Newest Issue of ARTBA Washington Newsline Now Available

Stay up-to-date by checking out the latest issue of Washington Newsline.

Free ARTBA Webinar: What Email Solution is Right For You?

Email is a “must-have” for any organization. Unfortunately, there is a cost involved, and at times it can be very high. Learn about the reasons for choosing between an “owned exchange,” a “hosted exchange,” and Google Mail, and find out which option is right for your organization during this informative, interactive, 60-minute August 8 webinar led by IT expert Josh McDonald of HCSS. There is no charge to participate.

For more information and to register for this event see the full announcement here.

Colorado I-70 Bridge Replacement Finished Ahead of Schedule (Video)

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) reopened Interstate 70 on Monday morning following a weekend of bridge work. 

CDOT announced the section of road, located between Interstate 25 and Federal Boulevard, opened approximately 4.5 hours ahead of schedule. 

More than 1,000 visited the viewing area over the weekend to watch more than 100 crew members work Friday through Sunday to demolish the old Pecos Street bridge and install the new, 2,400-ton pre-cast bridge.

Read the rest of the story and see a time-lapse video of the construction at the Better Roads website.

Beat The Heat (and other transportation problems) With Some Thinking

Just what can extreme heat do to our transportation infrastructure? Quite a lot. 

What the current heat wave hovering over large portions of the country can do is not only disrupt travellers but also damage roadways and rails. 

You’d have to wonder if the aging state of the infrastructure actually gives the superheat a chance to do even more damage.

Read the rest of the story at the Better Roads website.

The Park-O-Meter Turns 78

On July 16, 1935, in Oklahoma City, parking changed forever. 

There, on the sidewalk, the parking motorist found a new contraption. The parking meter had arrived. Thank you, Carl C. Magee. 

No more free parking, not even parking under time limit signs, but pay up front and make sure you don’t forget to feed it or get back in time. It made policing parking easy so it helped fill the coffers of a lot of American cities over the years. 

Read the rest of the story at the Better Roads website.

CDOT Uses Child’s Perspective to Demonstrate Proper Lane Merging

The Colorado Department of Transportation has launched a new series of messages to inform drivers about the “late merge,” a lane merging technique aimed at reducing traffic delays through construction zones.

CDOT’s late merge messages, which consist of highway signs and an online video, emphasize travelers’ use of all open lanes until a work zone’s actual merge point.

Read the rest of the story and see the video at the Better Roads website.

FHWA Pushes Dynamic Management of Transportation Networks

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is trying to help agencies strapped for transportation infrastructure funding dollars. One way FHWA says it is doing this is by “working to promote a dynamic approach to manage the transportation network.” 

Which means? 

According to FHWA: 

“The approach seeks to optimize performance and increase efficiency throughout the entire trip chain as seen from the traveler’s perspective. Termed Active Transportation and Demand Management (ATDM), the program advances the ability to manage, control, and influence travel demand, traffic demand, and traffic flow of transportation facilities.” 

Read the rest of the story at the Better Roads website.

Japan’s road construction signs are cute cartoon animals

Here in the U.S., we’ve been seeing innovations that save time and money, increase driver safety, raise awareness about construction crews and make other improvements to highway construction. But in Japan, a different and adorable kind of innovation is showing up at highway construction sites. Road construction crews in Japan have begun using animal-shaped barricades (also used as traffic signs) that look like they belong on a playground instead of a construction site. According to Kotaku, the “character barricades,” collaboratively designed by Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido and rental company Sendaimeiban, started making appearances in 2006 and have since become popular on job sites across Japan. - 

See more at the Better Roads website.

Safe Electricity Shares Important Outdoor Safety Tips

When the weather is nice, it is fun-and healthy-to stretch the legs and enjoy time outside. With the official start of summer on June 21, outdoor activities-baseball games, cookouts, and more-are in full swing. While it's good that we get fresh air and sunshine, make sure all family members are aware of potential hazards to keep outdoor fun safe.

"Make sure your family has a talk about staying safe. This includes safety during storms and safety around power lines and other electrical equipment-including pad mounted transformers, those green metal boxes that contain the above ground portion of an underground electrical installation," says Molly Hall, executive director of the Safe Electricity program. "These cabinets carry high voltages and are safe when locked, but they can be deadly if someone reaches inside. If you see one in your neighborhood that is open, call authorities and your utility immediately."

Take a moment to go over these tips at the Safe Electricity website.

Palm Beach County man invents way to save traffic signals from hurricanes

Those traffic signals that smashed to the ground, broke and fell apart while being flung to and fro by hurricane-force winds perplexed state traffic engineers and academics.

The wholesale failure of many of the state's traffic signals in 2004 and 2005 during eight back-to-back hurricanes, including Jeanne, Francis and Wilma in South Florida, had them scrambling to come up with new ways to make signals more stable. And save the state millions of dollars in repair costs.

Read the rest of the story here...

