, develops standard special provisions in a
collaborative manner within Caltrans and with FHWA and industry
associations. Many times, when changes are deemed necessary or when
innovative changes need to be evaluated, pilot programs are initiated.
Pilot programs typically require the construction of pilot projects to
evaluate the proposed changes; especially, if the change involves an
improved maintenance or construction practice, validating enhancements
to pavement performance and/or life; and changes in material properties
or sampling and testing. Pilot programs and pilot projects require
prior approval from PST before they are initiated.
2) What are the biggest impediments to the use of new infrastructure-
related materials and technologies? How can the Federal Government,
academia, and industry contribute to overcoming these barriers? What
role do technology demonstration projects play, and has California
undertaken any specific demonstration projects? How are the results of
these demonstrations disseminated?
Based on our extensive experience with transportation innovation,
here are some of the primary impediments to the use of new
infrastructure-related materials and technologies:
Insufficient resources for implementation,
Resistance to change at multiple levels within the
implementing agency,
Restrictive legal requirements, such as ownership and
use of intellectual property, and indemnification,
Difficulty in operating and maintaining cutting-edge
technologies (lack of workforce with the necessary job skills),
Procurement challenges due to non-competitive bid
(sole source) situations with technologies that are only
available from one source,
Lack of executive-level sponsorship within the
implementing agency,
Challenges with getting federal approval to use new
materials and technologies when they have not been educated on
them (``Public Interest Finding'' process),
Lack of performance requirements and guidelines for
implementing the new idea,
Risk-averse cultures within the implementing agency,
and
Lack of clear performance measures that determine
success.
Here are some of the ways to overcome these barriers to the use of
new infrastructure-related materials and technologies:
Develop products that meet the user's needs,
Strengthen management commitment to using the
product,
Provide funding to enable State DOTs to meet with
cutting-edge technology leaders to share experiences and to
learn from them,
Develop products with user participation,
Provide sufficient resources to fund complete
development of the product, and
Use pilot projects to demonstrate the benefits of the
product.
The Federal Government can help by providing national leadership,
serving as a repository for information on best practices, and
providing the higher level of resources that are needed for taking a
product from research to deployment. Academia is our primary partner
for performing research on new infrastructure-related materials and
technologies. We then work with the private sector to commercialize
these products so they Caltrans and others can use them.
Technology demonstration projects play a key role in addressing the
impediments to the use of new infrastructure-related materials and
technologies. For example, they enable an implementing agency to deploy
a new product on a limited scale to measure and evaluate its benefits.
If the results of the evaluation are promising, it becomes much easier
for the agency to overcome institutional resistance to change, to gain
executive-level support, and to address a risk-averse culture. Another
key aspect in the success of a technology demonstration project is to
include the end-user of the product in its development and execution.
When users play an active role in the project, they can become a
champion for it among their peers, making it easier to overcome
resistance to change.
As a leader in the field of transportation innovation, Caltrans has
participated in many technology demonstration projects. Here are a few
of the notable examples:
Vehicle-Infrastructure Integration (VII)--Caltrans is
working with ten other State DOTs, members of the auto
industry, and the U.S. DOT in a cooperative effort whose
outcome will be a new approach to transportation, whereby auto
manufacturers and transportation agencies would build systems
that communicate wirelessly with one another to:
1. Enable the implementation of cooperative safety
features that prevent vehicle crashes,
2. Provide unprecedented levels of reliable traveler
information, and
3. Give transportation managers full knowledge of the
real-time operating conditions on the Nation's roadway
network.
SAFE TRIP-21--Caltrans is working with the U.S. DOT
on a program closely related to VII. Instead of emphasizing
communications equipment that is deeply embedded within a car,
it explores the use of consumer mobile devices, such as cell
phones that drivers typically carry with them when they travel,
as the communications medium for collecting traffic data from
cars and sending traveler information to drivers. Our project
is a successful public-private partnership that includes
several industry giants, such as Nokia, NAVTEQ, and Nissan.
Cooperative Intersection Collision Avoidance
Systems--This project is also closely related to VII. It uses
the wireless communications technology developed under VII to
enable an application that warns distracted or inattentive
drivers before they run a red light, thereby avoiding many of
the serious crashes that occur at intersections.
On-board Driver Monitoring System--Caltrans is
working with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on
this project to develop equipment that monitors the performance
of commercial truck drivers and warns them of unsafe driver
behavior. It can also detect the onset of drowsiness and advise
the driver to take a break.
Travel Times on Changeable Message Signs (CMS)--This
project provides information on current traffic conditions to
drivers while they are commuting. Trip time is the most
practical information that commuters can use to assess traffic
and adjust their routes. The CMS displays information about
downstream corridor delays, traffic incidents, and estimated
travel times. Displaying accurate travel times on CMS helps
commuters assess traffic, alleviates driver stress, and allows
drivers to make better route decisions. Knowing the driving
times to popular destinations, travelers may choose a less-
congested route or a different form of transportation.
Integrated Corridor Management--Caltrans is working
with the FHWA and two regional transportation agencies (San
Francisco and San Diego) on ways to integrate both operations
and traveler information for different roads (arterials and
highways) and different modes (cars, commercial trucks, buses,
and commuter rail) along strategic transportation corridors.
When implemented, travelers can make more efficient decisions
on mode and route choice, saving them time and money.
System-Wide Adaptive Ramp Metering (SWARM)--Along
Interstate 210 in the Los Angeles Region, Caltrans has
implemented a ramp metering algorithm that substantially
reduces the amount of traffic congestion along the corridor.
Based on the success of this demonstration, the SWARM algorithm
will be implemented along several other strategic corridors in
the near future.
Caltrans Automated Warning System (CAWS)--This
technology has been deployed in the Central Valley of
California to detect and automatically inform drivers of foggy
and other reduced visibility conditions. It is now being
expanded to other regions that are prone to foggy conditions.
Electronic Toll Collection (ETC)--The California
State Legislature passed a law requiring standardization of the
technologies for electronic toll collection, and Caltrans and
its regional partners have implemented this technology on toll
bridges and toll roads throughout California. ETC enables tolls
to be collected without requiring the driver to wait in line to
pay a toll collector, reducing the exhaust emissions created by
idling vehicles.
Traffic Signal Synchronization--Caltrans is working
with the City of Los Angeles' Department of Transportation to
coordinate and synchronize traffic signals on city streets with
those on adjacent State highway routes. This effort will result
in a substantial reduction in traffic delay for users of both
roadways.
Light Emitting Diode (LED) Traffic Signals--Caltrans
was one of the first public agencies to adopt LED technology
for traffic signal lights, instead of the traditional
incandescent light fixtures. This change results in a
considerable reduction in electric power usage, in addition to
the longer life of LED technology and their ability to operate
with battery-backup during power outages.
Bus Forward Collision Warning Systems--Caltrans
worked with the San Mateo Transit District to develop and
implement a system to warn bus drivers of possible dangers
ahead in time for them to avoid a crash. This technology is now
available to all transit operators as an option when they
purchase a new transit bus.
Bus Rapid Transit--This project developed methods for
operating buses on priority right-of-way to make bus transit
perform like rubber-tired light-rail systems, but with the
flexibility to operate on existing roadways. Some of the
technologies used include bus precision docking, automated
lane-guidance, and adaptive transit signal priority.
Efficient Deployment of Advanced Public
Transportation Systems (EDAPTS)--Caltrans worked with a small
rural transit district in San Luis Obispo to develop
technologies that reduce life cycle costs, promote easy system
expansion, and contain adjustable levels of complexity and
function. EDAPTS uses a modular approach characterized by
common connections, standard communications interfaces, and
off-the-shelf hardware coupled with open-source software.
EDAPTS will be shared with other similar transit agencies to
improve their operations.
Shakecast--After an earthquake, this software
decision support tool uses Google Earth maps and data available
from multiple sources to estimate and prioritize the likelihood
of damage to transportation infrastructure in the vicinity of
the earthquake. The tool enables Caltrans to send its
inspection crews to check out the structures most likely to
have been damaged first, so that they can be re-opened as
quickly as possible.
National Automated Highway Systems Consortium--
Caltrans was a core member of this consortium that was tasked
with developing and demonstrating automated highways, where
cars would travel under the control (steering, throttle, and
brakes) of computers embedded in the car, instead of being
operated by a driver. The objective of the project was to
improve safety, since human drivers cause a large percentage of
vehicle crashes, and to increase mobility, since more vehicles
can be safely packed onto the existing roadway if humans are
not driving them. Despite a successful demonstration in San
Diego in 1997, the USDOT terminated funding for the project due
to changing priorities.
There are many ways to disseminate the results from a technology
demonstration project. At a minimum, the sponsors of these projects
require that a final report is prepared, delivered, and circulated to
other states. In many cases, however, Caltrans does much more to spread
the word on successful projects. All of our research reports are
available on our web site, which also includes contact information for
key staff that have additional knowledge about the project. They are
also accessible in the TRB Transportation Research Information System.
We have also conducted video teleconferences on select projects using
the FHWA's facilities to reach out to our colleagues in other states.
We are currently experimenting with Webinars as an additional mechanism
for sharing the results of our work. Caltrans has used their video
conference facilities to host the ``research connection'' where
researchers provide their research findings directly to Caltrans
practitioners. UCTC and PATH conduct an annual conference to share
research results with Caltrans and local government agencies. Finally,
much of our research is conducted in partnership with university
research centers, and we encourage the academic researchers to write
and publish papers documenting their work for industry-related events,
such as TRB's Annual Meeting.
3) What are your priorities for research and development of new
technologies? Is the research community doing an adequate job of
responding to the short and long-term needs identified by the user
community?
Caltrans ties its research to the Department's Strategic Goals
through the Strategic Research Plan. The Strategic Goals are:
Safety--Provide the safest transportation system in
the Nation for users and workers.
Mobility--Maximize transportation system performance
and accessibility.
Delivery--Efficiently deliver quality transportation
projects and services.
Stewardship--Preserve and enhance California's
resources and assets.
Service--Promote quality service through an excellent
workforce.
The research priorities are also tied to the Strategic Growth Plan
(SGP) unveiled by Governor Schwarzenegger in January 2006. Central to
this plan was a proposed 10-year investment of $222 billion into the
state's infrastructure including $107 billion in transportation
investment. Caltrans developed a ``Strategic Growth Plan Pyramid'' as a
dynamic illustration of the transportation elements of the State SGP:
As part of the Strategic Research Plan, a list of strategic
research questions was developed to guide prioritization and selection
of transportation research projects and ensure that all research
projects supported by Caltrans are in alignment with Caltrans' Mission,
Goals, and Objectives.
1. Data--How can we improve/enhance data collection and
interpretation across modes?
2. Travel Demand Management (Real-Time)--What are the most
effective real-time strategies to influence travel demand?
3. Travel Demand Management (System Elements)--What
transportation system elements and land use options are most
effective in reducing travel demand by enhancing choices?
4. Integrated Corridor Management--How can we optimize
movement through a corridor?
5. Goods Movement--How can we improve goods movement
throughout the State to generate jobs, increase mobility and
relieve traffic congestion, improve air quality and protect
public health, enhance public and port safety and improve
California's quality of life?
6. Design/Construction--What design features and construction
standards can be utilized to improve highway safety?
7. Proactive Safety--What can Caltrans do to mitigate
collisions?
8. Climate Change--How can Strategic Growth Planning be
advanced through addressing climate change adaptations and
mitigations?
9. Transportation Infrastructure (e.g., Pavement, Structures,
Maintenance Stations, Office Buildings, and others not
listed)--How can we optimize the performance of our
transportation infrastructure?
Research roadmaps were developed to identify all research projects
and activities needed over time and their expected research outcomes.
Research roadmaps facilitate programming research activities and
provide guidance to partnering with other organizations with common
research needs.
A Research and Deployment Steering Committee (RDSC) comprised of
Deputy Directors and District Directors sets the Department-wide
research priorities. The RDSC approves all research proposals and
projects included in the program. Research projects are selected and
programmed annually, using an integrated RFP (Request For Proposals)
process. A short turn-around (quarterly) process responds to projects
that require approval outside the annual cycle.
Caltrans research project selection process emphasizes customer
participation throughout the research process and customer ownership of
the research products. In addition to the RDSC, research committees
were established in various levels to get the customers involved in the
research selection, management, and deployment process.
Caltrans has established excellent working partnerships with the
research community. In keeping with its Strategic Plan, Caltrans works
with its research partners to create deployable research products. This
applied-research approach results in a safer, more efficient and
better-built transportation system that serves the short- and long-term
needs of the traveling public. Four ways that Caltrans partners with
the research community are:
The Research and Technology Advisory Panel Executive
Committee,
University-Contracted Research,
The University Transportation Centers (UTCs), and
Educational opportunities.
The Research and Technology Advisory Panel Executive Committee
(RTAP) is an external academic advisory committee created by Caltrans,
in cooperation with leadership at the California Business,
Transportation and Housing Agency. This committee is comprised of
influential members of the academic research community and key State
decision-makers. The RTAP advises Caltrans on critical long-term
transportation research needs and helps to identify and evaluate
critical long-term trends and research needs the department might
otherwise overlook.
Caltrans contracts with universities for the bulk of its research.
Much of this research is conducted through partnerships with
university-based research institutes. These institutes include the
following:
Advanced Highway Maintenance and Construction
Technology (AHMCT)--This partnership with University of
California, Davis, develops work zone concept vehicles and
equipment for Caltrans. So far, 16 concept vehicles and 18
pieces of equipment or software have been developed.
California Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways
(PATH)--This partnership with University of California,
Berkeley, emphasizes research in new technologies that offer
potentially large improvements in traffic operations,
transportation safety, transportation policy, and transit
operations.
California Center for Innovative Transportation
(CCIT)--As part of the Institute of Transportation Studies at
UC-Berkeley, this organization's goal is to ``accelerate the
implementation of research results and the deployment of
technical solutions by practitioners to enable a safer, cleaner
and more efficient surface transportation system.''
Partnered Pavement Research Center--The key
objectives of this research group are to optimize pavement
performance, lower life cycle cost, increase service life, and
increase highway safety through smoother pavement and more
efficient maintenance and construction.
Western Transportation Institute (WTI)--Established
by the Montana and California Departments of Transportation in
cooperation with Montana State University-Bozeman, this UTC
focuses on ``real transportation challenges facing rural
America.''
Caltrans maintains a close relationship with California's federally
funded University Transportation Centers, as well as those from other
states. The five California UTCs are:
The University of California Transportation Center at
UC-Berkeley,
The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at
California State University, San Jose,
The METRANS University Transportation Center at the
University of Southern California,
The Sustainable Transportation Center at the
University of California, Davis, and
The Leonard University Transportation Center at
California State University, San Bernardino.
Again, this partnership ensures that the research we support
provides products that are more practical than theoretical.
Last but not least, Caltrans supports educational opportunities for
graduate students to develop advanced skills that focus on the most
significant ``real-world'' transportation issues and problems. By
partnering with the UTCs and other university researcher programs,
Caltrans recognizes the long-term benefits of supporting high quality
education and graduate training for transportation professionals and
future transportation researchers. Garrett Morgan competition is held
annually through MTI to encourage young middle school students to
pursue science and engineering degrees.
In all of the above examples, Caltrans strives to nurture a dynamic
ongoing relationship with the transportation research community to be a
catalyst for applied transportation solutions. This helps to ensure
that its strategic research program is continually responsive to the
changing transportation demands of California citizens and of the
Nation.
Since much of our research has common interest across the country,
Caltrans is very active in research and the national level. We conduct
partnered research with other states and the FHWA through the FHWA
Pooled Fund Program. We have a long history of partnered research with
the FHWA and FTA through the ITS Program and the Turner-Fairbank
Highway Research Center. Caltrans pays special attention to research
conducted the TRB, especially its cooperative research programs and the
Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2).
Research and development of innovative methods and technologies can
contribute significantly to the sustainability of highway
transportation. The second Strategic Highway Research Program,
authorized by Congress in SAFETEA-LU, is addressing the sustainability
of the highway transportation system from several perspectives. The
``Capacity'' portion of SHRP 2 is developing a new approach to
transportation planning and development of highway projects. This
approach, called the Collaborative Decision-Making Framework (CDMF),
will more effectively integrate engineering, economic, social, and
environmental considerations into highway planning and development. The
research focuses both on the institutional and process aspects and on
developing more robust economic inputs and scientific data regarding
environmental impacts. Earlier stages of the CDMF focus on assessing
the suitability of different strategies (including different
transportation modes) for addressing local needs. Later stages focus on
improving the environmental, social, and economic impacts of new
highway capacity. Specific projects focus on greenhouse gases, ecology,
conservation, smart growth, economic impacts, and highway operations.
