Aviation Logistics at Burning Man Festival

TR NEWSJanuary–February 2020 NUMBER 325 Aviation Logistics at Burning Man Festival

PLUS Data for Transportation Decisions: Findings from the States Rural Public Transportation 50 Years of NEPA TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2020 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*

Chair: Carlos M. Braceras, Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City Vice Chair: Susan A. Shaheen, Adjunct Professor, Co-Director, Transportation Sustainability Research Center, The National Academy of Sciences was University of California, Berkeley established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, Executive Director: Neil J. Pedersen, Transportation Research Board signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the Michael F. Ableson, CEO, Arrival Automotive–North American, Birmingham, MI TR nation on issues related to science and tech- Marie Therese Dominguez, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, Albany nology. Members are elected by their peers Ginger Evans, CEO, Reach Airports, LLC, Arlington, VA for outstanding contributions to research. Nuria I. Fernandez, General Manager/CEO, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, San Jose, CA Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr., Executive Director–CEO, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Jacksonville, FL Dr. Marcia McNutt is president. Michael F. Goodchild, Professor Emeritus, Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA TR The National Academy of Engineering was Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Transportation, Trenton Susan Hanson, Distinguished University Professor Emerita, Graduate School of Geography, Clark University, established in 1964 under the charter of the Worcester, MA National Academy of Sciences to bring the Stephen W. Hargarten, Professor, Emergency Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee practices of engineering to advising the na- Chris T. Hendrickson, Hamerschlag University Professor of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, tion. Members are elected by their peers for Pittsburgh, PA extraordinary contributions to engineering. S. Jack Hu, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, University of Georgia, Athens Dr. John L. Anderson is president. Roger B. Huff, President, HGLC, LLC, Farmington Hills, MI Ashby Johnson, Executive Director, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), Austin, TX The National Academy of Medicine Geraldine Knatz, Professor, Sol Price School of Public Policy, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was Southern California, Los Angeles William Kruger, Vice President, UPS Freight for Fleet Maintenance and Engineering, Richmond, VA established in 1970 under the charter of Julie Lorenz, Secretary, Kansas Department of Transportation, Topeka the National Academy of Sciences to advise Michael R. McClellan, Vice President, Strategic and Network Planning, Norfolk Southern Corporation, the nation on medical and health issues. Norfolk, VA Members are elected by their peers for Melinda McGrath, Executive Director, Mississippi Department of Transportation, Jackson distinguished contributions to medicine Patrick K. McKenna, Director, Missouri Department of Transportation, Jefferson City and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president. Brian Ness, Director, Idaho Transportation Department, Boise James M. Tien, Distinguished Professor and Dean Emeritus, College of Engineering, University of Miami, The three Academies work together as the Coral Gables, FL National Academies of Sciences, Engineer- Shawn Wilson, Secretary, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Baton Rouge ing, and Medicine to provide independent, Victoria A. Arroyo, Executive Director, Georgetown Climate Center; Assistant Dean, Centers and Institutes; objective analysis and advice to the nation and Professor and Director, Environmental Law Program, Georgetown University Law Center, and conduct other activities to solve complex Washington, D.C. (ex officio) problems and inform public policy decisions. Ronald Batory, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (ex officio) The National Academies also encourage Michael R. Berube, Acting Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, education and research, recognize outstand- Washington, D.C. ing contributions to knowledge, and increase Mark H. Buzby (Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy), Administrator, Maritime Administration, U.S. Department of public understanding in matters of science, Transportation Steven Cliff, Deputy Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board, Sacramento (ex officio) engineering, and medicine. Edward N. Comstock, Independent Naval Architect, Sunbury, MD (ex officio) Learn more about the National Academies Stephen Dickson, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, D.C. (ex officio) Howard R. Elliott, Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at Transportation www.nationalacademies.org. Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, Office of the Secretary of Transportation, Washington, D.C. The Transportation Research Board is one LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, of seven major programs of the National Germantown, MD (ex officio) Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and John T. Gray II, Senior Vice President, Policy and Economics, Association of American Railroads, Washington, Medicine. The mission of the Transportation D.C. (ex officio) Research Board is to increase the benefits Nikola Ivanov, Director of Operations, Center for Advanced Transportation Technology Laboratory, University that transportation contributes to society of Maryland, College Park, and Chair, TRB Young Members Council (ex officio) James Mullen, Acting Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S. Department of by providing leadership in transportation Transportation (ex officio) innovation and progress through research Nicole R. Nason, Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C. (ex officio) and information exchange, conducted within James C. Owens, Deputy Administrator and Acting Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (ex officio) and multimodal. The Board’s varied activities Leslie S. Richards, General Manager, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), annually engage about 7,000 engineers, sci- Philadelphia, PA entists, and other transportation researchers Craig A. Rutland, U.S. Air Force Pavement Engineer, U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center, Tyndall Air Force Base, FL and practitioners from the public and private Karl L. Schultz (Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard), Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, D.C. (ex officio) sectors and academia, all of whom contrib- Karl Simon, Director, Transportation and Climate Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (ex officio) ute their expertise in the public interest. The Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, D.C. program is supported by state transportation (ex officio) departments, federal agencies including Scott A. Spellmon (Major General, U.S. Army), Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency the component administrations of the U.S. Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ex officio) Department of Transportation, and other Katherine F. Turnbull, Executive Associate Director and Research Scientist, Texas A&M Transportation organizations and individuals interested in Institute, College Station (voting) (ex officio) Jim Tymon, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the development of transportation. Washington, D.C. (ex officio) K. Jane Williams, Acting Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation Learn more about the Transportation (ex officio) Research Board at www.TRB.org.

* Membership as of February 2020. NEWS 17 22 TR Number 325 / January–February 2020

TR 28 32 3 Data’s Critical Role in Transportation Decisions: Findings from the Transportation Research Board’s 2019 State Partnership Visits Program Analysis and utilization of big data—for innovation, system performance, safety, and more—was the theme of findings from the annual partnership visits to state DOTs, university 22 Golden Anniversary of Landmark transportation centers, and transit and other modal agencies by TRB program officers, who have assembled examples and Legislation: The National models across all areas of activity. Environmental Policy Act of 1969 Martin Palmer In the 50 years since the National Environmental Policy Act 10 Meeting the Transportation Needs (NEPA) was signed in 1969, many laws, rules, and guidance of Rural Communities: Lessons have been revised and updated to help transportation agencies comply with the legislation. The environmental That Cannot Be Learned from crises that led to NEPA, a history of its enactment and Urban Transit implementation, and its lasting effects in transportation are Peter Schauer explored in this article. Rural transit differs from urban transit in a few crucial ways: there are no prescribed federal planning requirements for rural transit development plans, the range of vehicles utilized 28 NCHRP PROJECT 25-25 generally is narrower, and even the definition of “rural” Seventeen Years of Environmental is amorphous. The author recounts the history of rural transit in the United States and the advocacy and research Research: Retrospective of a collaborations that led to improved transit outcomes for rural Long-Running Project communities. Ann Hartell and Christopher Voigt 14 Public Transit in Native American The 113 research tasks conducted as part of NCHRP Project Communities: Early Beginnings and Progress 25-25 addressed environmental issues relevant to state DOTs, in order to support agency efforts in environmental stewardship and compliance. This article offers an overview of the project and its research tasks, which addressed topics 17 Supporting Burning Man: Radical ranging from air quality to cultural and natural resources to Logistics for a Radical Event community concerns. Matthew Grunenwald The Burning Man Festival convenes people from all over the world in the middle of the Nevada desert for one week each summer. The infrastructure and organization required to transport 80,000 people by land and air to such a remote area—and clean up according to “leave no trace” principles—are examined in this article, particularly the creation, management, and removal of the festival’s designated airport.

COVER Burning Man Festival encampment, as viewed from an airplane—the mode of arrival for many of the festival’s attendees, and one of the topics of this issue of TR News. (Photo: Alaska DOT) Coming Next Issue

A record-setting crowd of nearly 14,000 attendees gathered at the TRB 99th Annual Meeting, January 12–16, 2020, in Washington, D.C. The March–April 2020 TR News features photo highlights from the Annual Meeting. Photo: Risdon Photography

32 TCRP RESEARCH REPORT 195 Also in This Issue: Who Is Riding TNCs, and Where 46 Profiles Are They Going? Deborah Flint, Greater Toronto Airports Authority, and Colin Murphy K. Larry Head, University of Arizona The study presented in TCRP Research Report 195 examined trip data from transportation network companies (TNCs) in 48 Transportation Influencers major U.S. cities, as well as surveys from thousands of transit Nikola Ivanov, University of Maryland and shared mobility users nationwide, to uncover insights into the demographic and other characteristics of TNC trips. 49 TRB Highlights 39 Training Program for Transportation 50 Calendar Research Managers 52 Bookshelf Cynthia J. Smith, Ines Aviles-Spadoni, and David M. Jared

44 Collaboration Demonstration: New Jersey Hosts State Partnership Visit Stefanie Potapa, Amanda Gendek, and Glenn Stott

Transportation Research Board to the Business Office at the address below, or TR NEWS Neil J. Pedersen, Executive Director telephone 202-334-3216, fax 202-334-2519. features articles on innovative and timely research Russell W. Houston, Associate Executive Director Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C. and development activities in all modes of Ann M. Brach, Director, Technical Activities transportation. Brief news items of interest to the Thomas R. Menzies, Jr., Director, Consensus and Postmaster: Send changes of address to TR News, transportation community are also included, along Advisory Studies Transportation Research Board, 500 Fifth Street, with profiles of transportation professionals, meeting Gary J. Walker, Director, Administration and Finance NW, Washington, DC 20001. announcements, summaries of new publications, and Christopher J. Hedges, Director, Cooperative Notice: The opinions expressed in articles news of Transportation Research Board activities. Research Programs appearing in TR News are those of the authors TR News is produced by TR News (ISSN 0738-6826) is issued bimonthly by and do not necessarily reflect the views of Transportation Research Board the Transportation Research Board, 500 Fifth Street, the Transportation Research Board. The Publications Staff NW, Washington, DC 20001. Internet address: Transportation Research Board and TR News do Eileen P. Delaney, Director of Publications www.TRB.org. not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade and Lea Camarda, Editor manufacturers’ names appear in an article only Heidi Willis, Associate Editor Editorial Correspondence: By mail to the because they are considered essential. Jennifer G. Correro, Assistant Editor Publications Office, Transportation Research Board, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001, by Printed in the United States of America. TR News Editorial Board telephone 202-334-2986, by fax 202-334-3495, or Copyright © 2020 National Academy of Sciences. Christine L. Gerencher, Chair by e-mail [email protected]. All rights reserved. For permissions, contact TRB. Waseem Dekelbab Karen S. Febey Subscriptions: North America: 1 year $75; single Nelson H. Gibson issue $19. Overseas: 1 year $100; single issue Edward T. Harrigan $19 plus shipping. Inquiries or communications Ann M. Hartell concerning new subscriptions, subscription Micah Himmel problems, or single-copy sales should be addressed Katherine Kortum TR DATA’S CRITICAL ROLE IN TRANSPORTATION DECISIONS Findings from the Transportation Research Board’s 2019 State Partnership Visits Program

