Addressing the Challenges in NextGen Decision Making

DTFAWA-10-X-80005, Annex 9NASA provided a broad overview of flight crew decision making and training challenges expected to result from the implementation of NextGen automation, including decision support automation. Recommendations included the following human factors recommendations and caveats for the design of future flight deck systems: - Pilots Need Accurate Mental Models of Automated Systems - Systems Awareness Is Key to Situation Awareness - Changes Must Be Highlighted - CRM \u2018Monitor and Challenge\u2019 Philosophy for Flight Crew Must Also Apply to Flight Deck Automatio

Synthetic Aromatic Kerosene Property Prediction Improvements With Isomer Specific Characterization via GCxGC and Vacuum Ultraviolet Spectroscopy

13-C-AJFF-UD-026This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Please cite this article as: John Feldhausen, David C. Bell, Zhibin Yang, Conor Faulhaber, Randall Boehm, Joshua Heyne, Synthetic aromatic kerosene property prediction improvements with isomer specific characterization via GCxGC and vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy, Fuel, Volume 326, 2022, 125002, ISSN 0016-2361, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2022.125002.This research explores an advanced method of fuel composition determination and builds upon typical hydrocarbon group type analyses performed with two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC). In this study, structural information of individual species within Virent\u2019s Synthetic Aromatic Kerosene (SAK) is identified by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) spectroscopy. By mass, 71.3% of the components elute within six peaks of the chromatogram, from which 12 unique species are identified through a novel deconvolution method. Overall, the identification of 93.6%m across 26 structural isomers is made by the methods described in this work. With 93.6%m ascribed to specific isomers, the precision of fuel property predictions improves dramatically. For example, the absolute error of the viscosity prediction is reduced by 90% because of this advancement in diagnostic capability, and its 95-percentile confidence interval (precision only) is reduced by 93%. Additionally, the properties of SAK, blended with hydro processed esters fatty acids (HEFA), are demonstrated to have blended properties consistent with conventional jet fuel

NCDOT Evaluates Effects of Beachside Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) installed a Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB) on Causeway Drive at the intersection with N. Channel Drive in Wrightsville Beach. The PHB was installed to serve both residents and beachgoers crossing the arterial roadway. Both before and after it was implemented, NCDOT conducted an evaluation of pedestrian behavior and motor vehicle compliance at the crossing

Changes in Ultrafine Particle Concentrations near a Major Airport Following Reduced Transportation Activity during the COVID-19 Pandemic

13-C-AJFF-BU-07, 11, 20This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)) license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. Please cite this article as: Sean C. Mueller, Neelakshi Hudda, Jonathan I. Levy, John L. Durant, Prasad Patil, Nina Franzen Lee, Ida Weiss, Tyler Tatro, Tiffany Duhl, and Kevin Lane Environmental Science & Technology Letters 2022 9 (9), 706-711 DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.2c00322Mobility reductions following the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States were higher, and sustained longer, for aviation than ground transportation activity. We evaluate changes in ultrafine particle (UFP, Dp < 100 nm, a marker of fuel combustion emissions) concentrations at a site near Logan Airport (Boston, Massachusetts) in relation to mobility reductions. Several years of particle number concentration (PNC) data prepandemic [1/2017 129/2018] and during the state-of-emergency (SOE) phase of the pandemic [4/2020 126/2021] were analyzed to assess the emissions reduction impact on PNC, controlling for season and wind direction. Mean PNC was 48% lower during the first three months of the SOE than prepandemic, consistent with 74% lower flight activity and 39% (local) 1251% (highway) lower traffic volume. Traffic volume and mean PNC for all wind directions returned to prepandemic levels by 6/2021; however, when the site was downwind from Logan Airport, PNC remained lower than prepandemic levels (by 23%), consistent with lower-than-normal flight activity (44% below prepandemic levels). Our study shows the effect of pandemic-related mobility changes on PNC in a near-airport community, and it distinguishes aviation-related and ground transportation source contributions

Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency (HIRTA) Health Connector for the Most Vulnerable: An Inclusive Mobility Experience from Beginning to End

The Health Connector solution intends to demonstrate an innovative concept that will address various bottlenecks associated with healthcare transportation access for HIRTA communities, focusing on mostly rural Dallas County, Iowa. Some of these challenges are the key reasons behind missed appointments or unacceptable levels of preventive or as-needed healthcare in the HIRTA service area. For this deployment, the HIRTA team plans to implement a scalable and replicable solution enabling inclusive access to non-emergency medical transportation for all underserved populations and their caregivers by resolving access barriers through advanced technologies. This solution will allow Dallas County residents without access to transportation who need to travel to/from a medical appointment to explore their transportation alternatives, and book both medical and transportation appointments at the same time. Further, this solution will include information and wayfinding services to guide them at every step of their trip

The Development of the Digital Twin Platform for Smart Mobility Systems With High-Resolution 3D Data

69A3551847102This project develops the main modules and algorithm models for the digital twin platform for a smart mobility testing ground currently under construction. LiDAR (Line Detection And Ranging)-sensor-based object detection and 3D infrastructure modeling modules are developed and tested in the project. The developed digital twin model is pilot tested to conduct near-miss analysis at the intersections of the DataCity Smart Mobility Testing Ground in New Brunswick, NJ

Emerging Issues Associated With Sea Level Rise: Findings from FHWA Peer Exchanges

DTFH61-16-D-00033, Subcontract: 469-HDL16 1 15Coastal transportation infrastructure is one of many important assets that DOTs seek to protect. In the last decade, there has been increasing concern for the vulnerability of coastal transportation infrastructure resulting from observed and projected relative sea level rise, particularly conditions of \u201cnuisance\u201d or \u201csunny day\u201d flooding being experienced in a growing number of communities. As a result, the FHWA sponsored a series of peer exchanges with coastal State DOTs, their partners, and experts in sea level rise to share experiences in characterizing and addressing these concerns. Objectives also sought to identify strategies for increasing resilience in coastal transportation infrastructure, particularly roadways, bridges, and tunnels. The FHWA convened these peer exchanges in four separate regions of the United States. Peer exchanges participants related their experiences and insights on these emerging issues regarding nuisance flooding and its impacts on their transportation programs. Discussion topics also included current and projected conditions of sea level rise as well as brainstorming potential solutions to reduce the vulnerability of coastal infrastructure. Peer exchange participants expressed their opinions and recommendations, not only related to their particular communities, but for consideration by FHWA, other Federal agencies, State and local agencies, and other potential stakeholders. This document summarizes the presentations and discussions that took place during these peer exchanges. The recommendations are those of the participants, and do not necessarily align with FHWA authorities and policies

Florida Access Management Benchmarking Study

BDV25-977-41Florida\u2019s access management program has changed little since it was first adopted in 1988. Since that time, transportation planning and engineering practices have undergone extensive changes, and many states have enacted access management programs. This national benchmarking study examines Florida's access management program in relation to those of its peers and contemporary best practice to identify practices that may benefit Florida's access management program. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is particularly interested in exploring: A roadway classification system that is sensitive to land use context; Multimodal considerations in access management, including pedestrians, bicycles, transit, and freight movement; Network and corridor planning including improvements off of the main highway (off-system projects) that provide better circulation and support efficient traffic movement on the state highway; Access-permitting enhancements, such as continued online permit processing to include local governments; Strategies for improved coordination with local governments; Effective, systematic approaches to staff education and training; and; Lessons learned in implementing access management programs. Study recommendations called for simplifying the seven FDOT access classifications into three basic categories of standards with descriptions that convey planned roadway function, land use context, modal priority, and street typology. Access criteria for non-auto modes were suggested, along with block spacing as an alternative to driveway spacing for dense urban contexts. A new FDOT policy promoting local network planning was proposed to emphasize the importance of local network development and interparcel connectivity to the state highway system and statewide multimodal planning and complete streets objectives. Other suggestions included the more active use of corridor access management planning, partnering with MPOs to promote funding incentives for off-system improvements, and a process to evaluate and negotiate driveway closures during the appropriate design phase. Intergovernmental coordination strategies included active dissemination of the 2017 model regulations for local governments through various methods, and production of a new multimodal planning brochure

Design of high-performance concrete mixtures and test beams for a bridge in Virginia.