The ``Renewal'' portion of SHRP 2 is focused on renewing aging
infrastructure more rapidly, with less disruption to users, and
producing longer-lived facilities that will require less maintenance
and cause less user disruption in the future. This research is
addressing an array of tactics for speeding up delivery of highway
renewal projects: performing more work off site and bringing completed
portions of the facilities (modular bridges or pavements) to the site
for quick installation; rapid techniques for work that must be
completed on-site; non-destructive testing and evaluation technologies;
and improved communication and collaboration methods to reduce the
delays that arise when railroads and utilities cross or abut highway
rights-of-way. Specific research projects address the use of recycled
materials in rapid highway renewal, development of performance
specifications to promote use of these and other materials, and
techniques for encouraging innovation through better allocation and
mitigation of risks.
The ``Reliability'' portion of SHRP 2 addresses congestion caused
by non-recurring events such as crashes, work zones, inclement weather,
and special events. Approximately half of highway delay is due to non-
recurring events; this delay leads to significant waste of fuel and
contributes to poor air quality. SHRP 2 research addresses data needs
and performance measures for improved travel time reliability;
institutional structures and training for improving highway operations
related to reliability and incident management; innovative approaches
for the future; and integration of reliability factors into highway
programming, planning, and design processes. This last set of projects
will produce the scientific and technical material needed to modify
planning models and design standards to reflect the impacts of better
highway operations, specifically in terms in incident management and
other ways of improving travel time reliability. The planning portion
of the work will be carried out in concert with the SHRP 2 Capacity
work described above.
SHRP 2 also has a significant focus on highway safety. SHRP 2 will
study the interaction among driver behavior, vehicle and roadway
characteristics, and environment to understand safety risk factors,
identify crash surrogates, and provide the basis for improved safety
countermeasures. This ``naturalistic driving study'' will involve
instrumenting vehicles of 4,000 volunteers in several areas of the
country. While primarily focused on safety, the data gathered in this
study show promise for other applications. SHRP 2 will soon start a
project to look at the feasibility of using these data to study driver
behavior from an operational point of view to develop more efficient
designs and operational strategies.
SHRP 2 research will be completed over the next few years and be
ready for field demonstrations. The ultimate success of this research,
in terms of improved environmental, social, and economic sustainability
of highway transportation, will depend on widespread deployment.
Funding to support SHRP 2 implementation activities in the next
authorization will bring the promise of this research to fruition.
Additional information on SHRP 2 can be found on the programs web page:
http://www.trb.org/shrp2/.
In conclusion, Caltrans has the need for research to solve our
transportation problems, the plans and the research projects to develop
solutions, and the partnerships to leverage resources and expertise. We
are active locally, nationally, and internationally as leaders in the
pursuit of safer, more efficient, and ``greener'' transportation
systems.
Biography for Randell H. Iwasaki
Randell ``Randy'' Iwasaki is the Chief Deputy Director of the
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).
Iwasaki manages the day-to-day operation of the Department,
including an operating budget of $14 billion and almost 23,000
employees.
A licensed civil engineer, Iwasaki has been with Caltrans for
almost 25 years serving in a number of high profile engineering and
management positions.
From July 2004 to November 2004, Iwasaki was appointed as the
Department's Interim Director where he was responsible for California's
State transportation system, including more than 50,000 lane miles of
State highways stretching from Mexico to Oregon and from the Pacific
Ocean to Nevada and Arizona.
During his Caltrans career, Iwasaki has spearheaded a number of
transportation engineering innovations ill California including the use
of old tires in rubberized asphalt, the installation of LED red lights
saving the State taxpayers more than $2 million a year in power costs,
and conversion of the Caltrans equipment fleet to clean burning fuels.
Iwasaki also serves on a number of national transportation panels.
The panels include co-chairing an effort to encourage development and
application of quiet pavement technologies to reduce highway noise in
the United States. He is also the Technology Coordinating Committee
Chair for the renewal portion of the Strategic Highway Research Program
and most recently appointed the Chairman of ITS America.
Iwasaki earned his Bachelor's degree in Engineering from California
Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and a Master's in
Engineering from California State University, Fresno.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you, Mr. Iwasaki.
The Chair now recognizes Dr. Bertini.
STATEMENT OF DR. ROBERT L. BERTINI, P.E., DIRECTOR, OREGON
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CONSORTIUM (OTREC);
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
Dr. Bertini. Thank you very much, Representative Wilson.
Good morning, Chairman Wu and Members of the Subcommittee.
Thank you for this opportunity.
Approximately two-thirds of our ongoing research at OTREC
addresses energy efficiency and sustainability by aiming to
improve the operation of the multi-modal transportation system.
Increasing efficiency means improving safety, reducing
congestion and encouraging more energy-efficient travel. When
the total amount of travel time or number of trips is reduced,
there is always an accompanying benefit in reduced fuel
consumption, energy use, emissions and other externalities such
as noise, accident exposure and contribution to urban heat
islands. Public transit also benefits by reduced travel times
and increased reliability. Projects from the Intelligent
Transportation Systems, or ITS, toolbox include new pricing and
tolling strategies, integrated corridor management, incident
management, ramp metering, measuring arterial performance and
improved traffic signal coordination using adaptive systems.
Also at OTREC, a joint project with the University of Minnesota
is examining how drivers value travel time reliability, which
is important for implementing advanced traveler information
systems.
How do we determine the potential environmental impact of a
given technology? Typically, an evaluation will include
standard performance metrics such as travel time and
reliability, emissions and noise, number of trips, mode choice,
and fuel and energy consumption. We use national resources such
as the U.S. DOT's ITS benefits database and the Intelligent
Transportation Systems Deployment Analysis System, or ITAS. For
a successful evaluation, there are several critical ingredients
based on my experience: Strong partnerships with transportation
agencies and industry, careful identification of the problem to
be addressed by the technology, a freely available data source,
preferably as part of the technology deployment itself, the
ability to measure performance both before and after
deployment, early involvement by the evaluator, use of a test
bed and technology transfer before and after and during the
evaluation.
We still have many research needs in order to improve the
energy efficiency and sustainability of the transportation
system. Our focus at OTREC is shifting toward efficient and
sustainable operation of the transportation system, which
requires new financing systems with energy efficiency and
sustainability goals----
Mr. Wilson. Dr. Bertini.
Dr. Bertini. Yes?
Mr. Wilson. Sorry to interrupt you but we are going to have
to suspend the hearing for just a minute. We have votes to do
and I have got two minutes to get over there. Mr. Wu should be
back in just a few minutes. I apologize. I apologize to
everybody but we need to vote. Excuse me.
[Recess.]
Chairman Wu. It is somewhat interesting and ironic that in
the midst of discussing time, motion and traffic management, we
are doing that sort of on a different scale, a small, minor
scale such as we deal with here. This is not quite the
equivalent of a bus going sideways on a narrow transportation
corridor but let us just say that this is not uncommon but just
a change in traffic flow to which we are adjusting.
Dr. Bertini, I understand--we made a valiant attempt to
keep the flow going and choreograph something up here on the
dais. My understanding is that there may be some further
unexpected changes or not-planned-for changes as we go. With
the cooperation of the Minority Members, my understanding is
that whether Minority Members are present or not, that we are
good to go with further testimony and probably with some of the
questions, and we will just see what happens on the House Floor
as we proceed. My apologies to the witnesses and the attendees.
This is the process of checks and balances that protects our
liberties. An efficient government would more effectively take
away your liberties, our liberties, so it is friction that
allows us to travel, isn't it? With that, Dr. Bertini, let us
reset the clock a little bit and be more generous with your
time. Please proceed.
Dr. Bertini. Thank you very much, Chairman Wu. I was
beginning to talk about our future research needs and I had
mentioned the need for a new financing system with energy
efficiency and sustainability goals. Mr. Iwasaki talked about
how we respond well to very specific goals. I also believe we
need to pursue full and aggressive implementation of ITS-based
congestion management strategies including ramp metering, speed
harmonization and traveler information, in addition, a robust,
high-quality and secure data collection infrastructure, ideally
built upon Oregon's open data sharing philosophy and including
a mix of public and private sources. Better management of
arterials for all modes requires modern traffic signal systems,
communications and data collection, accurate, timely and
customized traveler information. A clearinghouse for obtaining
freight data will be needed for managing freight transport.
Green performance measures that can be generated and compared
across different geographic areas and across all modes,
standard traveler information graphics to replace text-based
dynamic message signs, solving legal and institutional issues
for automated enforcement, and serious exploration of liability
issues following the lead of the European Union and Japan
related to technology deployment.
Now, there are many challenges impeding the use of
innovative technologies in transportation. Some examples
include the incomplete shift to an operations environment in
transportation agencies, finance and funding, human resources
in a multidisciplinary world, legacy systems and system
integration, communications infrastructure, data quality,
reliability and availability, the need for collaboration and
the need for objective and continuing evaluation.
There are many actions that can be taken by Federal, State
and local governments in order to break down barriers to the
application of innovative technologies. Several examples
include encouragement of regional collaboration across modes
and jurisdictional boundaries, include the private sector and
academia, encourage public-private partnerships for data
sharing and communications, funding and incentives for green
operations, reward data sharing, continuing education and
mentorship from transportation professionals, as I mentioned
earlier, green performance measurement and evaluation, and
expansion of the rural infrastructure.
Now, regarding technology transfer, industry and academia
play important roles in the implementation of technology
solutions, and through collaboration such as with the UTC
program under RITA's leadership, universities can work with
transportation agencies and industry to provide unbiased,
rigorous evaluations that complete the feedback loop in the
project development cycle. In the ITS field, academia can play
an important role in the collection, storage and maintenance of
data archives.
Now, OTREC has been in operation for about 18 months and
our technology transfer efforts have been successful so far and
we hope that will continue. In order to accomplish that, we
have about 30 external public and private matching partners who
have a vested interest in the success of the research that we
are pursuing. External partners serve on our advisory board and
assist with the peer review of our projects. We believe that
these efforts will help get the results into the hands of those
who can implement them in the transportation field. In
addition, our educational programs are preparing future
transportation professionals and providing opportunities for
working professionals to seek additional education and
training. Our website, publications, videos, podcasts that are
available through iTunes, by the way, our online seminars,
short courses and conferences. We even have a Facebook page for
those of you younger generation. They all contribute towards
the important technology transfer.
Our theme of healthy communities, integration of land use
and transportation and advanced technology is guiding us along
with our agency and industry partners to develop research and
education programs to solve transportation problems and
strengthen the transportation workforce. Our research is being
developed through a collaborative process and the important
component of peer review.
Thank you for this opportunity and I look forward to
working with you to make a more sustainable and intelligent
future.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Bertini follows:]
Prepared Statement of Robert L. Bertini
Good morning Chairman Wu, Vice Chairman Mitchell, Ranking Member
Gingrey and Members of the Subcommittee. I would like to begin by
thanking you for this opportunity to share our views and perspectives
on our ongoing research and development activities related to reducing
life cycle energy consumption and promoting sustainability for surface
transportation infrastructure. On behalf of my colleagues in academia,
government and industry, we appreciate this chance to address the
technical, regulatory, social and financial challenges to implementing
new measures and integrating new technologies into existing
transportation networks.
My name is Robert Bertini and I am the Director of the Oregon
Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC) and an
Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Urban
Studies and Planning at Portland State University, in Portland, Oregon.
1. OTREC Background
OTREC is dedicated to stimulating and conducting collaborative
multi-disciplinary research on multi-modal surface transportation
issues, educating a diverse array of current practitioners and future
leaders in the transportation field, and encouraging implementation of
relevant research results. OTREC's theme is Advanced Technology,
Integration of Land Use and Transportation, and Healthy Communities.
OTREC is a National University Transportation Center created by
Congress in 2005 and is a partnership between Portland State
University, the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and the
Oregon Institute of Technology. With a grant from the U.S. Department
of Transportation, OTREC sponsors research, education and technology
transfer projects at our partner universities. OTREC programs relate to
the OTREC theme and support national transportation initiatives and
needs. Through collaboration and partnerships with transportation
agencies, industry, and other universities in the Northwest, OTREC aims
to address the transportation needs of Oregon, the Northwest, and the
Nation. The OTREC theme is focused on contributing to USDOT strategic
objectives including: safety, mobility, global connectivity,
environmental stewardship, security and congestion.
1.1 OTREC Research
OTREC uses a rigorous peer review process to select the best
research projects. Since December 2006, OTREC has received nearly 200
proposals and has funded 45 research projects, involving 45 faculty
members and 12 laboratories and research groups. All projects include
external public and private matching partners with a total of 22
different entities involved; half of the projects include the Oregon
Department of Transportation as a partner. OTREC is multidisciplinary,
with 12 different academic disciplines currently participating in our
projects. The figure below illustrates how the many disciplines at our
four campuses are interrelated around our theme:
The peer review process has included 380 unique reviewers for more
than 800 reviews. We estimate that approximately 57 graduate students
and 24 undergraduate students are working on OTREC-funded projects. In
addition we have funded seven education projects and six technology
transfer projects. Collaboration is strongly valued by OTREC, our
partner universities and our many stakeholders, and has been woven
through our activities as an important cornerstone:
Historic University Partnership: The four partner
universities--Portland State University, the University of
Oregon, Oregon State University, and the Oregon Institute of
Technology--signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding in
March 2007. Strong communication among all parties is setting a
precedent for future joint university efforts.
New Collaboration Among Faculty: Faculty are
encouraged throughout the proposal and project process to think
of innovative collaborative approaches to research, education
or technology transfer. In our first and second rounds of
project awards, 13 projects involve faculty at more than one
campus, and 28 have multiple investigators.
Strong Ties to ODOT and Transportation Community:
More than 20 external partners provide matching funds of cash
or in-kind support for faculty-led projects. The Oregon
Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a primary partner,
jointly funding nearly half of our research projects selected
to date.
Regional Collaboration: OTREC is part of the Region X
Transportation Consortium, made up of UTCs in Oregon,
Washington, Idaho, and Alaska, as well as the four State DOTs,
with input and participation by representatives of the USDOT.
The Consortium meets twice a year, supports an annual student
conference, and is exploring pooled fund research and joint
educational initiatives.
National Connections: OTREC strives to meet national
transportation research and education needs, and is active with
the American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials (AASHTO), the Transportation Research Board (TRB),
the Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC) and
other national activities.
1.2 OTREC Educational Activities
All OTREC activities have student success as a primary goal.
Whether it's offering students hands-on research experience with hot
topic transportation issues, opportunities to present their research at
conferences, including the TRB Annual Meeting, scholarships and
fellowships to help them reach their degree goals, or providing
continuing education opportunities to practicing professionals,
students are central to our mission.
Partner universities currently offer 16 undergraduate and graduate
programs with transportation specializations, with more than 100
students enrolled. During this past year 36 students graduated with
transportation related graduate degrees and are now working in the
transportation field. OTREC also supports transportation student groups
at the partner campuses. This support is allowing undergraduate and
graduate students to travel to conferences, host guest speakers,
coordinate events and field trips, and communicate transportation
issues and opportunities to students across the campuses. OTREC also
co-hosts an annual Transportation Student Conference with the Region X
Transportation Consortium. Students are able to present their research
and exchange ideas with their peers in an environment that does not
exist in the classroom or at other conferences. The conference includes
both student presentations and poster sessions to showcase the great
student-led transportation research being done in the Northwest.
1.3 OTREC Technology Transfer
Sharing of knowledge and dissemination of program results are key
components of all OTREC programs. All research projects have a
technology transfer plan, so that research results are available to
potential users in a form that can be directly implemented, utilized,
or otherwise applied. OTREC is working towards an expanded and
coordinated statewide program of transportation outreach involving
accessible communication of research results and continuing education
and training courses for transportation professionals in a variety of
formats. A study by OTREC PIs and students is underway to identify the
current transportation training opportunities in the region, and to
determine how OTREC can best fill training needs for transportation
professionals. OTREC is offering a series of short courses and
partnering with other transportation organizations to offer more
training and professional development opportunities in Oregon.
The OTREC website (www.otrec.us) serves as a primary communication
tool, and includes up-to-date news, newsletters, annual reports,
recorded seminars, project information, and professional development
opportunities. Final research reports with search options will be
available. Website capabilities will expand to fill technology transfer
needs as OTREC programs evolve. OTREC regularly sponsors guest speakers
as part of our Visiting Scholar Program. At PSU, the Center for
Transportation Studies (CTS) offers weekly transportation seminars that
are broadcast live on the web, and archived in streaming video and
podcast. More than 200 seminars have been presented, with more than 145
available as online streaming video, and more than 30 available as
Podcasts (.mp3) via iTunes. In addition to registered students, over
500 professionals and guests also attended the seminars. OTREC
sponsored several visiting scholars, see: http://www.cts.pdx.edu/
seminars.htm.
