Exploring the Future of Environmental Product Declarations at NJDOT: Q&A Interview with NJDOT’s Project Lead

Posted on March 26, 2024June 11, 2025

Under the FHWA’s Climate Challenge, state DOTs and local agencies receive training and work with various stakeholders including those from industry and academia to implement projects that quantify the environmental impacts of pavements using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). EPDs provide an in-depth look at the use effects and environmental impacts of materials, processes, and mixtures. With a general goal to reduce carbon emissions, DOTs are moving towards the use of EPDs for selecting pavement uses and processes.

We spoke with Nusrat Morshed, Project Engineer in the Pavement Design & Technology Unit at NJDOT, about two FHWA project grants funded under the Climate Challenge initiative that she supervises. Both projects focus on the potential use of EPDs and LCA in New Jersey and will allow for NJDOT to develop a strong baseline understanding of EPD use.

FHWA – Funded Climate Challenge Projects

Q. Can you tell us about two FHWA-funded Climate Challenge projects listed for New Jersey. How is NJDOT currently involved in these FHWA funded projects? What are tasks for these projects?

A. NJDOT applied for this research project funding in early 2023 after the advertisement was released. I had spoken with representatives from Rowan University and Rutgers University to gauge their interest in this research, and both were on board. EPDs is a very new concept and term within the transportation field. This made it challenging to determine what the project scope should be for our grant applications. We received funding from FHWA immediately, but there were some technical issues in the allocation of state and federal funding shares that we needed to sort out before we could proceed. Both research teams officially began work in September and October of 2023 and they will have until the end of 2024 to carry out the work.

The research team for Project 1, Utilization of EPDs and LCAs to Promote Sustainability in NJ’s Pavements, is led by Dr. Yusuf Mehta from Rowan University and they are teamed with the research sub-consultant, Advanced Infrastructure Design (AID). The objective of this project is to utilize EPDs and LCAs to promote consideration of sustainability in maintaining NJDOT’s pavement infrastructure. The tasks within this project scope include: conducting a literature review, defining the goals and scope of the comparative LCA analysis, data collection, and analysis of results and interpretation.

The research team for Project 2, Improve Sustainability of Asphalt Pavement Overlay in NJ, is led by Dr. Hao Wang from Rutgers University. The research project objective is to improve the sustainability of asphalt pavement overlay in New Jersey. The project’s basic tasks include: documenting experiences and lessons of using FHWA’s LCA PAVE tool based on analysis of pavement overlay project in New Jersey DOT, evaluating quantification methods for calculating carbon emissions at the use phase of pavement, providing recommendations for use of LCA in decision making of pavement overlays, and preparing a final report and presentation.

*Example EPD summary, retrieved from USDOT FHWA Tech Brief: Building Blocks of Life-Cycle Thinking*

I am the key point person for both projects.

Q. What is the status of these FHWA funded projects? What resources have been helpful so far?

A. Both projects are underway now but still in the early stages. I received a status report from Project 1 about a month ago and expect a status report from Project 2 before March. For both projects, the focus has been to complete a literature review. One resource that was particularly helpful was the National Asphalt Pavement Associations (NAPA) website, as they have a lot of information on EPDs — 15 EPDs thus far have been identified — which are NJDOT specifications. We have also reached and had a meeting with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) to get information on their own EPD process.

Q. The FHWA Climate Challenge program seems like it has established an approach to promote knowledge sharing and fostering a community of practice. Can you tell us about it?
A. Every quarter, FHWA conducts a climate challenge webinar, and on this webinar there is usually a featured presentation from an expert and then brief update presentations from climate challenge project teams. These project teams extend beyond New Jersey, so other states can hear how NJDOT is doing with these projects and we can learn from our peers in other states.

Previously our updates have been limited to 2 or 3 slides, however, later this spring I will have two reports to base our presentation upon, which will be more comprehensive and reflective of NJDOT’s progress.

*Attendees at a Climate Challenge Training session. source: FHWA*

The quarterly webinars have been helpful and instructive. EPDs and sustainable resiliency are also very hot topics and several other resources are emerging that we can reference. For example, there was an entire session on EPDs at the Transportation Research Board’s Annual Meeting. Published literature has also been very helpful.

