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21-3 Initiating Seed Production for Effective Establishment of Native Plants on Roadsides in New England

Project Objectives

The New England Transportation Consortium funded research to move the capacity of native plant establishment along roadsides from 2013-2016. This work trialed seed mixes and methods for establishment and developed a manual with 39 key species for the region identified. Various protocols for site preparation, seeding, and post establishment monitoring and maintenance were also provided. Following this work, a series of next steps were identified as critical for effective implementation. The most important step was the development of local seed sources, which are currently absent in the region. The shift towards planting native plants along roadsides has multiple benefits including: natural defense for invasive plants, habitat for common and rare pollinator species, and the potential to reduce maintenance needs over time. Pollinators play an important role in this country’s agricultural system as well as in maintaining healthy natural ecosystems.

The problem at hand in the New England is the lack of a native seed mix to use in the roadside habitat that includes important species for pollinators. Also, we do not have a consolidated library of best management practices for roadside management to promote pollinators that apply directly to the climate and conditions in the New England.

This project will include two main efforts. First, it will investigate and develop a list of currently available resources for native seed and plant stock throughout the New England region to understand what is currently available. The study will focus on the list of plant species identified in the 2016 New England Transportation Consortium (NETC) study by the University of Connecticut, “Effective Establishment of Native Grasses on Roadsides in New England” (NETC, 2016), as they are known to suitable to the region and are valuable to pollinators throughout the entire growing season of New England. Once an understanding of what is/is not available, the study will look at ways to increase availability of seeds throughout New England. The study will use gathered information on seed stock to draft a plan for developing a native seed source or sources appropriate for use along New England roadsides. The project would also include proof of concept for developing capacity for local seed source and production for the region.

Technical Committee Members

TC Chair: Arin Mills, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
Adam Boone, Connecticut Department of Transportation
Tara Mitchell, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Rebecca Martin, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
Susan Votta, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
Heather Voisin, Vermont Agency of Transportation

AC Liaison: Ann Scholz, New Hampshire Department of Transportation

Project Coordinator: Kirsten Seeber, CTC & Associates

21-1 Quality Review and Assessment of Pavement Condition Survey Vehicle Data Across New England

Project Objectives

Recent changes to the way states collect and report their network condition data to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has created a need for higher-quality calibration of state-owned or consultant-utilized data-collection equipment. Through Data Quality Management Plans (DQMPs) that have been developed by each state (mandated through 23 CFR 490) and approved by FHWA state Division Offices, there is a recurring need for quality measurements and subsequent high-level analysis of survey equipment. The survey equipment (such as profilometers, Laser Crack Measurement Systems, Pavement Friction Testers, Distance Measuring devices, and the like) must be calibrated and checked to ensure the quality of the data being produced meets minimum criteria. In addition, standard protocols for data collection, validation, verification, and other quality management processes must be administered, and strictly followed.

For the states in the New England that own and operate their own survey vehicles, it is critical to ensure that their data collection equipment and operations fulfill the requirements of their DQMP while not creating excessive work for agency officials. For the states outsourcing data-collection surveys, it is critical to ensure any quality management protocols used by the consultant align with both long-term agency needs and FHWA-approved state DQMPs.

Specific goals of this project:

Review northeast state Data Quality Management Plans for pavement condition data.
Summarize verification sites used in the northeast with potential for inter-agency sharing.
Develop recommendations for regional efficiencies in collection and analysis of QC/QA data for each of the participating transportation agencies.
Develop or adapt forms and macros as “Best Practices” recommendations to assist states with data reporting requirements for compliance with FHWA approved DQMPs.

Technical Committee Members

TC Chair: John Henault, Connecticut Department of Transportation
James Havu, Maine Department of Transportation
Jonathan Smith, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Eric Thibodeau, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
Deidre Nash, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
Paul Petsching, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
Reid Kiniry, Vermont Agency of Transportation

AC Liaison: Andrew Mroczkowski, Connecticut Department of Transportation

Project Coordinator: Kirsten Seeber, CTC & Associates

20-3 Investigating Thermal Imaging Technologies and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Improve Bridge Inspections

Project Objectives

The overall research objective is to focus on developing UAV-based inspection and analysis protocols using infrared (IR) thermal imaging to determine the existence and extent of concrete delamination, with emphasis on the underside of bridge decks. This objective will be realized by answering the specific questions:

Can IR technology be used effectively to identify concrete delaminations, especially on the underside of bridge decks where the concrete surface thermal differences may be only subtle due to very little exposure to direct sunlight. What type of thermal resolution is required? Sensor images will need to be “ground-truthed” with actual measured delaminations from tried and true methods. Also is there sensor equipment that can be used in handheld operation and attached to drones for flight operations.
What type of drone hardware, Camera Specifications, Camera Mountings and Testing Attachments would provide the most cost-effective benefit for each type of data capture? This question will be answered through surveys and test trials of different UAVs. For optimal information gathering, it is envisioned that several technologies will be concurrently employed, and a significant outcome of the work will be an assessment of the relative value and optimum combination of technologies. (e.g. drone and infrared imaging systems).
What data storage and retrieval systems and hardware are required for managing and easily re-using the potentially enormous volume of digitized information captured? Data storage and data transfer technologies make this a relatively simple problem. However, universal data sharing formats will need to be established early on.
What software is available or will require development to efficiently process the captured data for human inspection and evaluation? Many generic systems of machine learning (including computer vision) are available and as such it is relatively easy to develop and train prototype systems. Once prototypes are tested, they can be turned into application-specific codes with an interface appropriate for field use.

