Category Archives: News

FHWA Issued Its EDC-7 Progress Report #1

Posted on

The Every Day Counts Round 7 Progress Report #1 is now available here.  

Every Day Counts (EDC) is the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) program to advance a culture of innovation in the transportation community in partnership with public and private stakeholders. Through this State-based effort, FHWA coordinates rapid deployment of proven strategies and technologies to shorten the project delivery process, enhance roadway safety, reduce traffic congestion, and integrate automation.

The Progress Report describes the seven technologies and practices FHWA is promoting in EDC-7 and summarizes the deployment status of each innovation as of April 2024 and each innovation’s goal for adoption by 2025.

More information on the EDC-7 Round Innovations, including the initial Baseline Report can be found here.

Research Spotlight: Innovative Pothole Repair Materials and Techniques

Posted on

A recently completed NJDOT research study, Innovative Pothole Repair Materials and Techniques, tested several new techniques and materials that could improve the cost-effectiveness of pothole repairs in New Jersey. Phase I of the research project, led by Professors Hao Wang and Husam Najm of Rutgers University, evaluated new methods for both asphalt and concrete structures. Pothole repair is one of the primary maintenance activities for highway agencies, generating significant costs and resource commitments. Cost-effective pothole repair methods can reduce or eliminate the possibility of re-patching and save future repair costs.

Asphalt Pothole Repair

Asphalt pavement is continuously subjected to vehicular and environmental loading throughout its lifecycle, leading to the inevitable occurrence of distresses such as cracking, rutting, raveling, potholes and so on. Among these distresses, potholes are critical as they can disrupt traffic, impose risks to safety, and cause costly vehicular damage for vehicle operators.

Field repair of pothole using induction heating.

Pothole repair is a primary maintenance activity for highway agencies. Typically, cold mix asphalt is used for emergency repair and hot-mix asphalt (HMA) for traditional repairs. Usual pothole repair methods include throw and go (roll), edge seal, semi-permanent, spray injection, and full depth repair. Among them, throw and go (roll) method using HMA has been adopted by most transportation agencies for surface patching. However, this common practice largely relies on the usage of HMA. Although the quality of the asphalt patch can be ensured, it presents environmental concerns due to the energy consumption and environmental footprint involved in producing new HMA. To mitigate the impact on the environment, reduce cost and conserve energy, recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) has been widely used as a highly desirable material. The addition of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) in asphalt mixtures can bring numerous economic and environmental advantages.

Infrared heating test was used in asphalt repair method.

This study sought to investigate an innovative approach to pothole repair using HMA with RAP and preheating. The study investigated two aspects: First, the performance of HMA with different RAP contents were evaluated through laboratory tests to select the most appropriate content. Second, the in-site strength of pothole repair was evaluated with field cores to quantify the benefits of repair quality due to recycled material and preheating.

Both microwave heating and infrared heating were tested, with varying results. Microwave heating was able to warm both the surface and internal materials of the pavement, however, its efficiency was low and the rate of temperature increase was insufficient. Conversely, the infrared heating method proved adept at rapidly heating the top edges and bottom surface of the pothole to high temperatures and was used successfully in pothole repair.

Further tests were carried out adding RAP to HMA patching materials. The results showed that there was greater abrasion loss, reduced IDT (indirect tensile strength), and interface shear strength of patching material had less resistance to moisture as RAP content increased. Nonetheless, with the application of preheating, the overall performance of HMA containing 30 percent RAP was satisfactory, proving that it is feasible to use RAP material for pothole repair.

Concrete Pothole Repair

Photos showing condition ratings for concrete repairs.

Similar to asphalt pavement, concrete structures are prone to deterioration due to vehicles and weathering. Cracks can develop which lead to further deterioration due to chloride infiltration. Thus, a good repair is necessary for maintaining concrete structures. An ideal repair material should be easy to work with under different weather conditions, be fast setting, and possess good durability. Rapid-setting cementitious patch repair materials are popular for repairing small concrete damage and providing a functional repair within few hours.

Based on extensive literature research and several NJDOT practices, three formulations were chosen as the best performing candidates. Workability, strength, and restrained shrinkage cracking of the formulations were investigated. The restraint shrinkage test protocol simulated upper and lower limits of restraint that a repair material undergoes in real applications. The repairs were also cast and placed in external environmental conditions to expose them to natural weathering actions. The cracking behavior was evaluated including cracking spacing and maximum crack width

The investigation led to the identification of three formulations that did not crack for a period of 10 months in field exposure to NJ climate conditions. Typically, rapid set formulations do not shrink after 6 months. The formulations that did crack revealed that an addition of 1 percent of PVA fibers could significantly reduce the maximum crack width. The maximum crack widths observed in all the formulations were an order of magnitude less than the maximum allowable crack width specified by NJDOT (1/32″).

Contemplated Legislation

The research projects were completed at a time when pothole repairs have attracted critical attention from motorists and legislators within the state. In the current legislative session (2024-2025), the New Jersey State Senate voted unanimously to advance a bill that is intended to address concerns about pothole damage to roads and bridges in the Garden State. 