As a part of the project grants, FHWA is providing EPD-specific trainings. Both research teams and I have brainstormed about trainings our teams require. I have coordinated with FHWA as a Climate Challenge member and explained our training needs for accomplishing these two projects. FHWA and I drafted an agenda based on these research needs and we have scheduled a day and a half in-person training for March 2024. I requested that both of my teams submit their findings, as a status report before that training. So it also will be our official first status meeting for both project teams.

As a Project Engineer overseeing these projects, I am not able to work directly with the research, but I provide guidance to the universities and have been the communication bridge between them and FHWA. The training is hosted by FHWA and conducted by FHWA and a third-party organization that specializes in EPDs. These trainings are hosted throughout the U.S. To make this happen, FHWA provided us with their schedule, and we negotiated a time for them to do the training in March 2024.

Q. Who was in attendance for this training?

The training was done on March 12-13, 2024 at NJDOT. This training was focused on team members from both projects. There were representatives from the NJDOT Bureau of Materials, NJDOT Bureau of Statewide Strategies and NJDOT Division of Environmental Resources who participated.

Q. How has this funding assisted with NJDOT’s Every Day Counts (EDC) EPDs related goal?

Unless a NJ STIC Incentive Grant is awarded, FHWA does not provide any funding directly for advancing the EDC-7 innovation, but instead supports the deployment goals through the mobilization of FHWA resource specialists or subject matter experts who are farther along with innovation’s deployment. Luckily, the research of EPDs is a goal within EDC-7, so both of the funded Climate Challenge projects are indirectly supporting that EDC-7 goal.

Q. Have any pilot programs begun?

As we are still in the research stage for EPD use, we have not created any pilot programs yet.

Environmental Product Declarations in the Future

Q. Can you describe the status and implementation goal for NJDOT’s EDC-7 goal for advancing EPDs in New Jersey?

NJDOT’s EDC-7 goal for advancing EPDs in New Jersey is still in the preliminary stages of information gathering. Both of these climate challenge projects will assist with building up a robust set of literature that is necessary for next steps. Our goal is to get ideas for future recommendations. As of now, I would say we need to identify a few plants or suppliers and get some real-time data for different types of considerations based on research needs. Then we need to identify which way we can achieve EPD targets like lowering carbon emissions.

*The stages of Pavement’s life cycle. Retrieved from USDOT FHWA Sustainable Pavements Program.*

Q. What challenges, if any, has NJDOT faced while working to incorporate EPDs into pavement considerations?

EPD is based on many stages, which require their own literature review. For example, a product category rule, or a set of rules for measuring life-cycle analysis must be developed first. EPDs have different stages that all must be measured — specifically, the production stage, transportation stage and construction stage, or as they are called the A1, A2, A3. Achieving the goal of reduction in carbon emissions through EPDs requires a lot of research and literature review, and it will not be easy to get all the needed information, even when speaking with experts. Starting from scratch, the ability to quantify an EPD could take at least two years. So, it’s not that you will be getting something very quickly. We are just exploring now what is out there and how we can think about something in terms of New Jersey’s pavement mixes.

Q. How does NJDOT use or reference the published EPDs in New Jersey as reported by the National Asphalt Pavement Association’s Emerald Eco-Label tool?

We have looked at the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) website and reviewed their own PAVERS tool. It has been helpful to see how they do life-cycle analysis. They have their own LCA tool and we use the FHWA LCA tool — so there will most likely be differences. The FHWA LCA tool is expected to be updated soon.

Q. Do you foresee NJDOT having an embodied carbon clause added to NJDOT contract specifications? Will contractors be expected to submit an asphalt mix that provides EPDs to be considered for future contracts?

*LCA PAVE Tool assists with analysis and quantification of the environmental impacts of existing products or processes. Retrieved from USDOT FHWA*

Yes, definitely, we can dream, but it will take time. We need to identify and set the product category rule. More research is needed, maybe there will be future training opportunities on this topic from FHWA.

Q. Where is the biggest research gap when it comes to the incorporation and use of EPDs? Is it research on the pavement itself, or life cycle analysis, or something else?

EPD is not a single term, but a combination of a lot of things. In the process of determining an EPD for one pavement treatment, you must consider the process of installation, the type of pavement or asphalt mix, the binder and aggregate within the mix, etc. Because each of these processes require their own considerations, we must make the decision on what process and pavement, or asphalt mix should be evaluated first. We can then use our results to determine where the use of EPDs would be most helpful, or which process should be studied next. In other words, we cannot do everything at once, but rather start very specifically and focused, and then move out.