1.4 Impact of Intelligent Transportation Systems on Sustainability
A broad range of diverse technologies, known collectively as
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), holds the answer to many of
our society's transportation problems. ITS are comprised of existing
and new technologies, including information processing, sensors,
communications, control, and electronics. Combining these technologies
in innovative ways and integrating them into our multi-modal
transportation system will save lives, time, and resources--including
benefits such as reducing energy, fuel, emissions, accident exposure,
noise and more. Delay reductions almost always mean increased
productivity and quality of life since people's value of time is
significant, and more so for business-related travel where drivers are
being paid an hourly wage. Safety improvements also have direct
benefits (fewer crashes mean fewer fatalities, injuries, health care
costs and property damage) and indirect benefits since many crashes
cause congestion.
Transportation is the backbone of our society--the movement of
people and goods provides the foundation of our quality of life and
economic prosperity. Fulfilling the need for a transportation system
that is both economically sound and environmentally efficient requires
a new way of looking at--and solving--our transportation problems. The
strategy of adding more and more highway capacity neither solves our
transportation problems, nor meets the broad national vision of an
efficient, integrated transportation system. We focus on the
integration and improvement of all modes--highway, transit, bicycle,
pedestrian and freight. Traffic crashes and congestion take heavy tolls
in lives, lost productivity, and wasted energy. ITS enables people and
goods to move more safely and efficiently through a state-of-the-art,
intermodal transportation system.
2. Research Related to Energy Efficiency and Sustainability
OTREC is just one component of a larger program in Oregon and in
the Oregon University System to address sustainability. For example,
the Oregon Legislature has created the Institute for Natural Resources
(INR), the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute (OCCRI), and a
signature research center focusing on the Built Environment and
Sustainable Technologies (BEST), and is developing a statewide
Sustainability Initiative. There is also a proposal for a statewide
Oregon Water Institute (OWI) to address water problems.
Given OTREC's theme, a significant proportion of our research is
aimed at improving the operation of the multi-modal transportation
system, which is directly tied to energy efficiency and sustainability.
Other research goals include providing improved equity and options for
users of the transportation system, which is the basis for a
sustainable economy and high quality of life. Fortunately the
efficiency objective for transportation research typically includes the
reduction in congestion which translates to standard measurements of
travel time, delay and number of stops. Whenever congestion is reduced
(via reduced travel time or delay), this is a time-based measure
typically reported in vehicle-hours or person-hours of travel (VHT or
PHT). When the total travel time is reduced, there is always an
accompanying benefit in reduced fuel consumption, energy use,
emissions, and other externalities such as noise, accident exposure and
contribution to urban heat islands.
Other research that includes travel demand management or
alternative mode strategies may result in reductions in vehicle-miles
or person-miles traveled (VMT or PMT). For example for a given trip, a
``green'' traveler information system that provides information
regarding alternative modes such as bus or rail, might encourage a user
to forgo a trip by personal vehicle and choose transit instead. This
reduction in VMT will also have a congestion reduction effect, with
accompanying benefits such as reduced fuel consumption, energy use,
emissions, and other externalities such as noise, accident exposure and
contribution to urban heat islands.
Some research related to incident management, for example, has a
large multiplier effect-when the duration of an incident is reduced by
50 percent, the resulting delay is reduced by 75 percent. It is
important in transportation research to find these kinds of opportunity
areas where a low investment can have extremely high benefits.
In the context of OTREC's mission as a University Transportation
Center, we have identified more than 40 planned and ongoing projects
that relate to energy efficiency and sustainability.
2.1 Ongoing and Planned OTREC Research
Consistent with our mission and under the guidance of our strategic
plan, approximately two-thirds of OTREC's ongoing and planned research
projects address energy efficiency and sustainability. As described
below, we have grouped these projects into two categories: Intelligent
Transportation Systems and Sustainability; and other Sustainability-
Related projects. Keeping in mind that many of these projects are
currently in their initial stages, we look forward to reporting
specific project outcomes in the coming months and years.
2.1.1 OTREC Intelligent Transportation Systems and Sustainability
Research Projects
Approximately one-third of OTREC's ongoing and planned research is
related to Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Sustainability.
Most of these project aim to improve the efficiency of the
transportation system in support of national, State, regional and local
transportation priorities. By focusing on improving the operation of
the system in a more integrated way, without massive capital
expenditures, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the
transportation network so that all levels of the network and all modes
work together in a more seamless way. Projects are described in detail
in the following sections. The advantages of ITS and sustainability-
related projects include strategies for improving the efficiency of the
multi-modal transportation system, leading to improved safety and
reduced travel time, fuel consumption, energy use, emissions, and other
externalities such as noise, accident exposure and contribution to
urban heat islands.
Several projects focus on sustainable transportation pricing and
tolling strategies, recognizing that new technologies and publicly
acceptable financing systems are needed for a sustainable future--these
could include specific ``green'' strategies. A number of OTREC projects
deal with integrated corridor management strategies, via such
strategies from the ITS toolbox such as incident management, ramp
metering, measuring and improving arterial performance and improved
traffic signal coordination on arterials via adaptive systems. These
strategies focus on managing a multi-modal corridor more proactively,
taking advantage of existing capacity. Recognizing the Nation's
congestion reduction goals, several projects focus specifically on
understanding and mitigating congestion by improving our understanding
of stop and go traffic dynamics. Given the critical issue of travel
time reliability, an innovative OTREC project will examine issues
related to how drivers (and shippers) value travel time reliability.
This work will be important for future implementations of advanced
traveler information systems.
The issue of traveler information is also important as a
sustainable strategy. By providing users with reliable information
about travel times via different modes, routes or times of day, users
can make better decisions which can result in an overall improvement in
efficiency. OTREC has several projects underway in this area. As a
fundamental foundation for research and evaluation, a robust,
accessible, and inter-operable data infrastructure is critical. OTREC
has several projects underway that focus on this issue, and strive to
use the data infrastructure as a basis for generating performance
metrics. It is possible to design programs and projects that by their
very nature generate data that can later be used for evaluation, but
early attention must be paid to this issue before projects are
specified and implemented.
A sustainable transportation system is one that can be resilient in
the face of emergencies--thus several OTREC projects focus on
understanding the impact of climate change and potential flooding on
the transportation infrastructure and on the effects of winter weather.
Finally, recognizing the critical role that freight transportation
plays in our society, several OTREC projects aim specifically at the
freight sector in working to make the transportation system more
efficient, to leverage data collected as part of a statewide pre-
clearance system, lessen the energy needs for freight transport and to
improve reliability.
Sustainable Transportation Pricing and Tolling Strategies
2007-03: Socio-economic Effect of Vehicle Mileage
Fees, Phase 1 and 2008-81, Phase 2: This project considers the
socio-economic impacts of the new highway user fee structure
made possible by advanced technology. The Oregon Road User Fee
Task Force has proposed a vehicle mile tax to replace the
gasoline tax. The purpose of this study is to develop a model
which provides an analytical framework from which to quantify
the impact of changing to the proposed vehicle-mile tax. The
Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will use the results
from this study to help formulate the specific form of the
vehicle-mile tax (flat tax, a graduated tax, a higher tax for
less fuel efficient vehicles, a differential tax for urban/
rural areas, etc.). ODOT needs quantitative information on the
socio-economic impact of such a tax, to use in public
relations. A huge factor in determining the ultimate adoption
of such a tax structure will be the public acceptance of the
change and, in turn, they need to have full information on what
it will do. There are also implications for environmental
stewardship as a vehicle-mile tax has also been suggested as an
emissions tax. Finally, once the technology is in place for a
vehicle-mile tax, it becomes possible to implement a vehicle-
mile tax that may vary by time of day and location, providing
an efficient congestion pricing tool.
2008-116: Understanding Driver Behavioral Changes
Associated with Road User Fees: The Oregon Department of
Transportation (ODOT) conducted a test of an innovative
technology to replace fuel taxes with mileage fees. In the
test, some vehicles were charged a flat fee per mile and others
were charged differential fees that were higher for travel in
the Portland metropolitan area during weekday peak hours and
lower for other travel. The objective of this project is to
extend the analysis of changes in behavior by subjects in the
ODOT Road User Fee Pilot Project, and to draw on other sources,
to compare the behavioral changes observed in this experiment
with those found in other contexts. There is potential to gain
further information on characteristics that caused or prevented
changes in participants' driving patterns. A variety of
statistical analyses will be conducted to evaluate both the
extent of response to a vehicle mileage fee and the interaction
with both demographic and attitudinal characteristics of the
participants. A GIS analysis will be used to link household
location with better measures of transit service. Results would
include a better understanding of how pricing interacts with
other factors in affecting driving patterns and in particular
in affecting driving during peak periods. It would also provide
a better understanding of the revenue potential from such
charges.
Integrated Corridor Management
2007-79: Identify and Address Institutional Barriers
Delaying Incident Clearance: Effective incident management can
substantially reduce congestion while expediting incident
clearance. In Oregon, the Oregon Department of Transportation
has a comprehensive incident management program in place. Due
to cooperative efforts among ODOT, Oregon State Police, local
police, and emergency providers most incidents are cleared
rapidly and traffic operations resume normally. However, a
major traffic-related incident can take considerable time to
clear and the closure of a major highway during peak travel
periods can cause major problems. The economic impact can be
considerable when road closures and delays occur in a
metropolitan area such as Portland. It is not known to what
extent institutional constraints may account for inefficiencies
that result in extended time elapsing from incident detection
through final site clearance. The research proposed in this
study will address several key objectives. Using a variety of
data resources, the research team will examine recent traffic
incidents in the Portland area to determine the extent to which
the incident and associated traffic obstructions impacted
systemic traffic operations. The research team will also
develop an enhanced implementation plan for addressing
institutional barriers that may affect the rapid clearance of
incidents occurring on Oregon highways. Finally, this research
effort will ultimately help identify specific legislative
initiatives or administrative procedures that should be
implemented to minimize delayed incident clearance and estimate
the benefit of the recommended changes.
2008-190: Using Archived ITS Data to Measure the
Operational Benefits of a System-wide Adaptive Ramp Metering
System: A system-wide adaptive ramp metering (SWARM) system is
being implemented in the Portland metropolitan area. While
SWARM is designed to be more effective than the current ramp
metering strategy, the true benefits of the new system have not
yet been quantified. Using an existing data stream, there is a
unique opportunity to conduct a true before and after
evaluation of the operational benefits of the new SWARM system.
The project will also develop an interactive simulation
laboratory for evaluating and improving the new SWARM ramp
metering system in the Portland metropolitan area. The
simulation-based evaluation will help confirm field experiment
results, and complement the field experiment by testing
alternative solutions to any operational issues identified
during the field experiment. This project will also test
different control parameters in the SWARM algorithm, and
recommend strategies for improving the algorithm.
Monitoring Arterial Performance Using Data From
Automatic Vehicle Location Devices and Inductive Loop
Detectors: The Portland region has good sensor coverage on
freeways, but the arterial system is limited to snapshots of
measurements from traffic studies using floating car studies
and temporary traffic counts. There is a need to implement
automated systems that can provide arterial travel time and
performance measures for management of freight and passenger
travel. This project will include a review of technological
solutions for automating traffic measurement on arterials.
Priority surface arterial locations for measurement will be
identified, considering geographical balance and specific
bottleneck locations. The task will include a case study of
arterial operations on Barbur Blvd. in the City of Portland.
Working with the City of Portland, we will review options for
using existing system detectors and CCTV cameras to gauge
arterial performance. The research will validate the delay
measurement and recommend locations for such systems on Barbur
Blvd. The City will then install two or three systems on
Barbur, which will then be evaluated. The approach delay
measurement system offers promise for providing an automated
way to determine approach delay at a signalized intersection.
This task will further validate that system on other
intersection approaches. The results will also provide the City
of Portland with methods to provide meaningful performance
measures for Barbur Blvd. and beyond.
Field-Based Evaluation of Corridor Performance After
Deployment of an Adaptive Signal Control System in Gresham,
Oregon: The majority of traffic signal control systems in the
United States use, as their basis for coordination, static
timing plans (also called timing patterns) that have been
generated on the basis of typical average traffic volumes. In
2005, the City of Gresham, Oregon selected and deployed the
Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS) on Burnside
Road, a major five-lane arterial carrying 38,000 vehicles per
day, between Eastman Parkway and Powell Valley Road. A field
evaluation was conducted to compare optimized time-of-day
coordination and the SCATS system on the basis of changes in
travel time, delay, and stops along this road segment. Probe
vehicle data were collected on three routes during peak and
non-peak hours in two travel directions. Side street delay was
also studied for three intersections in the corridor. Overall,
it can be concluded that the implementation of the SCATS
adaptive signal control system has improved the Burnside
corridor in terms of travel time, stopped delay and number of
stops. Travel times on the primary analysis route decreased two
to 15 percent for weekdays and weekends with the exception of
the morning weekday westbound direction which increased 10
percent (likely because the time-of-day plan had heavily
favored this direction). Although the secondary evaluation
routes did not see as consistent improvements, the majority of
changes were still positive. Analysis of side street delay was
less conclusive, although the majority of time periods and
directions did see improvement.
Congestion Management
2007-37: Characteristics of Transitions in Freeway
Traffic: This project seeks to understand the characteristics
of transitions as freeway traffic changes from one state to
another. Transitions occur gradually over time and space, and
their temporal and spatial features are relatively unknown. The
dynamics of the transition zone will be explored by analyzing
the relationship between the duration of transition (at a fixed
location) and various traffic and location variables (e.g.,
distance from the bottleneck, change in flow before and after a
regime change, etc.). Researchers are using data from inductive
loop detectors for the analyses of transition zones near the
tails of queues. These detector data are suitable for analyzing
this type of transition since the propagation of a transition
zone can be observed over a long distance. The length of
transition can be estimated based on the duration observed at a
detector location. For the other two types of transitions, data
sets from the Next Generation Simulation will be utilized.
These data sets provide individual vehicle trajectories whose
resolution is suitable for analyzing these types of
transitions. The length of a transition zone will be measured
directly from the vehicle trajectories. This research will
provide a valuable insight on how congested traffic behaves
under various transitions that frequently occur on urban
freeways. Hence, the results will expand the current knowledge
on traffic congestion and serve as a building block for future
traffic modeling and management practice.
2008-130: Value of Reliability, Phase 1 and 2009-248:
Phase 2: The issue of travel time reliability is becoming more
critical for the movement of people and freight. In order to
examine issues related to the value of travel time reliability,
we plan to test drivers' preferences for alternate commuter
routes in a real world setting. The research participants will
drive on three different routes in two cities: (1) primarily
freeway, (2) primarily arterial roads, and (3) other streets.
Freeways have a possible trade-off between high speeds and
congestion during rush hour. Arterials typically have a series
of traffic signals that may be timed to favor through-traffic.
Other routes might have some traffic signals and some stop
signs, but they likely have less traffic. By comparing driver
perceptions of the alternate commuter routes, it will be
possible to determine the weights associated with the different
components of travel time. Driver preferences may also be based
on qualitative factors such as the attractiveness of the route.
Thus one objective of the proposed project is to measure and
then model the route preferences of drivers who have
experienced real-world alternatives to their regular commute to
and from work. Preference data will be obtained after the
participants have completed their morning and evening commutes
on three alternate routes (customized for each driver). The
added realism of the novel data collection method proposed for
this project should enable the value of travel time reliability
to be used in route preference models. In turn it will be
possible to more accurately predict traffic patterns and
produce solutions more likely to ameliorate traffic congestion.
An additional objective of the proposed research is to make
information about local road networks more available to
drivers. This will allow for the better use of existing
resources and road capacity for normal operations including
when drivers are commuting to and from work.
2008-108: Empirical Observation of the Impact of
Traffic Oscillations on Freeway Safety: Traffic oscillations
(also known as stop-and-go driving) are a typical feature of
congested traffic flow. They are known to increase fuel
consumption and emissions, and decrease driving comfort. It is
also speculated that larger amplitudes of oscillations (i.e.,
larger changes in flow or speed) increase the probability of
certain crash types (e.g., rear-end crashes). However, no
current study exists that irrefutably confirms or disproves
this speculation. The objective of this research is to find
empirical evidence to substantiate this hypothesis and to
quantify the relationship between the amplitude of oscillations
and probability of crash event. This proposed research will be
conducted using freeway traffic and incident data. It will be
supplemented by a statewide database of reported motor vehicle
crashes. Various features of oscillations (e.g., amplitude,
period, etc.) will be measured from traffic data collected from
inductive loop detectors. Existing databases for crashes and
incidents will be used to analyze incidents in correlation with
oscillations. This study will consist of general analysis to
identify which crash types are particularly affected by traffic
oscillations and detailed analysis via econometric modeling to
quantify the probability of each crash type as a function of
various characteristics of oscillations and relevant factors
such as freeway geometry, congestion level, and others. These
analyses will be conducted for several freeway locations in
order to confirm reproducibility and to examine any site-
specific features.