The NJ Senate bill, S862, would require the state DOT to include information about pothole repair projects and their cost in the annual report. The additional information would include reporting on the number of repair projects going on around the state and their cost. The bill includes a separate provision that would require a lifecycle cost analysis to be conducted.  The information would be required to be made available to the public on the NJDOT’s website.  An identical bill, A2596, was introduced in the NJ Assembly during the legislative session.

AASHTO Recognition 

The research project is not only primed to inform the serious legislative issues being raised in Trenton but was recently recognized by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHTO) for its contribution to innovation. Every year, the High Value Research Task Force of AASHTO Research Advisory Committee (RAC) holds a national competition to find “high value” research projects throughout the country. In 2024, the Innovative Pothole Repair Materials and Techniques research project was recognized in the Maintenance, Management, and Prevention supplemental category, as described here.

RESOURCES

Wang, Hao, and Xiao Chen. “Innovative Pothole Repair Materials and Techniques Volume I: Asphalt Pavement.” (2024). Final Report. Retrieved here.

Wang, Hao, and Xiao Chen. Innovative Pothole Repair Materials and Techniques Volume I: Asphalt Pavement. (2024). Technical Brief. Retrieved here.

Najm, Husam, Bala Balaguru, Hao Wang, Hardik Yagnik, and Alissa Persad. “Innovative Pothole Repair Materials and Techniques Volume II: Concrete Structures.” (2024). Final Report. Retrieved here.

Najm, Husam, Bala Balaguru, Hao Wang, Hardik Yagnik, and Alissa Persad. “Innovative Pothole Repair Materials and Techniques Volume II: Concrete Structures.” (2024). Technical Brief. Retrieved here.

Asphalt Pavement Pothole Repair with Recycled Material and Preheating. Presentation at NJDOT Research Showcase by Xiao Chen and Hao Wang. Retrieved here (Presentation) and here (Recording).

 

Join the NJ Mileage-Based User Fee Pilot for EVs!

Posted on

If you live in New Jersey and drive an electric vehicle (EV),* you are invited to participate in the four-month New Jersey Mileage-Based User Fee (MBUF) Pilot for EVs. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and The Eastern Transportation Coalition (Coalition) are looking for EV owners to share their opinions on an MBUF system and the future of New Jersey’s transportation funding.

The state and federal gas taxes have been a main source of transportation funding for more than one hundred years. As newer vehicles are going farther on less fuel and some have stopped using fuel at all, drivers are contributing less per mile to transportation funds. The Coalition is partnering with NJDOT to explore an MBUF, where each EV driver would contribute to our transportation system based on the miles they drive instead of the annual EV fee enacted in July 2024.

The Pilot is easy to join and free to participate in, and there are strict privacy measures in place to safeguard your data.

**Notice: Enrollment in the New Jersey Mileage-based User Fee Pilot for Electric Vehicles is now closed.**

Enrollment for the Pilot begins October 1, 2024

Visit NewJerseyMBUFpilot.org to learn more.

2024 MBUF Flyer for Pilot
2024 MBUF Flyer for Pilot

Courtesy of the Eastern Transportation Coalition. Learn more here.

*Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) are not eligible to participate in the Pilot.

Dr. Giri Venkiteela, Research Scientist, BRIIT, accepted two awards on behalf of the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

NJDOT Research Projects Receive High Value Research and Supplemental Awards by the AASHTO Research Advisory Committee

Posted on

The Bureau of Research, Innovation and Information Transfer (BRIIT) is active in many national transportation efforts, including the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Dr. Giri Venkiteela, Research Scientist, BRIIT, is the Vice Chair of Region 1 of AASHTO’s Research Advisory Committee (RAC) that serves the Special Committee on Research & Innovation (R&I).

In late July 2024, he attended the RAC’s National Meeting in Columbus, Ohio and accepted two awards on behalf of the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Every year, the High Value Research Task Force of AASHTO RAC holds a national competition to find four “high value” research projects from each of the four AASHTO regions in the country. In 2024, two research projects sponsored and managed by the New Jersey Department of Transportation were recognized nationally with awards.

Several experimental and numerical research activities were carried out to assess the mechanical properties and long-term durability of Advanced Reinforced Concrete materials
Several experimental and numerical research activities were carried out to assess the mechanical properties and long-term durability of Advanced Reinforced Concrete materials

The first project, Advanced Reinforced Concrete Materials for Transportation Infrastructure, was recognized as one of top 16 projects in the country and was managed by Dr. Venkiteela. The Principal Investigator for the study was Dr. Matthew Bandelt from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and championed by NJDOT’s Bureau of Materials.

Transportation infrastructure systems must resist conditioning from the natural environment and physical demands from service loading to meet the needs of users across the state. Reinforced concrete, which is widely used in bridge decks, pavements, super- and substructures, and other systems, deteriorates under environmental conditioning due to electro-chemical processes that cause expansive mechanics stresses at various length scales (e.g., reinforcement corrosion, freeze-thaw, etc.), leading to costly and timely durability and maintenance challenges.

The project report, which provides a background on the state-of-the-art of advanced reinforced concrete materials that are being investigated to improve reinforced concrete transportation infrastructure. A series of experimental and numerical research activities were then carried out to assess the mechanical properties and long-term durability of these systems. Results show benefits across a range of metrics and have the potential to substantially improve the in-service behavior of reinforced concrete transportation infrastructure.