Amazing ERO Concrete-Recycling Robot Can Erase Entire Buildings

Demolition is a messy business—not only does the process require heavy machinery and produce clouds of dust, but it also results in giant piles of rubble that often head straight for the landfill. Omer Haciomeroglu, a student at Sweden’s Umeå Institute of Design has designed Ero – a robot that recycles concrete in an energy-efficient manner and separates it from rebar and other debris on the spot. The project won the 2013 International Design Excellence Award (IDEA) in the Student Designs category.

Read more about this story here....

Dutch Scientists Invent Smog-Eating Pavement to Help Clean the Air

In urban areas, both smog and pavement seem to dominate the landscape. While the two may seem like separate and distinct elements of the city ecosystem, the air and ground could potentially be linked together to help reduce overall pollution. Dutch scientists from the Eindhoven University of Technology  have invented a new method to clear the atmosphere by treating paving blocks with titanium oxide. The special “photocatalytic pavement” was amazingly able to cut smog in half compared to a control.

Read the rest of the story here...

Newest Issue of Better Roads eRoad Pro Daily Now online

In this issue, Six projects receive mid America regional America's Transportation Awards, Senate to consider DOT, HUD spending bill and much more!


View all these stores at the Better Roads website.

International Road Federation Online Moduals

Enhance your environmental knowledge by following the Environmental Management and Urban Design online learning tool. Developed by the New Zealand Transport Agency, and based on the New Zealand frameworks, this series of learning modules offers you insights in project specific strategies and planning, real world case studies, public relation, construction and maintenance of green road development in urban settings.

View all of their offerings at their website.

NJ LTAP Presents: Winter Operations/Snow and Ice Control

It’s not too soon to think about how you will tackle the snow and ice challenges of the 2013-2014 winter season. Managing winter operations and snow and ice control requires that those involved have a broad and diverse knowledge base. The ability to plan and prepare, train available staff and to make quick critical decisions are requirements of a successful manager/supervisor involved in these activities. This presentation will focus on the following:

• Planning and developing policy for winter operations
• Snow and ice control chemicals and materials
• Applying the right materials at the right time and right place
• Environmental impacts
• Equipment needs
• Weather and pavement forecasting services
• Snow and ice control strategies
• Preparing and utilizing snow and ice control chemical/material treatment plans
• Personnel resources and training

To register: http://cait.rutgers.edu/cait/snow-ice-control

Safety Link- Smart, Safe & Sober

Smart, Safe & Sober is a comprehensive statewide partnership aimed at reducing traffic fatalities. It is a joint effort of local law enforcement, the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, the Virginia Highway Safety Office of the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Virginia Department of State Police, the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association, and DRIVE SMART Virginia.

Through education and awareness on seat belt use, public service announcements, community events, and high visibility enforcement by state and local law enforcement, the SSS program helps to save lives on Virginia’s highways.

Visit Smart, Safe & Sober today!

VDOT Dashboard

Take a moment to see how VDOT is doing by check out the VDOT Dashboard.  The Dashboard is a performance reporting system for VDOT projects and programs.

Intermediate Work Zone Traffic Control Training- July 23-24 Midlothian, VA

UVA TTA is please to announce that it will be presenting the workshop "Intermediate Work Zone Traffic Control" in Midlothian, VA on July 23-24.

Federal requirements now instruct state and local governments to train personnel in work zone traffic control relevant to the job decisions that each individual is required to make. This workshop provides training needed to properly install and monitor work zones for construction and maintenance projects for long-term (greater than three consecutive days) operations. 

This course also provides comprehensive training on work zone standards, guidelines, installations and removal procedures, inspection, liability, documentation and supervisory skills. Several workshops included in this course are designed to provide hands-on experience implementing and modifying temporary traffic control plans for various real-life situations. It also teaches how to recognize, analyze, correct, and document deficiencies. At the conclusion of this workshop, a short open-book written exam will be administered to all attendees. 

A VDOT-issued training card will be given to each attendee who achieves a passing grade of 80% or higher.

Please visit the  UVA TTA website to register.

Transportation Training Academy Workshops

The Transportation Training Academy has released its schedule through the end of August.  Take a moment to visit our workshops page and see what we have to offer!

LTAP TTAP July Newsletter

The July edition of the LTAP TTAP Newsletter is now available online- plenty of information on the upcoming national conference, stories of interest, resources and upcoming LTAP events.

Montana LTAP Webinars

The Montana LTAP has a great library of webinars on it's website.  These compromise the state's safety webinars from 2011-2013.  The Transportation Training Academy recommends taking a few moments and checking out what they have available.

Head over to the Montana LTAP Webinar website and see what's available!

New Pavement Preservation Journal Available Online

The latest Pavement Preservation Journal is now available online.  The jam-packed Summer 2013 issue includes reports on the thinning of concrete overlays, FP2's involvement in the Preservation Study at the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT), asset management in a Colorado city, and the use of ground-penetrating radar to assess airport runway structure.

These and other articles are available here.

ARTBA Launches Grassroots-Focused Video, Website

The American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has launched its latest educational video and website, with a goal of teaching transportation design and construction professionals about how to become involved in the political process and infrastructure policy debates....

Read the rest of the story at betterroads.com