Advanced Transportation Information Systems
2007-57: Assessment and Refinement of Real-Time
Travel Time Algorithms for Use in Practice, Phase 1 and 2008-
145: Phase 2: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has set
a high priority on the use of existing dynamic message signs
(DMS) to provide travel time estimates to the public. The
Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) currently has three
DMS in the Portland metropolitan area configured to display
travel time information. In the near future, ODOT would like to
make travel time estimates available on additional DMS, over
the Internet on tripcheck.com and via 511. Travel time
estimates are valuable to the traveling public; however, the
estimates must be accurate to be useful. The FHWA indicates
that 90 percent accuracy is ideal and suggests a minimum
accuracy of 80 percent. Thus, in order to display travel time
estimates, it is essential to understand the accuracy of the
estimates. The purpose of this study is to extend prior travel
time research conducted at Portland State University with
additional data collection and analysis to provide statistical
confidence in travel time estimates and to determine the best
travel time estimation approach for ODOT. Ground truth data in
the form of probe vehicle runs will be collected and travel
time estimates will be evaluated using that data. Several
travel time estimation algorithms will be evaluated and
modifications to existing algorithms will be proposed. In
addition, this project will provide analysis to help understand
the reliability and performance of the algorithms under various
conditions (free-flow, congestion, incidents). A methodology
will be developed for determining if travel time estimates fall
within an acceptable accuracy limits. At the conclusion of the
project, it is desired that a methodology can be recommended
that will provide accurate measures of travel time for use with
DMS, the Internet and 511 applications.
2007-64: Improving Travel Information Products via
Robust Estimation Techniques: Traffic-monitoring systems, such
as those using loop detectors, are prone to coverage gaps,
arising from sensor noise, processing errors and transmission
problems. Such gaps adversely affect the accuracy of Advanced
Traveler Information Systems. This project will explore models
based on historical data that can provide estimates to fill
such gaps. We build on an initial study using both a linear
model and an artificial neural network (ANN) trained on
historical data to estimate values for reporting gaps. These
initial models were 80 percent and 89 percent accurate,
respectively, in estimating the correct speed range, and
misclassifications were always between adjacent speed ranges
(in particular, the free-flow range and congested range were
never confused). Going forward, we will investigate other non-
linear models, such as Gaussian Mixtures, that provide further
statistical metrics, in contrast to the uninterpreted weights
of ANNs. Initially we will build and test estimators in off-
line mode. We will select a highway segment (comprising
multiple detector stations) that is representative in terms of
pattern of outages. We will build models for this segment, then
examine their performance on estimates for synthetic gaps (so
we can compare estimates to reported values). Later, using live
loop-detector data we will work towards on-line estimation over
the local freeway network, which requires computing estimates
in a timely manner. Our end target is improvements in end-user
travel information products, such as the Portland-Metro Speed
Map on ODOT's Trip Check. Our main evaluation metric will be
the trade-off curve between accuracy of prediction and
percentage of gaps that can be filled.
Multi-modal Archived Data User Service
2009-269: Exploiting a Next Generation ITS Data
Warehouse for Improved System Performance and Congestion
Monitoring: The objective of this project is to build on an
existing data archive platform, toward development of next
generation performance measurement and congestion reduction
tools. This project will also review the current paradigm
described by the National ITS Architecture's Archived Data User
Service (ADUS) and examine the possibility of developing a new
generation ADUS, going beyond the creation of a passive
storehouse of data. Given current developments in the
transportation operations and management area, this project
will pursue several possible ADUS extensions including: live
re-serving of data, additional services (e.g., selectable
imputation methods), derived sources (e.g., pre-aggregated
data), coverage of a wider variety of data sources (including
contextual data such as weather and events), and active
monitoring of performance metrics against the historical
baseline. In order to frame this research, a survey of current
and potential users will be administered, seeking input
regarding requirements for next-generation transportation
information portals on topics including types of products and
services, performance requirements (e.g., latency,
availability) and desired interfaces (FTP, web services,
publish/subscribe). The proposed research will develop a system
and software architecture that meets those requirements, and
will address such issues as how such a portal should be
structured internally, what storage and processing needs exist,
how extensibility and availability can be ensured and how such
portals could federate on a regional scale.
2008-115: Application of WIM Data for Improved
Modeling, Design, and Rating: The objectives of this research
are to: collect, sort, filter, and archive WIM data to permit
development of long-term continuous records of high-quality WIM
data and; use the WIM data archive to monitor WIM sensor
health, develop loads for asphalt design, load models for
bridge rating and deck design, and monitor freight movement on
the highway system, specifically the volume, weight, safety,
and time demands. Researchers will collect WIM data from DOT
agencies (ODOT and others nationally). The data will be
analyzed and filtered to handle anomalous data and archived in
a universally available format for use in subsequent research
activities. This collection and archiving of data will allow
researchers to continue development of one of the longest
continuous and highest-quality WIM data archives available in
the country. In developing the archive, the research team will
develop data-processing techniques to help identify data and
system performance metrics. Results from these studies will be
compared with those used in the national specification and
improvements will be recommended.
2008-176: Expanding Development of the Oregon Traffic
Safety Data Archive: There is a growing recognition in the
safety community that decisions are more effective if they are
knowledge-based. Traffic records such as driver files, crash
data, enforcement, highway traffic and geometric information,
court records, and emergency medical records are the typical
data needed to make effective safety-related decisions. Often
these data are in various formats, maintained by distinct
agencies, and require specialized knowledge to use and link
together to achieve maximum use of the data. While nearly all
traffic safety data in Oregon is available on request from
various agencies (Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon
Justice Department, U.S. Department of Transportation, Human
Services Department) there is no clearinghouse where other
interested researchers, students and professionals can easily
access the data in a processed, consistent and usable form.
Linking data sources on an ad-hoc basis is time consuming and
inefficient. This research proposes to systematically develop a
knowledge-based clearinghouse of safety-related data in Oregon.
This archive, the Oregon Traffic Safety Data Archive (OrTSDA),
will serve as a comprehensive source of safety data. When fully
implemented, the archive will provide significant benefits to
decision-makers, researchers, practitioners, and interested
citizens.
Emergency Transportation Operations
2009-257: Future Flooding Impacts on Transportation
Infrastructure and Traffic Patterns Resulting from Climate
Change: Climate change is likely to bring more frequent,
heavier winter precipitation as temperature rises.
Transportation infrastructure and travel patterns are
vulnerable to potential changes in runoff regimes and stream
geomorphology. The objectives of the project are to investigate
the changes in the timing and magnitude of winter runoff under
climate change scenarios; determine the lag time of streams to
adjust to changes in the discharge regime; and quantify the
operational and economic impacts of these changes on
transportation choke-points and damage related to flooding. The
following methodology will be used to conduct the proposed
work. (1) hydro-climate modeling; (2) stream geomorphology
survey; (3) vulnerability analysis; (4) traffic analysis. The
economic impact of the disruptions on workers, freight, and
businesses will be estimated. The outcomes of this research
will include maps showing potentially vulnerable roads to
different magnitudes of flooding, socioeconomic damage of trip
disturbance resulting from road closures, and a final report.
Dynamic Ice Warning System Evaluation: ODOT has
recently deployed an automatic ice detection and warning system
on OR 140 near the Lake of the Woods pass. The ODOT Region 4
Traffic Manager and the District 11 office would benefit from
an evaluation to determine the accuracy and effectiveness of
the ice detection system. The potential to integrate the
existing warning system into the larger regional ITS also needs
to be examined. This task will include a quantitative
assessment of the fidelity of the current ice detection and
warning system. The integration activities will include a
literature review, an evaluation of the current hardware and
software, field studies to assess accuracy of ice detection,
evaluation of the local warning system, evaluation of ITS
system integration, particularly with the S. Oregon VMS, and
reporting to ODOT. A validated ice warning system will provide
ODOT with an assessment of the reliability of the current
system in order to potentially deploy additional systems
integrated in the S. Oregon VMS system and beyond.
Electronic Freight Management
2007-14: Using Existing ITS Commercial Vehicle
Operation (ITS/CVO) Data to Develop Statewide (and Bi-state)
Truck Travel Time Estimates and Other Freight Measures: The
transportation of freight is an important component of the
Oregon economy. While other modes are clearly important for
freight transportation, trucking is the dominant mode in terms
of tons and value. Currently, there is no system that estimates
travel time for many major freight corridors in Oregon.
However, the existing infrastructure of Oregon's Green Light
program provides an opportunity to generate travel time
estimates for many travel corridors in Oregon with little
additional investment. The Green Light program enrolls
approximately 3,330 trucking companies with 30,200 transponder-
equipped trucks (which does not include carriers participating
in other electronic screening programs from other states).
There are 22 equipped stations in Oregon where these
transponders can be read and corridor travel times predicted.
These estimates would also be useful to travelers and would be
an additional enhancement to Oregon's traveler information
system, TripCheck. In addition, these stations also include
weigh-in-motion systems which provide axle weights, spacing,
and gross vehicle weight estimates uniquely matched to a
transponder-equipped truck. The objective of this research is
to test the feasibility of using AVI data already being
collected from transponder-equipped trucks to develop travel
time estimates along major Oregon highway corridors and
eventually link these estimates with those produced in
Washington. Further, the research will seek to integrate other
sources, particularly weigh-in-motion data to capture other key
freight measures. As part of the research, it would be
determined whether additional transponder readers can be
deployed to read information at key points not at weigh
station, particularly in the Portland area. It is anticipated
that privacy concerns could be addressed appropriately.
2008-131: Oregon Freight Data Mart: Increasing
freight volumes are adding pressure to the Oregon
transportation system. Monitoring the performance of the
transportation system and freight movements is essential to
guarantee the economic development of the region, the efficient
allocation of resources, and the quality of life of all
Oregonians. Freight data is expensive to collect and maintain.
Confidentiality issues, the size of the data sets, and the
complexity of freight movements are barriers that preclude the
easy access and analysis of freight data. Data accessibility
and integration is essential to ensure successful freight
planning and consistency across regional partner agencies and
planning organizations. The main objectives of this project
are: a) to maintain a long-term freight database that would be
available for Oregon Universities, State transportation
agencies, regional planning agencies, and economic development
organizations, b) to integrate freight data into the existing
and successfully operating PORTAL system, and c) to monitor
freight performance measures. The data will be stored on a
designated server space at Portland State University and
integrated into the PORTAL system which will streamline data
accessibility and consistency.
2008-133: Freight Distribution Problems in Congested
Urban Areas: Fast and Effective Solution Procedures to Time-
dependent Vehicle Routing Problems: Congestion creates a
substantial variation in travel times during peak morning and
evening hours. This is problematic for all vehicle routing
models which rely on a constant value to represent vehicle
speeds. And while the ubiquitous availability of real time
traffic information allows drivers to reactively alter routes
and customer service sequences to better cope with congestion,
static routing models are unable to take advantage of these
advances in real-time information provision in order to
proactively find adequate routing solutions. In addition,
changes in travel time caused by congestion cannot be
accurately represented in static models. Research in time-
dependent vehicle routing problem is comparatively meager and
current solution methods are inadequate for practical carrier
operations which need to provide fast solutions for medium to
large instances. Even faster solution methods are essential to
take advantage of real time information. The aim of this
proposal is to develop and evaluate new methods for vehicle
routing in congested urban areas. The emphasis will be placed
on improving the running time of the existing methods using
tailored data structures, the efficient handling of local and
global variables, hybrid approaches, and parallel computing.
2008-134: Practical Approximations to Quantify the
Impact of Time Windows and Delivery Sizes on Freight VMT in
Urban Areas: Supply chains and urban areas cannot thrive
without the efficient movement of goods and accessibility to
services. From a freight planning perspective, it is crucial to
understand and quantify how routes and distribution decisions
translate into commercial VMT. In urban areas, most of the
trips take place within a multi-stop tour or trip chain. In the
logistics and operations research literature, modeling efforts
have focused on the design of routes but not on the estimation
of distances traveled or VMT. Freight planning models cannot
quantify the impact of delivery size and time windows in urban
areas. There is scant research relating number of stops per
tour, delivery sizes, time windows, and VMT per tour. Delivery
sizes and time windows have a significant impact on the
efficiency and VMT generated by freight movements in urban
areas. The fundamental research questions of this proposal are:
a) how to obtain practical and intuitive approximations on the
length of commercial vehicle tours and VMT traveled in urban
areas? and b) is it possible to estimate the impact of time
windows and delivery sizes on VMTs?
2009-230: Exploratory Methods for Truck Re-
identification in a Statewide Network Based on Axle Weight and
Axle Spacing Data to Enhance Freight Metrics: This research
seeks to develop an a new method to determine flow patterns of
trucks by matching archived vehicle-attribute data such as axle
spacing and axle weights at multiple geographic locations.
Overall, this research focuses on developing advanced methods
and algorithms to anonymously identify and match commercial
trucks crossing two data collection stations on roadways; and
on investigating how these re-identification methods can be
employed to enhance freight metrics. By capitalizing on the
vehicle-attribute data from a number of AVC and/or WIM stations
in a network, the proposed methods can potentially support and
benefit multiple applications, such as determining travel
times, quantifying travel time reliability, estimating truck
flow patterns (i.e., origins-destinations), estimating empty
truck movements, trip length estimation, tracking movements of
trucks without transponders, and pavement management. The
results of this study will benefit not only Oregon but
potentially all other states since truck characteristics do not
vary significantly from state to state, and many states also
collect axle spacing and axle weight data.
2009-276: Analyzing and Quantifying the Impact of
Congestion on Less-Than-Truckload Industry Costs and
Performance in the Portland Metropolitan Region: The
manufacturing, service, distribution, retail, and wholesale
economic sector is increasingly affected by growing congestion.
Unreliable and increased travel times shrink the distribution
radius of existing operations and reduce the operational
efficiency of drivers and vehicles. Even though there is a
clear consensus regarding the negative impacts of congestion,
the quantification and measurement of these impacts in
distribution logistics is a difficult task due to the lack of
detailed routing data. Unlike most freight and trucking
congestion studies based on aggregate measures, disaggregated
dispatching and actual GPS fleet route data sets will be
available for study in this research. The main objectives of
this research project are: (a) to understand the impact of
urban congestion on commercial vehicle fleets, (b) to quantify
and discriminate between the impacts of recurrent and non-
recurrent congestion on fleet operations, (c) to study how
adverse weather conditions compound the negative impacts of
congestion, and (d) to provide congestion performance measures
at a network level.
2009-277: Analysis of Travel Time Reliability for
Freight Corridors Connecting the Pacific Northwest: Most supply
chains cannot thrive without access to an efficient and
reliable freight system. The objective of this research is to
evaluate travel time reliability in the main freight corridors
connecting the Pacific Northwest to California, the Midwest,
and Southwest. Statistical analysis of Global Positioning
System (GPS) commercial vehicle travel data will be used to
study travel time reliability and identify congestion choke-
points affecting corridors to/from the Pacific Northwest. GPS
data will be used to determine travel time distributions along
different corridors by corridor segment (connecting main cities
along the corridor), time of day, and day of week. Unlike
previous studies, (a) GPS data will be complemented with
detector and transponder based information to improve the
accuracy of the travel time estimations in urban areas and to
compare measurements and (b) the impact of travel time
variability by time of day will be tested. A major objective of
the project is to quantify travel time reliability on I-5 and
I-84 freight corridors connecting major regional origin-
destinations that start, end, or run through Oregon.
2.1.2 OTREC Sustainability-Related Projects
Another one-third of OTREC's ongoing and planned research projects
related more generally to sustainability. Some of the projects aim to
make transportation and land use systems more efficient, while others
deal with making alternative modes such as bicycling and walking more
attractive. We anticipate that this research will result in measures
that can be implemented that will make our communities more efficient
and sustainable by encouraging a shift toward travel that requires less
energy. An additional set of projects deals with freight planning
issues that also aim to reduce the carbon footprint of our freight
transportation sector, specifically in the food supply arena.
Land Use and Transportation Linkage
2007-68: Co-Evolution of Transportation and Land Use:
The interaction between land use and transportation has long
been the central issue in urban and regional planning. This
project examines the land use-transportation interaction from
an evolutionary perspective--once a certain set of goals are
determined and pursued by politicians and planners, their land
supply and transportation investment decisions are to a large
extent driven by their previous decisions and the supply-demand
dynamics in the urban system. Different from existing
integrated land use and transportation models that assume
exogenous network investment decisions, the co-evolution model
considers both land use growth and transportation network
growth as endogenous and market-driven. The central research
question is how market and policies translate into
transportation facilities and land use developments on the
ground. The co-evolution model achieves a novel Urban Growth
Equilibrium, which is a useful concept for planning and policy
analysis. An agent-based simulation approach is employed to
integrate an existing land use model and the transportation
network growth model. The resulting integrated co-evolution
model is demonstrated in a series of policy sensitivity tests.
