Below are brief descriptions of communications products recently developed by the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Research, Development, and Technology. All of the reports are or will soon be available from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). In some cases, limited copies of the communications products are available from FHWA’s Research and Technology (R&T) Product Distribution Center (PDC).

When ordering from NTIS, include the NTIS publication number (PB number) and the publication title. You also may visit the NTIS website at www.ntis.gov to order publications online. Call NTIS for current prices. For customers outside the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the cost is usually double the listed price. Address requests to:

National Technical Information Service
5301 Shawnee Road
Alexandria, VA 22312
Telephone: 703–605–6050
Toll-free number: 1–888–584–8332
Website: www.ntis.gov
Email: customerservice@ntis.gov

Requests for items available from the R&T Product Distribution Center should be addressed to:

R&T Product Distribution Center
Szanca Solutions/FHWA PDC
700 North 3rd Avenue
Altoona, PA 16601
Telephone: 814–239–1160
Fax: 814–239–2156
Email: report.center@dot.gov

For more information on R&T communications products available from FHWA, visit FHWA’s website at www.fhwa.dot.gov, the FHWA Research Library at https://highways.dot.gov/resources/research-library/federal-highway-administration-research-library (or email fhwalibrary@dot.gov), or the National Transportation Library at ntl.bts.gov (or email library@dot.gov).

Human Factors Guidelines for Transportation Management Centers

Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-16-060

Transportation management centers (TMCs) traditionally have served as the real-time interface between motorists and transportation agencies. Rapid changes in TMCs demonstrate the need for guidance that is current, clear, practical, relevant, and easy to use. Human factors guidelines tailored to TMCs are necessary to help TMC staff appropriately consider human factors, develop accurate internal guidelines, avoid false assumptions regarding operators/drivers, and correctly apply human factors guidelines from other domains. This report presents a set of human factors guidelines to be used by organizations interested in developing, evaluating, or modifying their TMCs.

This report is divided into five chapters. The first chapter describes an operator's strengths, limitations, and biases when interfacing with technology. Chapter 2 describes how operators interact with automated systems. Chapter 3 provides an overview of TMC infrastructure, physical layout, and organizational structure and workflow, and discusses how the locations of TMC elements (onsite or offsite) affect performance. Chapter 4 describes the systems and tools used within a TMC. Chapter 5 includes information about communications with the public, colleagues, and other agencies, and addresses content and delivery mechanisms for messages along with recommendations for facilitating communication across organizations.

This report is geared toward practitioners and organizations interested in developing, evaluating, or modifying their TMCs.

The document is available to download at www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/16060/index.cfm.

Structural Carbon Nanotube-Based Composites: Developing Composite Technology to Rehabilitate Aging Bridges

Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-17-123

As steel bridges age, accumulated stress from traffic can cause structural fatigue, weakening of solid components such as girders, and degradation of connections that hold the bridge elements together. According to FHWA's National Bridge Inventory, 16 percent of the 178,923 steel bridges in the United States were considered to be in poor condition in 2016.

Supported by FHWA's Exploratory Advanced Research (EAR) Program, researchers at the University of Delaware have developed strong glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) composites for the rehabilitation of damaged areas. The GFRP patch developed through this project--Development of Structural Carbon Nanotube-Based Sensing Composites--also incorporates electrically conductive carbon nanotube networks for monitoring post-repair crack growth and provides an integrated strengthening and monitoring system.

The researchers developed a composite material that uses a matrix of GFRP and a layer of carbon nanotube-based sensors to form a sandwich of materials. This composite material can be applied like a patch, strengthening a bridge member while providing real-time monitoring capabilities. The researchers anticipate that the technology will provide bridge owners with quantifiable data that can gauge the effectiveness of repairs performed on the rehabilitated sections of a steel bridge.

The fact sheet is available to download at www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/ear/17123/index.cfm.

Infrastructure Initiatives to Apply Connected- and Automated-Vehicle Technology to Roadway Departures (Report)

Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-18-035

FHWA is investigating how emerging connected-vehicle (CV) and automated-vehicle (AV) technologies can address roadway-departure crashes. This report addresses the effects and opportunities of widescale adoption of CV and AV technologies on the Nation's roads.

The report describes initiatives that FHWA may use to support the deployment of CV and AV technologies in ways that will address roadway departure crashes. Researchers developed the initiatives from a literature review and consultation with technology developers, vehicle manufacturers, State and local departments of transportation, and infrastructure officials.

This report is intended for traffic engineers, highway designers and planners, and other transportation professionals, to acquaint them with potential infrastructure changes that could accommodate these emerging vehicle technologies.

The document is available to download at www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/18035/index.cfm.

SHRP2 Traffic Incident Management Responder Training Program: Final Report

Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-18-038

FHWA has initiated an effort to evaluate programs related to research and technology (R&T). The R&T Evaluation Program helps FHWA assess how effectively it is meeting its goals and objectives and providing useful data to inform future projects. It also helps FHWA to communicate its findings and the impacts of its programs.

This final report assesses the effectiveness of the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2) Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Responder Training Program in disseminating TIM concepts to a wide incident-responder community, enhancing agency practices, and positively impacting key TIM performance metrics.

The report focuses on three areas of the SHRP2 TIM Responder Training Program: the dissemination of TIM trainings and concepts across the country, responder and agency adoption of SHRP2 TIM concepts, and improvements in key TIM performance metrics.

This report should be of interest to practitioners, researchers, and decisionmakers involved in road safety and emergency operations.

The report is available to download at www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/randt/evaluations/18038/index.cfm.

Analysis Procedures for Evaluating Superheavy Load Movement on Flexible Pavements, Volume I: Final Report

Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-18-049

The movement of superheavy loads on the Nation's highways is increasingly common and a vital economic necessity for many industries, such as chemical, oil, electrical, and defense. Many superheavy components are extremely large and heavy (gross vehicle weights of more than a few million pounds), and they often require specialized trailers and hauling units. Accommodating these load movements without undue damage to highway infrastructure requires the determination of whether the pavement is structurally adequate to sustain the load and protect any underground utilities.

The goal of this project was to develop a comprehensive analysis process for evaluating superheavy load movement on flexible pavements. As part of this project, the research team developed a comprehensive mechanistic-based analysis approach consisting of several analysis procedures for flexible pavement structures, which is documented in a 10-volume series of FHWA reports. This report, Analysis Procedures for Evaluating Superheavy Load Movement on Flexible Pavements, Volume I: Final Report, presents a summary of the analysis procedures developed to address the critical factors associated with the movement of superheavy loads on flexible pavements.

This report is intended for use by highway agency pavement engineers responsible for assessing the structural adequacy of pavements in the proposed route and identifying mitigation strategies, where warranted, in support of State highway agencies' responses to permit requests for superheavy load movements.

The document is available to download at www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/infrastructure/pavements/18049/index.cfm.