Photo: Chris Hedges, TRB

he Technical Activities Division of a visit to DOT facilities or to project sites. Transportation Decision-Making in Atlanta, the Transportation Research Board Technical Activities Division staff members Georgia, in September to share policy (TRB) conducts the State Part- contributed to the following summary and technical approaches to creating a nership Visits Program, in which of the issues facing state DOTs, revealed more data-informed planning process. The TRB staff with expertise in various through the state visits program in 2019. conference drew more than 300 execu- Tmodes and topics visit state departments tives and professionals from state DOTs, of transportation (DOTs), university trans- Planning metropolitan planning agencies, transit portation centers, transit and other modal The planning community continues to agencies, professional associations, and agencies, and private industry. These retool their agency methods and deci- the private sector to share experiences and visits support TRB’s mission of promoting sion-making processes to be informed by lessons learned from the application of innovation and progress in transporta- data based on analytics and multimodal data and analytics to planning. A Transpor- tion through research and information system performance. The theme of data- tation Research E-Circular in development exchange by identifying needed research informed decision-making was reflected will report on the discussions that took and research in progress and by dissemi- in two specialty conferences that were place at the conference. nating completed research results. coordinated by different planning commit- As “big data” become ubiquitous, it is One of the most time-honored of the tees. The Standing Committee on Trans- anticipated that planning discussions will technical activities that TRB performs, state portation Planning Applications held its continue to use analytics to inform their visits last one or two days and typically biannual AppCon conference in Portland, processes and tackle the rapidly changing consist of meetings with various levels Oregon, in June. The conference included transportation industry, including how to of DOT management; discussions with interactive sessions and workshops on integrate new modes, services, and tech- DOT staff involved in various topic areas; the application of specific technical tools nologies into transportation infrastructure exchanges of issues and ideas; and, often, and methods that could be used in DOT and service portfolios. decision-making. The Section on Transportation Policy, Data Above: The TRB State Partnership Visits offer a snapshot both of current issues facing state Planning, and Processes sponsored the State DOTs report the increasing impor- DOTs and of emerging transportation trends. Conference on Performance and Data in tance of data and information to support TR TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 3 their operations and decision-making, es- Washington State pecially in an era of rapid change. For state DOT employees assess rockslide agencies, this approach involves quicker damage using response time and better analysis of data, drones. Drone often blended from multiple sources. The technology is helping agencies governor of Iowa has assigned lead agency with traffic incident responsibilities in data analytics to the management, state DOT, which is developing a strategic inspections, project management, and data business plan. environmental The recognition of the critical role of surveys. freight transportation in state economies is becoming widespread. Technology that offers the ability to track trucks by char- Photo: Washington State DOT acteristics is growing quickly, but decision-makers also are increasing investment aviation departments are helping develop in projects that provide better ways of Ports and Waterways initiatives to use drone technologies in determining “what is in the box.” This Trends in automation and digitalization other DOT business practices, including information helps agencies demonstrate within the freight system once again traffic incident management, structural the value of freight transportation to the dominated research, business forums, and and right-of-way inspections, construction economy. regulatory discussions in 2019. In the sea- project management, and environmental port industry, ever-increasing vessel sizes Research surveys. Using these technologies appropri- and the resulting landside cargo surges ately and effectively requires coordination In recent years, TRB has participated in from megaship calls are driving operators within the regulatory framework that is still several research-focused peer exchanges. As at many congested U.S. seaports to adopt being developed at the federal, state, and they identify and prioritize research needs, automation to achieve more efficient local levels. Therefore, states are working state DOT research offices also seek to share cargo handling. with their regulatory counterparts to more information on the design and manage- effectively monitor, track, and prevent ment of research programs, contracts, inappropriate use of drones—particularly and requests for proposals. Agencies face near airports, where drones may pose a challenges in documenting the results of safety threat to aircraft operations, and near research, including identifying appropriate people and high population centers. performance measures, tracking implementation, calculating return on investment, Freight and finding outcomes. State DOTs have Several innovations and trends are driving identified a need for improved communica- freight mobility toward automation and tion mechanisms among research offices to autonomous strategies that leverage big minimize the duplication of research efforts. data. Pervasive e-commerce demands, This includes exploring such research data-optimized supply chain logistics, deliverables as short videos, quick summa- warehousing and distribution advances, ries, and webinars to disseminate research and shortages in human capital top the list findings in a more digestible way. of issues. States also are considering the po- Recognizing the economic impacts tential impacts of technology—especially and potential efficiencies for highway sys- automation—on the transportation work- tems, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Ad- force. One state agency cited recruiting ministration is working on rules to reduce and retaining new employees—in par- barriers and set up regulatory frameworks ticular, midcareer engineers—as a major to facilitate the safe introduction of auto- concern, along with competition for mated driving systems–equipped com- employees of protected classes. mercial motor vehicles. For example, in Aviation December 2019, a truck drove 2,800 miles of the Interstate system from California to The rising use of automated technologies Pennsylvania—operating mostly in auton- The Port of Virginia is one of several in aviation by state agencies continues to terminals using automated container handling omous mode—to deliver a full truckload of be managed and monitored. Some state systems, allowing for better scheduling and refrigerated goods for Land O’Lakes. longer operating hours.

4 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 At ports in California, Virginia, and An example of the New Jersey, automated container han- dynamic envelope at a highway–rail grade dling systems allow terminals to condense crossing in Florida. operations onto limited footprints. These systems optimize terminals to synchronize better with rail schedules and truck gate appointment systems and allow for longer terminal operating hours, spreading the peak at the gate and decreasing individual truck turn times. On the inland waterways system, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is involved in an international working group, via Photo: Florida DOT the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure, that assesses Recent state DOT efforts have concentrat- standards, guidelines, and best practices Public Transportation ed on safety measures in these areas. for automation and remote operation of In summer 2019, TRB participated in the Florida recently noted increases in rail locks and bridges. Idaho Public Transportation Summit. The traffic because of increased commuter rural public transportation issues ad- Rail and intercity rail service and a continuing dressed included mobility options in rural high level of freight traffic. Grade crossing Rail-related fatalities occur among mem- communities, nonemergency medical and pedestrian–trespasser fatalities have bers of the public far more than among transportation, intercity bus services, and increased to the point that they now are a railroad passengers or employees. These route deviation. One transit agency en- major public safety concern. Florida DOT fatalities include those involved in high- tered an agreement with a transportation is implementing an engineering counter- way–rail grade crossing crashes; pedestrian network company (TNC) to extend its ser- measure, called “dynamic envelopes,” strikes, often of trespassers; and suicides. vice coverage. More than 80 buses serve at highway–rail grade crossings. These employees of the Idaho National Labora- consist of pavement markings that delin- tory. TRB staff reported on TRB’s work of eate the areas around a rail crossing within interest, such as the Rural Transportation which a vehicle or pedestrian would be in Issues Research Roadmap, the National In- danger of being struck. Other initiatives intercity Bus Atlas, and conferences on rural clude increased enforcement of traffic laws public and intercity bus transportation and at crossings and targeted countermeasures demand-responsive transportation. in areas that experience frequent pedestri- The industry continues to experiment an trespassing. with innovative service delivery options One recent development that has and technologies; for example, exploring caught the attention of state DOTs is the opportunities to use TNCs in the provi- concept, adopted by many rail carriers, of sion of paratransit services in accordance precision-scheduled railroading (PSR). This concept involves strict schedule adherence, concentration of assets, and labor reduc- Photo: Rabenspiegal, Pixabay tion, resulting in longer and heavier trains. In many cases, PSR has led to longer highway–rail crossing blockages and disrup- tions to manufacturing supply chains. The motoring public and manufacturing and logistics industries have turned to state DOTs for assistance in alleviating these problems, and state DOTs struggle with how to assist their constituents with these issues.

Photo: Virginia DOT

Transit agencies are considering how to navigate practical and policy issues associated with rising e-scooter use.

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 5 with the Americans with Disabilities Act of vironment and energy implications of the Legal 1990. Transit agencies also are considering growing number of shared, automated, Transportation attorneys are placing an how to harness e-scooters, a new option and electrified transportation options. increasing focus on how the actual and for shared micromobility and first–last forecast impacts of the changing climate, mile connection. Mobility as a Service, or Equity along with the effects of recent disaster MaaS, is becoming more popular, with Accessible and affordable transportation events on transportation facilities across transit agencies reflecting on their possible options are crucial for people to access the country, pose resiliency considerations roles as leaders or bridges between public better jobs, secure educational opportuni- in project development and asset manage- and private transportation providers. ties, buy food and other daily provisions, ment planning, as well as on the corre- and receive essential health services. In sponding litigation risks. Environment, Energy, and certain conditions, infrastructure, technol- The concept of Complete Streets, Climate Change ogies, and policies unintentionally leave embraced by the 2018 edition of Amer- Near-road air quality issues were the sub- underserved populations without access to ican Association of State Highway and ject of a transportation pooled fund study, affordable transportation options. Transit Transportation Officials’Policy on Geomet- which helped states identify and address a Cooperative Research Program Project ric Design of Highways and Streets, encom- broad range of issues, from meeting U.S. B-47, “Impacts of Transformational Tech- passes many approaches to the design and Environmental Protection Agency–mandat- nologies on Underserved Populations,” operation of roadways and rights-of-way, ed near-road monitoring to modeling for is developing a playbook with guidance with a focus on making the transportation carbon monoxide and particulate matter on corrective action for transit agencies network safer and more efficient for all hot spots. regarding data, methods, and metrics users. Public agency lawyers are looking States also are collaborating to identify to achieve inclusive mobility in an era of closely at attendant tort liability and risk best practices on historic bridge rehabili- transformational technologies. management considerations and best tation, creative mitigation strategies in the Minnesota DOT is commencing a practices for factoring them into their public involvement process and Section transportation equity initiative to bet- clients’ transportation design needs. 106 of the National Environmental Policy ter understand how the transportation Risk allocation and mitigation is an ever- Act, and ways to accomplish the require- system, services, and decision-making pro- present factor in projects of all types and ments of the One Federal Decision Exec- cesses help or hinder the lives of people sizes—but more so in alternative delivery utive Order of 2017. Emerging issues for in the state’s underserved and underrep- projects, such as those using design–build states include remediation requirements resented communities. The initiative also methods and public–private partnerships. of per- and polyflouroalkyl substances and will identify possible solutions to address Lawyers representing owner agencies are other organic contaminants and the en- challenges and develop partnerships to ad- more and more involved with identifying vance transportation equity in Minnesota. the risk-assessment life cycle and management: the identification and allocation of risks at a project’s early stages; contractual considerations for the owner’s desired risk-sharing mechanisms; a risk profile’s effect on funding, price, and contingencies; and enforcement of the contract. The growing popularity of such innovations as ridesharing, microtransit, dock- less micromobility, and automated vehicles poses many challenges and opportunities for public transportation systems across the country. Among these challenges are legal and regulatory issues, including funding and litigation risks. Highway Design More and more, resilient and sustainable pavement designs are topics of research and of practical application as changes in Photo: nyttend, Wikimedia weather patterns cause shifts in tempera- The Carrollton Bridge in Indiana, built in 1927, was rehabilitated nearly a century later. Historic bridge rehabilitation—conducted with the environment ture and precipitation that affect pave- in mind—is an emerging issue for states. ment performance, life, and economics.

6 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 bridge construction projects in Oregon have placed new decks using concrete mixtures designed with special aggregate blends and mix designs that promote internal curing with better cement hydra- tion, which can lead to fewer cracks. South Carolina is bundling multiple bridge replacement projects together, using the design–build method of project delivery, to reduce risk and promote efficient construction, thus saving time and money.

Photo: hydropeek, Flickr Geotechnical Engineering The deck of the Pulaski Skyway Bridge in New Jersey used 5,000 cubic Monitoring the moisture–temperature yards of ultrahigh-performance concrete. profile in soils with depth provides soil temperature, moisture, and suction data. When paired with weather and soil proper- Increased occurrences of flooding and sity at pavement joints. Core sampling ties, these data can feed into computation- temperature extremes affect pavements and other procedures have been added al models as predictive tools. Such models adversely. Also of concern is the heat to quality assurance plans at or near the are especially important for states in cold reflected from pavements, especially in joints, instead of just on the mat, to draw regions that manage lower-volume roads urban environments. Pavement life-cycle attention to this critical location at which susceptible to subgrade weakening and cost analysis is a topic of extensive study damage is more likely to occur. Also used seasonal traffic-induced damage. Properly to help assess the breadth of the problem in paving trials are joint-sealing materials predicting the timing and duration of the and better manage it in the future. that decrease permeable infiltration of thaw and related soil weakening, and then Many state DOTs use ultrahigh-per- water to one side of a joint before the posting seasonal road restrictions, can formance concrete (UHPC) in bridges neighboring lane is paved. help minimize or eliminate damage to the and structures. After a marked increase Ohio also has explored the use of road as well as the impact on local and re- in UHPC use over the past several years, nondestructive rolling density meters, as gional populations and economies. Iowa, it is estimated that nearly 300 bridges walk-behind ground-penetrating radar Minnesota, Alaska, and North Dakota are nationwide use the material in superstruc- units, for faster assessment and wider cov- some of the states developing, refining, tures, substructures, or both. Advantages erage than cores at spot locations. Several and using such tools. of UHPC include lighter-weight bridge designs, decreased construction times when using precast system elements, increased durability and corrosion resistance of bridge members, extended service life, and reduced bridge maintenance and rehabilitation (which, incidentally, can increase worker safety in the long run). States also have used UHPC in precast systems and for bridge decks, closure pours, and connections among precast members. For example, the Pulaski Skyway Bridge rehabilitation in northern New Jersey used a total of 5,000 cubic yards of UHPC in its bridge deck. Other states also have seen favorable results with UHPC. Highway Construction and Materials

Ohio and Illinois are pursuing construction Photo: Groveland Media, Flickr methods to increase pavement durability Several states, including Minnesota, are developing, refining, and using tools and longevity by targeting higher den- that minimize the impact of freeze–thaw cycles on roadways.

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 7 Whether as routine maintenance or Highway maintenance departments diamond signalized interchanges. More because of an emergency triggered by a also are experimenting with the practical than 100 DDIs are now in operation catastrophic event, the stability of rock application of artificial intelligence and around the country, with more than 30 and soil slopes continues to be a focus for machine learning to help forecast main- under construction and more than 150 geotechnical researchers and practitioners tenance rehabilitation costs, supplement under study. at many state transportation agencies. bridge and pavement management In the United States, wrong-way driving Tennessee DOT has identified slopes as systems, and provide a prediction of (WWD) crashes result in 300 to 400 fatali- their second-most critical asset. Many winter weather roadway surface condi- ties each year. Although WWD crashes are states—including Vermont, Washington, tions. These tools are just starting see random and infrequent, they typically involve and Montana—have a proactive slope application beyond the initial experimental high-speed head-on or sideswipe crashes that rating and management system. Alaska stages. The amount of data is expected to result in multiple injuries or fatalities. Many DOT is developing a corridor health increase further, and these tools will help states now are exploring programs to try index, which includes consideration for agencies and maintenance departments to reduce these crashes, such as improved “threatening slopes,” to aid in budget transform data into useful information. traffic control devices, warning systems for decisions. These advance concepts and wrong-way-entering drivers, and alerts for technologies have allowed states to Highway Operations transportation management centers and first take a more preventative approach; for A decade ago, an innovative concept for responders. example, Oregon DOT uses lidar and interchange design and operations—the The development of connected and auto- remote-sensing instruments to examine diverging diamond interchange (DDI)— mated vehicles (CAVs) continues to dominate slope deformation and changes. was first constructed in Missouri. A DDI operations research and capture the attention The high-tech world of 3-D visualiza- facilitates free-flowing turns by temporarily of DOTs across the country. Since 2012, more tion and gaming technology has reached crossing the traffic to the left side of the than 40 states and the District of Columbia the geotechnical community. To review roadway, thus eliminating the left turn have enacted or are considering legislation the options for a new road alignment, against oncoming traffic and limiting the related to automated vehicles. Auto manufac- California transportation professionals number of traffic signal phases. Today, this turers, suppliers, technology companies, and donned goggles to view subsurface boring innovative design is a widely accepted al- state DOTs constantly announce new testing data, land surface topography, and aerial ternative to interchanges. When compared and deployment. The future impacts of CAV images combined with virtual and aug- to conventional diamond interchange on transportation are wide-ranging and will mented reality tools. Seeing a 3-D layout designs, the DDI design increases through- be felt in the areas of transportation opera- and being able to move around virtually put and reduces delay and has been found tions, safety, pavements, transit, and freight within the subsurface and surface features to be significantly safer than conventional movements. helped these transportation officials making better-informed decisions. Highway Maintenance and Preservation Across the nation, maintenance divisions at public agencies face workforce staffing challenges. Several agencies cannot com- pete with salary levels in the private sector. The workforce and retention issue is not limited to maintenance departments, but neither are the possible solutions. Georgia DOT has deployed a program, used initially within its Division of Plan- ning, in which contract staff are initially hired as temporary workers to see they are a good fit. The DOT then could offer workers full-time positions, which provide benefits and higher pay. Other agencies have explored state maintenance innovation programs to incentivize creativity in Photo: Coolcaesar, Wikimedia maintenance field offices and to create a Wrong-way driving crashes result in nearly 400 fatalities each year. Solutions deployed by states desirable place to work. include traffic control devices like signage and warning systems.

