Technology
Transfer Newsletter
Volume 21, Number 1 - April 2004
Connecticut Transportation Institute's Technology Transfer Center
University of Connecticut, School of Engineering
PAGE
1
(front cover)
Article
Title: CTI and CONN-OSHA Sign Training/Outreach Alliance
Article
Text:
Representatives
of UConn's Connecticut Transportation Institute (CTI) and the state Department
of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Division (CONN-OSHA) signed
a formal training and outreach alliance on March 29. Through the alliance,
CTI and CONN-OSHA agree to provide clients of the Institute's Technology
Transfer Center with valuable information, guidance, and access to training
resources that will help protect employees' health and safety.
The alliance outlines specific goals that the two agencies agree to work
together to achieve. Training and education goals include development
and delivery of courses pertaining to on-the-job safety and OSHA regulations,
as well as other programs targeted to the public works industry. Outreach
and communication goals include development and dissemination of best
practices and other information through a variety of media, as well as
live presentations and exhibits at CTI events. According to Technology
Transfer Center Director Donna Shea, "The alliance formalizes a long-term
relationship between the two organizations and will help foster an even
more effective collaborative relationship developing quality safety training
in the future."
CONN-OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Manager Tom Hozebin agrees, "CONN-OSHA
and CTI have been working together since 1996. This alliance formalizes
CTI's commitment to safety and health."
PAGE
2
Article
Title: Local Agency Safety Management
Article
Text:
Have you
considered implementing a Safety Management System (SMS) in your agency
An SMS gives decision makers and those who manage and maintain local roadways
the tools to systematically identify, prioritize, correct, and evaluate
the performance of their transportation investments.
The goal of an SMS is to assist local agency engineers, managers, elected
officials, and enforcement and emergency medical services personnel in
their efforts to reduce both fatalities and the severity and frequency
of collisions.
Why
is Safety Management a Good Idea?
Collisions cause loss of life, injuries, and property damage. An average
of 115 people died each day in motor vehicle crashes in 2001-one person
every 12 minutes.
A study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) estimated that the economic cost alone of motor vehicle crashes
in 2000 was $230.6 billion. In 2001, 42,116 people were killed in the
estimated 6,323,000 police reported motor vehicle traffic crashes, 3,033,000
people were injured, and 4,282,000 crashes involved property damage only. "These costs reflect wage loss from injuries, medical expenses, insurance
administration costs, property damage, and claims for personal and property
damage."
For local agencies to mount a successful effort toward reducing motor
vehicle collisions and their costs, an effective systematic approach must
be taken.
What
are the Benefits?
The primary benefits of an SMS are saved lives and reduced injuries.
Recognizing that "one size does not fit all," the SMS is structured
to allow each agency to implement the system within the agency's resource
limitations and focus on the elements that are most appropriate for the
agency's size, goals and priorities.
Although the SMS might reside with a particular agency it is not agency
focused. It is a collaborative, community-focused effort that takes into
consideration more than the roadway. It also includes the vehicle and
driver in determining safety needs and solutions, and treats emergency
services, law enforcement, and education as equal players with engineering.
The existence of a working, effective SMS tailored to local policy promotes
a collaborative approach to development of sound safety practices. Looking
beyond economics, an SMS provides a variety of other benefits no less
important. An SMS can also increase the capability of reducing the number
and severity of collisions by focusing attention on safety needs that
will result in a higher payback.
Other benefits
include improved maintenance of safety investments and greater certainty
that the highest priority needs are identified.
How
Does the SMS Work?
The SMS has two basic components: a collaborative information exchange
network and an eight-element transportation safety decision support process.
The information network centers on the SMS Committee. The SMS Committee
is a standing, cross-disciplinary advisory committee that meets regularly
and includes representation from all major transportation safety stakeholders
in the community. The Committee provides a permanent forum to identify
transportation safety needs through a collaborative process and the potential
resources to meet those needs. The regular meetings provide a forum to
hear all voices, and a synergistic tool to identify creative solutions
and leverage resources.
