New England Transportation Consortium

New England Transportation Consortium

Completed

Re-Creating NETC

Project Objectives

The research objectives of this project include:

  • Perform a robust self-evaluation of NETC, incorporating steps to improve the effectiveness of NETC.
  • Conduct a Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analyses to engage Transportation Agency Advisory Committee members in discussions examining the internal and external factors that are expected to impact NETC’s continued effectiveness in executing its research program.
  • Distribute online surveys to two member groups: NETC transportation agency managers and implementers, and NETC agency subject matter experts.
  • Distribute additional online surveys to pooled fund consortiums, university transportation centers) and cooperative research programs to gather information about administering a research program, selecting and prioritizing research, managing research projects, implementing research and communicating research results.
  • Discuss possible actions NETC could take and move toward consensus on the types of changes NETC could pursue.

Technical Committee Members

  • Melanie Zimyeski, Connecticut Department of Transportation
  • Andrew Mroczkowski, Connecticut Department of Transportation
  • Dale Peabody, Maine Department of Transportation
  • Ulrich Amoussou-Guenou, Maine Department of Transportation
  • Lily Oliver, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
  • Nicholas Zavolas, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
  • Ann Scholz, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
  • Deirdre Nash, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
  • Colin Franco, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
  • Christos Xenophontos, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
  • Emily Parkany, Vermont Agency of Transportation
  • Tanya Miller, Vermont Agency of Transportation

20-4 Coordinating State Policies, Laws and Regulations for Automated Driving Systems Across New England

Project Objectives

The objectives of this project are to:

  1. Conduct a literature review of research focused on Automated Driving Systems (ADS);
  2. Analyze existing policy, legal, and regulatory issues to overcome anticipated barriers to multi-state ADS operations;
  3. Recommend coordinated steps for the NE States to take in consideration of the operations of vehicles on the roadway transitioning from human driven to ADS operated;
  4. Develop recommendations towards facilitating testing and deployment of ADS-equipped vehicles operating in multiple states or traveling across state lines; and
  5. Support the development of policy, legal, and regulatory approaches that inform national and other regional ADS efforts.

Technical Committee Members

  • TC Chair, Peter Calcaterra, Connecticut Department of Transportation
  • Daniel Sullivan (Former Chair), Massachusetts Department of Transportation
  • Kara Aguilar, Maine Department of Transportation
  • Kody McCarthy, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
  • Susan Klasen, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
  • Christos Xenophontos, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
  • Joe Segale, Vermont Agency of Transportation

AC Co-Liaison: Nicholas Zavolas, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
AC Co-Liaison: Emily Parkany, Vermont Agency of Transportation

Project Coordinator, Kirsten Seeber, CTC & Associates

Implementation Activities

Tech Transfer Activities

  • July 28, 2022 – 2022 AASHTO Research Advisory Committee Meeting – Emily Parkany, Vermont Agency of Transportation

20-1 In-Service Performance Evaluation of NETC Bridge Railings

Project Objectives

The research objective will be to determine the in-service performance of the NETC bridge railings and transition systems based on the percentage of fatal and serious injury crashes and barrier penetrations. The evaluation should examine all NETC bridge railing sites constructed in each cooperating state. Construction records and bridge inventories will be reviewed to develop an inventory of NETC bridge railings. Crash data for five years (and more if possible) will be collected for all NETC bridge railings identified in the inventory. Traffic data (e.g., posted speed limit, AADT and percent trucks) will also be collected, if available, for each inventoried NETC bridge rail. The crash, inventory and traffic data will be merged into a single database and the fatal and serious injury proportions will be calculated for each type of NETC railing by a variety of potentially confounding factors (e.g., posted speed limit, vehicle type, highway facility type, percent trucks, etc.). Similarly, the crash records will be examined for any indication of bridge railing penetration or rollover. This study should be conducted using the now available NCHRP 22-33 Guidance for the conduct of ISPEs. NCHRP 22-33 (Collaborative Approach to In-Service Performance Evaluations) has outlined an approach to the conduct of ISPEs which uses crash data to mimic the MASH evaluation criteria, thereby providing a direct comparison of actual field performance to the MASH evaluation criteria. Further, the NCHRP 22-33 Guidance was developed with the intent of collaborating across state lines to conduct more robust ISPEs just as is being proposed herein.

Technical Committee Members

  • TC Chair, Jeff Folsom: Maine Department of Transportation
  • David Kilpatrick, Connecticut Department of Transportation
  • TBD, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
  • Chelsea Noyes, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
  • Chris Gagnon, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
  • Chris Mooney, Vermont Agency of Transportation

AC Liaison: Dale Peabody, Maine Department of Transportation

Project Coordinator, Kirsten Seeber, CTC & Associates

19-2 Multi-Scale Multi-Season Land-Based Erosion Modeling and Monitoring for Infrastructure Management

Project Objectives

The objective of this research project is to develop a slope stability model that will be used to create an effective multi-scale assessment toolkit that aids in monitoring, forecasting, and prioritizing areas of erosion and slope instability.

Technical Committee Members

  • TC Chair, Neil Olson: New Hampshire Department of Transportation
  • Sara Ghatee, Connecticut Department of Transportation
  • Kate Maguire, Maine Department of Transportation
  • Pete Connors, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
  • Colin Franco, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
  • Callie Ewald, Vermont Agency of Transportation

AC Liaison, Ann Scholz, New Hampshire Department of Transportation

Project Coordinator, Maina Tran, CTC & Associates

18-4 Quick Response Project: 2019 ICNet Workshop

Project Objectives

  1. Organize and run an ICNet workshop in spring 2019.
  2. Identify research needs and develop a problem statement that NETC can address.
  3. Develop a plan for sustaining the annual ICNet workshop in future years.

Technical Committee Members

  • Charles Hebson, Maine Department of Transportation
  • Elise Greenberg, Connecticut Department of Transportation
  • Katherine McArthur, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
  • Steven Miller, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
  • Ann Scholz, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
  • Julia Gold, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
  • Joe Segale, Vermont Agency of Transportation

AC Liaison, Ann Scholz, New Hampshire Department of Transportation

18-3 Integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into Operations Conducted by State Departments of Transportation

Project Objectives

  • Provide guidance to New England DOTs regarding best practices when incorporating UAS into daily operations.
  • The research will focus on the following: (1) exploring UAS applications in order to support state DOT missions and identify those most suitable for specific (or categorical) DOT operational missions; (2) identification of up-to-date technologies and support systems that are necessary in order to accomplish the selected use-cases; (3) addressing challenges associated with the implementation and integration of UAS technologies and FAA rules and regulations; (4) developing processes to carry out selected UAS applications.

Technical Committee Members

  • Jeffrey DeCarlo (TC Chair), Massachusetts Department of Transportation
  • Pamela Cotter, Rhode Island Department of Transportation
  • Carol L. Niewola, New Hampshire Department of Transportation
  • Matt Philbrick, Maine Department of Transportation
  • Amy E. Stula, Connecticut Department of Transportation
  • David Tillberg, Vermont Agency of Transportation

AC Liaison: Emily Parkany, Vermont Agency of Transportation

Project Coordinator, Maina Tran, CTC & Associates

Implementation Activities

A UAS New England peer group formed as a result of this project. NHDOT is pursuing a UAS implementation plan that will build off this project and be specific to NHDOT’s needs. VTrans will use the project’s results to look at new platforms, as a starting point to fill in gaps in their existing UAS procedures and workflows, and as a reference for future discussions in the peer group.

Tech Transfer Activities