Methods to preheat an excavated pothole prior to repair were described to improve the interface bonding between existing pavements and hot filling material.
Methods to preheat an excavated pothole prior to repair were described to improve the interface bonding between existing pavements and hot filling material.

The second project, Innovative Pothole Repair Materials and Techniques, was recognized in the Maintenance, Management, and Prevention supplemental categories and was also managed by Dr. Venkiteela. Separate research reports were prepared for asphalt (Volume I) and concrete structures (Volume II). The Principal Investigator for the study was Dr. Hao Wang from Rutgers-Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation.

Pothole repair is one of the most important and frequent maintenance activities for highway agencies. Significant amounts of costs and resources are spent in pothole repair for material, labor, equipment, and traffic control. Cost-effective pothole repair methods can reduce or eliminate the possibility of re-patching and save future repair costs. The good condition of pothole repair with less cracking will also prevent reflective cracking when asphalt overlay is placed. Preheating the excavated pothole prior to repair has been found to improve the interface bonding between existing pavements and hot filling material, which can help enhance the overall performance of asphalt patches.

The long lifespan of a durable patch will reduce travel delay due to work zone and safety risk of highway users and workers. They will better preserve the condition of highway infrastructure and provide better service to the traveling public. The feasible usage of recycled materials can reduce the production of new material, which can contribute towards a more sustainable approach of roadway repair with economic and environmental benefits.

Additional information about the research teams for each research project and links to Final Reports, Technical Briefs, and select presentations given at the NJDOT Research Showcase or at Lunchtime Tech Talk can be found in the resources section below.

Resources

Bandelt, Matthew J., Matthew P. Adams, Hao Wang, Husam Najm, Andrew Bechtel, Seyed Masoud Shirkorshidi, and Jin Fan. Advanced Reinforced Concrete Materials for Transportation Infrastructure. No. FHWA NJ-2023-003. New Jersey. Department of Transportation. Bureau of Research, 2023. Final Report. Retrieved here.

Bandelt, Matthew J., Matthew P. Adams, Hao Wang, Husam Najm, Andrew Bechtel, Seyed Masoud Shirkorshidi, and Jin Fan. Advanced Reinforced Concrete Materials for Transportation Infrastructure. No. FHWA NJ-2023-003. New Jersey. Department of Transportation. Bureau of Research, 2023. Technical Brief. Retrieved here.

Lunchtime Tech Talk! Webinar: Advanced Reinforced Concrete Materials for Transportation Infrastructure. Webinar. Presentations by Matthew Bandelt and Matthew Adams. Retrieved here.

Wang, Hao, and Xiao Chen. “Innovative Pothole Repair Materials and Techniques Volume I: Asphalt Pavement.” (2024). Final Report. Retrieved here.

Wang, Hao, and Xiao Chen. Innovative Pothole Repair Materials and Techniques Volume I: Asphalt Pavement. (2024). Technical Brief. Retrieved here.

Najm, Husam, Bala Balaguru, Hao Wang, Hardik Yagnik, and Alissa Persad. “Innovative Pothole Repair Materials and Techniques Volume II: Concrete Structures.” (2024). Final Report. Retrieved here.

Najm, Husam, Bala Balaguru, Hao Wang, Hardik Yagnik, and Alissa Persad. “Innovative Pothole Repair Materials and Techniques Volume II: Concrete Structures.” (2024). Technical Brief. Retrieved here.

Asphalt Pavement Pothole Repair with Recycled Material and Preheating. Presentation at NJDOT Research Showcase by Xiao Chen and Hao Wang, Retrieved here (Presentation) and here (Recording).

People searching for information online. AASHTO and TRID logos.

Did You Know? AASHTO and TRID Resources

Posted on

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Research Library offers valuable assistance in supporting various research tasks and for accessing resources. This article highlights recent publications from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), as well as publications indexed in the TRID database. For a background on AASHTO standards and the TRID database, please see our earlier “Did You Know?” article.

AASHTO Publications

Two recent AASHTO publications of note are a print version of the 11th edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) and the 2024 edition of AASHTO’s “Materials Standards” (published electronically).

The 11th edition of the MUTCD was published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in December 2023 and is available as a free PDF download. It supersedes the previous 10th edition, published in 2009.

The new edition is also available in print format from the NJDOT Library, indexed and printed by AASHTO, in association with the American Traffic Safety Services Association and the Institute of Transportation Engineers. Users must register for a New Jersey State Library card in order to borrow any materials.

On July 31, AASHTO released the Standard Specifications for Transportation Materials and Methods of Sampling and Testing, and AASHTO Provisional Standards, 44th Edition—2024, commonly referred to as the AASHTO “Materials Standards.” These standards contain specifications, recommended practices, and test methods commonly used in the construction of highway facilities. Provisional standards are also published to allow practitioners to use them early in the research or development phase. In addition to revisions to harmonize industry standards, update technology, and generally improve the standards, the 44th edition includes 15 conversions to dual units and more updates to temperature-measuring devices.