8 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 Did You Know?

› Pipeline transportation accounts for 19% of total U.S. freight ton-miles. › In 2017, U.S. consumption of gasoline, diesel, and other fuels for highway use was almost 178 billion gallons. › Average hydrocarbon emissions (grams/mile) for gasoline-powered automobiles in the United States has dropped from 1.32 in 2000 to 0.28 in 2018. › Anchorage, Alaska, has the second-busiest U.S. cargo airport (by landed weight of all-cargo

shipments). First- and third-busiest, respectively, Photo: Lan Bui, Flickr are Memphis, Tennessee, and Louisville, Kentucky. The Port of Long Beach, when combined with the Port of Los Angeles, has more › Passenger cars and light trucks accounted for than 150 container cranes. 91.5% of U.S. vehicle miles traveled in 2017. › The transportation and utilities industry employs › New York has the most transit trips of any state. 5.5% of all U.S. employees. Second is California, with more than twice the › California has the most highway tunnels (90) of any number of transit trips as the third-highest state, state. Ten states have none. Illinois. › In California, the ports of Los Angeles and Long › The average freight shipment by truck travels Beach have more than 150 container cranes 188 miles. The average freight shipment by rail combined. travels 554 miles. The average freight shipment by combined rail and truck travels 1,140 miles.

Safety (CTSRC) to develop the Connecticut Crash approach to reducing crash-related According to the National Highway Traffic Data Repository. As a result, crash report fatalities and serious injuries across the Safety Administration, 36,560 people processing times have been reduced state. In partnership with the University of were killed in motor vehicle crashes on from 16 months to two weeks. Crash Kentucky, the Safety Circuit Rider program the nation’s roadways in 2018. This marks data also is linked with roadway, judicial, uses crash data to locate high-incident a decrease of 2.4% from 2017, which and public health data from other state sites along roadways and to assist commu- followed a 0.9% decrease from 2016 and sources, which further strengthens safety nities in finding low-cost roadway safety back-to-back yearly increases in 2015 and decision-making. The repository earned improvements. 2016. Nationwide vehicle miles traveled Connecticut DOT and CTSRC a special seem to have increased by 0.3% from achievement award from the Governors Conclusion 2017 to 2018. Highway Safety Association. The 2019 State Partnership Visits Program The number of crash fatalities remains The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet offered TRB staff and state DOT personnel unacceptably high, however, and has not (KYTC) also uses data to better inform many opportunities to meet and discuss yet returned to the lower levels experi- investment decisions. KYTC’s Strategic the most pressing transportation issues enced between 2010 and 2014. In 2018, Highway Investment Formula for Tomor- facing the nation and the many policies decreases in fatalities occurred in almost row is a data-driven, objective approach to and programs that state DOTs are using to all segments of the population—with the comparing capital improvement projects. improve the transportation system in order exception of fatal crashes involving large Safety is one of five attributes scored to to make it more safe, efficient, and resil- trucks, pedestrians, and pedalcyclists. help prioritize limited transportation funds, ient. Information exchanges on current To strengthen motor vehicle crash along with asset management, conges- and needed research topics informed all reduction efforts, Connecticut DOT collab- tion, economic growth, and cost–benefit. parties of the latest advances in technolo- orated with the University of Connecticut KYTC currently is updating its Strategic gy and methodologies. Transportation Safety Research Center Highway Safety Plan as a data-driven

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 9 Photo: Kevin Dooley Meeting the Transportation Needs of Rural Communities Lessons That Cannot Be Learned from Urban Transit

ural transit did not become part automobiles became the preferred mode PETER SCHAUER of the social milieu of the United of travel and employers and employees States until 1964, when President moved to the suburbs, however, the tran- The author is Principal, Peter Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Pov- sit industry started to lose its share of the Schauer Associates, Boonville, erty produced an array of new market and did little in response to attract Rfederally supported services. Rural transit new passengers or keep old ones. Transit Missouri. He is emeritus member has a short history—about 50 years—but rapidly became the conveyance for those of the TRB Rural Public and urban transit and its planning have been who had no other choice (3). Intercity Bus Transportation around for much longer. The Industrial Rural transit then burst onto the Committee. Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries transportation scene, new and somewhat meant that people no longer worked at home and Photo: Philly History.org needed a way to travel to factories, which urban transit provided (1–2). When in the 20th century mass-produced

The Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries created a need for urban transit, as people Above: Federal services introduced by sought ways to Johnson’s War on Poverty in the mid-1960s travel to factories ushered in new attention to rural transit. for work.

10 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 amorphous (Figure 1, below). It was the (AAAs) and authorized the formation of result of a combination of factors—some local Community Action Agencies (CAAs), shared with urban areas, such as the respectively, as part of the War on Poverty. dominance of the automobile as a mode of AAA units established senior gathering travel, and some unique, such as the need places (senior centers), which included to support travel over long distances to ser- nutrition sites for dining and other health vices and trades. Unlike urban transit, rural and recreation programs for senior citizens. transit has no prescribed federal planning Similarly, CAAs established a wide range requirements for a transit development of social services—including job training, plan; that is, a wide range of activities and youth development, energy assistance and service types can emerge to fit the multi- Photo: Peter Schauer home weatherization, and more—to elimi- tude of unique conditions found in rural The first annual Missouri Transportation nate poverty and its root causes. According Workshop, sponsored by OATS, took place America. Even the term “rural” has various in September 1975 at Camp Cloverpoint in to the Connecticut Association for Com- meanings: for some, it may mean the lack Kaiser, Missouri. munity Action website, “the Community of population density; for others, it may Action Program would serve the role of mean distance to a metropolitan area or to- found in rural areas, only 6% of federal out- helping members of the community access tal population of a given geographic area. lays for public transportation in fiscal year the services they needed on the communi- The accepted definition of “rural” used (FY) 1976 was allocated to rural areas (4). ty level, with the ultimate goal of guiding in the field of rural passenger transporta- The inequity of the distribution of the people benefiting from the services to tion in the United States—and used by the funds was a rallying point for a growing independence and sustainability” (6). U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) number of rural transit providers and social Central to both OAA and EOA was the to administer Section 5311 Rural Area For- service advocates in the late 1960s and independence and sustainability of the mula Program Grants—is any area that is early 1970s. These groups emphasized the people they were intended to serve. OAA not urbanized; that is, any area that does need for rural passenger transportation, enhanced the independence and sustain- not have a population of 50,000 or more. which became evident in the early 1970s ability of older people to live in their own as a result of the social services established homes and EOA enhanced the indepen- Rural Transit Is Not by the Older Americans Act of 1965 dence and sustainability of low-income Miniature Urban Transit (OAA) and by the Economic Opportunity people. Both CAAs and AAAs quickly Rural transit is not miniature or scaled- Act of 1964 (EOA). These two pieces recognized that independence and sus- down urban transit. The term “rural of legislation established state units on tainability could not be achieved without transit” refers to a service available to the aging and local Area Agencies on Aging accessibility to services, and they set about public in a vehicle of varying types and dimensions. The vehicle generally is rub- Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1973 0.0000110% Section 147 Authorized Rural Public ber-tired or waterborne. By comparison, Transit Demonstrations Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 urban transit can have these same attri- 0.0000100% First Urban Capital Assistance butes, but also can include light rail, heavy 0.0000090% National Mass Transportation Assistance Act of 1974 commuter rail, trolleys, and more. Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 Urban Capital and First Operating Assistance

To think of rural transit as miniature 0.0000080% urban transit unfairly characterizes the Surface Transportation Act of 1978 0.0000070% Older Americans Act of 1965 Urban Capital and Operating Assistance differences between rural and urban com- Rural First Capital and Operating Assistance munities and their transportation needs. 0.0000060% Early rural transit advocates perceived a 0.0000050% Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation degree of unfairness and felt the amount Assistance Act of 1987 Urban Capital and Operating Assistance of funding rural transit was receiving in 0.0000040% Rural Capital and Operating Assistance comparison with urban areas was not Rural Transit Assistance Program Authorized equitable. They believed that it was not 0.0000030% fair for rural transit to receive no federal 0.0000020% funding support when urban transit was Urban transit receiving federal support. 0.0000010% In 1977, before the Surface Transpor- Rural transit 0.0000000% tation Act of 1978 was enacted—the most 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 significant legislation supporting rural transit—the Rural America Organization stated FIGURE 1 Significant milestones in rural transit red( ) and urban transit (blue) and their relative term mention in books, 1960–2008 (5). that although 60% of low-income need was Note: Highway Research Board was renamed the Transportation Research Board in 1974.

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 11 With no federally mandated planning gument about transit perhaps allows urban practices for early rural transit develop- transit to be called a utility, based on its ment, advocates instead argued that plans necessity for commerce, labor movement, should be based on people’s need to access and the environment. Rural public transit social and medical services in order to have functions more as a social service, and sustainable and independent lives. Simply the funding mechanisms described below making sure that people and goods can further bolster this conclusion. move does not translate into accessibility of needed services and goods. Conventional Discovery Through mobility planning has resulted in a trans- Demonstrations Photo: Knox County Government portation system that primarily supports For advocates and state DOT officials in Rural transit programs enable seniors in Knox County, Tennessee, to live more private automobile travel—but how does the early 70’s, it became clear that rural independently and to pursue interests. this serve those without access to a car? public transit required a different approach What would it mean, then, to refocus to planning and implementation of ser- transportation planning on accessibility vices. Transportation planners would have establishing formal and ad hoc transit rather than simply on mobility? Without to respond in new and different ways, par- programs for the people who needed their set standards, this would be difficult. Even ticularly when planning for persons who services. The number of rural services of all the most obvious service standards (for are elderly or disabled, of whom there types grew exponentially (7). example, seven-day-a-week transit service are proportionately more in rural than in A variety of service types were im- that offers an alternative to an automobile urban areas (9). plemented, even voucher-type services and allows a person to live a sustainable When CAAs and AAAs developed early that used private taxis. Some services had and independent life) are extremely rare in transportation services, these agencies purpose-built vehicles with specialized rural settings—and even in urban settings, were not quantitatively or logistically wheelchair lifts, and others simply provid- for that matter. sophisticated. Their programs needed ed services with government surplus mil- Without measureable standards such as participants and participants needed the itary buses.1 CAAs and AAAs both made ac- those for highways, it is difficult to define programs but could not access them, cessibility a high priority; the ultimate goal rural public transit as a utility versus a social so CAAs and AAAs initiated passenger of their transportation efforts was ensuring service. The utility-versus-social-service ar- transportation services to support their that all their services were accessible. Planning and Understanding Demand How much transportation can allow a rural person to have an independent and sustainable life? Even after approximately 40 years of federal involvement in rural public transit—and 50 years of federal involvement in urban transit—it has not been rig- orously established what exactly constitutes sufficiency in mobility or accessibility in order for transportation users to maintain a minimum standard of living (8). Thus, rural transit struggles to make the case for public financial support based on conventional transportation planning programs, as the strict focus on maximizing the mobility of people and goods does not work.

1 Highlights of the development of AAAs and CAPs—creative, innovative programs that ranged from West Virginia’s TRIP program, modeled Photo: David Wilson, Flickr after food stamps, to a wide range of paratransit Missouri’s OATS Transit provides deviated–fixed routes and medical, senior, toddler, services—are presented in the history of TRB Rural preschool, and general rural transportation to 97 counties in the state—making it the Committee. For more, see Schauer (10). largest and most unique system of its kind in the country.