The SMS process emphasizes the relationship between drivers, vehicles,
and roadways by integrating engineering, education, enforcement and emergency
services into a safety programs architecture. The collaboration of engineering,
enforcement, emergency services and education creates a broader safety
networking resource for an agency and the community it serves.
cont'd
on page 3
PAGE 3
Local Safety Management cont'd...
The SMS
relies on an 8-step systematic needs assessment process including feedback
to evaluate the results of a safety program's efforts and expenditures.
The feedback system completes the loop by creating a report or series
of reports used by decision makers to identify policies to be changed,
safety needs to emphasize, assumptions to be modified and funding needs
to be increased or shifted.
Table of
the Eight Elements of an SMS:
Local
Policy |
Policy
officially authorized and adopted by elected officials. Establishes
operating guidelines and goals for service providers. |
Data
Collection |
Data
and information used in policy development, planning, designing, construction
and maintenance of transportation facilities, vehicles, and driver
education. |
Data
Analysis |
Data
and information processing through sorting, technical analysis, study,
alternative mitigation analysis, and prioritization. |
System
Output |
Conclusive
data products, data analysis, and application of adopted policy. |
Decisions |
Budget
and program adoption by elected officials, including all efforts toward
safety during the following year. |
Project
Implementation |
Execution
of funded work efforts resulting in safety enhancements of all kinds. |
Monitoring
Performance |
Measures
and analyzes results, providing information from which out-year efforts
are forecast and evaluated, and the work program is developed. |
Annual
Safety Report |
Reports
the results of safety system work efforts and expenditures. |
For more
information about Safety Management Systems, contact Dave Sorensen of
the Washington State Technology Transfer Center at 360-705-7385. The Center
developed an SMS, which they describe in their manual, "Local Agency
Safety Management System," available on line at http://www.wsdot/wa.gov/TA/T2Center/Mgt.Systems/SafetyTechnology/.
Reprinted
from Implementing Local Agency Safety Management, FHWA-SA-03-025, Federal
Highway Administration, 2003.
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PAGE
4
Article
Title: AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan
Author:
Ken Epstein, P.E., Office of Safety, FHWA
Article
Text:
In 1998,
the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
(AASHTO) released its Strategic Highway Safety Plan. This plan provides
a comprehensive, multimodal approach to reducing vehicle-related fatalities
and injuries on our nation's highways, with a goal to reduce highway-related
deaths by 5,000-7,000 annually, as well as reduce health care costs.
The Strategic Highway Safety Plan addresses Drivers, Special Users (pedestrians
and bicyclists), Vehicles, Highways, Emergency Medical Services, and Management.
These 6 elements are subdivided into 22 emphasis areas. Each emphasis
area contains two or more strategies, which are further broken down by
specific actions. Additional information on the AASHTO Strategic Highway
Safety Plan is available on http://safety.transportation.org.
To assist states and localities in the implementation of the strategic
plan, a National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) project
was initiated to develop a series of guidebooks containing proven countermeasures.
A total of 18 guidebooks will be developed. To date, the following guidebooks
are available
as part of NCHRP Report 500, Guidance for Implementation of the AASHTO
Strategic Highway Safety Plan:
Volume 1,
Aggressive-Driving Collisions
Volume 2, Collisions Involving Unlicensed Drivers and Drivers with Suspended
or Revoked Licenses
Volume 3, Trees in Hazardous Locations
Volume 4, Head-On Collisions
Volume 5, Unsignalized Intersection Collisions
Volume 6, Run-Off-Road Collisions
These guidebooks
can be viewed on the Transportation Research Board's web site, http://gulliver.trb.org/publications,
by clicking NCHRP Project Reports under National Cooperative Highway Research
Program and scrolling down the Printed Report Series to NCHRP Report 500.