The Materials Standards are available in three files on the Research Library’s SharePoint site. In addition to those standards, the following AASHTO reports and standards, published in 2024, are available to NJDOT employees upon request:

  • 2022 AASHTO Salary Survey (Excel and PDF files).
  • 2022 Annual AASHTO State DOT HR Metrics Report.
  • 2024 Interim Revisions – Manual for Bridge Element Inspection 2nd Edition 2019.
  • 2024 Interim Revisions to the LRFD Steel Bridge Fabrication Specifications 1st Edition February 2023.
  • AASHTO 2024 Interim Revisions to the AASHTO/AWS D1.5M/D1.5: 2020 Bridge Welding Code, 8th Edition.
  • AASHTO LRFD Bridge Construction Specifications – 4th Edition – 2024 Interim Revisions.
  • Commuting in America The National Report on Commuting Patterns and Trends—Brief 24.5. Machine Learning Approaches for Populations’ Hard-to-Capture Commuting Behavior.
  • Commuting in America The National Report on Commuting Patterns and Trends—Brief 24.6. Change and Variation in Mode Choice.
  • Guide for Accommodating Utilities within Highways and Freeways – 1st Edition – 2024.
  • Guide Specifications for Structural Design with Ultra-High Performance Concrete – 1st Edition.
  • Guidelines for Field Repairs and Retrofits of Steel Bridges, 1st Edition, G14.2-2023.
  • Movable Bridge Inspection Evaluation and Maintenance Manual – 2nd Edition – 2024 Interim Revisions.
  • Resources for Concrete Bridge Design and Construction – 1st Edition.
  • Survey of State Funding for Public Transportation – Final Report 2024 Based on FY2022 Data.
  • Uniform Audit and Accounting Guide for Audits of Architectural and Engineering (AE) Consulting Firms, 2024 Edition

TRID Database Search

The Research Library has compiled a brief scan of the TRID database search on the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases and carbon. There is an extraordinary growth in projects underway and recently completed research in transportation, covering a range of policy, planning, environment, materials, construction, multi-modal operations, and vehicle equipment, fuels and technology areas. Selected results from the past 6-12 months, focusing on surface transportation in the United States, are listed here:

Select Projects Underway

Effect of Carbon-Negative Carbon Black on Concrete Properties
https://trid.trb.org/View/2389221

Evaluating Carbon Reduction in Project Selection and Planning
https://trid.trb.org/View/2329694

Shaping Automated Vehicle Behaviors in Mixed Autonomy Traffic to Benefit All Road Users and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
https://trid.trb.org/View/2350815

Advancing Methods to Evaluate Greenhouse Gas Emissions During Transportation Decision Making and Performance Management
https://trid.trb.org/View/2381725

Shifting Gears to Sustainability: A Deep-Dive into Solar-Powered Bike Pathways
https://trid.trb.org/View/2373992

Advancing Active Transportation Project Evaluation
https://trid.trb.org/View/2313957

Impacts of Remote/Hybrid Work and Remote Services on Activity and Transportation Patterns
https://trid.trb.org

Select Recently Published

Policy

U.S. Department of Transportation. DOT Report to Congress: Decarbonizing U.S. Transportation. July 2024. https://trid.trb.org/View/2404234

Planning

Mullin, Megan; Feiock, Richard C; Niemeier, Deb. Climate Planning and Implementation in Metropolitan Transportation Governance. Journal of Planning Education and Research, Volume 44, Issue 1, 2024, pp 28-38. https://trid.trb.org/view/1936743

Environment

Jeong, Minseop, Jeehwan Bae, and Gayoung Yoo. “Urban roadside greenery as a carbon sink: Systematic assessment considering understory shrubs and soil respiration.” Science of the Total Environment 927 (2024). https://trid.trb.org/View/2377597

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. “Considering Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change in Environmental Reviews: Conduct of Research Report.” (2024). https://trid.trb.org/View/2404015

Kelly, Jarod C., Taemin Kim, Christopher P. Kolodziej, Rakesh K. Iyer, Shashwat Tripathi, Amgad Elgowainy, and Michael Wang. Comprehensive Cradle to Grave Life Cycle Analysis of On-Road Vehicles in the United States Based on GREET. No. 2024-01-2830. SAE Technical Paper, 2024. https://trid.trb.org/View/2367212

Ashtiani, Milad Zokaei, Monica Huang, Meghan C. Lewis, Jordan Palmeri, and Kathrina Simonen. “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory from Roadway Construction: Case Study for the Washington State Department of Transportation.” Transportation Research Record (2024). https://trid.trb.org/View/2352361

Zuzhao Ye, Nanpeng Yu, Ran Wei. Joint planning of charging stations and power systems for heavy-duty drayage trucks, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Volume 134, 104320 (2024). https://trid.trb.org/View/2408518

Materials and Construction

Lopez, Sarah, Lawrence Sutter, R. Douglas Hooton, Thomas Van Dam, Allison Innis, and Kevin Senn. “Breaking Barriers to Low Carbon Concrete Pavements.” Transportation Research Record (2024). https://trid.trb.org/View/2387006

Equipment, Fuels and Technology

Dugoua, Eugenie; Dumas, Marion. Coordination dynamics between fuel cell and battery technologies in the transition to clean cars. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 121, Issue 27, 2024, e2318605121. https://trid.trb.org/view/2399820