12 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 general mission of independence and sus- TABLE 1 Percent of Total Operating Budget for Rural Public Transit (10–11) tainability. Since many people could not

FUNDING SOURCE 1985 (%) 2015 (%) TREND sustain their lives independently without 

transportation, the agencies provided Federal 26.5 34.0 whatever passenger transportation their State 11.0 19.0  budgets would allow, rather than con- Local 43.7 26.0 ducting a thorough analysis of community  a needs. Eventually, more-sophisticated and Fares 27.8 9.0 NA more-frequent analysis was performed as Contracts NAa 10.0 NA more federal funds became available and a Data for contracts and composition of fares in 1985 are not available. It is likely that fares included contract as some states began to require planning revenues. procedures, but these analyses were not necessarily more precise in their approaches to quantify need or demand.2 Validating need and demand through in aggregate and as a percentage of oper- Because of this, early practitioners demonstrations was formalized through ating costs (see Table 1, above). of rural public transit or rural specialized the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1973 Despite those concerns, states sup- passenger transportation typically used Section 147, the Rural Highway Public ported the concept of rural public transit two traditional methods of planning and Transportation Demonstration Program. but were somewhat stunned to find that implementing services: demonstrations This was the first federally funded ini- they were having difficulties obligating and peer group comparisons. The most tiative for rural transit to recognize the all their new Section 18 funds. Upon successful of the demonstration approach transportation needs of rural America as a examination, it turned out that this was is Missouri’s OATS program (previously legitimate part of the nation’s emerging due to the requirement that operating the Older Adults Transportation Service, transportation policy. In 1974, funds were grants be matched 50% with local funds. now formally titled Operating Above the appropriated and by 1979, 134 projects For example, a $100,000 project with a Standard), the largest rural public transit were awarded—at least one in every state. grant request for $50,000 in Section 18 system in the United States. Some of those projects continue to this operating funds had to be matched with In the early 1970s, the Missouri state day, but more than a few were discontin- $50,000 in local unrestricted funds. For unit on aging reportedly offered funds to a ued or consolidated into larger efforts as many potential rural transit projects, it was group of senior citizen advocates to study rural public transit funding became avail- impossible to secure 50% hard-cash, local the problems of older adult transportation able through the Surface Transportation funds for a match. in Missouri, but the advocates instead Assistance Act of 1978, which included a pursued a demonstration grant of $30,259 funding source specifically for rural public Local Match Redefined for the actual operation of a small bus transit in its Section 18. The redefinition of “local match” was a service. The August 9, 1971, minutes of By this time, a wide variety of services boon for rural transit. This began in the the OATS founding committee documents had dedicated funding sources, so transit state of Texas, which had obligated only the discussion of the founders, in which advocates began asking questions to eval- 35% of its FY 1980 funds as of May 31, they concluded: “We will be a demonstra- uate these services to get a better sense of 1983 (12). Transit advocates and service tion project and if we can show a need the need, demand, and operational costs providers in Texas were understandably for this program and it is a success we can for services. These all became pertinent concerned until Austin-based transit then expand to other counties and ask for questions, especially for state officials who consultant Peter Canga devised a solution a larger grant.” From that small begin- were concerned about substituting U.S. to the local match problem that ultimately ning—with three 15-passenger maxi-vans DOT Section 18 funds for previously ded- changed the nature of rural transit. Canga operating in four counties—OATS eventu- icated U.S. Department of Health and Hu- understood both the heritage of rural tran- ally grew to its current size: 800 vehicles man Services social service funds provided sit as a social service and the workings of and 700 employees providing services in by AAAs, CAAs, and similar organizations. federal grant programs; through creativity 87 counties, with an operating budget of Although the data are not conclusive, and persistence, he was able to secure a $28,992,420 (9). The need for OATS has the trend has been toward increased memo from the Federal Highway Adminis- been demonstrated. federal and state support of rural transit tration dated August 1982, which stated: as a percentage of operating costs and a “funds obtained by a Sec. 18 operator reduced percentage from local sources. through purchase of service contracts with 2 For more on problems of predicting need or Of course, the amount and total operat- a human service agency may be used for demand for rural public transit, see Schauer ing costs of services have increased since local match without any restrictions” (12). (10). For more on problems of predicting need and demand for persons with disabilities, see 1978, but in general, federal and state The implementation of this new matching Rosenbloom (7). dollars for rural transit have increased both procedure required a 1985 amendment to

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 13 Public Transit in Native American Communities Early Beginnings and Progress

he Johnson administration provided additional social service bad relationships between the Tribe and the state,” tribes would T funding to American Indian tribes and reservations and, in not receive a fair and equitable distribution: “state pass-through 1968, called for an end to previously active tribal termination pro- funding is also a departure from the historical practice in which grams (1). As a result of Johnson’s War on Poverty, tribes started the sovereign Indian tribes always maintained a unique and direct providing transportation to specific social services in the 1960s. relationship with the Federal government” (3). In addition to the growth of social services and the accompa- In the face of these concerns, the Menominee Indian Tribe of nying need to transport people to those programs, the emer- Wisconsin, through a feasibility study provided by the Wisconsin gence and growth of tribal rural public transportation also was Department of Transportation in 1980, implemented a coordi- heavily influenced by public transit demonstrations. In 1975, as nated Section 18 program. Menominee Regional Public Transit part of the Federal Highway Administration’s Section 147 demon- (MRPT) “represents a synergistic partnership of agencies on and stration program, 11 demonstrations were conducted for tribal off the reservation” that enabled the service to provide transit to organizations within Indian reservations and communities (2). Indians and non-Indians (4). Today, MRPT is one of the largest Although seven of the 11 Section 147 projects ended when and most successful public transit services of any type in the the demonstrations terminated in 1979, many stakeholders United States. hoped the others would find continued funding through the newly Most tribes did not access Section 18 funds because local available Section 18 of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act matching funds were lacking and because of other concerns of 1978 (3). Some expressed concern that, because Section 18 about signing required federal certifications and assurances, was allocated by formula to states and there was a “history of particularly transit labor protection certification 13(C). In 1999,

the Urban Mass Transportation Act that, of information, however. In late 1980, the such notables as Arthur Saltzman and interestingly, did not apply to urban transit Community Resource Group in Springdale, Norm Paulhus to local transit managers grants (10). Arkansas, set about collecting information like Terry Young. through a system called Rural Transpor- A training conference on how to use Origins of the Rural tation Information (RTI), a practical rural the RTI program was held in March 1981 Transit Assistance transit technology transfer program (13). in San Antonio, Texas. Attendees remarked Program The RTI program consisted of the that this was the first time that rural public following: RURAL TRANSPORTATION transit was recognized as an identifiable INFORMATION 1. A file box with files labeled for unbound field of endeavor and study. RTI became Although they were not subject to material, the model for the Rural Transit Assistance project-intensive federal planning re- 2. A file system for bound material, and Program (RTAP). quirements, rural transit providers still RTI and the directories of practitioners, 3. A file box and system for contacting wanted to implement best practices and administrators, and experts supported the people in the rural transit field—a interact with other practitioners. They advancement of rural transit as a recog- collection of some 300 names, from lacked a widely recognized single source nized field of study. At the same time,

14 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 A Menominee Regional Public Transit driver assists a passenger at the Tribal Health Clinic, Keshena, Wisconsin. (Photo: Peter Schauer)

it was reported that only 18 of 562 federally recognized tribes REFERENCES received any funding from the Federal Transit Administration 1. Crain, J., and E. Hodson. Rural Transportation Projects on Indian (FTA) rural transit program. Reservations: A Report on Eleven Demonstrations. Report UMTA- MA-06-0049-80-8. U.S. Department of Transportation, 1980, p. A12. It was not until the FTA tribal transit program came into effect in 2006—with a discretionary funding program and a 2. Crain and Hodson, p. 5. direct funding and application route to FTA, thereby circumvent- 3. Crain and Hodson, pp. 44–45. ing states—that tribal transit programs grew vigorously, to 132 4. Stoddard, A., D. Sampson, J. Cahoon, R. Hall, P. Schauer, V. J. Southern, and T. Almeida. TCRP Web-Only Document 54: Developing, programs in 2015 (5). In 2012, the tribal transit program was Enhancing, and Sustaining Tribal Transit Services—Final Research Report. revised to include a discretionary and formula component (6). Transportation Research Board, 2012, p. 77. The growth of tribal public transit and the recognition of 5. Mattson, J. 2017 Rural Transit Fact Book. Report SURLC 17- its importance is summarized in the following report from the 007. Small Urban and Rural Transit Center, Upper Great Plains National Congress of American Indians on a survey of transit ser- Transportation Institute, North Dakota State University, 2017, p. 51. vices on reservations: “far from being a mere detail in the tribe’s 6. FTA Tribal Transit Program. National Rural Transit Assistance Program. www.nationalrtap.org/Tribal-Transit/FTA-Tribal-Transit- efforts to improve their material well-being and standard of living Program. Accessed Nov. 12, 2019. for their members, viable transit systems is the glue that holds 7. National Congress of American Indians, R. Holden, and P. tribal economies and societies together” (7). Moorehead, eds. National Indian Tribal Transit Report. Federal —Peter Schauer Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, March 1996, p. 53. Boonville, Missouri

many advocacy and interest groups be- TRANSPORTATION CAMP Point in Lake of the Ozarks State Park for yond those associated with AAAs and CAAs The advocates who started the success- a three-day camp to discuss transit needs. became active in the advancement of both ful OATS demonstration in Missouri also This was part of the new way of thinking: the study and funding of rural transit. The recognized that a new way of thinking was to involve the potential users in designing U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National needed, and they subsequently founded and managing the service. Rural Development Council, the National a concept called “Transportation Camp.” The OATS transportation camp was Rural Coalition, the National Rural Center, For three years beginning in September true citizen advocacy—the highlight and and (most notably) Rural America all 1975, OATS sponsored a transportation focal point of the event was a discussion became strong advocates for the funding camp and workshop that brought togeth- of each county’s transit needs, as prepared and implementation of rural public transit. er hundreds of nonexperts to focus on the by a local resident of that county (15). The Rural America seemed to capture the most rural transit needs of the entire state, not people who needed the service organized attention with their 1979 report “Research just of the four counties that OATS initially and advocated to meet their needs and Report 3: Rural Transportation—A Modest served. OATS rural transit pioneers invited those of their community. Proposal,” which offered a different way to elected officials, state and federal officials, In 1982, Rural America received an plan and implement rural transit (14). and actual transit riders to Camp Clover Urban Mass Transportation Administration

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 15 likely that transit would have a different, less-expansive role in rural America. It was advocacy by people—often riders of rural transit who brought issues of equity before Congress in the early 1970s—that resulted in dedicated federal funding. Today, researchers, policymakers, and politicians explore rural and urban equity issues, and the need for transit funding of all types remains paramount, especially to the people addressed by the OAA and EOA.

REFERENCES 1. Smerk, G. M. Public Transportation and the City. In Public Transportation, 2nd ed. (G. E. Gray and L. A. Hoel, eds.), Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1992, pp. 3–23. 2. Dejean, J. How Paris Became Paris: The Inven- Photo: TriMet, Flickr tion of the Modern City. Bloomsbury, New York, 2014, p. 126. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, federal, state, and local agencies met with 3. Saltzman, A. Public Transportation in the 20th community members to design and manage rural transit programs that would fit Century. In Public Transportation, 2nd ed. (G. the needs of county residents. E. Gray and L. A. Hoel, eds.), Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1992, pp. 24–45. (UMTA) discretionary grant to advance RTAP has continued well beyond those 4. Rural America Factsheet #6: Public Transpor- tation. Rural America Organization, Washing- rural transit. The UMTA Administrator initial five years and serves as a reminder ton, D.C. Circa 1978. at the time had desired more practical of the effectiveness of peer group assis- 5. Michel, J.-B., et al. Quantitative Analysis of materials on the implementation and tance and the evolution of rural transit. Culture Using Millions of Digitized Books. Sci- ence, Vol. 331, No. 6014, 2011, pp. 176–182. operation of rural transit, so with Rural Through an advisory board of state RTAP 6. History. Connecticut Association for Commu- America’s community-based advocacy, managers and rural transit practitioners, nity Action. www.cafca.org/history. Accessed a work program was developed. This the program remains focused on practi- October 31, 2019. 7. Rosenbloom, S. The Transportation Disadvan- program combined elements of the OATS cal and rural transit training needs. The taged. In Public Transportation, 2nd ed. (G. transportation camp, RTI, and peer-to- systematic manner in which RTAP has cat- E. Gray and L. A. Hoel, eds.), Prentice Hall, peer exchanges and ultimately resulted alogued information and shares it through Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1992, pp. 583–616. 8. Dempsey, P. S. The Social and Economic in creation of the National Association of a website, conferences, and one-on-one Consequences of Deregulation: The Transporta- Transportation Alternatives (NASTA), the technical assistance has made it a unique tion Industry in Transition. Greenwood Press, first organization focused on rural public resource that has no equivalent activity in Westport, Conn., 1989, p. 385. 9. D. Yeager, personal communication, Nov. 1, and community transportation. Eventually, the field of urban transit. 2019. both NASTA and Rural America combined 10. Schauer, P. Rural Public Transportation. In Pub- to form a new organization, Community Conclusion lic Transportation, 2nd ed. (G. E. Gray and L. A. Hoel, eds.), Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, Transportation Association of America, Rural transit emerged via forces quite N.J., 1992, pp. 407–444. which continues today. different from those that gave rise to 11. Mattson, J. 2015 Rural Transit Fact Book. In 1987 the Surface Transportation urban transit. Urban transit has had a Report SURLC 15-001. Small Urban and Rural Transit Center, Upper Great Plains Transporta- and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act long-standing role in cities that dates back tion Institute, North Dakota State University, was passed. The transit appropriations bill hundreds of years; rural transit came about 2015. included $5 million per year for five years only decades ago, spurred by the lack of 12. FY 1980 Sec. 18: Use It or Lose It. Rural Trans- portation Reporter, Vol. 1, No. 4, Aug. 1983, to implement RTAP, which in many ways commerce, available services, growth, and p. 1. formalized the RTI concept along with development in rural areas. People in rural 13. Schauer, P. Rural Transportation Information: elements of Rural America’s first UMTA areas needed services, and social service User Guide. Community Resource Group, Springdale, Ark., 1981. discretionary grant. According to the 1987 providers discovered that they needed to 14. Moore, J. Rural Transportation: A Modest Pro- UMTA Acting Director Alfred DelliBovi, be transit providers. Social service agen- posal. Research Report 3. Rural America, Feb. “RTAP will have a wide range of activities cies still are key providers of rural transit, 1979, p. 1. 15. First Annual Missouri Transportation Work- such as training courses; ‘circuit riders’ to through contracts that provide large reve- shop. Sept. 1975, p. 14. give onsite training on safety, maintenance, nues to match federal grants. 16. The Rural Transit Assistance Program: A New, management, etc.; peer-to-peer networks; Without the 1985 amendment to the National Training Resource. Community Trans- portation Reporter, Vol. 5, No. 7, July–August information exchanges such as computer UMTA that allowed social service con- 1987, p. 8. bulletin boards; and newsletters” (16). tract revenues to be used as a match, it is

