The following new research studies reported by the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Research and Development are sponsored in whole or in part with federal highway funds. For further details on a particular study, please contact Bob Bryant, editor of Public Roads, (202) 493-3468.

NCP Category A -- Highway Safety

A.3: Highway Safety Information Management

Title: Improving Traffic Safety Analysis Using GSI

Objective: To conduct a cooperative research effort to develop a proposal to improve traffic safety analysis using geographic information systems (GSI).

Contractor: North Carolina Department of Transportation

Expected Completion Date: October 1995

Estimated Cost: $201,700

NCP Category B -- Traffic Operations/Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Systems

B.1: Advanced Traffic Management Systems

Title: Integration of Traffic Operations and Traffic Data Collections

Objective: To establish a process and methodology for the integrated collection of traffic data. This research is expected to result in increased awareness of organizational objectives and increased cooperation between traffic engineering/operations staff and the traffic data collection efforts of the transportation planning programs at both the state and local levels.

Contractor: Georgia and Washington state DOTs

Expected Completion Date: Open

Estimated Cost: $195,000

NCP Category E--Materials and Operations

E.3: Geotechnology

Title: Standard Reference Soils and Testing Program '94 Overlays

Objective: To conduct a comprehensive interlaboratory testing program to obtain reliable estimates of precision (reproducibility and repeatability) for 12 selected ASTM test methods for soils. To accomplish this requires the production of four uniform standard soils to conduct these tests and future check tests. An interlaboratory testing program involving an estimated 20 voluntary laboratories distributed across the United States will conduct the 12 test methods on the four standard soils. These results will be used to develop reliable precision statements for each method; the statements are necessary to improve cost effectiveness in design and construction programs.

Contractor: National Science Foundation

Expected Completion Date: June 1996

Estimated Cost: $108,000