2008-137: Dynamic Activity-Based Travel Forecasting
System: The proposed research project has as its primary goal
the development of a dynamic activity-based demand model system
for Metro that will be capable of meeting these objectives
through explicit consideration of time of day and accumulated
activity times in the propensities of individuals to construct
tours. Although activity-based travel demand models have been
developed or are currently under development in several cities
in the U.S. and elsewhere, sensitivity to time-dependent path
information seems to be lacking in these efforts. Specifically,
extant models tend to treat activity episode generation,
duration, location, starting time, and travel mode choices as
essentially independent, which they are able to do because they
ultimately produce trip tables for static network assignment
methods. Model components to be developed under this project
include: activity pattern choice, daily starting time choice,
tour generation, tour mode choice, next stop purpose, next stop
location, next stop mode, next stop timing and system
simulation event tracker.
2008-152: Overlooked Density: Re-Thinking
Transportation Options in Suburbia, Phase 1 and 2009-216: Phase
2: This project aims at understanding of how regulation and
site design practices may be modified to transform existing and
new suburban multi-family housing areas into places that offer
a range of travel modes and potentially reduce the exclusive
use of automobiles. This proposal investigates the integration
of land use and transportation and also focuses on the role of
site design as a critical aspect in the creation of livable,
less congested and multi-modal suburban communities. Using a
case study approach, this research will include transportation
and demographic surveys of suburban multi-family residents,
audits/analysis of existing site designs, and interviews with
planners, developers, and designers of multi-family housing
developments. In order to expose students to the challenges of
creating integrated and sustainable suburban multi-family
development, this project will also include an educational
component in which a class of students will travel to study and
document existing models of suburban multi-family development
in Eugene, Oregon and Phoenix, Arizona. Both of these cities
have seen growth of this housing type in the last decade and
will serve as test cases of how different site design
approaches have affected transportation behavior. Students will
work with local officials, developers and architects to
understand code and development related issues, and will then
propose alternatives to existing models of development.
2008-163: No More Freeways: Urban Land Use-
Transportation Dynamics without Freeway Capacity Expansion:
This research aims to answer the following critical land use-
transportation planning questions: (1). Under what conditions
will freeway capacity expansion become counterproductive to
urban planning goals (where is the saturation point and are we
there yet)? (2). How would urban land use and transportation
dynamics evolve if an investment policy prohibiting all freeway
capacity expansions was implemented (i.e., no-more-freeway).
(3). What would be the implications of such a policy on
mobility, accessibility, land use pattern, transportation
finance, and social welfare? Improved knowledge on these issues
should benefit planers and decision-makers who pursue mobility
and sustainability objectives and have the power to shape
future cities. The general public will also benefit from more
informed transportation investment decisions. The proposed
research builds upon an integrated modeling tool developed in
previous research--ABSOLUTE (Agent-Based Simulator Of Land Use-
Transportation Evolution)--which translates planning policies
such as the ``no-more-freeway'' policy into alternative urban
growth paths and possibly urban growth equilibria.
2008-160: Long-Term Evaluation of Individualized
Marketing Programs for Travel Demand Management: With
increasing concerns over traffic congestion, fossil fuel use,
air pollution, and livability, coupled with severe constraints
on funding for new transportation infrastructure, cities and
regions are increasingly looking to a wider range of options to
address transportation problems. Transportation demand
management (TDM) is one of those options used over the past 30+
years with varying success. More recently, the concepts of
social and individualized marketing are being applied to TDM at
the household level and for all types of trips. This research
project has two specific aims: (1) to evaluate whether the
benefits of these individualized marketing programs continue to
at least one year after the project ends; and (2) to examine
whether the theory of planned behavior can help explain the
behavior changes identified. To do so, we will conduct
additional follow-up surveys of randomly-selected residents and
program participants, examine secondary sources of data, and
expand planned surveys.
2008-184:Understanding School Travel: How Residential
Location Choice and the Built Environment Affect Trips to
School: This project will examine the relationship between
parents' residential location decisions with the built
environment and travel mode to school asking several questions:
how is school travel implicitly or explicitly considered in
families' decision-making process for residential location, a
process that generally involves trade-offs a family faces in
addressing its various needs? what and how do local
environmental factors, such as land use patterns, street
network characteristics, transportation opportunities, and
housing stock characteristics around school sites play a role
in housing location choice, and in turn home-school proximity?
To what degree does family location preference is constrained
by school siting and other environmental factors, and how does
the constraint affect school travel behavior? We will survey
random samples of families with children attending selected
public schools in the City of Eugene's 4J school district. We
will collect information on children's school travel behavior,
household background, parents' attitude toward school travel
means, and their consideration of school travel in residential
location choice. Schools will be selected based on type,
quality, size, and location. A comprehensive strategy aimed at
reducing school auto-trips should consider providing more
walkable environments and reducing the demand for auto-travel.
Walking, Bicycling and Healthy Communities
2007-18: Active Transportation, Neighborhood Planning
and Participatory GIS, Phase 1 and 2008-98: Phase 2: This
project is aimed at developing, implementing, and evaluating
new community-based walkability tools. This proposed project is
designed to utilize new mobile GIS technology in the
development of tools that communities themselves can use to
assess, map, analyze, and deliberate within their efforts to
improve local walking conditions. These goals will be achieved
through the development, testing, evaluation, and transferring
of GIS and PDA-based tools focusing on measuring and mapping
the pedestrian environment. The tools will be developed in a
way that maximizes public involvement by local municipalities,
school districts, transit agencies, and citizen groups while
minimizing the training needs of a general, non-GIS using
public. With the data, communities can conduct self assessments
of local scale walkability, identify specific geographic areas
of unsafe conditions, prioritize areas of greatest need, engage
with local transportation officials more productively, and be
better prepared to leverage enhancement funds. The purpose of
the tools is twofold: 1) to collect relevant information about
the walking environment that can lead to greater safety and an
increase in pedestrian utilization; and 2) to catalyze
community involvement that can urge public involvement and
sustain other efforts to encourage greater walking. There are
four primary components of this proposal: 1) refine an existing
walkability audit tool for Safe Routes to School; 2) develop
additional walkability PDA and GIS based audit tools focusing
on ADA standards, Complete Streets, and walking environments
around transit stops; 3) test each of these tools in
communities throughout the country interested in addressing
walkability at the local scale; and 4) to conduct an evaluation
of the utilization of these tools in the various communities.
Once the tools are developed in the research lab, they will be
field tested within a community setting.
2007-20: The Influence of Community Walkability and
Safety on Active Transportation Among Low Income Children: In
the proposed study, we will examine the contributions of
walkability measures and perceived neighborhood safety (traffic
and crime-related) on active transportation among an ethnically
diverse group of low income children. Second, we will
investigate the relationship between children's active
transportation and overall physical activity and obesity. The
data set that will be used for this research is a cross
sectional survey of 765 parents and guardians of children in
Florida aged 5-18 who receive Medicaid, the health coverage
program for the low income. Using this data set, we will
develop multi-variate regression models to identify the
independent influences of walkability and safety on active
transportation, while controlling for children's individual
characteristics. We will test whether walkability factors are
equally important in communities that are perceived to be safe
and those that are unsafe. Then, we will examine the
relationship between active transportation and overall physical
activity and obesity for this low income population of
children. The findings from this study will add to the emerging
body of literature on the influence of community
characteristics on active transportation and will uniquely
focus on ethnically diverse, low income children. This study's
findings will provide insight regarding policy approaches that
may be effective for encouraging low income, minority children
to use active transportation. Improving physical activity
levels for low income children holds great promise for
improving health status, and for reducing income and ethnicity-
based disparities in health outcomes.
2007-33: Understanding and Measuring Bicycling
Behavior: A Focus on Travel Time and Route Choice: An ongoing
project is: examining the relationship between urban form and
people's decision to bicycle; examining other intervening
factors influencing the decision to bicycle, such as weather,
topography, attitudes and perceptions, and socio-demographics;
and testing the use of readily available technology (personal
digital assistants with GPS) to objectively measure physical
activity of bicyclists. That project first included a phone
survey of Portland area residents about bicycling behavior. The
second part of the project, currently underway, involves 150-
200 bicycle riders carrying a PDA/GPS unit with them when they
ride. This new project supplements and builds upon that work in
two ways: 1. Collect GPS data from an additional 100 bicycle
riders. Recruitment for the additional participants will focus
on people with demographic characteristics and located in areas
that were under-represented in the original sample. This will
allow for more robust results. 2. Analyze all collected GPS
data to answer additional questions. The current project
focuses on developing and testing the PDA/GPS technology and
analyzing bike riding in relation to urban form variables. The
proposed project will evaluate the following new questions,
among others: what is the difference in travel time between
bicycling and driving? how does this difference vary spatially?
how do cyclists' routes differ from the shortest network
distance? how do cyclists choose their routes? How do network
characteristics (e.g., bike lanes or heavy traffic) influence
those decisions?
2007-43: Factors for Improved Fish Passage Waterway
Construction: Roughened chutes (simulating natural stream
passages) are a cost effective means to provide fish passage at
locations where existing culverts and bridges are structurally
sound yet do not meet current fish passage rules and
regulations. Currently, the construction of roughened chutes
consists of using equipment and water-wash methods to place the
stream-bed materials; compaction consists of water
consolidation and use of bucket and track (using the wheels and
tracks of equipment). Excessive subsurface voids can be a
significant problem that settles the larger rock and allows the
gravel and fines to be washed away. The loss may result in
subsurface flow which may impedes passage for fish. Among the
factors contributing to this loss, both hydraulic design and
construction methods may play significant roles. This project
is designed to investigate the role that construction technique
plays in the loss of simulated stream-bed materials. The
overall objective of this research project is to determine a
list of significant construction factors affecting loss of
fines in roughened chutes and develop a tool that provides
better direction for the construction of roughened chutes.
2009-227: Evaluation of Bike Boxes at Signalized
Intersections: Analyses of motor vehicle and police reported
crash data reveal that nearly 68 percent of bicycle crashes in
Portland occur at intersections which are consistent with
national trends. Of these intersection crash types, a common
crash pattern is the ``right-hook'' where right-turning
motorists collide with through or stopped bicycles. To
partially address these conflicts between bicycles and right-
turning motor vehicles, the City of Portland will be installing
up to 12 ``bike boxes'' at signalized urban intersections. We
propose conduct a comprehensive, classical, observational
before-after study of the effectiveness of the installed
experimental traffic control devices and responses of all
system users impacted by the installation of the bicycle boxes.
Our approach will answer such research questions as: do the
bike boxes reduce conflicts or the potential for conflict
between motorized vehicles and bicycles? do the bike boxes
create any new or potential conflicts between motorized
vehicles and bicycles? how does motor vehicle driver and
bicyclist behavior differ with and without the bike boxes? what
design features affect behavior and conflicts? do the bike
boxes affect pedestrian safety, behavior, or conflicts with
motor vehicles or bicyclists? what are the impressions of the
drivers and bicyclists using the intersections about how the
bike boxes affect safety and operations?
2009-249: Improving Regional Travel Demand Models for
Bicycling: There is very little research in the U.S. on
bicycling. What does exist provides some general indications,
but is limited in scope and often employs unreliable methods.
Moreover, the primary tool used by public agencies to plan
urban transportation systems--travel demand models--rarely
includes bicycles as a separate mode. Without more
sophisticated modeling tools, planners are not able to
accurately evaluate infrastructure options that involve
cycling. One reason models do not adequately address the
bicycle as a mode of transportation is a lack of data. Models
are built using travel and activity surveys, which usually
don't include enough bicycle travel to develop better models.
This project will address these problems. For the past two
years, we have collected data from over 150 bicyclists on their
bicycle trips using GPS. Past research has evaluated why and
where people bicycle, including identifying different types of
cyclists. Focusing specifically on route choice behavior, it
has been possible to compare the characteristics of the
cyclists' routes with those of the shortest paths. The research
project proposed here takes that several steps further. The GPS
data already collected will be used to develop a bicycle
component to Metro's travel demand model. This will be done, in
part, by estimating the relative utilities of various types of
facilities and factors, e.g. bike boulevards, arterials with
and without bike lanes, low traffic streets, hills, etc. In
addition, the results will be used to improve a bicycle route
planning guide (ByCycle) that is currently available.
2009-229: Implementation of Active Living Policies by
Transportation Agencies and Departments: The overall aim of
this project is to examine how and why some public agencies
adopt policies that are intended to create a built environment
that that supports physical activity and active living.
Understanding how and why is essential to promote reformation
of planning and policy processes to support active living. The
project will focus on transportation agencies, including city
and county departments of transportation and public works,
congestion management agencies, metropolitan planning
organizations (MPOs), other regional transportation agencies,
and State departments of transportation. To address the overall
aim, we will answer the following questions: what actions
(e.g., policies, plans, standards, programs, etc.) can
transportation agencies take to support active living? which
agencies have taken these actions? why have these agencies
adopted policy innovations that support active living? what
factors influence adoption? to what extent is health and active
living a motivation for these actions? why don't more agencies
adopt such actions? what are the obstacles to active living?
Methods include a thorough literature review (print and web),
an inventory of State DOT actions, interviews with innovative
State DOTs, examining a random sample of MPOs and regional
transportation plans, a survey of local and regional agencies
that are undertaking best practices, and a random survey of
MPOs and city/county agencies.
2009-224: Healthy Communities and Urban Design: A
Multi-Disciplinary National Analysis of Travel Behavior,
Residential Preference, and Urban Design: This proposed
research project is firmly and directly connected to that
fundamental core through an examination of the connection
between urban form and transportation behavior within and
between cities across the country. This project seeks to
understand the relationship between urban form and active
transportation (walking and biking) by comparing behavior
within new urbanist and traditional suburban neighborhoods in
carefully selected neighborhood pairings in cities across the
United States. In twenty different cities we have selected one
new urbanist and one traditional suburban neighborhood by
initial GIS analyses of their urban forms. By including these
?pairings? of neighborhoods within cities, and by including
multiple cities across the country, we can both control for
local policy and cultural conditions within a single city, and
control for differences across cities. Thus, we will be able to
analyze the relationship of urban form to active travel in a
way that has not previously been done.
Sustainable Freight Transportation Systems
2008-154: Food Delivery Footprint: Addressing
Transportation, Packaging, and Waste in the Food Supply Chain:
Bringing food products to the majority of U.S. consumers
generally involves frequent and lengthy trips from the food
growers and producers through a distribution network to the
institutional, grocery, and restaurant businesses.
Increasingly, businesses are assessing the impact of their
purchasing decisions on their carbon footprints. These
decisions have complex implications for the environment based
on the mode of transportation employed, the corresponding
packaging used to transport the goods, and the resulting waste
and disposal transportation. The objective of the proposed
research is to examine the environmental implications of the
purchasing decisions made by these intermediary food
businesses. We will start by assessing the current condition;
then conduct life cycle assessments of different types of
materials and identify alternatives that meet packaging
requirements (e.g., shelf stability, etc.) with reduced
environmental impacts. Ultimately this project will serve as
the foundation for a broader assessment of an organization's
carbon footprint which would extend to other forms of energy
usage, transportation, and materials management. This
represents an enhancement of current `food miles' assessment
methodologies, which primary consider greenhouse gases emitted
during food transport. The research results can be used to
develop purchasing and logistics strategies and models for
supplier collaboration to reduce carbon foot print as well as
overall transportation and waste costs.
2008-195: Freight Performance Measures: Approach
Analysis: This research has two main objectives: develop a set
of freight performance measures that can effectively guide
State-level multi-modal transportation investment; identify
existing freight data sources and recommend a freight data
inventory system that supports the performance measures. This
research will develop data-oriented approaches to freight
performance analysis that focus on evaluating the cost-
effectiveness of various alternatives in achieving identified
policy priorities. This method is more likely to be supported
by existing and/or expected future freight data sources than
more comprehensive planning approaches, while focusing on a
smaller number of policy objectives at a time. ODOT will use
the results from this study to help make freight investment
decisions, plan future freight data collection activities, and
communicate the benefit of multi-modal investment to
politicians and the general public.
2009-226: Maintaining Safe, Efficient and Sustainable
Intermodal Transport through the Port of Portland: The overall
objective of this project is to help maintain safe, efficient,
and sustainable intermodal navigation in the lower Columbia
River by understanding, and suggesting remedies for, a problem
that threatens both navigation and salmon habitat. More
specifically, we will: use analyses of LOADMAX and historical
water level data to document long-term changes in key datum
levels and other tidal properties; use results from water level
analyses, dynamical models, remote sensing, channel topography
and other data to determine the causes of the decreased water
levels in the LCR; develop strategies to combat water level
reduction, facilitating timely connections to land transport.
The proposed research will apply advanced data analysis tools
and remote sensing to a transportation problem and its
associated habitat restoration needs, in direct collaboration
with the public and private sectors. This research takes a new
look at the consequences of dredging and uses of dredged
material, and considers the impacts of ongoing climate change.
2.2 Evaluating Environmental Impact of Technology
Within the realm of Intelligent Transportation Systems, a range of
technology applications exist which can lead to improved safety which
has direct benefits due to fewer fatalities, injuries and less property
damage. Safety improvement technologies have secondary benefits since
the congestion resulting from a crash is also eliminated which prevents
unnecessary delay, energy consumption, emissions, exposure to secondary
crashes and noise.