*The five steps of developing Environmental Product Declarations (EPD). Retrieved from Tech Brief: Building Blocks of Life Cycle Thinking*

Q. Has NJDOT had an opportunity to use or test the FHWA LCA Pave Tool? If so, how does it use the tool?

I have used that tool before, but I just use it as a general gauge as I don’t have any real-time data currently. I will need training in the future on how to efficiently use the tool based on actual data. I also think this tool will be helpful in the future for determining if our results are realistic. Our research team members are using this tool.

Q. How are you feeling about this initiative?

As a state government employee, I see this initiative as an effort that will help NJDOT be aligned with NJ’s clean energy policies. EPDs are a new topic for us, and everyone is very interested in learning more about it, including me. The funding opportunity that FHWA provided allows DOTs throughout the U.S. to explore this new topic and determine its applicability in the future of pavement and asphalt design.

Resources

FHWA Climate Challenge – Quantifying Emissions of Sustainable Pavements. FHWA webpage. Retrieved at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/climatechallenge/projects/index.cfm

LCA Pave Tool. FHWA webpage. Retrieved at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/lcatool/

Emerald Eco-Label. Webpage. Retrieved at https://asphaltepd.org/published?state=NJ

What is Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for Sustainable Project Delivery? Webpage. Retrieved at: https://www.njdottechtransfer.net/epds-for-sustainable-project-delivery/

Life Cycle Assessment: Part I Fundamentals. Webinar, FHWA Sustainable Pavements Webinar Series. Retrieved at: https://youtu.be/uaJ8wGMAPD0?si=oBHnBSN2K1589JEa

An Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment: Part II – EPDs and PCRs, FHWA Sustainable Pavements Webinar Series. Retrieved at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4OqVR6U2Us

Sustainable Pavements Program. FHWA Webpage. Retrieved at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/sustainability/

Sustainability Analysis: Environmental. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). FHWA Webpage. Retrieved at: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/sustainability/environmental/

Meijer, J., Harvey, J., Butt, A., Kim, C., Ram, P., Smith, K., & Saboori, A. (2021). LCA Pave: A Tool to Assess Environmental Impacts of Pavement Material and Design Decisions-Underlying Methodology and Assumptions (No. FHWA-HIF-22-033). United States. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved at: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/lcatool/LCA_Pave_Tool_Methodology.pdf

Milleer, Lianna; Ciaviola, Benjamiin and Mukherjee, Amlan. (February 2024). EPD Benchmark for Asphalt Mixtures, SIP-108. Prepared for National Asphalt Pavement Association by WAP Sustainability. Retrieved at: https://www.asphaltpavement.org/uploads/documents/EPD_Program/NAPA-SIP108-EPDBenchmarkForAsphaltMixtures-Feb2024.pdf’

Knowledge Maps

Posted on November 18, 2022December 7, 2022

organization hierarchy concept, business man manage complex logic of mindmap

Knowledge mapping is used to help identify sources of knowledge within an organization and build knowledge networks. The strategy is used to discover the location, form, ownership, value and use of specific knowledge and people's expertise to make better use of knowledge and identify barriers to, and gaps in, knowledge flow. Knowledge assets can be tacit, such as an employee’s knowledge of a process, or it could be explicit, such as a project report. The mapping process can lead to documentation of tacit knowledge to fill gaps.

KNOWLEDGE MAPS

WHAT

Knowledge mapping identifies what each individual/role knows and their daily interactions to characterize their job functions. The map can take different forms (e.g. a network analysis map or matrix) to describe these relationships. Each employee should list any additional people within the agency they contact when a problem or issue arises. This tool is used on a case by-case basis.

WHY

Reduces knowledge silos and duplication of effort.
Identifies “go-to” people within the agency who play a critical role in knowledge transfer, to ensure continuity
Helps to identify knowledge barriers and gaps that slow a process or procedure.

WHEN

There is a need to prevent knowledge loss by understanding and building knowledge networks.

HOW

Sources can be identified as individuals or as employees in a particular position. Employees identify who they go to for specific information.

PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Connect together all of your knowledge assets in a visual way to see what knowledge the agency unit has and where there are gaps.