16 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 SUPPORTING BURNING MAN RADICAL LOGISTICS FOR A RADICAL EVENT

Photo: National Renewable Energy Lab

ach summer, tens of thousands of Rock Desert playa in Nevada. A group of MATTHEW GRUNENWALD people journey to the Nevada des- friends held the first event in 1986 on a ert by land and by air to participate beach outside San Francisco, California, The author is a professional pilot, in a unique event. For one week, intending it as a means of expressing Colorado Springs, Colorado; a the volume of traffic on nearby des- youthful angst by burning a wooden Eert roads and at an otherwise sleepy air- effigy, the “Man,” as a symbol of release— Ph.D. candidate at Embry-Riddle port rivals the operational volume at some physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Aeronautical University; and of the largest highways and commercial Attendees spontaneously sang, danced, Deputy Safety Officer, Black Rock airports in the country. A modern-day and told stories. City Municipal Airport, Nevada. Brigadoon—the mythical Scottish town Today, Burning Man is based on princi- that magically appears and disappears ples that support a community organized once every 100 years—the event is known on the idea that all art activities, transpor- as the Burning Man Festival in Nevada. tation, food, clothing, and shelter are provided by the individual participants. Within What Is Burning Man? the greater community of Burning Man Perhaps its questionable reputation are thousands of individuals who pool precedes this article. The event’s website resources and assemble at themed camps provides some insight, starting with a or in groups sharing common interests or “Welcome Home” message presented in modes of expression. multiple languages (1). Burning Man is an Burning Man brings people together art festival, a music venue, a community, from all over the world to challenge their and is located in the desert—but what is Above: The Burning Man Festival is a traditional realities through art, entertain- small city—with an airport and other it, really? ment, and other activities. The event has infrastructure—that appears in the middle of Burning Man is an experimental art grown to include 80,000 annual partic- the Nevada desert each August to celebrate community event held annually in late art, music, and community. ipants, or “Burners,” on the Black Rock August and early September on the Black Desert playa (see Figure 1, page 18) near

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 17 Photo: Rusty Blazenhoff, Flickr Photo: Duncan Rawlinson.co A small aircraft arrives at the Burning Man encampment. Traffic to and from the event can cause a 10-hour drive through the playa.

the northwest Nevada town of Gerlach, the city. Streets, avenues, art—everything teers begin installing these lanes and other population 206 (2). This area is part of the is carefully organized for easy naviga- needed infrastructure as early as June, after High Rock Canyon national conservation tion. The incongruence of its painstaking the seasonal flood waters on the playa area and is managed by the Bureau of organization with its brief existence offers subside. Many work weekends are spent Land Management (3). Although not the many lessons—especially from the cre- planning for and moving massive amounts most hospitable of places, it is the site of ation, management, and removal of Black of equipment, supplies, building materials, Burning Man’s annually established com- Rock City Municipal Airport. heavy construction equipment, and stor- munity, Black Rock City, which brings life age or sleep containers into place. to the area for one week in late summer. Preparing for Upon arrival at the festival, passengers Far from being disorganized and Burning Man in every vehicle are greeted by a gate haphazardly assembled, Black Rock City is Because the festival is in such a remote attendant with a warm hug, a “welcome formed within a pentagon-shaped bound- place, travel to and from the event is home,” and the opportunity to ring a bell ary. Living areas are arranged in a circular an experience in itself. Vehicle traffic on after making a dust angel on the ground— layout that stretches across the 2 miles of opening day and exit weekend is so heavy an introductory rite proclaiming an that car travelers can easily exceed 8 to 10 attendee’s first participation in the event. hours in line just to leave the playa—this in Attendants also ensure arrivals have tickets addition to the drive down Nevada SR-447 for each occupant of the vehicle, along through Gerlach, across the Pyramid Lake with sufficient provisions of food, cloth- area, and back to civilization. These roads ing, shelter, and water. Each participant were never intended to handle the volume receives a guidebook with key information, of traffic that they now see before and after from location of medical facilities to yoga the event. Consequently, a considerable session times to where to get the perfect amount of planning and organization is cup of Oolong tea at 2 p.m. each day. needed to prepare for such traffic volume. For most people, Burning Man festival Black Rock City Airport is nine days in the desert, but the Burning In adherence to the principles of Burning Man organization recruits hundreds of Man, Burners who are pilots historically volunteers and spends thousands of hours sought to reduce their travel time by flying over the entire year reviewing feedback in and out of the event, using open space and adjusting the design of Black Rock on the playa to land and store their aircraft. City for the next year’s event. Paved high- Over time, this mode of transportation at- ways lead to the entrance of the playa, but tracted additional attendees. What started although the asphalt ends there, the drive as a self-reliant travel method evolved into does not. Ten surveyed lanes, marked with a regional airport that now serves the more traffic cones and flag tape, stretch across than 4,000 Burners who use some form of 5 miles of playa dust, funneling the cars, air travel to get to the festival. buses, recreational vehicles, and cargo The airport is just one part of the transportation network that continually FIGURE 1 Black Rock Desert Playa. vehicles to the front gate entrance. Volun-

18 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 Photo: Rusty Blazenhoff, Flickr Photo: Duncan Rawlinson.co More than 4,000 travelers arrive at Burning Man by plane. Airport runways, taxiway access, and ramp spaces are designed months before the event, using traffic cones, temporary fencing, or flags.

recreates itself each year. Located 1.5 miles areas are clearly marked with traffic cones, blades. Water trucks during the event help from Black Rock City, Black Rock City Mu- temporary fencing, or flag ribbons. Other keep the dust down; afternoon wind and nicipal Airport (assigned the international teams arrive in trucks bearing sheds; build- dust storms are common on the playa. airport code K88NV) consists of more than ing materials; and storage containers filled 100 general aviation aircraft, hundreds of with tools, supplies, electric generators, and CONTROL TOWER volunteers, three runways, four heliports, disassembled structures that need to be A temporary air traffic control tower is and multiple fuel farms, as well as char- placed, reconstructed, and powered. constructed and staffed by professional air ter operations and medical services. The Overshadowing everything the airport traffic controllers and trained volunteers. airport is staffed by a team of volunteers team must deal with before, during, and Because of the concentration of aircraft who manage the operations and handle after Burning Man is the issue of rising arriving, departing, and transiting the area, all related safety and medical logistics. dust from continuous impact by vehicle flight procedures have been established that Many of these Burners work in the aviation and aircraft tires, propellers, and rotor all pilots using the airport must use. They industry and collectively possess the skills, are required to study, be tested on, and knowledge, and ability for the Burning understand the procedures before arrival. Man community to operate an airport. Three separate radio frequencies for arrivals and departures, the tower, and the WORK OF THE AIRPORT TEAM ground are used to track all aircraft in the The airport team is hard at work as soon area associated with Burning Man. Airport as the previous year’s festival ends. The staff also must track aircraft that are not airport team meets to collect feedback, part of the event, including those using identify what did not work, and strategize the adjacent military airspace and curious on best practices. The airport staff core onlookers in overflying aircraft. These team shares feedback through online nonparticipants must be identified quickly Photo: Rusty Blazenhoff, Flickr options—many Burning Man participants and their whereabouts communicated to Rising dust from the desert is a constant are from Silicon Valley, so technology is a challenge for pilots and organizers. all Burner-related air traffic. ready solution—as well as biweekly staff meeting calls and quarterly face-to-face retreats. Most of the costs to participate in the festival are borne by attendees on Burner Express an individual basis, and this encourages creative approaches—necessity oftentimes For Burners who wish to travel by air rather than by land, Burner Express being the mother of invention. is a contract charter air transportation service that transports Burners During the June work weekends, from the California cities of Burbank, San Carlos, and Oakland and from the professional surveyors volunteer to laser Nevada cities of Reno and Las Vegas. Burner Express facilitates the flight survey the runway alignments and ramp bookings for passengers for an additional fee, one not included in the Burning spaces, using specific measurements for Man ticket price. Aside from being a faster form of transportation, air travel length, width, and taxiway access, along reduces traffic on the already-congested roadways to Black Rock City. with short- and long-term parking for large and small aircraft of all types. All of these

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 19 Photo: Duncan Rawlinson.co Photo: Duncan Rawlinson.co Temporary control towers are constructed and staffed by Despite the temporary nature of the airport, passengers still go professional air traffic controllers and trained volunteers. through gate security to ensure safety.

All participants understand that the com- test online in advance. These pilots then RUNWAYS plexity of this situation, if managed poorly, receive an authorization code and, when Two professionally surveyed runways are can result in very serious consequences. landing, present this code over the arrival used during the event—one for large Black Rock City Municipal Airport is frequency with their intent to land. aircraft and the other for small aircraft. The included in the Federal Aviation Admin- Once cleared to continue flying in, airport is operated under general aviation istration (FAA) Klamath Falls aeronautical pilots announce their position using the and air charter rules (no commercial airline sectional chart as a private airport. It assigned radio frequency and follow service is provided) and can accommodate is actively overseen by FAA’s Reno and standardized arrival procedures described a range of operations, including scenic Oakland Flight Standards District Offices, during the online test. These procedures flights, medical flights, unmanned aerial as well as the Oakland Air Route Traffic ensure adequate spacing for inbound and vehicles, ultralight aircraft, parachute jump- Control Center, which controls the over- outbound traffic, larger and smaller air- ing, and overflying military aircraft. As at laying airspace. Permission to land at the craft, and scenic tours that may be flying many airports in the United States, 24-hour airport requires pilots to pass a knowledge around the city at any time. ramp and gate security ensure the safety both of aircraft and of the participants. Black Rock City Municipal Airport also has a designated area reserved for chartered flights, a ticketing and customs area, and a waiting area for those wishing to take scenic flights being offered by fellow Burners. Transportation to and from the airport is provided during the week by volunteer art car drivers. Passengers never know if they will be picked up in a vehicle resembling a land yacht or trolley car—or by a driver sporting a space alien head covered in fur. Bicycles—the primary means of transportation at Burning Man— are available free of charge, on a “use as needed” rack. Records show that more than 3,600 arrival and departure operations occurred during the 2018 Burning Man event, even though the airport only operated during the day and in good weather conditions. Additionally, more than 5,800 passengers Image: FAA used the Burner Express, representing The FAA Klamath Falls aeronautical sectional chart displays Black Rock City Municipal more than 7% of the total Black Rock City Airport as a private airport. It is situated within the Reno military operations area, or MOA, airspace. population for that year.

20 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 Principles of Burning Man Festival

The following is a summarization of the 10 principles 6. Communal effort means that everything is a as written by the Burning Man founder Larry Harvey collective effort. “No man is an island” takes on in 2004: real significance in a community bound together 1. Radical inclusion means that all people are wel- for its collective existence. come, regardless of different backgrounds. 7. Civic responsibility ensures that each community 2. Giving reflects the intent both to give and to re- member assumes responsibility for their commu- ceive freely. Gifts can be virtually anything, from nity. Participants should lead by example and be- a hug of encouragement to a meal. have according to local, state, and federal laws. 3. Radical self-reliance means that each Burner is 8. “Leave no trace” means that, once complete, responsible for their own food, clothing, shelter, the event disappears into the desert without any medical supplies, water, sunscreen, decisions indication that a very large community had been about activities, and safety. established and had thrived there for more than a week. 4. Decommodification strips away the commercial- ization, branding, and monetizing of everything. 9. Participation invites all Burners to engage in The only things that money buys at Burning work and play. The community grows, with each Man are coffee and ice, which are available at participant contributing. Center Camp. 10. Immediacy means engagement in daily activities, 5. Radical self-expression encourages participants along with being fully present and connected to to be and express themselves as they are. other Burners in the moment. Self-expression can be a challenge to new Burn- The original text can be viewed at https://burningman. ers, who may see the event as a spectator sport org/culture/philosophical-center/10-principles. instead of as a participation event.