The main objective of this study was to develop concretes with a compressive strength of 69 to 83 MPa (10,000 to 12,000 psi) at 28 days and a high early release strength (within 20 hr) exceeding 70% of the 28-day strength. The properties of the high-performance concretes (HPC) tested included compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting tensile strength, and permeability. Four prestressed concrete AASHTO Type II beams were fabricated with HPC at a prestressing plant and load tested to failure. This test program was undertaken to support the field application of HPC in Virginia. Results showed that high-strength and low-permeability air-entrained mixtures could be designed. Concretes with a 28-day strength exceeding 69 MPa (10,000 psi), a minimum release strength of 70% of the 28-day strength, and coulomb values below 1,500 at 28 days can be produced with a water-cementitious material ratio (W/CM) of about 0.30 or below. Achieving such a low W/CM requires large amounts of cementitious material, proper selection of aggregates, and high dosages of high-range water-reducing admixtures. Thorough mixing is necessary, and good construction practices must be followed during placement, consolidation, and curing. To achieve high early strengths, proper temperature management is also needed

Upgrading Bridge Rails on Low-Volume Roads in Iowa Tech Transfer Summary

016086879547330682016Tech Transfer SummaryPDFTech ReportIHRB Project TR-679InTrans Project 14-508GuardrailsBridge railingsLiterature reviewsTraffic safetyLow volume roadsSecondary roadsTraffic crashesCrash severityCountermeasuresRegression analysisGuidelinesHighway safetyCrash characteristicsBridges and other structuresDesignHighwaysSafety and Human FactorsTech Transfer SummaryUnited StatesIowaIowa State University. Center for Transportation Research and EducationHans, ZacharyBektas, Basak AldemirPhares, Brent M.Iowa State University. Center for Transportation Research and EducationIowa State University. Bridge Engineering CenterIowa Highway Research BoardIowa. Dept. of TransportationUS Transportation CollectionBuilding on previous research, the goal of this project was to identify significant influencing factors for the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) to consider in future updates of its Instructional Memorandum (I.M.) 3.213, which provides guidelines for determining the need for traffic barriers (guardrail and bridge rail) at secondary roadway bridges\u2014specifically, factors that might be significant for the bridge rail rating system component of I.M. 3.213. A literature review was conducted of policies and guidelines in other states and, specifically, of studies related to traffic barrier safety countermeasures at bridges in several states. In addition, a safety impact study was conducted to evaluate possible non-driver-related behavior characteristics of crashes on secondary road structures in Iowa using road data, structure data, and crash data from 2004 to 2013. Statistical models (negative binomial regression) were used to determine which factors were significant in terms of crash volume and crash severity. The study found that crashes are somewhat more frequent on or at bridges possessing certain characteristics\u2014traffic volume greater than 400 vehicles per day (vpd) (paved) or greater than 50 vpd (unpaved), bridge length greater than 150 ft (paved) or greater than 35 ft (unpaved), bridge width narrower than its approach (paved) or narrower than 20 ft (unpaved), and bridges older than 25 years (both paved and unpaved). No specific roadway or bridge characteristic was found to contribute to more serious crashes. The study also confirmed previous research findings that crashes with bridges on secondary roads are rare, low-severity events. Although the findings of the study support the need for appropriate use of bridge rails, it concludes that prescriptive guidelines for bridge rail use on secondary roads may not be necessary, given the limited crash expectancy and lack of differences in crash expectancy among the various combinations of explanatory characteristics.74