Jung, Philipp Emanuel; Guenthner, Michael; Walter, Nicolas. Guided Port Injection of Hydrogen as an Approach for Reducing Cylinder-to-Cylinder Deviations in Spark-Ignited H2 Engines – A Numerical Investigation. SAE Technical Paper, 2024. https://trid.trb.org/view/2397724

Wallace, Julian; Mitchell, Robert; Rao, Sandesh; Jones, Kevin; Kramer, Dustin; Wang, Yanyu; Chambon, Paul; Sjovall, Scott; Williams, D. Development of a Hybrid-Electric Medium-HD Demonstrator Vehicle with a Pent-Roof SI Natural Gas Engine. SAE Technical Paper, 2024. https://trid.trb.org/view/2397750

Wine, Jonathan; Ahmad, Zar Nigar; McCarthy, Jr., James; Prikhodko, Vitaly; Pihl, Josh; Tate, Ivan; Bradley, Ryan; Howell, Thomas. On Road vs. Off Road Low Load Cycle Comparison. SAE Technical Paper, 2024. https://trid.trb.org/view/2367799

Please contact the NJDOT research librarian, Eric Schwarz, MLIS, at (609) 963-1898, or email library@dot.nj.gov for assistance in your transportation research, or to customize your searches in TRID and other databases.

NJDOT’s Research Librarian Recognized by the Special Libraries Association with 2024 Innovation Award for Work on the NJDOT Memorial Wall

Posted on

The Special Libraries Association (SLA) recently announced that its 2024 Innovation Award recipient was Eric Schwarz, NJDOT’s Research Librarian, for his archival research work on the New Jersey DOT Memorial Wall. The SLA Transportation Community Board unanimously approved the nomination and a plaque, sponsored by National Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP), was provided in acknowledgement of the achievement. News of the award winners was announced via the National Transportation Knowledge Network (NTKN) Blog. The award will be officially announced at the SLA Annual Conference in Rhode Island later this month.

NJDOT Research Librarian, Eric Schwarz, with SLATRAN 2024 Innovation Award. Photo: Glenn Catana/NJDOT.

The SLA’s award announcement notes the following:

  • In 2000, the NJDOT erected an Employee Memorial wall with a plaque for each of the 32 employees known to have died under these circumstances. Over the years, four names were added, including those of employees who gave their lives in 2007 and 2010. This brought the pre-2023 total of known names to 36.
  • In early 2023, NJDOT Research Librarian Eric Schwarz found the names of five additional men who had sacrificed their lives, in an employee newspaper called The Highway, published from 1942 to 1950. These names were added to the wall during the NJDOT’s 23rd Annual Remembrance Ceremony and 22nd Anniversary of 9/11, held on September 11, 2023.
  • Using the accounts from The Highway, supplemented by research using the New Jersey State Library’s newspaper databases and draft registration cards from the military records database (Fold3), Eric pieced together the stories of these five men, their deaths, and their lives. He presented stories of these men, and of the archival and digitization work, as the keynote speaker at the NJDOT 2023 Remembrance Ceremony.
  • Then-New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti presented Eric Schwarz with a plaque for his research leading to the addition of five names on the memorial wall.
  • Based on this work, Eric presented a poster at the TRB Annual Meeting on Jan. 8, 2024, “Discoveries in the First Year of New Jersey DOT’s Digitization Project.”  He also presented the project to the Transportation Librarians Roundtable, Special Libraries Association Transportation Community Collection Showcase, and several other venues.
Eric presented “lessons learned” implementing Digitization Project during TRB poster session at Annual Meeting in Washington DC.

Earlier this year, Eric gave a “Lunch and Learn” presentation to NJDOT employees that provided information about NJDOT’s Digitization Project along with the poster presented at the 2024 TRB Annual Meeting,  

More information about the online resources and historical documents that have been compiled with support from about Transportation Research and Connectivity Pooled Fund Study Digitization Project (TPF-5(442)) study were shared during the presentation.

Resources

Join the Build a Better Mousetrap Competition!

Posted on

New Jersey’s Build a Better Mousetrap Competition is currently underway!

NJ 2024 Build a Better Mousetrap Competition is underway!

The competition provides a great opportunity to share your ingenious and implemented solutions in transportation with others in New Jersey and across the country. These innovations can range from the development of tools and equipment modifications to the implementation of new processes that increase safety, reduce cost, and improve efficiency of our transportation system.

We are looking for submissions from employees of any local, county or state public agency, including the New Jersey Department of Transportation and NJ TRANSIT that have developed new solutions to problems or found better ways of doing things.

Winners will be chosen in two categories: Operations and Organizational Improvement. This competition is sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration’s Local Technical Assistance Program and Tribal Technical Assistance Program, and local public agency winners will be entered in the annual National LTAP/TTAP Conference.

A state winner in each category will also be selected and presented at the Annual NJDOT Research Showcase later this fall. The deadline for submissions has been extended to August 15, 2024.

2023 Winner: Route 71 Over the Shark River Bridge, Gerald Oliveto, NJDOT

New Jersey’s “Route 71 Over Shark River Road Diet Project” in Monmouth County was recognized with the “Bold Steps” Award in the Federal Highway Administration’s national competition last year as described here.

There is still time to share your ingenious solutions! Past examples of NJ’s recognized BABM award winning entries can be found here. More information about how to enter the competition and to download an entry form can be found here.