Other technologies result in reduced VHT and/or VHT, which can lead
to reductions in energy consumption, emissions, accident exposure OTREC
researchers have been involved in evaluating various technologies in
the U.S. and abroad for many years, across all modes. Typically an
evaluation will include some standard performance metrics such as:
Travel time or delay savings (congestion)
Variability of travel time (reliability)
Emissions
Number of trips
Number of stops
Mode choice
Noise
Fuel and energy consumption
Carbon footprint (e.g., offset by tree planting)
Fortunately there are several national resources that assist with
technology evaluation at the planning, design and implementation
stages, including the U.S. DOT ITS Benefits Database
(www.itsbenefits.its.dot.gov) and the Intelligent Transportation
Systems Deployment Analysis System (IDAS--see http://idas.camsys.com).
In order to rigorously evaluate any technology there are several
important considerations:
Partnerships: our evaluations of specific
technologies have all involved strong partnerships, typically
with transportation agencies and the private sector. We have
found opportunities to work collaboratively with the
transportation industry where we have been able to provide
resources for unbiased evaluation when transportation agency
staff lack time and resources to focus on research.
Problem identification: it is possible to avoid the
phenomenon of a problem looking for a solution by carefully
identifying the problem that need to be solved before
identifying a specific technology.
Data source: there must be a sufficient data source,
preferably as part of the technology deployment itself. In our
experience, it is extremely helpful when there is an
environment of open data sharing. Transportation agencies in
Oregon freely share their data (subject to privacy
requirements) with one another and with researchers and the
private sector, which is a model that should be followed
elsewhere.
Before and after: typically technology deployments
that result in the generation of data do not consider the need
for both ``before'' and ``after'' data. If possible,
evaluations should develop a robust set of baseline data before
implementing the ultimate system.
Involve evaluator early: if the need for evaluation
is built into the project or program early, the costs will be
minimized and the potential effectiveness of the evaluation
will be maximized.
Test bed: if alternative technologies are available,
consider the development of a simple testbed that allows for
raw data from several different sources to be collected by a
neutral party for direct comparison. The freeway authority in
Munich, Germany successfully used this format for evaluating
alternative road weather monitoring systems.
Technology transfer: communicating the results of
technology evaluation through training, seminars, publications,
new media and conference/workshop presentations has been a
cornerstone of OTREC's work. In addition we focus on educating
students who participate in the evaluations and will become the
employees of the transportation agencies and private firms
implementing future technologies. By involving agency staff in
the evaluation there is also technology transfer directly to
those employees (who may later move up through the agency to
leadership roles).
2.3 Future Research and Development Needs
A wide array of research and development is needed in order to
improve the energy efficiency and sustainability of the transportation
system, and many are underway at OTREC and elsewhere. Recognition that
the focus is shifting toward efficient and sustainable operation of the
transportation system will require research and development of new
sustainable performance based planning, design, operations and
maintenance. New incentives for operations and maintenance will need to
be developed. It is not possible to be exhaustive but several research
needs related to categories of projects described above are listed
here:
Sustainable Transportation Pricing and Tolling
Strategies: the area of transportation finance is receiving
more and more attention, but a sustainable financing system
with energy efficiency and sustainability goals does not yet
exist. Strategies for implementing emissions fees, or further
creative `green' finance systems that are publicly acceptable
should be developed.
Congestion Management: Since about 30 percent of the
vehicle miles traveled (VMT) occur on freeways (accounting for
only three percent of the lane miles), ITS based congestion
management strategies should be aggressively pursued, including
ramp metering, speed harmonization, and traveler information.
This will require better infrastructure for data collection and
fusion of data from multiple sources. Research and development
of greater data quality is also needed. Incident management
should be exploited to its maximum level of effectiveness.
Basic principles such as better signing, striping and marking
as well as enforcement, should also be pursued. Mechanisms for
improving travel reliability should be the core of this work.
Integrated Corridor Management: Arterials handle
about 42 percent of the VMT with about 11 percent of the
Nation's lane miles, and their operation should be optimized
through better operations. This requires a national effort to
exploit the existing infrastructure of controllers and
surveillance systems to provide needed data for management
purposes. Building on private sector innovation, investment in
research and development for more open source capable traffic
signal controller hardware and software should be considered.
Communications systems and data quality management components
supporting these systems will also be needed.
Advanced Transportation Information Systems: There is
great value in accurate, timely and customized traveler
information. There is still research needed to understand how
people use traveler information and how it influences their
decision-making. For example, would providing travelers with
detailed `green' traveler information that reports emissions,
noise, and energy impacts, influence mode choice and affect
traveler behavior? Navigation systems could be extended to
include not only the shortest distance and shortest time
routes, but the `greenest' route as well.
Multi-modal Archived Data User Service:
Transportation data will be more and more critical in the
future so national attention should be paid to developing
robust data collection, storage and management systems.
Building on Oregon's open data sharing philosophy, further
research is needed to understand how to fuse data from multiple
sources, including a mix of public and private sources in a way
that encourages innovation in both the private and public
sectors.
Electronic Freight Management: The unavailability of
disaggregate freight data continues to be a problem decade
after decade. Some strategy for creating a firewall between
private sector needs in the freight sector and public sector
needs should be developed, perhaps by a neutral third party.
The need for data clearinghouses may be needed across the
transportation system since the issues of fusing data from
multiple sources with varying degrees of quality and
sensitivity are becoming more important.
Several other issues that require further research and development
include:
Development of `green' performance measures that can
be generated and compared across different geographic areas
(state, county, urban/rural, city) and across all modes.
Development of standard traveler information graphics
to replace text-based dynamic message signs.
Dealing with automated enforcement legal and
institutional issues.
Serious exploration of liability issues (following
the lead of the European Union and Japan) related to technology
deployment.
3. Innovative Technologies in Transportation Systems
The deployment of innovative technologies in the transportation
system involves a complicated array of public and private
organizations, viewpoints, interests, motivations, legacies, funding
programs, and cross-disciplinary collaboration and communication.
Historically, the transportation profession has included engineers and
planners (as well as many others), but not necessarily requiring
expertise in computing, data processing, programming, communications,
system engineering and system integration. The development of the field
of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) has required the formation
of new multi-disciplinary teams that require more careful communication
and collaboration. Educational institutions, firms and government
agencies, and professional organizations have begun to respond to this
shift, but the response is not complete. Challenges remain that impede
the use of innovative technologies in transportation, and there are
roles for transportation agencies (local, State and federal) as well as
academia and industry.
3.1 Challenges Impeding Use of Innovative Technologies
As noted, there are many challenges impeding the use of innovative
technologies in transportation systems.
Shift to operations: the needed shift in the
transportation field toward an operations environment is
partially complete, but still impedes the advancement of
innovative technologies. Organizationally, there may not be
incentives and rewards for operations personnel to advance in
their career. Some agencies may not have sufficient operations
staff. Limited operations staff may not have time or expertise
to oversee implementation of new technologies.
Finance and funding: more flexible funding programs
could expand the implementation of innovative technologies.
Incentives that encourage transportation agencies to share
resources across jurisdictional boundaries would remove
barriers to implementation.
Human resources: transportation professionals
typically come from single-discipline educational backgrounds,
and there may not be sufficient opportunities for professional
development and continuing education. Many agencies and firms
have travel restrictions that prevent employees from attending
and participating in regional, national, and international
conferences and symposia (even across State boundaries in some
cases). There may not be programs for tuition reimbursement for
pursuit of continuing education or advanced degrees, or rewards
(e.g., promotion or salary increase) for attainment of graduate
degrees.
Legacy systems: there are numerous legacy systems
throughout the transportation infrastructure that have not been
maintained or upgraded. Funding for these kinds of upgrades
should be expanded, along with performance incentives that
allow for upgrades to new versions of hardware and software.
Often the legacy systems do not allow flexible data transfers
which impacts inter-operability.
Communications: historically transportation systems
have been linked to communications, but transportation
professionals may not have the necessary expertise to plan,
design or implement robust communications networks. More
attention should be paid to the establishment of communications
infrastructure that supports the implementation of innovative
technologies for the transportation system.
Data: there is a need for high quality ubiquitous
transportation surveillance data across all modes and all
levels of the network. Systems for measuring, storing, and
disseminating transportation data are complex and currently
inconsistent.
System integration: diverse systems that have been
implemented piecemeal require integration. Data standards are
moving targets and it is difficult to establish concrete
standards for data formats and structures.
Collaboration: the implementation of innovative
technologies requires thinking beyond traditional
jurisdictional boundaries. Users want to operate on a seamless
transportation network, so traditional boundaries that divide
finance, data, and other systems must be broken down.
Boundaries between public and private entities along with
associated liability issues also present challenges.
Need for objective and continuing evaluation: often
once a project has been implemented and possibly evaluated,
continuing maintenance and performance evaluation is not
provided.
3.2 Federal, State and Local Actions Needed
There are many actions that can be taken by Federal, State, and
local governments in order to break down barriers to the application of
innovative technologies. Several examples of these roles include:
Encourage regional collaboration: in the Portland
metropolitan region, the TransPort ITS Advisory Committee has
been meeting monthly on a voluntarily basis since 1994.
TransPort includes representatives from Federal, State,
regional, local governments, the private sector and academia.
The committee provides official ITS advising to the regional
transportation decision-making body and also provides a
valuable forum for sharing project information, data, and
resources. TransPort could be a model for regional coordination
nationwide.
Public/private partnerships: government agencies
could encourage public/private partnerships particularly in the
area of standards for data sharing and communications.
Funding and incentives for operations: new strategies
for funding operations activities within transportation
agencies should be developed, particularly for those with small
staffs. Operations funds should not compete with funding for
capacity improvements and dealing with aging infrastructure.
Reward data sharing: agencies that openly share data
with other agencies and make it available for research and to
the private sector (e.g., value added resellers) should be
rewarded.
Continuing education and mentorship: agencies should
partner with education and training organizations to advance
the multi-disciplinary educational level of employees, using
specific performance targets. Increase level of experience
within agencies to effectively implement, operate, integrate
and maintain technology. Agency personnel can serve as valuable
mentors and colleagues for students and faculty.
Performance measurement: develop new strategies and
incentives for `green' performance measurement and evaluation.
Rural infrastructure: communications and utilities in
rural locations can be unreliable and expensive to operate and
maintain. Agencies should focus on improving rural
infrastructure for technology.
3.3 Role for Industry and Academia Industry
Industry and academia play important roles in the implementation of
innovative technology solutions. At a fundamental level, it is
important for both industry and academia to be at the table at the
planning, design, and implementation stages. Often industry can assist
government. For example, new vehicles are already equipped with
advanced positioning and communications systems that could serve as a
backbone for those vehicles to act as `probes' in the transportation
system. However, serious privacy issues exist that prevent any
aggregation of data generated from private vehicles to be used for
management or information systems. Perhaps in the future, a
collaboration of public, private and university organizations can work
to develop a framework for integrating data from multiple sources in a
mutually beneficial way. The figure below illustrates one way that
academia can play a significant role in the development of new
technology. Most transportation agencies have systems in place to
identify problems, set specific goals for their region or state, select
and assess multiple alternative strategies, and ultimately take
particular actions. The feedback loop is complete when the evaluation
step is completed, which provides feedback into the next stage of
problem identification. Many times, the evaluation step is left out and
this is where academia can play an important role. Through
collaboration, universities can work with transportation agencies and
industry to provide unbiased, rigorous evaluations that complete the
feedback loop.
In the ITS field, often academia can play an important role in the
collection, storage and maintenance of data archives. It has been shown
that having a group of researchers who are interested in using data can
ensure its quality. Academia also plays a crucial role in providing
unbiased, rigorous evaluations of ITS projects and programs, which
serves as a training ground for future and current professionals.
4. Technology Transfer
4.1 OTREC Technology Transfer
OTREC's technology transfer efforts are contributing toward an
expanded and coordinated statewide program of transportation outreach
involving accessible communication of research results, continuing
education and training courses for transportation professionals at all
levels and at all stages of their careers, in a variety of formats.
These programs are being developed in coordination with a statewide
needs assessment, transportation agency, industry, and community needs,
and may also appeal to a larger national and international audience. In
addition, all OTREC projects have an explicit component of transferring
ideas, skills, and results as part of the research process. OTREC is
also working with individual campus commercialization officers to
efficiently move intellectual property into the marketplace as
relevant.
There is a need to improve our transportation systems to make them
more sustainable through research and education. There is also a
workforce crisis in the transportation sector in that half of our
nation's transportation system employees will be eligible for
retirement in the next ten years. Many rural city managers and
transportation planning staff are expected to retire within the next
decade, yet many rural towns in Oregon are experiencing either rapid
growth or decline where transportation issues become central issues.
OTREC is supporting efforts to link student service learning projects
with improving rural community planning, and will bring this approach
to developing transportation training modules for new city managers,
planners, planning commissioners, and legislators throughout rural
Oregon. OTREC is encouraging and funding investigator-based technology
transfer initiatives and encourage development of ways to share
knowledge nationally and internationally. An example of such an
initiative is the free web-based
Friday seminar program already underway at PSU. Each research/
education project proposal requires a technology transfer plan that is
evaluated as part of our peer review process. OTREC will encourage
dissemination of research results via journal publications and
presentations at recognized conferences.
There is a comprehensive OTREC website with links to all reports
and publications. Project descriptions are posted on the OTREC website
and submitted to TRB's RiP database one month after project selection.
The OTREC newsletter is a key communication tool, and has been
published twice a year and posted on the OTREC website. We also use
electronic communication by e-mail as a key outreach tool for faculty,
students, professionals and stakeholders. OTREC provides the Uniform
Resource Locator (URL) of all full text reports to TRIS, transmits it
to NTL and sends five printed copies to the Northwestern University
Transportation Library, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
the Institute of Transportation Studies Library at the University of
California at Berkeley, the TRB Library and NTIS within two months of
project completion.
In addition to national conferences such as the Transportation
Research Board Annual Meeting and others, OTREC faculty and students
actively participate and present at local conferences including:
Annual Region X (TransNow) student conference
Oregon Planning Institute (OPI) Conference
Northwest Transportation Conference currently
sponsored by ODOT in even-numbered years
Oregon Transportation Safety Conference
Institute of Transportation Engineers District 6
Annual Meeting (13 Western states)
Research PIs will be encouraged to produce posters and ``project
capsules,'' one page summaries of project results with graphics. These
are posted on the website and are also used in hardcopy to provide a
convenient format to distribute to transportation professionals. The
OTREC newsletter also features abstracts from recently published
results. A series of seminars/lectures/symposia/panels will be
continued and/or expanded at all campuses.
OTREC is supporting and expanding existing short courses and
training programs (e.g., Kiewit Center Safety Courses, PSU's Urban Rail
series, NCAT training, etc.). OTREC hopes to develop programs for the
Pacific Rim (e.g., China and Vietnam). In addition, we try to work with
other organizations to be a clearinghouse for a broad array of training
programs (ODOT's Road Scholars, the University of Washington's
Transpeed programs, WTS leadership programs, OSU's Kiewit Center
courses, FHWA sponsored courses through the National Highway Institute
(NHI), the National Transit Institute (NTI) and ITS Oregon sponsored
courses.)
OTREC has been in operation for about 18 months, and so far we
believe that our technology transfer efforts have been successful. By
funding 85 projects, there are now about 60 different faculty involved
in OTREC projects with roughly 95 students involved as research
assistants. Each project has an external matching partner who is
interested in the research undertaken. External partners also assist
with peer review of the final report, which also requires review by a
federal agency staff member. These efforts, along with direct access to
the products of each project, will help get the results into the hands
of those who can implement the technology. Our projects have about 30
external partners. We have 17 undergraduate and graduate degree
programs that are preparing future transportation professionals and
providing opportunities for working professionals to seek additional
education and training. OTREC faculty and students are quite active
publishing and presenting their research results and providing
opportunities for students to gain experience presenting the results of
their work. Finally, during our first year of operation our 31
professional development courses and symposia have reached about 585
transportation professionals.
4.2 OTREC Industry Partners
Industry partners play a significant role in technology transfer in
several ways. First, each project has an external matching partner to
help ensure success, and some of these come from industry. Second,
OTREC's External Advisory Board includes four members from private
industry, who help identify research topics and ensure technology
transfer.
4.3 OTREC Demonstration Projects
OTREC has not been involved in any official federally-funded
demonstration projects for new technologies.
5. Conclusion
Our themes--healthy communities, integration of land use and
transportation and advanced technologies--are guiding us, along with
our transportation agency and industry partners across the state, to
develop research and education programs aimed at solving transportation
problems and strengthening the transportation workforce. Our research
is being developed through a collaborative process and all products
will be peer-reviewed. Thank you for this opportunity to provide
testimony at this important hearing. With your continuing support, we
are looking forward to making important contributions toward a more
intelligent and sustainable future.