Additional guidebooks are scheduled to be released this year. These will
include Truck-Involved Crashes, Pedestrian-Involved Crashes in Large Urban
Areas, Utility Pole Crashes, Crashes on Horizontal Curves, Signalized
Intersections, Older Drivers, and Unbelted Drivers and Occupants.
There are also plans to develop supplemental guidance based on these guidebooks
that would specifically address the needs of municipalities.
Reprinted
with permission from Inside LTAP, LTAP Clearinghouse, October 2003.
Article Title: Roadway Safety Tools for Local Agencies
Article
Text:
Improving
the safety of local roads is crucial for reducing highway deaths and injuries.
Fatal crash rates are the highest on local roadways. A new National Cooperative
Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 321, Roadway Safety Tools for
Local Agencies, provides practical and flexible approaches to improve
safety at the local level. To be successful, safety practices should be
tailored to the problems and resources of each agency. There is no one-size-fits-all
safety solution. The goal is to assist local agencies to become more effective
safety organizations by applying the best and most appropriate tools to
meet their needs. Its guiding principle is to examine tools and procedures
that are practical, relatively easy to apply, and can be implemented by
agencies with limited financial resources. Tools are defined as any ideas,
practices, procedures, software, activities or actions beneficial in aiding
local agencies to improve the safety of their roads and streets. User-friendly
appendixes provide detailed information on each tool, its application,
and references to additional information.
An electronic version of the Synthesis is available on the Transportation
Research Board's NCHRP web site at http://trb.org/publications/nchrp/nchrp_syn_321.pdf,
or you may request a printed version from Stephanie Merrall at the Technology
Transfer Center, phone 860-486-6446, e-mail smerrall@engr.uconn.edu.
Reprinted
from FHWA Safety Activities Newsletter, Federal Highway Administration,
March/April 2004.
PAGE
5
Article Title: Technology Transfer Profile: Lisa Aultman-Hall
Article
Text:
Since August
when she was named Director of the Connecticut Transportation Institute
succeeding Christian Davis, Lisa Aultman-Hall has been vigorously enhancing
and promoting the activities of the CTI's varied academic, research and
service programs. She is an avid proponent of the Institute's outreach
initiatives and many of you may already have met her at Technology Transfer
Center events, such as the Technology Transfer Expo or the bicycle and
pedestrian design workshops that she co-taught with Norman Garrick last
year.
In 2001, Dr. Aultman-Hall joined the University of Connecticut as Associate
Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department's transportation
systems group. She was a member of the University of Kentucky faculty
for five years before coming to Connecticut and subsequent to that received
her Ph.D. from McMaster University in Canada.
Lisa Aultman-Hall is a nationally recognized researcher whose fields of
specialization include travel route choice behavior, freight transportation
planning, transportation safety, bicycle transportation planning, and
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications. She is Chair of the
Transportation Research Board's Committee on Bicycle Transportation and
member of several other national and state transportation committees and
professional organizations.
Faculty experience and know-how are just a few the many informational
resources available to state and local agencies through the CTI's Technology
Transfer Center. For additional information on our affiliated transportation
faculty, please visit the CTI web site at www.cti.uconn.edu.
Article
Title: From Our Resource Library
Article
Text:
To request
any of the following materials, please call us at 860-486-6446, send us
the
request form on the back page of this newsletter, or use our on-line information
request form at http://www.cti.uconn.edu/ti/Technology/Info_request.htm.
Publications are free while supplies last,
unless otherwise noted. Videotapes may be borrowed free of charge for
two weeks.
Publications:
United States Pavement Markings, Federal Highway
Administration, FHWA-OP-02-090; and
United States Road Symbol Signs, Federal Highway
Administration, FHWA-OP-02-084
These brochures are outreach tools to educate transportation professionals
and the general public about the proper design and use of many pavement
markings and road symbol signs on the nation's highways.
Traffic
Control Handbook for Mobile Operations at Night: Guidelines for Construction,
Maintenance and Utility Operations, Federal Highway Administration,
FHWA-SA-03-026
This report is a synthesis of current practices for performing mobile
operations at night. The information presented is based on a review of
work zone manuals from a selection of state and local highway agencies,
discussions with highway officials, and field observations of a select
number of nighttime highway mobile work zone operations.