Comparative data for commercial At the airport, specific volunteers— REFERENCES airline service airports in Nevada the same some of whom have now spent a month 1. Welcome Home. Burning Man, 2019. www. week in 2018 (for both day and night or more on the playa—lead the decon- burningman.org. Accessed Oct 23, 2019. 2. Gerlach, Nevada. City-Data.com, 2019. www. operations and in all weather conditions) struction of the event. These individuals city-data.com/city/Gerlach-Nevada.html. show that Las Vegas had 12,966 opera- see to it that every aspect of the “leave Accessed Oct 23, 2019. tions, North Las Vegas had 4,722 opera- no trace” principle is fulfilled. Teams walk 3. Black Rock Desert–High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails NCA. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. tions, and Reno had 3,686 operations (4). the length of the runways to remove any Department of the Interior, 2019. www.blm. debris generated from aircraft landing or gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/ Leaving No Trace caused by aviation operations. The fences nevada/black-rock-desert-high-rock-canyon- emigrant-trails-nca. Accessed Oct 23, 2019. All good things eventually must end, and come down, the buildings and structures 4. Air Traffic Activity System (ATADS): Airport the end of the festival occurs with the are disassembled, and the traffic cones are Operations. Federal Aviation Administration, burning of the Man. So who cleans up? picked up. Everything is organized into 2019. https://aspm.faa.gov/opsnet/sys/Airport. asp. Accessed Oct 23, 2019. Given the festival’s impact on the playa, storage containers that will once again be the neighboring towns of Gerlach and Pyr- hauled offsite, where they will wait to be amid Lake, and nearby highways, Burning reopened, accounted for, and reconstruct- Man event organizers partner with local ed for another Burn. areas and the Bureau of Land Manage- ment to ensure that the playa is restored to its former state. The goal is that the This article is adapted from a presen- only traces of the event remain in photos tation by the author at the 98th TRB and in the minds of the attendees. Clean- Annual Meeting in January 2019. For up requires another group of volunteer more information, visit https://annual Burners, who help maintain the balance meeting.mytrb.org/interactiveprogram/ with the communities that share the playa Details/10940. as a resource.

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 21 Golden Anniversary of Landmark Legislation The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

ometimes referred to as the MARTIN PALMER Need for Legislation “environmental Magna Carta,” The years leading up to the passage of the nearly 3,000-word National NEPA legislation were accompanied by a The author is an Engineering Environmental Policy Act of 1969 growing national awareness of the state of Manager and former (NEPA) was signed into law on the environment. Major calamities—hu- SNew Year’s Day 1970 by President Richard Environmental Programs man-caused and with significant impacts Nixon (1–3). It was the world’s first com- on the environment—fueled public discon- Manager, Washington State prehensive national policy on the envi- tent and helped shift the civil and political Department of Transportation, ronment. In the 50 years since NEPA was landscape (see Figure 1, below). Seattle. He chairs the TRB signed, many laws, rules, and guidance Major catalyzing events included documents would be revised in accor- Standing Committee on biologist Rachel Carson’s book Silent dance with the new national policy. Spring, published in September 1962, Environmental Analysis in Transportation.

Above: The Redwood Highway cuts through California’s Redwood Forest. The FIGURE 1 One of 13 known fires on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, between 1868 development and implementation of the and 1969 that was due to chemical waste. The river was so well known for its foul water that city National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) residents barely took notice of the 20-minute event. It was not until Time magazine ran an article has balanced the need for transportation on the river fire did the incident garner national attention and become a rallying cry for the infrastructure and the need to protect the environmental movement. (Source: Grant, J. “How a Burning River Helped Create the Clean Water environment. Act.” Allegheny Front, Apr. 17, 2015. Image: Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University.)

22 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 “The great question of the seventies is, shall we surrender to our surroundings, or shall we make our peace with nature and begin to make reparations for the damage we have done to our air, to our land, and to our water? Restoring nature to its natural state is a cause beyond party and beyond factions. It has become a common cause of all the people of this country. It is a cause of particular concern to young Americans, because they more than we will reap the grim consequences of our failure to act on programs which are needed now if we are to prevent disaster later.” –President Richard Nixon, Jan. 22, 1970

which documented the devastation July 1968, Jackson called for a joint U.S. the bill did not have a declaration of a caused by the use of the insecticide DDT; House–Senate conference to determine national policy nor did it have a mandate the chemical waste–induced fire on the ways to get government agencies to for agencies to declare and make public Cuyahoga River in Ohio in 1969; and the coordinate their efforts and address the the resulting impacts of their actions. After 3-million-gallon oil spill near Santa Bar- environmental impacts of their actions (3, several hearings in Jackson’s committee, bara, California, in 1969, which created a 7). He had found an ally in the House of the amended measure went to the Senate 35-mile oil slick along the California coast Representatives: U.S. Rep. John Dingell floor for a vote on July 10, 1969. The bill and killed thousands of birds, fish, and (D-Michigan), who introduced their mea- passed unanimously (3). sea mammals (4–6). sure to the House on February 17, 1969. Jackson’s bill soon caught the ire of After several committee hearings and U.S. Sen. Edmund Muskie (D-Maine), Legislative Path for Change debates, the House amended the bill and an active member of the Senate Public U.S. Sen. Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson eventually passed it by a vote of 372–15 Works Committee. Muskie’s dispute (D-Washington), who also had served in on September 23, 1969 (3). with Jackson was twofold: first, Muskie the U.S. House of Representatives from On the Senate side, Jackson introduced was coauthoring amendments to the 1941 to 1953, was a well-known cham- his bill the day after Dingell. At this time, Federal Water Pollution Act (FWPA) and pion of natural resources. Jackson had witnessed with frustration how, at times, Photo courtesy Martin Palmer government agencies with differing missions worked in unwitting opposition U.S. Sen. Henry to one another. He soon realized that M. Jackson (right) no mechanisms were in place to bring championed the protection of natural federal agencies together or to oblige resources and them to address their impacts on natural authored NEPA. resources. Federal agencies also were seen by the public as major polluters, both because of their direct actions and because they had issued questionable approvals (2–3, 7). Jackson chaired the Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, which at the time had jurisdiction over vast land areas that contained much of the nation’s prized natural and historic resources. In

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 23 felt that Jackson’s bill would interfere with provisions in the FWPA; second, Proposed Action the Public Works Committee was tasked with matters related to the environment *An action falls under a listed CE but because of extraordinary circumstances, and infrastructure and Muskie perceived the proponent may need to do additional Jackson’s actions as a challenge. Both studies to show the circumstances do senators were well known for their envi- not create a significant impact. ronmental advocacy and it was through * Is the Is There a the Public Works Committee that Muskie No Yes Proposed Action Significant Impact or Issue a Notice of Intent had advanced most of his environmental Categorically Exempt Extraordinary to Prepare an EIS agenda (2). by Agency? Circumstances? Eventually, the senators worked out Yes Unknown their differences. From their many discussions came the provision requiring federal Prepare and Publish agencies to produce a statement on the an Environmental Public Scoping environmental impacts of their under- Assessment takings—often called the heart of NEPA. Jackson amended his bill with the compro- Yes Significant mise language (2). Impact Prepare and Publish Identified? Draft EIS The House and Senate versions of No the bill eventually went to conference Yes committee, which resolved the differ- Public Review and Public Review and Supplement ences between the bills on December Comment Comment Needed? 17, 1969. The Senate passed the final No compromise bill on December 20, 1969, and the House passed the bill three days Yes Prepare and Publish Significant Final EIS later, just before Congress’ Christmas Impact Identified? recess. Nixon signed the legislation on No January 1, 1970. Since then, more than 100 countries have adopted similar environmental policies. Issue Finding of No Issue Record of Significant Impact Decision What Is NEPA and How Is It Regulated? NEPA is enormously broad and elegant- ly simple: it asks project proponents to Agency Undertakes Action consider and determine their actions’ effects on the environment. Agencies must determine if the action will have FIGURE 2 Overview of the NEPA process (1). (CE = categorical exclusion; EIS = a significant effect on the quality of the environmental impact statement) natural and human environment. If the answer is “yes,” then the agency must After careful consideration, an agen- actions and business models. Government prepare a detailed statement on reason- cy may also determine that actions of a entities established environmental offices. able alternatives that may exist and the certain type, either individually and or Eventually, federal and state departments impacts from each of the alternatives. cumulatively, will not have a significant of transportation changed their standard The agency then must make a deci- effect on the natural and human environ- operating procedures to enhance their sion on what they are going to do and ments. These actions are then categorical- environmental compliance. explain why they made that choice. Cer- ly excluded from the NEPA process (see Government agencies also became tain milestone documents and actions Figure 2, above). more transparent in their decision-mak- are subject to public comment. If the NEPA definitively changed how fed- ing, integrating community engagement action does not have a significant effect eral and state agencies approached their as a way of life. The incredible change on the quality of the natural and human actions. Soon after the legislation was in how transportation projects are environment, then the action is deemed passed, agencies began incorporating addressed would not have happened to comply with NEPA. environmental considerations into their without NEPA (8).

24 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 Establishing the Regulatory Path COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY With NEPA came the Council on Environ- mental Quality (CEQ). A division of the Executive Office, the council oversees implementation of NEPA throughout the federal government. In its unique place among federal agencies, CEQ interprets relevant regulations, issues guidance on procedural requirements, resolves dis- putes between government agencies, advises the President on environmental matters, approves NEPA procedures of federal agencies, and authorizes special arrangements for NEPA compliance in emergencies. The chair of CEQ also assists the President in developing environmental FIGURE 3 Screenshot of the Federal Highway Administration Environmental directions and programs. Toolkit. (Source: FHWA.) Working closely with federal agencies and various other groups, CEQ advances the President’s environmental initiatives. • Call for billions of dollars to improve Nixon also created the Advisory In its early years, CEQ laid the foundation water treatment facilities across the Council on Executive Organization, also for much of the today’s environmental country; known as the Ash Council, to recom- legislation. It was influential in advancing • Development of a strategy for cleaning mend organizational changes to improve amendments to the Federal Water Pollu- up the Great Lakes; the efficiency of government in deliv- tion Control Act, the Safe Drinking Water ering his domestic agenda. In a memo Act, and other legislation dealing with pes- • Imposition of reforms on polluting dated April 29, 1970, the Ash Council ticides and toxins. The council focuses on federal facilities; and recommended that Nixon centralize key implementing current presidential initia- • Development of a national plan to federal antipollution programs into a tives in the One Federal Decision Executive address oil spills. single entity: the Environmental Protec- Order of 2017, which coordinates federal environmental review and permitting processes for major infrastructure projects (see Figure 3, at right), and on addressing its applicability in special cases, such as to states granted authority to assume the U.S. Transportation Secretary’s responsibilities under NEPA for highway projects (9).

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Soon after NEPA was passed, Nixon presented to Congress an aggressive 37-point plan designed to address the nation’s concerns on the environment. Among these points were • Establishment of standards and initiating research for lowering motor vehicle emissions; Photo: Office of Response and Restoration • Institution of national ambient air President Richard Nixon’s 37-point environmental plan addressed motor quality standards; vehicle emissions, water treatment, and oil spills.

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 25 tion Agency (EPA), a new and independent organization within the executive branch. The council’s memo recalled the president’s February 10, 1970, pledge to repair the damage done to the environment and to establish a new direction for the country. EPA was created to deliver on that promise (10–11). Nixon accepted the Ash Council’s recommendations and sent a plan to Con- gress that placed the federal government’s environmental responsibilities in the hands of a single agency. This change would make it possible to address environmental problems in a comprehensive way that had not been possible when it was the responsibility of many separate agencies. Nixon charged the first EPA administrator with a holistic examination of the environment. No longer would different forms of pollution be considered different problems—they would be seen and addressed as a single challenge. EPA was to act as the “enforcer” of environmental statutes passed by Congress (12). Beyond enforcement, EPA is responsible for protecting human health and fos- tering a productive natural environment. The agency also is tasked with performing scientific research and setting national standards to protect sensitive human populations. Looking to the Future In the 50 years since NEPA was passed, federal agencies and the government have passed additional legislation, science can aid in making objective and conducted in cooperation with a number issued executive orders, and developed meaningful proposals. of state and federal agencies. thousands of pages of guidance doc- Although many agencies and orga- Although federal agencies continue to uments and educational tools to help nizations have considered updating and produce thousands of pages of guidance states meet the goals envisioned under modernizing NEPA, information is need- documents and educational resources, a NEPA. Some agencies have attempted ed on the benefits, impacts, and costs past CEQ study suggested that confusion to “modernize” how they implement resulting from the legislation, particularly among practitioners as to the true purpose NEPA by adopting tools and processes when separating compliance from other of NEPA may lead to implementation that such as intergovernmental collaboration environment-related requirements, such falls short of its intended goals (17). More agreements, programmatic analyses, as the Endangered Species Act (15–17). research is needed to help organizations, tiered documentation requirements, and One opportunity for research may be to including states, to focus on producing re- adaptive management and monitoring examine the data needed—and from what ports that result in appropriately informed approaches (13–14). source—to determine how to isolate and decisions through better environmental No one can predict how changing therefore assess the cost and time re- analysis of project needs and impacts. needs and circumstances may shift nation- quired for the NEPA process separate from Another potential area of research is al policy, but it is clear that research can related requirements. This may extend to the reexamination of the data sets avail- help decision-makers choose an appro- potential revisions to the legislation itself able to stakeholder agencies. Technologi- priate course for the next 50 years. Good so would need to be a long-term study cal advancements in available equipment