Technical Committee Members

TC Chair, John “Sam” Maxim: Maine Department of Transportation
Vitalij Staroverov, Connecticut Department of Transportation
Bruce Sylvia, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Nicholas Goulas, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
Colin Franco, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
Evan Robinson, Vermont Agency of Transportation

AC Liaison: Dale Peabody, Maine Department of Transportation

Project Coordinator, Kirsten Seeber, CTC & Associates

Implementation Activities

Tech Transfer Activities

Sam Maxim, Dale Peabody and Kevin Ahearn met with Danny Tullier (Bridge Design/Instrumentation, LA DOTD) to provide information from the project, particularly related to IR thermography cameras.

20-2 Current Status of Transportation Data Analytics and A Pilot Case Study Using Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Project Objectives

The objectives of this research include: (1) reviewing the practices of all DOTs in the New England area and developing a comprehensive inventory of data, data needs, and data analysis practices related to traffic operations; (2) providing recommendations on how to better collect, reduce, achieve, and analyze the data to support DOT decision making and how DOTs should prepare for future transportation data collection and analytics considering emerging sensing and analytical technologies such as connected vehicles, loT, Machine Learning (ML) and AI; and (3) conducting a pilot case study of using AI techniques to automatically analyze specifically-identified operations data and perform a thorough evaluation of its capability to generate useful traffic operation and safety performance measures. This will demonstrate how advanced analytical techniques may extend the capability of traditional traffic sensors and produce additional useful information without expensive infrastructure investment.

Technical Committee Members

TC Chair, Susan Klasen: New Hampshire Department of Transportation
Ed Block, Connecticut Department of Transportation
Colby Fortier-Brown, Maine Department of Transportation
Chet Osborne, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Chris Falcos, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Sean Raymond, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
Tom Bushell, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
Ian Degutis, Vermont Agency of Transportation
Mandy White, Vermont Agency of Transportation

AC Liaison: Ann Scholz, New Hampshire Department of Transportation

Project Coordinator, Kirsten Seeber, CTC & Associates

19-3 Experimental Validation of New Improved Load Rating Procedures for Deteriorated Unstiffened Steel Beam Ends

Project Objectives

In order to capitalize on the knowledge and methodology developed from ongoing research on new improved load rating procedures for deteriorated unstiffened steel beam ends, the structure of the proposed project will be designed accordingly. The research will identify and quantify the most common beam-end corrosion topologies across states in New England. The goal of this work is to enhance load rating methods for assessing corroded unstiffened beam ends to avoid overly conservative bridge posting recommendations. The new developed methods from ongoing research in the state of Massachusetts calculate more accurately the load carrying capacity. However, the wide application of the new procedures needs to be validated with experiments including several different configurations, beam sizes, corrosion shapes, and support conditions. Laboratory testing will validate and enrich the new procedures while providing valuable insight into the failure mechanisms that control these scenarios. Finally, finite element computational calculations will be calibrated using the produced experimental data from full-scale testing of the corroded beams.

Technical Committee Members

TC Chair, Matthew Weidele, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Greg Funk, Connecticut Department of Transportation
James Costigan, Maine Department of Transportation
Joel Veilleux, Maine Department of Transportation
Nicholas Goulas, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
Join Poisson, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
Christopher Gagnon, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
Keary LeBeau, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
Andrew Lemieux, Vermont Agency of Transportation

AC Liaison: Nicholas Zavolas, Massachusetts Department of Transportation

Project Coordinator, Kirsten Seeber, CTC & Associates

Implementation Activities

Tech Transfer Activities

July 24-28, 2022 – 2022 AASHTO Research Advisory Committee Annual Meeting, Newton, MA
June 20, 2022 – Transportation Research Board Summer Meeting, Virtual
May 31-June 3, 2022 – Engineering Mechanics Institute Conference, Baltimore, MD
May 24-25, 2022 – MassDOT Transportation Innovation Conference, Worcester, MA
May 6, 2022 – NEW.Mech Conference, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
January 9-13, 2022 – Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Washington D.C.

19-1 Curved Integral Abutment Bridge Design

Project Objectives

This project’s objective is to develop guidelines for the design of curved integral abutment bridges. These guidelines should address recommendations for span length, total bridge length and degree of curvature and skew, with modeling recommendations for design which are consistent with the current AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications.

Technical Committee Members

TC Chair, Alex Bardow: Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Raymond Basar, Connecticut Department of Transportation
Rich Myers, Maine Department of Transportation
Kevin Daigle, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
Jim Lacroix, Vermont Agency of Transportation

AC Liaison: Emily Parkany, Vermont Agency of Transportation

Friend of the Committee: Nicholas Zavolas, Massachusetts Department of Transportation

Project Coordinator: Kirsten Seeber, CTC & Associates