Biography for Robert L. Bertini
Dr. Robert L. Bertini is an Associate Professor of Civil &
Environmental Engineering and Urban Studies & Planning at Portland
State University in Portland, Oregon. A registered professional
engineer in Oregon and California, he is also the Director of the
Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC), a
statewide collaborative national university transportation center that
is a partnership between Portland State University, the University of
Oregon, Oregon State University and the Oregon Institute of Technology.
OTREC is advancing new research, education and technology transfer
initiatives throughout the State of Oregon with a multi-disciplinary
theme of advanced technology, integration of land use and
transportation and healthy communities. With 20 years of experience in
transportation, Bertini is a recipient of the National Science
Foundation CAREER award entitled Mining Archived Intelligent
Transportation Systems Data: A Validation Framework for Improved
Performance Assessment and Modeling.
Since joining the Portland State faculty in 2000, Bertini has
developed an Intelligent Transportation Systems Lab, unique in the
Northwest, where he and his students and colleagues are developing ways
of archiving and mining transportation data to improve the operation of
our transportation system, reduce congestion and fuel consumption and
improve quality of life. Bertini's goals at Portland State University
have been to create rich classroom and laboratory environments to
prepare leaders in transportation field; to conduct relevant research
toward more efficient, equitable, effective and sustainable
transportation system; and to develop new partnerships at Portland
State, within the Oregon University System, with transportation
agencies, consultants and industry. During this time Bertini has
developed new courses, curricula and seminars; published over 200
papers and articles (81 peer reviewed), most with student co-authors;
his published work has been cited 139 times; he has presented 163
invited lectures and presentations; he has been principal investigator
or co-principal investigator on 53 research projects; and has
supervised 87 undergraduate and graduate students. He is the recipient
of several best paper awards from the Institute of Transportation
Engineers, a diversity achievement award from the Women's
Transportation Seminar and the Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award
from the Portland State University Alumni Association.
Bertini works to bring a community-based learning component into
the classroom and serves as the advisor for the Portland State
University student chapter of the Engineers Without Borders. He is the
Secretary of the Transportation Research Board's Committee on Traffic
Flow Theory and Characteristics. He received a Ph.D. in Civil
Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, an M.S. in
Civil Engineering from San Jose State University, and a B.S. in Civil
Engineering from California Polytechnic State University San Luis
Obispo. His government and industry experience includes positions with
the San Mateo County California Department of Public Works, DeLeuw,
Cather & Company, Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, Inc., and
DaimlerChrysler Research and Technology North America, Inc. As a
transportation engineer he has worked on public works, highway, light
rail and airport projects, including planning, design and construction.
Bertini and OTREC are members of ITS America, ITS Oregon, the Institute
of Transportation and the American Road and Transportation Builders
Association.
Chairman Wu. Thank you, Dr. Bertini.
Mr. Voigt, please proceed.
STATEMENT OF MR. GERALD F. VOIGT, P.E., PRESIDENT AND CEO,
AMERICAN CONCRETE PAVEMENT ASSOCIATION
Mr. Voigt. Thank you. Good morning, Chairman Wu and
distinguished Members of the Subcommittee. It is both my
pleasure and privilege to represent the 460 members of the
American Concrete Pavement Association before you today. I will
address two areas: how paving materials can contribute to
energy efficiency and sustainability and what challenges impede
the adoption and implementation of sustainable practices.
Concrete is inherently a long-lasting and renewable
building material. One of the unique distinguishing factors and
features of concrete pavements are their well-documented
durability and longevity over many decades of evaluation. Most
pavements have a design life of 20 years but concrete pavements
generally last much longer. In fact, there are cases of heavily
trafficked concrete pavements that have performed for longer
than 40 or even 50 years. A good local example is Interstate 66
just outside the Beltway here in the Capital region, which was
completed in 1963 and is still in service today carrying a
daily traffic level 10 times what it was designed for. There
are many other examples like that across the country.
According to research in Canada, it is this exceptional
longevity that is primarily responsible for enhanced
sustainability benefits, particularly fewer repair cycles,
which is the primary reason concrete pavements have a
significantly lower energy footprint than comparable asphalt
pavements. Although cement, the glue that binds all the rocks
and sand together in a concrete mixture, requires a significant
amount of energy during manufacturing, it makes up only about
eight percent of the volume of a typical concrete paving
mixture. Over the past two decades, the trend has been for less
Portland cement to be used per cubic yard of concrete, largely
because of improved mixture technology and the industry's
significant use of industrial byproducts, which I believe were
mentioned earlier, such as fly ash from coal-fired energy
plants and slag from iron blast furnaces. Concrete is also 100
percent recyclable and reusable.
There are a number of sustainability features and benefits
that concrete pavement provides in addition to those based just
on materials. For example, concrete roadways require about one-
fifth the energy to produce as comparable asphalt pavement. If
concrete were substituted for the 500 million tons of asphalt
used in roadways each year, it would save around 1.2 billion
gallons of diesel fuel used in construction, or roughly the
equivalent of removing 2.7 million cars off the road annually.
I would like to point out that we are not suggesting that every
road in America needs to be concrete. We are just trying to
make the illustration of the benefits and the sustainability
features that concrete provides.
According to the National Research Council of Canada,
trucks traveling on concrete pavements use up to 6.9 percent
less fuel than on asphalt, so if all asphalt surfaces on the
national highway system were concrete, it would save as much as
2.1 billion gallons of diesel fuel per year, or $8.2 billion at
$4 a gallon.
Concrete pavements are also naturally light colored,
reflect light and do not retain as much heat as darker colored
pavements. This could save cities and municipalities up to one-
third on energy costs associated with streetlights. Concrete
pavements also have a direct effect on mitigating urban heat
islands and have been used successfully with other light-
colored surface technology to reduce urban temperatures.
According to Lawrence Berkley Laboratories, the potential
energy savings in the United States from this approach is
estimated at $5 billion per year through reduced cooling costs
in those cities.
In terms of the current and needed future research and
technology activities, at the top of the list for us is a new
sustainability technology initiative within our industry's
long-range research road map which will encompass a wide range
of activities to close research and technology transfer gaps.
We have outlined these in our written testimony.
Lastly, I want to mention several challenges our industry
sees to further implementation of sustainable materials and
practices for transportation infrastructure. First, there is a
lack of a clear and universally accepted way to measure the
sustainability of roadways. Second, current specifications
should be replaced with specifications that require more
sustainable practices. In many cases, existing specifications
unintentionally limit the use of more sustainable materials
like blended Portland cements. Demonstration projects and
workforce training at all levels will be necessary to develop
the knowledge and skills to implement sustainable and
innovative technology. And there is also an acute need for a
design and decision tool or tools to assess and continually
improve the sustainability of all pavements. At present, most
pavement decisions are based on, first, cost and, to a limited
degree, life cycle cost without regarding to sustainability
factors and benefits. A stronger federal position with an
objective and more comprehensive pavement selection policy
would help ensure that agencies effectively apply appropriate
considerations for energy use and sustainability. The decision
process must change to impact the use of innovative and current
materials that are more sustainable and less costly in the long
run.
Mr. Chairman, the stakeholders in our nation's surface
transportation network currently stand at an important fork in
the road. We can let our surface transportation network
continue to erode through the continuation of current practices
or we can reinvest in new practices and quality materials that
contribute to sustainable development. Our industry looks
forward to continuing this dialogue with you. Thank you for the
opportunity.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Voigt follows:]
Prepared Statement of Gerald F. Voigt
Good morning, Chairman Wu, Ranking Member Gingrey, and
distinguished Members of the Subcommittee.
My name is Gerald F. Voigt, President and CEO of the American
Concrete Pavement Association. The American Concrete Pavement
Association represents more than 460 member companies, including paving
contractors, cement companies, ready-mixed concrete producers, and
suppliers of capital equipment, machines, materials, value-added
products, and services that are used in the construction of concrete
pavement.
It is both my pleasure and privilege to appear before you today to
talk about the concrete pavement industry's research and development
activities aimed at reducing life cycle energy consumption and to
address sustainability for surface transportation infrastructure. My
testimony today will address questions aligned with three key areas:
1. How concrete pavements contribute to energy efficiency and
sustainability;
2. What research is improving or will improve the
sustainability of concrete pavements; and
3. What challenges impede the use of innovative and more
sustainable materials in the Nation's surface transportation
infrastructure.
How Concrete Pavements Contribute to Energy Efficiency and
Sustainability.
Concrete is the most commonly used building material in the world.
It is often taken for granted, but you find it in your homes,
buildings, under your feet while walking down a sidewalk, supporting
airplanes at airports and, yes, as a major component of many miles of
roads and highways in the United States and elsewhere in the world.
Concrete is inherently a long-lasting and renewable building material,
primarily made from locally available raw materials, including
limestone or other natural stones, gravel, sand, and relatively small
amounts of water.
To be clear, the other common paving material, asphalt, is also
made from locally available aggregate and sand, which is combined with
bitumen, a product of distilling petroleum.
One of the unique distinguishing features of concrete pavements is
their well-documented longevity compared to asphalt pavements. Most
pavements are placed with a targeted design life of 20 years, but in
reality concrete pavements generally last much longer, while asphalt
pavements last less than 20 years. In fact, there are well-documented
cases of heavily trafficked concrete pavements that have performed for
longer than 50 years. The State of Minnesota has recently begun
specifying a 60-year concrete pavement design and California (CALTRANS)
is working toward the goal of 100-year Sustainable Pavements.
Modern technology also continues to extend the service life of old
concrete pavements through innovative repair and rehabilitation
strategies. Increasingly, highway agencies are turning to a process
known as diamond-grinding, which can be used as part of a long-term
strategy to restore exemplary surface characteristics to structurally
sound concrete pavements. Diamond grinding uses large machines that
travel across the surface of the pavement, removing bumps and restoring
the surface texture to like-new condition. A study by CALTRANS\1\
suggests that the service life of a well-designed concrete pavement can
be extended by about 17 years with diamond grinding.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ ``The Effectiveness of Diamond Grinding Concrete Pavements in
California,'' CALTRANS, May 2005.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Of the two types of highway pavements--asphalt and concrete--
concrete pavements inherently have the lowest overall energy footprint.
The reasons for this are many, but the primary factors are the
exceptional longevity of concrete pavements, the relatively low amounts
of fuel required to place concrete pavements, and, of course, the fact
that our product is not a byproduct of petroleum refining and
production and thus has a much lower embodied primary (including
feedstock) energy.\2\ It is the exceptional longevity of concrete
pavement that is primarily responsible for its enhanced sustainability,
as the lack of frequent repair and replacement results in reduced
congestion; fewer construction cycles (and the associated energy
consumption, pollution generation, and use of natural resources); and
enhanced safety through surface characteristics.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ ``A Life Cycle Perspective on Concrete and Asphalt Roadways:
Embodied Primary Energy and Global Warming Potential,'' Athena
Institute, September 2006.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is important to distinguish cement from concrete. Concrete is
the mixture we form into pavements, bridges and other structures.
Cement (technically Portland cement) is a powder that when combined
with water and aggregates becomes the glue that binds the gravel and
sand together and gives concrete its strength and rigidity. Cement
requires the most energy to produce of all of the concrete
constituents. However, it makes up only about eight percent of the
volume if a typical concrete pavement mixture. The energy and
sustainability benefits of hardened concrete used in transportation
infrastructure overcome any drawbacks from the energy intensive
manufacture of this one component.
The concrete pavement industry has recognized and embraced the
concept of sustainability. We are supporters of the Green Highways
Partnership,\3\ and have taken on self-imposed actions and research
focused on improving concrete and concrete pavement sustainability.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ See http://www.greenhighways.org. The Green Highways
Partnership (GHP) is a voluntary, public/private initiative. It strives
to change the manner in which roadways are developed through concepts
such as integrated planning, regulatory flexibility, and market-based
rewards. GHP seeks to incorporate environmental streamlining and
stewardship into all aspects of the highway life cycle.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In recognition of their corporate obligations, the U.S. cement
industry has adopted voluntary reduction targets for key environmental
performance measures. Member companies of the American Concrete
Pavement Association and Portland Cement Association have adopted four
goals:
Carbon Dioxide--Reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 10
percent (from a 1990 baseline) per ton of cementitious product
produced or sold by 2020.
Cement Kiln Dust--Reduce the disposal of cement kiln
dust by 60 percent (from a 1990 baseline) per ton of clinker
produced by 2020.
Environmental Management Systems--At least 75 percent
of U.S. cement plants will implement an auditable and
verifiable environmental management system by 2010 and 90
percent by 2020.
Energy Efficiency--Improve energy efficiency by 20
percent (from a 1990 baseline) as measured by total Btu per
unit of cementitious product by 2020.
Over the past two decades, the trend has been for less Portland
cement to be used per cubic yard of concrete. This trend stems from
improved mixture technology, and the industry's use of industrial
byproducts, such as fly ash (from coal-fired energy plants) and slag
(from iron blast furnaces), to replace cement. Cement manufacturers
have developed new products where these supplementary materials are
combined during manufacturing as a blended cement product.
Some pavements have been constructed with as much as 25 percent fly
ash and 50 percent slag replacing Portland cement, and research is just
getting underway to further increase the amount of fly ash that can be
used. The net effect of this is a positive diversion of a large amount
of ``waste'' away from landfills, while at the same time improving
concrete properties and cost effectiveness, ultimately reducing
concrete's overall energy footprint. The proper use of these byproduct
materials in concrete also improves a pavement's longevity and overall
performance, illustrating how the concrete pavement industry is and can
be an even more integral part of creating a sustainable transportation
infrastructure.
Concrete is also 100 percent recyclable and reusable. Routinely,
old concrete is crushed, steel components are removed and recycled, and
then, the crushed concrete is used for roadbed materials, for
stormwater management, for aggregate in new concrete mixtures, and also
for some non-paving applications.
With regard to energy consumption, there are a host of energy-
related factors that are not considered in the typical pavement type
selection process in use presently by State transportation departments.
Primary among them is the energy required to build pavements and the
energy consumed by vehicles to drive on pavements once they are opened
to traffic.
According to the Federal Highway Administration's Technical
Advisory on Price Adjustment Contract Provisions, construction of hot-
mix asphalt roadways consumes more than five times as much diesel fuel
as the construction of comparable concrete roadways. Given the Federal
Highway Administration's (FHWA's) estimate of 500 million tons of hot-
mix asphalt placed annually, this would equate to a 1.2 billion gallon
annual savings of diesel fuel if those pavements were built with a more
sustainable concrete pavement. Considering the associated reduction of
carbon dioxide by constructing only concrete pavements. this equivalent
to taking 2.7 million cars off the road annually.
The National Research Council of Canada\4\ recently completed a
study on fuel efficiency of commercial trucks on both asphalt and
concrete pavements. The study demonstrated a statistically significant
fuel savings for semi-tractor trailers (18 wheelers) on concrete versus
asphalt pavements. Trucks traveling on concrete pavements use between
0.8 percent to 6.9 percent less fuel. The National Highway System is
the primary system for the delivery of goods by truck in the U.S. Some
80 percent of U.S. communities can be accessed only by truck for
deliveries. The system presently consists of approximately 160,000
lineal miles of pavement, 59 percent of which has an asphalt surface.
If these asphalt surfaces were converted to concrete surfaces, it would
save 2.1 billion gallons of diesel fuel per year at the pump (an $8.2
billion dollar annual savings at $4.00/gallon), reduce our dependence
on oil, lower the emissions from vehicles, and decrease the cost of
transporting goods.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ G.W. Taylor, P. Eng., & J.D. Patten, P. Eng. ``Effects of
Pavement Structures on Vehicle Fuel Consumption--Phase III,'' 2006.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Concrete pavements are also naturally light-colored, reflect light
and do not retain as much heat as darker-colored asphalt pavements.
This enhances night-time visibility, which in turn, improves both
pedestrian and vehicle safety. These properties also can have a
profound effect on energy savings, as it requires fewer lighting
fixtures or lower wattage fixtures to illuminate concrete roadways in
comparison to the darker asphalt surfaces. When properly accounted for
during design, cities and municipalities can save up to one-third on
energy costs associated with street lights. The potential savings are
huge, considering that the cost of keeping street lights illuminated is
often the third costliest item a typical city might incur, right behind
schools and employee salaries.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ Data from City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Concrete pavements have a direct effect on mitigating urban heat
island effects. Urban areas can be up to nine degrees Fahrenheit warmer
than surrounding areas, related to among other things heat-absorbing
dark-colored horizontal surfaces like roofs, roadways and parking
areas, which translates to more pollution and more energy required for
cooling buildings. Concrete has been used successfully, along with
other light colored building materials and strategic planting, to
reduce the urban heat island effect. According to work done in 2005 at
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories,\6\ the potential energy savings in the
United States from this type of planned mitigation is estimated at $5
billion per year through reduced cooling costs. At this time urban heat
island is not a factor used in the selection of pavements by FHWA or
State transportation departments.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ Akbari, H. ``Energy Savings Potentials and Air Quality Benefits
of Urban Heat Island Mitigation,'' First International Conference on
Passive and Low Energy Cooling for the Built Environment, Athens
Greece, May 17-25, 2005.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Naturally, when we talk about sustainability, it is logical to
focus solely on the longevity and environmental aspects of concrete
pavements. But there's more. Concrete pavements have indirect societal
and economic benefits, too. Downtown areas have been revitalized by the
use of decorative concrete pavements, which are colored and stamped
with decorative textures to create a higher aesthetic quality. This not
only improves civic pride and creates a sense of community; it also
tends to improve business along Main Street, U.S.A.