LINKS & RESOURCES

TBD

EXAMPLES

TRB Publications (May-June 2022)

Posted on July 8, 2022July 13, 2022

The following is a list of research published by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) between May 1, 2022 and June 30, 2022. Current articles from the TRB may be accessed here.

MAGIC Dataset: Multiple Conditions Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Group-Based High-Fidelity Comprehensive Vehicle Trajectory Dataset

Image reads: Bridges and Structures

Material Characteristics of Cu-Based Superelastic Alloys for Applications in Bridge Columns to Improve Seismic Performance

Recommendations for Refined Preventive Maintenance Management of Concrete Bridges in China Based on Environmental Risk Zoning

Evaluation of a Continuous Laser Ablation Coating Removal Device for Steel Bridges

Construction Safety and Phasing Plans

Relating Ndesign to Field Compaction: A Case Study in Minnesota

Data Verification Methodology to Facilitate Employment Database Updates for Transportation Planning

Automatic Identification of Vehicle Partial Occlusion in Data Collected by Roadside LiDAR Sensors

A Scalable Deep Learning Framework for Extracting Model Inventory of Roadway Element Intersection Control Types From Panoramic Images

It’s Electric! Now What?

Investigation of the Contribution of Deceleration Fuel Cut-off and Start/Stop Technologies to Fuel Economy by Considering New European Driving Cycle

Traffic Noise Impact Prediction Based on Road Service Level

Corridor-Based Procedure for Determining Longitudinal Barrier Length of Need

Development of an Automated and Integrated Algorithm in Determining Optimum Maintenance and Rehabilitation Strategies Considering Multilane Roadways

Development of Three Point Bending Cylinder (3PBC) Asphalt Mixture Fatigue Test System

Investigation of IDEAL-CT Device Equivalence: Are All Devices Equal?

Preliminary Bond Testing and Splicing of Titanium Alloy Bars

High-Performance Fiber Reinforced Concretes in Virginia

Critical Criteria for Aluminum Culvert Durability in Wisconsin

Basic Installations for Reinforced Concrete Arch Pipe

Effect of Fine Aggregate Particle Size on Physical, Mechanical, and Durability Properties of Ultra-High Performance Concrete

Vehicle Detection and Tracking for 511 Traffic Cameras With U-Shaped Dual Attention Inception Neural Networks and Spatial-Temporal Map

Image reads: Pavements

Point of View: The Preserved Road Ahead

Effective Pavement Preventive Maintenance with Micromilling Practices

Transforming Pavement Preservation

Essential Specifications for Pavement Preservation, Maintenance, and Rehabilitation

Pavement Rehabilitation: Case Examples from Missouri and Virginia

Implementing Pavement Preservation: A Case Example in Raleigh, North Carolina

Maintenance and Longevity of Longitudinal Joints

Pavement Maintenance and Rehabilitation: Teaching the Next Generation

Thinking Local: Pavement Management Practices for County Agencies

Pavement Preservation, Maintenance, and Rehabilitation

Short- and Mid-Term Loose Mix Conditioning Protocols for Asphalt Overlay Balanced Mix Design and Quality Control and Quality Acceptance

Evaluating Impact of Corrected Optimum Asphalt Content and Benchmarking Cracking Resistance of Georgia Mixtures for Balanced Mix Design Implementation

Examples of Successful Practices with State Implementation of Balanced Design of Asphalt Mixtures

Development and Verification of Sample Reduction Method for Rubberized Asphalt Mixtures

Performance Evaluation of Pelletized Solid Polymer Modified Asphalt Mixtures

Impact of Improved Density on Pavement Design Response for Low-Volume Roads/Non-Primary Routes

Development of a Performance-Based Approach to Asphalt Emulsion Selection for Cold In-Place Recycling Applications

Multi-Level Laboratory Performance Evaluation of Conventional and High Polymer-Modified Asphalt Mixtures

Validation of Performance-Based Specifications for Surface Asphalt Mixtures in Virginia

Data Mining Statewide Department of Transportation Volumetrically Designed Asphalt Mixture Records

Balanced Mix Design Benchmarking of Field-Produced Asphalt Mixtures in Maine, U.S.