26 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 REFERENCES 1. National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. § 4321 et seq (1969). 2. Kershner, J. NEPA, the National Environmental Policy Act. HistoryLink.org, Aug. 27, 2011, www.historylink.org/File/9903. Accessed Oct. 8, 2019. 3. Luther, L. G. The National Environmental Policy Act: Background and Implementation. CRS Report for Congress RL33152. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, 2005. 4. Griswold, E. How “Silent Spring” Ignited the Environmental Movement. New York Times Magazine, Sept. 21, 2012, www. nytimes.com/2012/09/23/magazine/how-silent-spring-ignited-the-environmental-movement.html. 5. Mai-Duc, C. The 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill that changed oil and gas exploration forever. Los Angeles Times, May 20, 2015, www.latimes. com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-santa-barbara-oil- spill-1969-20150520-htmlstory.html. 6. Miller, M. The Oil Spill That Sparked the Green Revolution. Los Angeles Times, Nov. 30, 1999, www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm- 1999-nov-30-me-38862-story.html. 7. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Jackson, Henry Martin (Scoop), (1912–1983). http://bioguide.congress.gov/ scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=j000013. Accessed Oct. 8, 2019. 8. Alm, A. L. 1988 Article on NEPA: Past, Present, and Future. EPA Journal, January–February 1988. 9. Environmental Protection Agency. Fast-41 & One Federal Decision Project Coordination: Photo: Jimmy Thomas, Flickr Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. www.epa.gov/streamlining-permits/ fast-41-one-federal-decision-project-coordination. Accessed Oct. 24, 2019. 10. Stenzel, P. L. Environmental Protection Agen- cy. Encyclopedia of Business, 2nd ed. www. referenceforbusiness.com/encyclopedia/Ent- Fac/Environmental-Protection-Agency-EPA. html. Accessed Dec. 2, 2019. 11. Executive Office of the President. Ash Council In 1989, the U.S. Forest Service planned to clear-cut every aspen grove in Grand Mesa, Memo. April 29, 1970. https://archive.epa. Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests in Colorado to facilitate a waferboard plant. gov/epa/aboutepa/ash-council-memo.html. After a record-setting response during NEPA’s comment period, many of the trees were saved. Accessed Dec. 2, 2019. 12. Lewis, J. The Birth of EPA. EPA Journal, Novem- ber 1985. (for example, drones) and powerful data be developed and organized to benefit 13. U.S. Council on Environmental Quality. Mod- analytics make it viable to collect and community planning and project-level ernizing NEPA Implementation. Executive Office characterize large amounts of reliable and decision-making. of the President, 2003. 14. Mandelker, D. R. The National Environmental robust data affordably and in less time. Policy Act: A Review of Its Experience and Various initiatives have been launched Acknowledgments Problems. Washington University Journal of Law to develop statewide environmental The author thanks Peter Jackson and Carol and Policy, Vol. 32, 2010, pp. 293–312. 15. National Environmental Policy Act: Little databases for soil types, vegetative cover, Vipperman at the Henry M. Jackson Foun- Information Exists on NEPA Analyses. Report wetlands, streams, historical and archaeo- dation for their help, information, and GAO-14-369. U.S. Government Accountability logical sites, threatened and endangered photographs related to the late Sen. Henry Office, 2014. 16. Luther, L. G. Background on NEPA Implemen- species, parks and recreational sites, waste (Scoop) Jackson and the development of tation for Highway Projects: Streamlining the sites, floodplains, and various socioeco- NEPA. The author also thanks William C. Process. CRS Report for Congress RL32024. nomic data. Unfortunately, no single plat- Barrow, Head of Special Collections at the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, 2003. form yet exists whereby data from many Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State 17. U.S. Council on Environmental Quality. disciplines can be pooled together and an- University, for information and photos of National Environmental Policy Act: A Study of Its alyzed in an integrated fashion. Research is Cleveland and the Cuyahoga River from Effectiveness After 25 Years. Executive Office of the President, 1997. needed to understand how such data can the library’s Cleveland Press Collection.

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 27 NCHRP PROJECT 25-25

SEVENTEEN YEARS OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH RETROSPECTIVE OF A LONG-RUNNING PROJECT

Photo: Mauro, Flickr

n 2003, the American Association remaining Tasks are expected to be re- ANN HARTELL AND of State Highway and Transporta- leased in 2020. Since 2018, environmental CHRISTOPHER VOIGT tion Officials’ Special Committee research needs have been considered along on Research and Innovation (R&I, with all other research topics in the NCHRP Hartell is Senior Program Officer, formerly the Standing Committee main program. Ion Research), the governing body for the NCHRP 25-25 Tasks addressed a wide Transportation Research Board, National Cooperative Highway Research range of environmental topics. Figure 1 Washington, D.C., and member Program (NCHRP), initiated NCHRP (below) presents the share of Tasks by of the TR News Editorial Board. Project 25-25, “Research for the AASHTO topic area. A few Tasks are highlighted by Voigt is Senior Environmental Committee on Environment and Sustain- subject area below. ability.” NCHRP Project 25-25 addressed Engineer, Virginia Department of environmental issues relevant to state Transportation, Richmond. departments of transportation (DOTs) and, as a continuing project, was directed Crosscutting by a rotating oversight panel of individu- Natural 15 % Resources als from state DOTs with diverse expertise 23% in environmental practice. The purpose Air Quality of the project was to support agency 12% efforts in environmental stewardship and compliance. Individual research tasks conducted under the project, or Tasks, were Environmental Cultural Process Resources and narrowly focused in order to provide state 28% Community DOTs with timely research results. Concerns 22% NCHRP Project 25-25 supported 113 Tasks. The total funding was approximately Above: The Hoover Dam Bypass was designed $10 million, the average Task budget was to address environmental concerns. NCHRP Project 25-25 examined transportation issues $84,400, and the average Task duration FIGURE 1 NCHRP Project 25-25 Tasks by in light of the environment and sustainability. was 12–14 months. Final reports for the topic area (2003–2019).

28 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 Air Quality In the area of air quality, NCHRP 25-25 Tasks often focused on methods to improve and streamline air quality analyses and to provide state DOTs with information on new air quality regulations. One recent assignment was NCHRP 25-25 Task 108, which developed a new, spreadsheet-based toolkit to simplify emission reductions modeling for 15 typical project types that may be funded under the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ).1 The new, simplified toolkit can save state DOTs and other transportation agencies significant time and cost for CMAQ analyses, as it allows them to enter basic project information and quickly obtain estimates of emission Photo: Minnesota DOT reductions suitable for reporting to FHWA. NCHRP 25-25 Tasks include approaches to air quality issues, including analysis, Other Tasks related to air quality regulation, and modeling. include the development of programmatic agreement templates for streamlining National Environmental Policy Act–related others who conduct community impact toric Preservation Act; the Native Amer- carbon monoxide modeling, also sav- assessments on how to identify and assess ican Graves Protection and Repatriation ing time and costs for state DOTs. The the cumulative effects of past and future Act; or Section 4(f) of the U.S. DOT Act of templates initially were developed under transportation projects.4 1966, which prohibits U.S. DOT agencies Task 78, “Programmatic Agreements for Task 41, “Implementation of Com- from using publicly owned land unless no Project-Level Air Quality Analyses Using munity and Cultural Resource Commit- alternative exists. MOVES, CAL3QHC/R, and AERMOD” in ments,” collected and synthesized infor- Anticipated for release early this year, 2015, and were updated and expanded mation on tools used by state DOTs to Task 114, “Integrating Tribal Expertise into under Task 104, “Streamlining Carbon track commitments made to communities Processes to Identify, Evaluate, and Record Monoxide Project-Level Air Quality Analyses and regulatory agencies related to places, Cultural Resources,” identified ways to with Programmatic Agreements” in 2019.2–3 things, and institutions regarded as hav- augment typical archeological and archival In addition, the Task 96 study, “Quick ing cultural or historic value by any group research methods with tribal methods and Reference Guide for Traffic Modelers for of people.5 This includes commitments expertise as a way for state DOTs and trib- Generating Traffic and Activity Data for related to Section 106 of the National His- al governments to strengthen their tribal Project-Level Air Quality Analyses,” devel- consultation practices.6 oped a much-needed guide for developing 4 traffic data and forecasts for project-level air https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/ TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=1654 quality analyses (see box, at right). 5 https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/ 6 https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/ TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=1659 TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=4484 Community Concerns Among the products from NCHRP 25-25 research on community concerns was the Task 36 final report,Recurring Community In 2019, NCHRP 25-25 Task 96, “Quick Reference Guide for Traffic Mod- Impacts, released in 2007. This document elers for Generating Traffic and Activity Data for Project-Level Air Quality offers guidance to professionals and Analyses,” was recognized by the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York with a Silver Award in the category of Studies, Research, and Consulting Engineering Services. 1 https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/ TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=4104 2 https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/ To view the Quick Reference Guide, visit https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRB- TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3311 NetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3971. 3 https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/ TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=4100

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 29 Photo: Groveland Media, Flickr The 100-year-old 3rd Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is undergoing renovations with an emphasis on preserving its historic design elements.

Cultural Resources text-Sensitive Design Options for Work- As the use of programmatic agree- Cultural resources topics included studies of horse Bridges in Rural Historic Districts,” ments has expanded, additional Tasks best practices in evaluating historic resources expanded upon these ideas with targeted have provided targeted guidance; and the use of programmatic agreements guidance on design choices for rural for example, Task 107, “Section 106 between state DOTs and regulatory agencies. historic contexts and a practitioner guide Delegation Programmatic Agreements: Several NCHRP 25-25 Tasks have ad- to adopting a context-sensitive design Review and Best Practices,” was com- dressed historic bridges. In 2005, the Task 15 process tailored to this unique resource. pleted in 2019. final report,A Context for Common Historic Bridge Types, was released.7 This report de- Environmental Review Natural Resources scribes historic factors that shaped the design Processes NCHRP 25-25 research on natural resources of bridges from the 1500s to the 1950s. The From the beginning, applied research includes the following studies on water report also catalogs common truss, arch, on environmental review processes has quality: girder, and beam designs, explaining the been a major area of focus for NCHRP • Task 35, “Water Quality Analyses historical significance of each design type. 25-25. In 2003, the Task 5 final report, for NEPA Documents: Selecting Task 66, “Best Practices and Lessons Causes and Extent of Environmental Delays Appropriate Methodologies” (2008); Learned on the Preservation and Rehabil- in Transportation Projects, offered valuable itation of Historic Bridges,” presented a insights that are still relevant today, as the • Task 53, “Stormwater Treatment with series of case studies in 2012 highlighting transportation industry continues to seek Vegetated Buffers” (2009); ways to balance historic preservation with to improve transportation project deliv- • Task 101, “Stormwater Monitoring safety and bridge function via thought- ery timelines.8 Programmatic agreements Program Goals, Objectives, and ful bridge management programs that were examined in 2005 in the Task 13 Protocols for State Departments of encourage collaboration between bridge final report,Agency Use of and Approach to Transportation” (2017); and engineers and historians. Task 118, “Con- FHWA-Approved Programmatic Agreements. • Task 119, “Enhancing the International Stormwater Best Management Practice (BMP) Database to Serve as a Highway- 7 https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/ 8 https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/ TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=1288 TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=1543 Specific BMP Database” (2019).

30 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 Research into road ecology conducted in NCHRP 25-25 includes Task Comments on NCHRP 25-25 113, “Road Passages and Barriers for Small Terrestrial Wildlife: Summary and Repository of Design Examples.”9 In “The peer exchange under Task 99, ‘Lessons Learned from State DOT NEPA Assumption,’ was very successful in encouraging productive dialogue 2019, researchers developed an exten- between states with NEPA assignment, states considering NEPA assign- sive collection of design examples, case ment, and FHWA headquarters.” studies, and details on considerations for —Leo Tidd, WSP wildlife crossings and barriers for turtles, salamanders, and other smaller-sized “Most recently, I have found Task 72 (‘Current Practices to Address Con- animals. Also completed in 2019, Task struction Vibration and Potential Effects to Historic Buildings Adjacent 102, “Artificial Bat Roost Mitigation to Transportation Projects’) very useful in providing a process to monitor Designs and Standardized Monitoring vibration from reconstruction projects that could affect historic buildings Criteria,” developed a manual of BMPs and districts.” for addressing the habitat needs of bats, —Valerie J. Barbie, North Dakota DOT explaining the basics of bat ecology and how bridges and other transportation “NCHRP 25-25 was a great tool for transportation and environmental pro- structures can be designed and managed fessionals because of the quick turn-around and practitioner focus. Serving to support bat populations.10 on a 25-25 Task panel was also my first introduction to TRB and NCHRP, for which I am grateful.” Cross-cutting topics include Task 105, “A Guidebook for Communications — Tim Sexton, Minnesota DOT Between Transportation and Public Health

9 https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/ Communities”; Task 17, “Assessment of Transportation Planning: The Current State TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=4337 Greenhouse Gas Analysis Techniques for of Practice.”11–13 10 https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/ TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=4098 Transportation Projects”; and Task 32, Taken together, the NCHRP 25-25 “Linking Environmental Resource and Tasks offer a rich compendium of practice in a wide range of environmental topics. The reports provide insights into early responses to regulatory changes as well as later reviews to identify practices that have stood the test of time. Although specific regulations may change over time, the NCHRP 25-25 Task reports are resources that will continue to be of value to environmental practitioners seeking analysis methods, decision-support tools, monitoring techniques, and process improvements to support their environmental stewardship efforts. For a full list of Tasks, please visit https:// apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay. asp?ProjectID=761.

11 https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/ TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=4101 12 https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/ TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=1549 13 https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/ TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=1304

Photo: Eric Fischer, Flickr A bioswale collects stormwater runoff in Washington, D.C. Stormwater management, including vegetated buffers like this one, are a focus of NCHRP 25-25.

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 31 TCRP RESEARCH REPORT 195

Who Is Riding TNCs, and Where Are They Going?