What ongoing or future R&D projects will improve the sustainability of
concrete pavement? What are the most important current technical
challenges, and what types of R&D projects are needed to overcome these
challenges?
In September, 2005, the National Center for Concrete Pavement
Technology (CP Tech Center),\7\ seated at Iowa State University in
Ames, Iowa, published the Concrete Pavement (CP) Road Map,\8\ which is
a comprehensive and strategic long-term plan for concrete pavement
research, prepared with broad industry participation under the aegis of
the Federal Highway Administration. The CP Tech Center is an
independent, third-party organization that represents the research and
technology transfer needs of the concrete pavement community. It is
also unique among technology centers in that it has the established
goal of collaboration with universities and other organizations across
the country to leverage the best minds and expertise. Today, the CP
Tech Center and the Concrete Pavement Roadmap are managed by executive
and advisory boards consisting of private, public as well as academic
leaders in the field of concrete pavement engineering.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ See http://www.cptechcenter.org
\8\ See http://www.cproadmap.org/index.cfm
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
When published, the CP Road Map consisted of 12 research tracks.
Although it was decided then that sustainability must be an
inextricable component of each of the 12 tracks, the ever sharper focus
on sustainability worldwide led the CP Road Map's Executive Committee
to create a separate sustainability and environmental track in
September 2007.
The track is currently underway, with the first meeting of the
Leadership Group\9\ scheduled for July 23, 2008. The diverse group will
lead the development of a Track Framing Document to guide research and
outreach, as well as to select projects for immediate and future
funding, all with the goal of advancing the sustainability of concrete
pavements, and building on concrete's already outstanding position as a
sustainable paving material. This track will closely align with the 12
other CP Road Map Tracks to ensure a coordinated and comprehensive
effort to address sustainability.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ The Leadership Group, consists of individuals representing
government (Federal Highway Administration; U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency; the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources; Virginia
Department of Transportation; Caltrans; North Dakota Department of
Transportation; Kentucky Department of Transportation; Minnesota
Department of Transportation; and New York Department of
Transportation. Also, the group is represented by industry (in the form
of representatives from companies including Holcim (US); Lafarge North
America; Duit Construction; The Right Environment, Snyder and
Associates; and Applied Pavement Technology), as well as associations
(American Coal Ash Association; American Concrete Pavement Association;
Wisconsin Concrete Pavement Association; Slag Cement Association;
Cement Association of Canada; National Ready-Mix Concrete Association;
Portland Cement Association, and the American Association of State
Highway and Transportation Officials); and academia (Iowa State
University--CP Tech Center and the University of New Hampshire--
Recycled Materials Resource Center).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inherent to increasing the sustainability of concrete pavements is
the need to increase energy efficiency, both in the production and
operational phases of the pavement's life. Current and future research
that directly or indirectly increases energy efficiency during the
production phase includes:
Development and adoption of new recycling methods for
concrete pavements to further advance the means through which
existing materials may be reused.
Development and adoption of advanced construction
testing and monitoring to assure the quality of the end-
products as more sophisticated and complex material
combinations are implemented.
Development and adoption of advanced, highly
efficient equipment, as well as methods for evaluating and
improving constructability to ensure that contractors operating
under the low-bid procurement process have the technology and
capability to achieve specified results.
Optimized aggregate sizing to reduce cement content
to reduce the energy embodied in concrete.
Increasing fly ash and slag contents in pavement
concrete to advance the extent of reuse of these byproducts for
cement substitution.
Two-lift slipform paving construction to allow
further use of locally available aggregate that may be
acceptable in the lower region of the pavement, but not near
the surface.
Development of practices to reduce and eliminate
construction waste and increased use of recycled water as
further improvements in sustainable construction practice.
Development and adoption of advanced, highly
efficient equipment to minimize fuel consumption and emissions
generated during construction.
In addition to improvements during the construction phase,
improvements in energy efficiency during the operational phase are
being targeted. These include improvements that may be realized through
the maintenance, rehabilitation, and recycling operations and those
that directly benefit the highway user and surrounding communities.
Current and anticipated research that addresses improvements in energy
efficiency during the operational phase includes:
Increased pavement longevity, minimizing future
maintenance and reducing user costs and delays resulting in
significant energy savings.
Fast-track (expedited) repairs and rehabilitation of
concrete pavements to reduce construction time and congestion
and associated wasted energy from vehicles delayed through work
zones.
Precast pavements/slabs for maximum durability, and
rapid repair and replacement to minimize disruption to
motorists and businesses.
New and improved in-place recycling techniques that
save energy by eliminating any need to transport materials to
and from a crushing and processing facility.
New concrete overlay techniques that extend pavement
life with the least amount of materials and energy expended,
while also providing the energy-related advantages of concrete
pavement surfaces.
Lower rolling resistance that increases the fuel
efficiency of vehicles operating on the pavement surface.
Highly reflective surfaces that require less
illumination, saving lighting energy and lives while lowering
energy required for cooling urban areas.
Optimized textures that reduce tire-road noise,
maintain frictional characteristics, and provide pavement
demarcation to improve aesthetics and community acceptance.
Photo-catalytic surfaces to treat air pollution,
lowering energy required for alternative treatment strategies.
Pervious concrete surfaces that eliminate energy
consumed to treat point source run-off.
ACPA also is working closely with researchers at Arizona State
University's National Center of Excellence on SMART Innovations for
Urban Climate and Energy to better understand how pavement designs and
materials contribute to surface temperature changes. Begun in 2005,
this research was designed to identify mix design factors that could
allow production of cooler pavement surfaces and a modeling tool by
which to evaluate the surface temperature changes. This work will
provide further awareness of the urban heat island issue, and influence
municipal ordinances and building codes to adopt environmentally
appropriate materials and solutions.
In pursuing this research, ASU has developed a simplified
laboratory test method to evaluate the thermal conductivity of paving
materials using conventional construction techniques. ASU also
collaborated with ACPA to develop infrared images and place in-pavement
sensors for a concrete overlay of an existing asphalt concrete parking
lot in Rio Verde, Arizona. This collaboration provided dramatic
information and imagery on concrete's benefit in reducing urban heat
island effects in a living community.
What challenges impede the use of innovative materials for
transportation infrastructure? What actions can the Federal and State
and local governments take to overcome these impediments? What is the
role of industry and academia, especially in technology transfer?
Current institutional and technical challenges exist that impede a
more widespread use of sustainable and energy efficient pavements. It
is our contention that significant improvements could be achieved
simply by including consideration of these important factors in the
selection process used for pavements. At present, most decisions are
based on first cost, and to a limited degree life cycle cost. However,
factors such as user costs, the energy required to build and operate
pavements, as well as the energy consumed by vehicles driving on
pavement surfaces or used for lighting roadways, is not appropriately
considered. New, more comprehensive selection processes could take
these real agency and societal impacts into consideration. A stronger
federal position on the use of federal aid funds coupled with an
objective and more comprehensive federal pavement selection policy
would help insure that states and other agencies effectively apply
appropriate considerations for energy use and sustainability.
The culture of considering ``lowest first cost'' in place by most
State Departments of Transportation (DOT's) must change to impact the
use of innovative and current materials that are more sustainable.
Traditionally, State departments of transportation have considered the
construction and maintenance of a roadway as two separate operations,
with separate funding levels assigned to each. Some states have adopted
life cycle cost strategies for some of their pavements, in which both
the initial construction costs and long-term maintenance and operation
costs are included as a way of comparing alternate pavement designs for
a section, but this has not pervaded all of their decisions. An asset
management and sustainability strategy can only truly be reached when
an agency applies this mindset both simultaneously across their roadway
network and continuously throughout time. In doing so, the pavement
network is viewed as an asset and a mix of different rehabilitation
strategies are employed to sustain its value.
We do not intend to be critical of our partners in the State
highway agencies, but the fact remains that a new mindset is needed to
achieve more sustainable practices. We also would be remiss if we did
not recognize the challenges faced locally with constrained funding
that limits an agency's initiative to adopt new, more sustainable
practices.
Application of strategic asset allocation to a pavement network
would allow the states to maintain the network in the highest overall
condition possible at the lowest constant level of dollar flow into the
pavement network. Such a system is inherently dynamic and necessarily
would adhere to the principles of sustainability. The FHWA has
recognized this need in their publication A Quick Check of Your Highway
Network Health\10\ which states: ``By viewing the network in this
manner [with each pavement as an asset in a collected network], there
is a certain comfort derived from the ability to match pavement actions
with their physical/functional needs. However, by only focusing on
projects, opportunities for strategically managing entire road networks
and asset needs are overlooked.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ FHWA-IF-07-006, ``A Quick Check of Your Highway Network
Health.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A number of specific implementation challenges currently impede the
immediate adoption of more sustainable pavements. These include:
Lack of a clear and universally accepted way to
``measure'' the sustainability of a roadway. However, research
conducted in Canada\11\ provides many answers, but has not yet
received broad acceptance within the transportation industry.
The Canadians have looked at the embodied primary energy of a
roadway segment over a 50-year life cycle (including material
extraction, processing, mixing, placement, operation,
maintenance and salvage). However, more work is required in
this area.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\ ``A Life Cycle Perspective on Concrete and Asphalt Roadways:
Embodied Primary Energy and Global Warming Potential,'' Athena
Institute, September 2006.
Existing specifications. In most cases, existing
specifications unintentionally limit the use of more
sustainable practices. Paving specifications are often based on
dated information and agencies do not often respond quickly to
changes in materials or industry advancements. Current
specifications should be replaced as appropriate with
specifications that require more sustainable practices. One
such change that would have immediate benefit is opening up the
use of blended cements. Blended cements (Portland cement
blended with slag or other supplementary materials during
manufacturing) are used extensively throughout Canada and
Europe, but are not widely used by State DOT's in the U.S. As
noted earlier, these materials have a lower energy footprint
than standard cements. Another positive change would be to
allow much great amounts of SCM's in concrete paving mixtures.
When given the opportunity, industry often will find innovative
ways to make use of these byproducts, while improving the
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
pavement quality and saving dollars.
Training the workforce. The design, construction,
maintenance, rehabilitation, and recycling of sustainable
pavements requires great knowledge and skills. As such, the
current and future workforce must be educated with respect to
sustainability and the important role each individual plays in
increasing sustainable infrastructure. This includes all
members of the workforce, from the construction laborers and
superintendents through the planners and designers. Immediate
and long-term benefits can be derived through focused training
programs that bring current and future innovations to light.
Lack of design and decision tools. There is an acute
need for tools designers can use to assess and improve the
sustainability of pavements. Although the technology exists to
create such tools, none are currently widely available and thus
there is no systematic way to determine the sustainability of a
given design or to compare design alternatives. Tools need to
be developed and implemented that are based on international
standards for assessing the life cycle costs and benefits of
design alternatives.
Demonstration projects and commensurate technology
transfer workshops can be used to demonstrate current and
emerging technologies that improve the sustainability of
concrete pavements.
Gaps in research, as outlined earlier.
Many of the achievements of the CP Tech Center were accomplished
through a cooperative agreement with the Federal Highway Administration
and used federal research funds to leverage funding from others,
including our industry. We greatly appreciate the efforts of Congress
to support of research and development for improved pavements. We are
confident that with our public sector partners, we can close gaps in
the technology and practice that will break down barriers to use of
innovative and more sustainable materials and practices.
Closing Remarks
Mr. Chairman, to summarize these remarks, I submit that the
stakeholders in our nation's surface transportation network currently
stand at an important fork in the road.
We can let our surface transportation network condition erode
through the perpetuation of current practices that ultimately will have
dire consequences to the safety and personal mobility of our citizens,
as well as the ability of our nation to compete in the global economy.
Or, we can reinvest in new practices that contribute to sustainable
development of our surface transportation systems.
In many ways, sustainable pavement technology is already available
in a familiar building material called concrete. We need to fill some
research gaps and develop the mechanisms to put more sustainable
practices into common use. If we accept this challenge, we will once
again create a system that stands peerless above all others and neither
detracts from our environment nor impedes future generations from
achieving the standards of living that we have enjoyed as a direct
result of our surface transportation network.
The concrete pavement industry stands ready and willing to invest
the time and other resources to advance our products and processes in
pursuit of even more sustainable practices. We look forward to the
support of the public sector to realize the American vision of the best
highways and roadways in the world. Thank you for your time, for
providing this opportunity to our industry, and for your kind
consideration.
Biography for Gerald F. Voigt
Professional Summary
American Concrete Pavement Association, 1988 to Present
Capstone: Serving the ACPA for almost two decades, I have been
involved in every facet of the Association's business, predominantly in
technical and management positions. During my entire tenure, I have
consistently balanced the dynamic needs of the industry by developing
and implementing new ideas; leading by example; and staying true to our
founding principles of service, hard work, and extra effort for the
betterment of the industry and the pavements we produce. I have
concentrated my work on technology and technology transfer for all
three primary segments of our mission: airports, highways and streets.
President & Chief Executive Officer, 2005 to present
Chief Operating Officer/Senior Vice President of Technical
Services, 2004
Chief Operating Officer/Vice President of Technical
Operations, 2000-2003
Role and responsibilities:
Formulate and oversee annual budget and manage
general operations and finances.
Manage diverse professional staff.
Work as proactive appointed member of ACPA Board of
Directors and Executive Committee to develop and implement
policies, programs, and budgetary guidelines.
Guide overall work programs and implement process
flows to improve productivity.
Lead all areas of Association's focus, including
technical & research programs, promotion programs,
communications, and government relations.
Provide some key hands-on technical support,
troubleshooting and research management.
Serve as Trustee for employee (ACPA and chapter/
state) 401-k plan.
Key Achievements:
Successfully lead ACPA through the creation of
National Concrete Pavement Technology Center in 2005.
Reorganized staff structure for improved service to
members and industry.
Formulated a streamlined budgeting process.
Developed first-ever ACPA employee/management review
process.
Solidified relationships and built trust with
chapters and key industry partners (FHWA, EPA and State DOTs).
Vice President--Technical Operations/Chief Knowledge Officer,
1999-2000
Role and responsibilities:
Manage staff work programs
Direct ACPA's technical information and information
technology programs.
Key Achievements:
Worked with colleagues to develop and initiate the
Innovative Pavement Research Foundation.
Created ACPA's first (and currently used) highway
market measurement process and associated quarterly report,
``Pavement Market Quarterly.''
Initiated ACPA's first ``Knowledge Management''
program, integrating the latest computer- and network-based
technology to streamline and expedite the flow of information.
Director of Technical Services, 1988-1999
Role and Responsibilities:
Assisted ACPA members and agencies with questions and
technical issues related to pavement construction and design
concerns, saving member contractors millions of dollars in
unnecessary removal and replacement costs.
Researched, produced and published technical
publications and guide specifications in all segments
(airports, highways and streets).
Prepared and presented more than 400 technical
presentations, white papers, and training sessions on concrete
pavement design, construction, and rehabilitation.
Key Achievements:
Developed relationships with State DOT, FAA, FHWA and
industry contacts.
Produced more than 35 technical publications and
guide specifications, most of which are still actively used in
the industry and among agencies.
Provided technical assistance or guidance in response
to more than 8,000 inquiries or requests during this period.
Midwest Consulting Engineers, Inc., 1987-1988
Capstone: Before accepting a position with the ACPA, I served in an
engineering position with this Chicago-based design and construction
consulting-engineering firm. During my tenure, I worked on several
major design and construction projects, while also providing
administrative and technical support to colleagues, and introducing the
company to computer spreadsheets for cost estimating and geometric
design.
Staff Design Engineer, 1987-1988
Role and responsibilities:
Served in key role on a team responsible for the
design of pavement rehabilitation strategies for Illinois
Department of Transportation.
Provided administrative and office management support
to principals of the firm.
Key Achievements:
Developed concrete pavement rehabilitation strategies
used by the firm.
Designed geometrics for two major arterial roadway
and expressway interchange improvement projects still in
service in suburban Chicago.
Significant Skill Sets and Experience
Personnel and fiscal management experience.
Expansive range of technical knowledge in all phases
of pavement design, construction, rehabilitation and materials.
Broad range of hands-on research and management of
research projects.
Extensive experience in Association management
issues.
Widely published technical author and experienced
speaker and presenter.
Clear and concise communicator.
Education