The NJ Transportation Ideas Portal is Open to Your Ideas!

Posted on

The New Jersey Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Research, Innovation and Information Transfer (BRIIT) invites you to share your research and innovation ideas on the NJ Transportation Ideas Portal.

We seek to fund RESEARCH IDEAS that lead to implementation – to the testing and adoption of new materials and technologies, to better specifications and to greater efficiency. We strive to discover and advance feasible solutions for more durable infrastructure, greater environmental protection and resilience, and improved mobility and safety for residents, workers and visitors.

We encourage you to suggest INNOVATION IDEAS that advance deployment of innovations and knowledge transfer in transportation. We work with the New Jersey State Transportation Innovation Council (NJ STIC) whose mission is to identify, evaluate, and where possible, rapidly deploy new technologies and process improvements that will accelerate project delivery and improve the quality of NJ’s transportation network. Innovation Ideas will be vetted for next steps which might include research or supporting an initiative to deploy a new technology or process improvement to accelerate innovation.

WHO CAN SUBMIT IDEAS? NJDOT’s research customers and other interested transportation practitioners are encouraged to submit a research or innovation idea. The portal should be of interest to NJDOT, NJ TRANSIT and MPOs, and county and local governments, and other transportation subject matter experts from university, industry and trade organizations and other NGOs. The portal is also open to the public.

WHO ARE RESEARCH CUSTOMERS? Subject matter experts from NJDOT, NJ TRANSIT, or the NJ Motor Vehicles Commission are often our research customers. Research ideas typically must have a champion among our research customers. Ideally, a “champion” is a responsible individual within a division, bureau or unit who is prepared to sponsor or advance a research idea from its inception to study completion.

COLLECTING IDEAS NOW! Our research and innovation teams review submitted ideas for possible funding and other actions throughout the year. The last day to submit research ideas for the next round of funded transportation research is December 31, 2024.

Our research and innovation teams review submitted ideas for possible funding and other actions throughout the year.

REGISTER TO PARTICIPATE AND SUBMIT AN IDEA.  Once you are registered, you may submit ideas at any time.  Click on the “+” button at the top of the page to submit an idea after registering. Only registered participants may submit a new idea or vote on other ideas to show your support. Register at the NJ Transportation Ideas here:  https://njdottechtransfer.ideascale.com/

QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW TO REGISTER?
Email: ideas@njdottechtransfer.net

For more information about NJDOT Bureau of Research, Innovation, and Information Transfer, visit our website: https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/business/research/

Or contact us:  research.bureau@dot.nj.gov or (609) 963-2242

Did You Know? NJDOT’s Research Library Resources

Posted on

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Research Library offers valuable assistance in supporting various research tasks and for accessing resources. This article highlights three key resources available:

AASHTO Standards. All of the current “featured” or “essential” standards, manuals, and guides from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) are available to NJDOT employees. Some are available in print and/or CD-ROM and can be checked out with your New Jersey State Library card. All of the “featured/essential” publications are available to NJDOT employees via SharePoint. However, users must request access to individual publications and follow a specific download process. Many additional standards, both current and historical, are also available.

ASTM Standards. Formed in 1898, ASTM International is one of the world’s largest international standards developing organizations. NJDOT subscribes to the ASTM Compass database, which includes 81,757 standards from ASTM and 2,282 publications from AASHTO, as of May 21, 2024. The Research Library will be happy to help you retrieve specific standards available under this subscription. NJDOT employees who access ASTM standards frequently may also sign up for their own logins under the “Tools” page on the intranet.

TRID Database. TRID is an integrated database that combines the records from TRB’s Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS) Database and the OECD’s Joint Transport Research Centre’s International Transport Research Documentation (ITRD) Database. TRID provides access to 1.4 million records of transportation research worldwide.

Hot Topic Searches are available on the TRID Searches page

The Research Library maintains a “TRID Searches” page that contains a list of recent publications indexed in the TRID database organized by 37 subject areas. NJDOT’s Library also maintains “Hot Topic” searches that contain the projects and publications issued in the last five years on several topics, including: Transformational Technologies; Planning & Safety; Resilience; Sustainability; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and Workforce Recruitment and Retention.

RECENT NJ PUBLICATIONS IN TRID

Recent publications with New Jersey identifiers and/or prepared by NJ research institutions can be discovered through TRID.  A quick search in TRID of research from New Jersey published in the past six months included these articles:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Safety

  • Zaman, A., Z. Huang, W. Li, H. Qin, D. Kang, and X. Liu. Development of Railroad Trespassing Database Using Artificial Intelligence. Rutgers University, New Brunswick, Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Railroad Administration, 2024, 80p. https://trid.trb.org/view/2341095

Bridges and Other Structures

  • Najafi, A., Z. Amir, B. Salman, P. Sanaei, E. Lojano-Quispe, A. Maher, and R. Schaefer. A Digital Twin Framework for Bridges. ASCE International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering 2023, American Society of Civil Engineers, 2024, pp 433-441. https://trid.trb.org/view/2329319
  • Al Shaini, I., and A. Trias. Bridge deck surface damage assessment using point cloud data. Advances in Bridge Engineering, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2023, 31p. https://trid.trb.org/view/2301538