Videotape:
On Again, Off Again: A Guide to Mounting and Dismounting Heavy Equipment,
Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma, 18 minutes
This video, designed as a training tool for Oklahoma counties, addresses
the problem of increasing injuries from mounting and dismounting heavy
equipment and teaches operators proper safety techniques.
PAGE
6
Article
Title: Snowplow Simulator Demonstration
Article
Text:
On
February 11, although there were no clouds in the sky nor flakes on the
pavement, more than a dozen municipal and Connecticut DOT employees stood
beside a modified motorhome eagerly awaiting a turn to plow snow.
They were looking forward to the opportunity to sit behind the wheel of
a state-of-the-art simulator designed to test drivers' plowing ability
and improve their skills in a totally risk-free virtual winter environment.
The GE Driver Development snowplow simulator gives operators the experience
of real life challenges without the real life risks.
Designed by GE Driver Development in Salt Lake City, the simulation training
technology is currently being evaluated by the Utah Department of Transportation
in a pilot program that will measure the real world performance of drivers
who have participated in the training against those who have not.
The biggest advantage of the simulation training is that drivers can navigate
and react to any number of hazardous and difficult situations in complete
safety; another is that the software can be customized to reflect individual
vehicle dynamics and the unique landscape of a particular region.
GE Driver Development representatives have been showcasing the technology
across the country and assessing its future potential. The Technology
Transfer Center coordinated the demonstration, which ConnDOT hosted at
their research facility in Rocky Hill.
Article
Title: A Cost-Effective Solution for Soft or Loose Soils
Article
text:
When
working on roadway projects, do you occasionally run across situations
where the underlying soft soil is too soft and compressible to carry designed
loads, or the estimated time-rate of settlement of an embankment exceeds
acceptable standards Have costly corrective fill measures still resulted
in significant settlement or decreased stability over time Do you deal
with failing slopes, excessive culvert loads, or problems with high lateral
loads behind retaining structures Expanded Polystyrene Geofoam (EPS Geofoam)
could be your answer!
EPS Geofoam is a rigid foam plastic engineered with a unit density as
low as 1 pound per square foot,
thus delivering a material that is 100 times lighter than most soils.
In particular situations this extreme difference in density makes EPS
Geofoam an attractive fill option. A lightweight manufactured molded block,
EPS Geofoam can be easily cut to any size or shape at the job site. Additionally,
as an embankment soil alternative, EPS Geofoam can be covered to look
like a normal slope embankment or finished to look like a wall. This technology,
when properly applied in the appropriate situation is a field-tested,
budget-friendly winner.
Learn
More About EPS Geofoam Technology
On Tuesday, June 22, 2004, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation
(RIDOT) and the University
of Rhode Island Transportation Center are joining with the Rhode Island
Division of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Rhode Island
and Florida Local Technical Assistance Programs to present
a one-day Demonstration Showcase on EPS Geofoam and recommended field
applications-what to do and what not to do.
The goal is to provide a well-rounded professional real-time learning
experience that includes support for future EPS Geofoam implementation
efforts-decision-makers cannot afford to miss this opportunity. CEU and
PDH credits are available for this Showcase.
To register, or for more information on the Showcase, visit www.pdshowcase.org
or call Cathy Manchester at the Rhode Island LTAP Center, 401-874-7075.
Editorial
Note: Showcases are designed to be a total learning experience to assist
decision makers in evaluating a new technology, product, or process. They
are offered only as evaluation experiences and should not be interpreted
as endorsements, implied or otherwise, for a particular product, service,
or technology.