Precision Estimates and Statements for Performance Indices from the Indirect Tensile Cracking Test at Intermediate Temperature

Field Performance Evaluation of High Polymer-Modified Asphalt Concrete Overlays

Recycled Polyethylene Modified Asphalt Binders and Mixtures: Performance Characteristics and Environmental Impact

Proposed Changes to Asphalt Binder Specifications to Address Binder Quality-Related Thermally Induced Surface Damage

Effectiveness of Soy Methyl Ester-Polystyrene as a Concrete Protectant on Mitigating the Chemical Interaction between Cement Paste and Calcium Chloride

Integrated Vehicle–Tire–Pavement Approach for Determining Pavement Structure–Induced Rolling Resistance under Dynamic Loading

Performance Engineered Concrete Mixtures: Implementation at an Interstate Rigid Pavement Project

Environmentally Tuning Asphalt Pavements Using Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials

Evaluating the Performance of Concrete Overlays in Missouri

Comparative Analysis of Laboratory and Prototype Models of Pervious Concrete Mixes Containing Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement Aggregates

Evaluation of Full-Depth Reclamation and Cold Central-Plant Recycling Mixtures for Laboratory Compaction, Mechanistic Response, and Performance Properties

Chemical and Rheological Characterization of Asphalt Binders: A Comparison of Asphalt Binder Aging and Asphalt Mixture Aging

Influence of Seed Layer Moduli on Backcalculation Procedure and on Overlay Design of Flexible Pavements

Statistical Analysis Framework to Evaluate Asphalt Concrete Overlay Reflective Cracking Performance

Evaluation of High Los Angeles Abrasion Loss Aggregate in Stone Matrix Asphalt

Analytical Nonlinear Modeling of Rail and Fastener Longitudinal Response

Data-Driven Food Desert Metric to Understand Access to Grocery Stores Using Chi-Square Automatic Interaction Detector Decision Tree Analysis

Factors Affecting Driving Cessation of Older Adults and Their Satisfaction with Mobility Options

Image reads: Research

Decade of Research in Review at the Auburn University Stormwater Research Facility

A Comparative Evaluation of the Total Cost of Ownership between Electric Two-Wheelers and Motorized Two-Wheelers from an Indian Perspective

Image reads: Safety and Human Performance

Consensus Study Report: Keeping DUKW Boat Passengers Safe

Effects of Individual Vehicle Differences on Advanced Driver-Assist System Takeover Alert Behavior

Development of Road Diet Segment and Intersection Crash Modification Factors

Velocity Obstacle-Based Collision Avoidance and Motion Planning Framework for Connected and Automated Vehicles

Study on the Liquid Centroid Positions of Elliptical Tank Trucks under Different Steering Conditions

Departure Timing Preference during Extreme Weather Events: Evidence from Hurricane Evacuation Behavior

Safety and Economic Evaluation of the Highway Safety Improvement Program: Is there a Return on Investment?

Asymmetric Gasoline Price Effects on Public Transit Ridership: Evidence from U.S. Cities

Assessing the Implementation of On-Demand Transportation Services for People with Disabilities

Calibration and Validation Methodology for Simulation Models of Intelligent Work Zones

NJ STIC 1st Quarter 2022 Meeting

Posted on March 16, 2022March 18, 2022

The NJ State Transportation Innovation Council (NJ STIC) convened online for the 1^st Quarter Meeting on March 16, 2022. The STIC Meeting Agenda had been distributed to the invitees prior to the meeting. Participants could use the chat feature to offer comments or ask questions of the speakers during the online meeting.

Amanda Gendek, Manager of the NJDOT Bureau of Research greeted the meeting participants, followed by Andy Swords, Director, Division of Statewide Planning, who provided the Welcome and Opening Remarks.

Ms. Gendek then introduced Brandee Chapman who has recently been hired as the NJDOT Innovation Coordinator. Ms. Gendek noted the importance of dedicated innovation staff and thanked NJDOT administration for supporting this position. Ms. Chapman will eventually become the NJ STIC Coordinator and NJDOT’s Innovation Subject Matter Expert and will support the Bureau of Research in becoming a hub of innovation.

FHWA EDC Innovations Update. Helene Roberts, Innovation Coordinator and Performance Manager for the FHWA NJ Office, reported on the status of progress on EDC initiatives. She thanked the CIA Team Leaders and SMEs for their progress report and efforts. She noted that there are only nine months left in the two-year EDC-6 cycle and observed that there may be more progress being made than has been reported.