Environment and Underserved Communities

  • Ji, N., A. Baptista, C.H. Yu, C. Cepeda, F. Green, M. Greenberg, I. Colon Mincey, P. Ohman-Strickland, N. Fiedler, H.M. Kipen, and R.J. Laumbach. Traffic-related air pollution, chronic stress, and changes in exhaled nitric oxide and lung function among a panel of children with asthma living in an underresourced community. Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 912, 2024, p168984. https://trid.trb.org/view/2302836

Safety and Human Factors

  • Bartin, B., K. Ozbay, and C. Xu. Safety performance functions for two-lane urban arterial segments. Safety Science, Vol. 167, 2023, p106284. https://trid.trb.org/view/2229553
  • Hasan, A.S., D. Patel, and M. Jalayer. Did COVID-19 Mandates influence driver distraction behaviors? A case study in New Jersey. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, Vol. 99, 2023, pp 429-449. https://trid.trb.org/view/2289812
  • Patel, D., R.E. Alfaris, and M. Jalayer. Assessing the effectiveness of autism spectrum disorder roadway warning signs: A case study in New Jersey. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, Vol. 100, 2024, pp 57-68. https://trid.trb.org/view/2293015
  • Younes, H., R.B. Noland, and C.J. Andrews. Gender split and safety behavior of cyclists and e-scooter users in Asbury Park, NJ. Case Studies on Transport Policy, Vol. 14, 2023, p 101073. https://trid.trb.org/view/2238150
  • Younes, H., R.B. Noland, L.A. Von Hagen, and J. Sinclair. Cycling during and after COVID: Has there been a boom in activity? Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, Vol. 99, 2023, pp 71-82. https://trid.trb.org/view/2274405

Public Participation

  • Keenan, K. The transportation policy elite and their ladder of citizen participation: Problems and prospects around communication methods in New Jersey. Cities, Vol. 145, 2024, p 104732. https://trid.trb.org/view/2309380

Public Transportation Ridership

  • Devajyoti, D. and Z. Liu. Who stopped riding buses and what would motivate them to return? A New Jersey case study. Case Studies on Transport Policy, Vol. 15, 2024, p 101159. https://trid.trb.org/view/2343481

NJDOT FUNDED RESEARCH

NJDOT’s Bureau of Research, Innovation & Information Transfer (BRIIT), which includes the Research Library, funds research to enhance the quality and cost effectiveness of the policies, practices, standards and specifications that are used in planning, designing, building and maintaining New Jersey’s transportation infrastructure. BRIIT collaborates directly with university and other research professionals to find solutions to improve the durability and efficiency of infrastructure and the safety and mobility of New Jersey’s residents, workers, visitors and businesses. Ongoing research projects and completed research studies can be accessed here.

NJDOT’s BRIIT prepares an Annual Implementation Report that explore the value and benefits of its funded research. These reports survey and interview principal investigators, customers and research project managers to help identify next steps for research and implementation and document the strategies that have been used for technology transfer of research findings to the state’s transportation community. The most recent report, published in February 2024, covers research completed in 2021-2022.

Please contact the NJDOT research librarian, Eric Schwarz, MLIS, at (609) 963-1898, or email library@dot.nj.gov for assistance in your transportation research, or to customize your searches in TRID and other databases.

Interview with “Best Poster Award” Winner at 2023 Research Showcase: “Properties of Cementitious Materials with Reclaimed Cement”

Posted on

Concrete production is energy intensive, and requires materials that are both challenging, and expensive to acquire. Material engineers are seeking alternative materials that are more cost-effective and carbon-friendly, but also operate successfully as road and building material.  

We spoke with Alyssa Yvette Sunga, a graduate researcher at Rowan University who won the Best Student Poster Award at NJDOT’s 2023 Research Showcase. Her research, “Properties of Cementitious Materials with Reclaimed Cement,” evaluated the characteristics of cementitious materials mixed with varying percentages of reclaimed cement. Sunga and her fellow researchers examined each mixture’s initial setting time, heat of hydration and compressive strength and compared it against ordinary Portland cement. The purpose: to determine if adding reclaimed cement has any effect on the durability and use of cementitious materials. If there is little to no adverse effect, reclaimed cement may help reduce the need for new materials and can reduce the carbon bi-product of concrete. Dr. Shahriar Abubakri (Shah), Ms. Sunga’s supervisor at Rowan University, also joined us for the interview. 

Q. Could you tell us a little bit about your educational and research experience and how you got where you are now as a graduate research fellow at Rowan? 

A. I’m an international student from the Philippines. I graduated from the University of the Philippines – Los Banos in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. After that, I worked in industry from 2018 to 2022. My former undergraduate professors, who were graduate students here [at Rowan], reached out to me asking if I was interested in pursuing graduate studies. I applied and began my Master’s in Civil Engineering in January 2023. 

Q. What interested you about researching the properties of reclaimed cement? Do you hope to continue research in pavement materiality? 

A. The environmental impact of reclaimed materials like cement is interesting to me. Cement production is a significant contributor to carbon emissions, so finding ways to reuse it is essential. Additionally, reclaimed cement presents unique challenges and opportunities in terms of material properties, durability, and performance. 

So, in a way, we’re helping produce less carbon emissions; that’s what interested me about this study. 