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PAGE
7
Article Title: Calendar of Events
Article
Text:
Table of Events April 20 through June 30, 2004:
Month
and Date |
Workshop
or Event |
April
20 |
Work
Zone Safety for Maintenance Operations on Local Roads, Road Master
Required, Storrs, Contact: CT Technology Transfer Center |
April
21 |
Work
Zone Safety for Maintenance Operations on Local Roads, Road Master
Required, Hartford, Contact: CT Technology Transfer Center |
April
22 |
Work
Zone Safety for Maintenance Operations on Local Roads, Road Master
Required, Torrington, Contact: CT Technology Transfer Center |
April
22 |
Erosion
Control Compliance with NPDES Phase II, Click, Listen and Learn
Contact: American Public Works Association, phone 816-472-6100, web
http://www.apwa.net |
May
16-22 |
National
Transportation Week
Contact: National Transportation Week, phone 703-235-0519, web http://www.ntweek.org |
May
16-22 |
National
Public Works Week
Contact: American Public Works Association, phone 816-472-6100, web
http://www.apwa.net |
May
18 |
All About Asphalt, Road Master Required, Storrs
Contact: CT Technology Transfer Center |
May
19 |
All
About Asphalt, Road Master Required, Hartford
Contact: CT Technology Transfer Center |
May
19 |
Trenchless
Technology and Directional Boring, Click, Listen and Learn
Contact: American Public Works Association, phone 816-472-6100, web
http://www.apwa.net |
May
20 |
All About Asphalt, Road Master Required, Torrington
Contact: CT Technology Transfer Center |
June
1-7 |
Driving
Safety Week, Contact: National Safety Council, phone 630-285-1121,
web http://www.nsc.org |
June
8 |
Basics
of a Good Road, Road Master Required, Waterbury
Contact: CT Technology Transfer Center |
June
9 |
Basics
of a Good Road, Road Master Required, Colchester
Contact: CT Technology Transfer Center |
June
10 |
Basics
of a Good Road, Road Master Required, New Britain
Contact: CT Technology Transfer Center |
June
22 |
Surveying
Methods for Local Roads, Road Master Elective, Storrs
Contact: CT Technology Transfer Center |
June
22 |
Expanded
Polystyrene (EPS) Geofoam Demonstration Showcase, Quonset Point, RI;
Contact: Rhode Island LTAP Center, phone 401-874-7075, web http://www.pdshowcase.org |
June
23 |
Surveying
Methods for Local Roads, Road Master Elective, Storrs
Contact: CT Technology Transfer Center |
June
29 |
Powers
and Responsibilities of a CT Municipal Legal Traffic Authority,
LTA Required, Waterbury
Contact: CT Technology Transfer Center |
June
30 |
Powers
and Responsibilities of a CT Municipal Legal Traffic Authority,
LTA Required, Hartford
Contact: CT Technology Transfer Center |
For
additional information on any of the training programs presented by the
Connecticut Technology Transfer Center, please contact Mary McCarthy
phone 860-486-1384, e-mail mary.c.mccarthy@engr.uconn.edu.
For additional information on our upcoming programs or to register on
line,
please visit our web site at http://www.cti.uconn.edu/ti/Technology/workshops.html
PAGE
8 (Back Cover)
Technology
Transfer Center Request Form
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Please
fax a copy of this form to 860-486-2399 or mail to:
University
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Technology Transfer Center
Connecticut Transportation Institute
179 Middle Turnpike, Unit 5202
Storrs, CT 06269-5202
"Technology
Transfer" is published by the Connecticut Transportation Institute's
Technology Transfer Center, Phone (860) 486-5400, Fax (860) 486-2399.
Supported through a cooperative effort of the Connecticut Department of
Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration's Local Technical
Assistance Program (LTAP) to provide information on the latest transportation
technology to Connecticut's state and local government officials.
Director: Donna Shea (shea@engr.uconn.edu)
Workshop Coordinator: Mary McCarthy (mary@engr.uconn.edu)
Information Services Coordinator/Editor: Stephanie Merrall
(smerrall@engr.uconn.edu)
End
of "Technology Transfer" Newsletter - Volume 21, Number 1, April
2004
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