Ms. Roberts and Ms. Gendek made a call for Every Day Counts Round 7 ideas with a focus on Safety, Equity, and Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure. The deadline for submitting suggestions for Round 7 innovations is April 11, 2022. Ms. Roberts explained that FHWA is looking for innovations that are "market-ready" — that is, they have been proven in deployment but are currently underutilized among the states. Through an extensive vetting process, FHWA will pare down the list from the call for ideas to approximately 10 innovations. Ms. Gendek added that if you have an innovation that requires a little more research to be ready for implementation, please send the idea to her at NJDOT Bureau of Research.

Ms. Roberts and Ms. Gendek engaged the NJ STIC meeting attendees with an Interactive exercise. Click for results.

Ms. Roberts and Ms. Gendek reminded everyone that New Jersey will be a featured state at the next National STIC meeting on June 1, 2022 at 2.00 PM. They asked those in attendance to pull out their cell phones and participate in an interactive exercise seeking suggestions on possible topics and innovative initiatives that NJ should highlight during the national meeting.

Core Innovation Area (CIA) Updates. The meeting continued with presentations from Core Innovative Area (CIA) leaders who provided updates of the status of the prioritized EDC initiatives on the topics of Safety, Infrastructure Preservation, Mobility and Operations, and Organizational Improvement and Support.

Featured Presentation #1 — Commercial Vehicle Alerts. The first featured presentation described an initiative to proactively deploy New Jersey Commercial Vehicle Alerts to improve safety and traffic incident management. Sal Cowan, NJDOT Senior Director, Transportation Mobility, was joined by Amy Lopez, Director, Public Sector Services and Smart City Strategy for INRIX, and Marc Nichols, Director, Government & Industry Partnerships for Drivewyze. Mr. Cowan set the stage for their joint presentation by explaining that Drivewyze is the provider of North America’s largest weigh station by-pass system, Drivewyze Pre-Clear. INRIX provides real-time traffic data and analytics and has been a long-standing data partner with NJDOT.

Mr. Cowan provided an overview of the project and discussed the web-based Drivewyze dashboard.

In laying out the rationale for the deployment of commercial vehicle alerts, Mr. Cowan noted that NJDOT, NJ Turnpike Authority, and South Jersey Turnpike Authority are working together to provide commercial drivers with slow-down and congestion alerts to help them react before they are caught in congested and/or hazardous conditions. He highlighted the roadways covered by the subject deployment and reminded attendees of the importance of having a safe and reliable goods movement sector to the state's economy and to satisfying our growing expectations as consumers.

Ms. Lopez described the INRIX system and its ability to deliver real-time data that detects and describes sudden slowdowns, closures, and queues by location for specific events. Drivewyze takes this data and communicates it to commercial truck drivers. The system works with severity thresholds and trigger warnings so only events that exceed these thresholds are reported. Commercial drivers receive the messages through the electronic logging device (ELD) in their cab. The reported information can be customized to include notification of specific weather events.

Mr. Cowan presented an example of the web-based dashboard that NJDOT can monitor when Drivewyze sends out a commercial vehicle traffic alert. The alert platform provides information on congestion and sudden slow-downs by road, time of day, and incident duration and indicates the number of alerts and vehicles alerted in NJ.

Mr. Cowan and Ms. Lopez also touched on the deployment timeline from planning to implementation, data interpretation challenges, and anticipated next-step applications for integration of the commercial vehicle alert data.

Mr. Nichols discussed how the Drivewyze alert system worked in practice.

Mr. Nichols then detailed how the alert system worked in practice, highlighting a specific use case, the Winter Storm Kenan in late January 2022. He explained that Drivewyze set up a geofence and as drivers crossed that line, they were notified of road conditions so that drivers could find a location to stop and wait out the storm. Notably, NJDOT requested that emergency alerts be sent to commercial drivers along portions of the east coast. In coordination with the Eastern Transportation Coalition, Drivewyze sent alerts to 11 other states for northbound traffic and reached an estimated 4,800 drivers. This system was also used to inform drivers of open rest areas during the pandemic. Mr. Nichols explained how the collaboration between NJDOT, INRIX and Drivewyze was able to effectively inform commercial truck drivers and change their behavior during a severe weather event.