I’m currently working on a lot of different concrete projects. We’re hoping to develop more efficient construction approaches, but I also aim to contribute to the development of innovative techniques and solutions that will optimize reclaimed materials in construction projects. We also aspire to collaborate with industry partners and government organizations, so that we can implement these sustainable practices on a full-scale project in the future. 

Alyssa Sunga received the Best Poster Award for Student Research At the 25th Annual NJDOT Research Showcase in October 2023.

Q. Was there anything particularly noteworthy or surprising to you discovered from this research? 

A. Yes, there’s potential for reclaimed cement and enhancing the performance of unsustainable construction materials. We did not expect that we could use it as a replacement cement or as a supplementary cementitious material. Through various experiments, we found that using this reclaimed cement or incorporating it in cementitious mixtures resulted in comparable properties such as durability, strength, and workability. 

Q. Your research looked at cement paste and mortar specimens incorporated with up to 20% Reclaimed Cement and found no significant difference for the flow measurement and setting time. Should further research be done with higher percentages of reclaimed cement? Why did your research cap it at 20%? 

A. We’re planning to do further research on larger amounts of reclaimed cement. We just used 20% as a cap to get a general idea of the effect of partially replacing ordinary Portland cement with reclaimed cement. Now that our research with 20% is showing good results, we plan on doing tests with higher percentages in the future. 

Q. Your research found that cement paste specimens with up to 20% Reclaimed Cement (RC) saw a 4% reduction in compressive strength after 90 days. What does this mean for applicability (i.e. is 4% a significant reduction? does this make cement paste with 20% RC not suitable for pavement?) 

A. A 4% reduction may seem small, but it must still be taken into consideration. However, as long as the strength is within a recommended range, then it is suitable for pavement applications. 

Q. Is there a percentage of reclaimed cement that is most likely not suitable for pavement? 

A. Alyssa: My advisor would like to jump in to answer that. 

Shah: The acceptable percentage of reduction in concrete strength depends on the specific application and the assumptions made by the designer. For instance, practical standards like the American Concrete Institute (ACI 301.1.6.6) typically require that the average strength of three samples meets or exceeds the specified compressive strength. Additionally, each individual sample within this set should not fall below 500 psi of the designed strength. It’s important to note that concrete’s compressive strength can vary widely, ranging from 2500 psi to 5000 psi, and even higher in residential and commercial structures. Some applications may require strengths exceeding 10,000 psi. So, in cases where the required strength aligns with the design strength, even higher reductions may be acceptable. 

Q. Mortar specimens with 20% RC had a different result and surpassed the strength after 28 days. Why do you think this was a different result from cement paste specimens? What does this mean for applicability? 

A. This difference in result may be due to different factors, but mortar differs from cement paste due to the additional materials like sand. So, this can influence the hydration and the strength development, but we still need to do further research to understand the long-term performance and durability or the effect of adding different materials to the cementitious materials.  

We still must do further research to see the effects of adding different materials like sand and gravel to cement paste. If we’re going to use it in concrete, that’s another additional material like an aggregate. It’s just a matter of the specific materials. There are a lot of factors — like the temperature where you make your specimens. So, it’s always just trial and error. There’s no trend to it really. 

Q. Your poster suggests that incorporating up to 20% RC has some promising benefits including reducing carbon emissions. What are some of the other benefits?  

A. Incorporating the 20% RC will help mitigate supply shortages because we’re able to provide an alternative source of material instead of just using cement. It also promotes eco-friendly construction practices, contributing to sustainable transportation infrastructure, and research on reclaimed cement enables ongoing enhancements in material performance and construction methods. 

Q. You have mentioned throughout this interview where there’s a need for more research. Can you describe some specific things that you would really like to research about incorporating reclaimed cement into cementitious materials? 

A. The most important part of this research is determining what is the optimal mix proportions to use and then studying the effects on fresh properties and assessing the long-term durability like compressive strength, the tensile strength. These investigations are crucial for understanding the full potential of reclaimed cement in construction. Personally, I’m deeply interested in exploring these research areas further. 

Q. What kind of impact do you hope this research will have on material selection by transportation agencies? 

A. I hope this research convinces transportation agencies to use reclaimed cement in pavements. It’s sustainable, cost effective and performs well — aligning with transportation agencies’ goals and standards. This could lead to a greener and more resilient transportation infrastructure. 

Resources

Sunga, A., Abubakri, S., Lomboy, G., Mantawy, I. (2023). “Properties of Cementitious Materials with Reclaimed Cement”. Rowan University Center for Research & Education in Advanced Transportation Engineering Systems. Poster.

Yvette Sunga, A., Abubakri, S., Lomboy, G., & Mantawy, I.M. (2024). Properties of Cementitious Materials with Reclaimed Cement. Presented at IABSE Symposium: Construction’s Role for a World in Emergency, Manchester, United Kingdom, 10-14 April 2024, published in IABSE Symposium Manchester 2024, pp. 428-434. Retrieved at: https://structurae.net/en/literature/conference-paper/properties-of-cementitious-materials-with-reclaimed-cement

For more information about the 25th Annual NJDOT Research Showcase, and to see other award-winning posters, visit: Recap: 25th Annual NJDOT Research Showcase – NJDOT Technology Transfer (njdottechtransfer.net)