Featured Presentation #2 — Trenton Moves: Autonomous Vehicle-Based Urban Transit System Project. The next presentation was made by Andrew Tunnard, NJDOT Asst. Commissioner, Operations Systems and Support, who spoke about Trenton Moves — Mobility & Opportunity: Vehicles Equity System. Mr. Tunnard described the fundamental importance in planning transportation systems and services of considering all kinds of people when thinking about mobility. He introduced the "Trenton Moves" project, which will seek to identify and address the transportation needs of the carless, and those who are unable to drive due to physical limitations. Trenton has approximately 90,000 residents, and over 70 percent have one or fewer cars.

Mr. Tunnard provided an overview of the Trenton Moves project, highlighting the project's aims and processes needed to bring it to fruition.

Mr. Tunnard explained that NJDOT is collaborating with the Governor’s Office, Princeton University (Prof. Alain Kornhauser and students), Mercer County, and the City of Trenton to deploy a safe, equitable, affordable, sustainable, on-demand transportation system. As envisioned, the system is expected to comprise 100 autonomous, electric shuttle vehicles and 50 kiosks. The initiative is in the concept phase and the hope is to have people riding the vehicles by early 2024. Steps in the implementation process include: creating a vision in the neighborhoods and communities and building support at the local level for the use of this technology; enticing tech companies to come work with NJDOT in a public-private partnership (PPP) to bring the technology to implementation; and up-front infrastructure funding. Although these vehicles will travel on existing infrastructure, improvements to road markings, curbs, intersections, and signage will be needed, in addition to construction of a maintenance garage and operations center and the 50 kiosks.

Mr. Tunnard touched on some of the potential operational design domain (ODD) phasing, service and pricing plan considerations that must be tackled to fully test and pilot the shuttle system. Beyond the practical challenges, Mr. Tunnard invited those in attendance to envision how the transit system might deliver needed last-mile services from the Trenton train station to government offices, among other destinations, and improve mobility and accessibility in Trenton for its residents.

The City of Trenton received a local transportation planning grant of $5M from NJDOT to support the start-up and deployment of Trenton Moves. Once the project is established, the intent is to expand the project to surrounding communities and eventually throughout New Jersey.

Reminders and Updates. Ms. Gendek closed the meeting with information and reminders on the online location of several resources that highlight the NJ STIC and other innovation topics funded through research and technology transfer activities, including:

NJDOT Tech Transfer Website: https://www.njdottechtransfer.net/
NJ STIC Website: https://www.njdottechtransfer.net/nj-stic/
NJ STIC Meetings: https://www.njdottechtransfer.net/nj-stic-meetings/

She noted that STIC Incentive Program funding is available. The program provides up to $100,000 per state. Applications are due by August 2022. The NJDOT Bureau of Research has developed a set of guidelines for project administration for selected projects.

She also reminded everyone that the entry deadline for the 2022 Build A Better Mousetrap Competition is May 1st. She encouraged attendees to spread the word about the competition among their colleagues. An NJLTAP Webinar, Innovating at the Local Public Works Level: Can You Build a Better Mousetrap? will be held on March 23, 2022 from 1:00pm – 2:00pm for those who would like more information.

A recording of the NJ STIC March 2022 Meeting can be found here.

The Meeting Presentations can be found in its entirety here and in the section below.

NJ STIC March 2022 Meeting Recording

Welcome Remarks

FHWA EDC Innovation Updates

CIA Team Update: Safety

CIA Team Update: Infrastructure Preservation

CIA Team Update: Organizational Improvement and Support

CIA Team Update: Mobility and Operations

Feature Presentation: New Jersey Commercial Vehicle Alerts

Feature Presentation: Trenton Moves: Autonomous Vehicle-Based Urban Transit System Project

Reminders, Announcements, and Thank You

508 Accessibility Resources

Posted on August 31, 2021August 8, 2024

Did You Know...

The BTS National Transportation Library maintains a Library Guide devoted to providing various 508 Accessibility Resources. The guide includes several valuable resources including accessibility policies, digital submission checklists for researchers, and recommended training resources. Click here to visit this resource.

The Transportation Research and Connectivity Pooled Fund Study (TPF-5(442)) has created several valuable resources on 508/Accessibility. Click here for this information.

National STIC Network Virtual Meetings

Posted on May 1, 2019May 21, 2020

The FHWA periodically convenes the National STIC Network for virtual meetings.

The recordings, presentations and answers to specific questions from the National STIC Meetings are available through the following link: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/stic/national_stic_meeting_recordings.cfm

Your Roadmap to Transportation Innovation

Posted on May 1, 2019May 6, 2019

The NJ STIC Program and innovative initiatives advanced through the program were discussed in a session, “Your Roadmap to Transportation Innovation”, given at the NJ TransAction Conference on April 17, 2019.

Click here to see the presentation and here to see a video included in the presentation on a STIC Incentive Funding Grant project that is focused on testing and advancing connected vehicle technologies to improve road service safety.

NJ STIC 2018 Winter Meeting

Posted on February 13, 2019May 6, 2019

The NJ State Transportation Innovation Council recently held its Winter Meeting. The meeting began with FHWA and NJDOT providing a recap of the Every Day Counts Round 5 (EDC-5) Regional Summit. FHWA's Innovation Coordinator & Performance Manager provided a brief overview of the EDC-5 Initiatives. New Jersey along with all other states assessed its current efforts and set goals for implementation of the EDC-5 Initiatives for the next two year period, ending in December 2020 with reference to five stages of innovation.

EDC-5 Innovation Initiatives and NJ’s Baseline and Goals, 2019-2020

EDC-5 Initiative	Baseline: January 2019	Goal: December 2020	Comments
Advanced Geotechnical Exploration Methods	Demonstration	Institutionalized	With proposed activities expect to move it forward to institutionalized
Collaborative Hydraulics: Advancing to the Next Generation of Engineering (CHANGE)	Demonstration	Demonstration	EDC-4 carryover
Reducing Rural Roadway Departures	Development	Demonstration	New initiative under EDC-5
Project Bundling	Institutionalized	Institutionalized	Part of NJDOT toolbox
Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP)	Assessment	Institutionalized	EDC-4 carryover
Use of Crowdsourcing to Advance Operations	Institutionalized	Institutionalized	Part of NJDOT toolbox
Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)	Assessment	Institutionalized	NJDOT has been a national leader with many advancements planned
Value Capture	Not implementing	Not implementing	Not formally advanced by STIC
Virtual Public Involvement	Not implementing	Not implementing	Not formally advanced by STIC. Agencies may be making use of this initiative.
Notes: Not Implementing: State is not currently using the innovation anywhere in the state; Development: State is collecting guidance and best practices and building support with stakeholders and partners and developing an implementation process; Demonstration: The State is piloting and testing the innovation; Assessment: The State is assessing the performance of and process for carrying out the innovation and making adjustments to prepare for full deployment; Institutionalized: The State has adopted the innovation as a standard process or practice and uses it regularly on projects.

Presentations from the three Core Innovation Area (CIA) Teams -- Safety, Infrastructure Preservation, and Mobility and Operations -- highlighted what has already been accomplished (in prior rounds of EDC Rounds 1 through 4) and further described how NJDOT plans to accomplish the goals for EDC-5 Initiatives.

Participants were informed about the availability of innovative funding programs through FHWA's Center for Accelerating Innovative Programs to advance EDC-5 Initiatives and what New Jersey projects have already been funded through STIC Incentive Funding and the Accelerated Innovation Deployment Grant Programs. The meeting concluded with a roundtable discussion of the topics covered.

NJDOT will host the national STIC meeting on April 11, 2019.
Forthcoming NJ STIC meetings are scheduled for: May 7, August 8, and November 19, 2019.

Presentation slides:

NJ STIC 2018 Fall Meeting

Posted on October 16, 2018May 6, 2019

The NJ State Transportation Innovation Council recently held its 2018 Fall Meeting. The meeting began with an update from the FHWA about NJDOT's progress on Every Day Counts (EDC-4) Innovations. The meeting continued with presentations from the three Core Innovation Area (CIA) Teams devoted to Safety, Infrastructure Preservation, and Mobility and Operations. The Safety CIA Team discussed progress on implementing road diets and shared a video that described its features and its benefits that had been produced by NJDOT. A roundtable discussion closed the meeting which included discussion of the importance and potential strategies for getting the message out on the innovations underway at NJDOT and by its STIC partners.