Photo: Thomas Hawk, Flickr

n early 2018, TRB released TCRP The publication of open data on TNC us- COLIN MURPHY Research Report 195: Broadening the age by regulatory authorities in a few cities Understanding of the Interplay Among (most notably, New York and Chicago) The author is Director of Research Public Transit, Shared Mobility, and Per- has also helped fill the gaps in knowledge and Consulting, Shared-Use Mobility sonal Automobiles. The report featured about how TNCs work and where peo- Ione of the first uses of origin–destination ple ride them, at least in the largest and Center, Chicago, Illinois. trip data directly provided by a transpor- densest cities. The picture is still murky, tation network company (TNC); that is, a however, and TCRP Research Report 195 company that provides urban ride-hailing remains a key source of information on services, such as Lyft or Uber. how TNCs are used in a variety of urban The mobility landscape has evolved settings in the United States. rapidly since the report was written, and subsequent work by other researchers has Study Sources and Regions expanded on many of its initial findings. The study’s centerpiece was the examination of TNC trip data provided by one of the major national TNCs in indexed form (with the number of rides between location pair converted to a 0–100 scale), aggregated to the zip code level. The data contained trips originating in the central counties of the metro areas of Chicago, TCRP Research Los Angeles, Nashville, Seattle, and Wash- Report 195 can be found at ington, D.C., during May 2016. Above: Nashville, Tennessee. More trips www.trb.org/ The researchers also surveyed more in transportation network company (TNC) Publications/ than 10,000 transit and shared mobility vehicles are taken on Friday and Saturday Blurbs/177112. nights than at any other time or day. aspx. users nationwide, in what is referred to

32 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 fall on early weekday mornings. Friday and Saturday together account for 38–45% of TNC trips in the study regions, while all weekday peak hours combined comprise only 20–27% of trips. Where TNC Trips Take Place CONCENTRATED IN DOWNTOWN AREAS Though evening “party time” dominates the temporal distribution of trips, peak- hour usage still is an important factor. At the traditional commute times, most TNC trips happen within and among just a few areas in the densest cores of the study regions—with airport trips a notable exception. Photo: Jeffrey Zeldman, Flickr An examination of peak-hour TNC In Chicago, data showed heaviest peak-hour TNC use in the downtown patterns in the metropolitan areas of Loop—even though the area is well-served by transit. Chicago and Washington, D.C.—the study regions with the greatest peak- here as the “Shared Mobility Survey.” They levels of TNC use occurred on Friday and hour TNC usage—shows that activity is also incorporated data from surveys about Saturday evenings. concentrated in the urban cores, along TNC use that were administered to riders Figure 1 (below) shows relative TNC short corridors between dense neigh- by four large public transit agencies, called trip volume by hour across the week. In all borhoods, and in dense core-adjacent 1 here the “Four-Agency Survey.” the study cities, the single busiest hours suburbs. In Washington, D.C., these The full methodology and findings fall on Saturday nights at 9 or 10 p.m., areas fall along an East–West belt across of these data sources, as well as detailed and the lowest-volume hours uniformly the central section of the District, from breakdowns of the data for each of the study regions, is described in the report and its appendixes, available for download from the National Academies Press. The full report also includes recommendations for how transit agencies of various sizes can engage with TNCs most productively. This article offers an abbreviated version of the study’s most important findings. When TNC Trips Take Place Evening hours and weekends see the heaviest use of TNCs, followed by weekday peak-hour travel. TNC trip data across the study regions, as well as surveys by the researchers and cooperating transit agencies, showed that the greatest

1 The transit rider surveys were administered in 2015 by the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority in Atlanta; New Jersey Transit in the state FIGURE 1 Total TNC trip volume (left) in the five study regions right( ), by hour of New Jersey; Bay Area Rapid Transit in the San Francisco Bay Area of California; and Washington (bottom) and day of the week (top). (Note: Trip volumes are relative, derived from Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in the normalized, aggregated figures provided to the researchers. Source: TNC trip data.) Washington, D.C., region.

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 33 Photo: Kevin Oliver, Flickr Analysis of TNC use in Washington, D.C., showed the highest use in dense neighborhoods like Georgetown. the Arboretum area to Georgetown and walkable, transit-connected suburb bor- across the Potomac to Arlington, Virginia dering the city. (see Figure 2, below). All these high-usage areas are well In Chicago, the heaviest peak-hour served by public transit. Although the TNC trips take place in the downtown areas include many of the highest-income FIGURE 3 Major peak-hour flows in Loop or in dense neighborhoods to the downtown residential areas in their respec- the Chicago. Arrows show flows between north and northwest, with an outlying tive regions, sizeable swaths of lower-in- zip codes (brighter = greater volume) and area of high usage in Evanston (Figure come neighborhoods fall within these colored areas indicate zip codes with internal 3, at right). Like Arlington, Evanston is a zones as well. single-zip flows (darker = greater volume). (Source: TNC trip data.)

ACROSS INCOME LEVELS Communities of all income levels see TNC usage. Individual trips are widespread across the study regions, suggesting that TNCs are used by people in communities across the socioeconomic spectrum. Al- most every zip code in the study regions’ core counties serve as ride origins, and ride destinations cover an even wider area (Table 1, page 35). At least two-thirds of zip codes in every region have trips originating in them. More than half of the zips have “significant flows;” that is, TNC flows for which a relative volume can be calculated, which is limited because of obfuscation of the data at the low end by their provider. Destination zips cover an even wider FIGURE 2 Major peak-hour flows in the Washington, D.C., region. Arrows show part of the five regions. Nearly every flows between zip codes (brighter = greater volume) and colored areas indicate zip zip code in the study regions shows at codes with internal single-zip flows (darker = greater volume). (Note: “Major” refers to hourly volume greater than 25% of the highest volume flow for the region. least some TNC trips both starting and Source: TNC trip data.) ending there. A map of trip origins in the Los Angeles region, typical of their

34 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 TABLE 1 Number of Unique Zip Codes with Actual and Significant Flows Trip Lengths

REGION ORIGIN ZCTAs WITH ORIGIN ZCTAs WITH UNIQUE DESTINATION SHORT TRIPS DOMINATE USAGE FLOWS SIGNIFICANT FLOWS ZCTAs The range of TNC trip lengths for every (%) (%) hour of the week is shown in Figure 5 Chicago 90 51 311 (page 36). In that figure, the vertical lines Washington, D.C. 69 68 336 show the central 50% of trip distances for each hour, centered on a gap representing Los Angeles 86 81 547 the median, with points above and below Nashville 86 78 61 the lines indicating the maximum and Seattle 82 81 135 minimum, respectively. Across the five study regions, the NOTE: ZCTA = zip code tabulation areas. SOURCE: TNC trip data. median TNC trip length varies between 2.2 and 3.1 miles, with the shortest trips in Washington, D.C., and the longest in Nashville. Maximum trip lengths range between about 20 and 30 miles.3

REGIONS VARY Although the bulk of TNC trips are short, regions vary in typical trip lengths by hour and day. Chicago, Los Angeles, and Seattle all show peaks in trip lengths in the early morning hours (between 2 and 5 a.m.), meaning that longer trips make up a greater proportion of trips at those times. In Chicago and Seattle, the median trip in this period often is longer than 10 miles. This pattern likely reflects a large proportion of airport trips as well as the general unavailability of frequent public transit at these times. Very short journeys (within a single zip code) represent a substantial proportion of TNC trips, and though their greatest volume is concentrated, these short trips occur widely across each of the study regions. FIGURE 4 TNC trip origins by zip code, Los Angeles region. (Source: TNC trip data.) In all the study regions, the single top origin–destination flow iswithin a single zip code, and the majority of flows by volume occur within single zips. The distribution patterns elsewhere, is shown hours, the highest volume of trips overall proportion of single-zip trips ranges from in Figure 4 (above). generally fall within a single zip code, be- 14% (Chicago) to 29% (Nashville) of total tween nearby zip codes, or to or from an TNC trip volume (Table 2, page 37).These CORE AREAS AND AIRPORTS airport. The top five zips in each region short trips take place across broad geogra- Over all, the highest levels of TNC use are account for one- to three-quarters of the phies—in at least three-quarters of the zip concentrated in core areas and near air- total flows count.2 codes in every region—and at all hours of ports. Despite the breadth of trip-making the day. activity in each of the study regions, TNC 2 “Volume” refers to the aggregated TNC volume use appears to occur at a fairly low level index for all hourly zip code pairs for which these across most of the metropolitan areas, numbers are provided; that is, only those with a with most activity limited to certain areas. volume index greater than 2%. “Flow count” refers 3 The minimum, median, and maximum TNC trip to a simple count of all hourly zip code pairs; that length measurements are based only on TNC flows A plurality of trips take place with- is, all nonzero flows, regardless of whether a volume for which a volume was supplied; that is, those in just a few core areas: as with peak index is provided for a given hour. with a volume index greater than 2%.

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 35 Major Role of Airports Airports appear to be the major non-core areas of TNC trip activity in almost every study region. The highest-volume TNC trip origins and destinations are found in areas containing major airports; in fact, the zip codes containing Los Angeles International Airport and Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., are the first and fifth most frequent destinations in the entire TNC data set. Reports from cities throughout the United States that track TNC activity at airports show that TNC trips are a large and growing portion of airport ground transportation, including in regions that have rail links to their airports. A 2015 study com- missioned by San Francisco and Oakland International Airports found that 22% of respondents who rode TNC to the airports would have used transit before TNCs were permitted; taxicabs comprised 50% of the forgone uses and private vehicles, 18% (1). Who Uses TNCs Some insights into TNC riders can be derived from the demographic characteristics of the areas of highest usage, on the assumption that one side or the other of many trips includes TNC users’ homes. Zip codes with the highest TNC use are young- er, more affluent, more densely populated, and have fewer personal vehicles and more non-car commuters. The zip codes with the highest levels of TNC activity in the five studied regions tend to share several characteristics. Compared with typical aspects of the cities in which they are located, most of these zip codes have: • Higher household income; • More young residents and more white residents (all five study regions, however, have some high-TNC zip FIGURE 5 Range of TNC trip lengths. For each hour (bottom), vertical lines show the 25th–75th percentiles, with a gap at the median. Points above and below represent codes with more black or Hispanic maximum and minimum values. (Source: TNC trip data.) residents than the city average, including several that are majority black or Hispanic); • Greater population density—often 2 to 4 times the city average—and smaller households; • Fewer vehicles per household, fewer solo-driving commuters, and more transit, walking, or biking commuters; and

36 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 TABLE 2 Characteristics of TNC Trips Within a Single Zip Code

REGION MEAN SINGLE-ZIP MIN. PROPORTION OF MAX. PROPORTION OF NUMBER OF ZIP TRIP VOLUME AS SINGLE-ZIP TRIPS SINGLE-ZIP TRIPS CODES WITH PROPORTION OF (DAY, HOUR) (DAY, HOUR) SINGLE-ZIP TRIPS TOTAL TNC TRIP (% OF TOTAL ORIGIN VOLUME (%) ZIP CODES) Chicago 14 4% (Mon., 3 a.m.) 41% (Tues., 1 a.m.) 74 (79) Washington, D.C. 18 7% (Mon., 3 a.m.) 53% (Tues., 2 a.m.) 104 (80) Los Angeles 20 5% (Weds., 4 a.m.) 41% (Tues., 2 a.m.) 274 (85) Nashville 29 11% (Tues., 3 a.m.) 70% (Weds., 2 a.m.) 19 (73) Seattle 15 4% (Tues., 3 a.m.) 26% (Weds., 1 a.m.) 52 (79)

SOURCE: TNC trip data.

• Higher average education levels, with greater proportions of college- educated residents (perhaps related 90% to this, at least five of the zip codes 80% include college campuses). 70% Use Frequency 60% Both the Shared Mobility Survey and the 50% Four-Agency Survey suggest that TNCs 40% are used more as a “gap-filling” transpor- 30% tation option and less as a mode for daily 20% commuting or other frequent trips. People 10% who use transit or drive alone do so as 0% part of a routine, while TNCs are used TNCs Transit (bus + train) Drive alone Bikeshare more occasionally. Although occasional use of TNCs is widespread, frequent use is less common FIGURE 6 Ratio of frequent (weekly or greater) mode use to use within the past three months. (Source: TNC trip data.) than with other modes (Figure 6, at right). Compared with other modes—particularly transit—a much smaller proportion of recent TNC users (people who have used 35% the service in the past three months) report 30% that they are frequent TNC users (people 25% who have used it once or more per week). 20% Nearly four in five respondents who 15% had used transit within the previous three 10% months also reported using transit once or more per week. For solo driving, this 5% proportion was around two-thirds, but 0% only one in four recent TNC users reported e d Bus ain ain Tr TNCs frien a weekly or greater frequency of use. e alon Bus +TNCain + TNCain + TNC Bus + Tr Driv Carsharing Among respondents overall, fewer than Bikesharing Tr Drive w/ e alone + TNCs 10% reported using TNCs weekly or more Bus + Tr Driv often (Figure 7, at right). This proportion is in line with other nontransit shared modes, Frequent (weekly or greater) use of modes and combinations. like bikesharing and carsharing. Frequent FIGURE 7 (Source: Shared Mobility survey.) bus and train use and driving were reported by 25–30% of respondents.

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 37 Mode Impact TNC use is associated with lower vehicle ownership and single-occupancy vehicle 1.80 trips, but impacts on other modes are var- 1.60 ied. Lower-than-average car ownership is 1.40 associated with both frequent transit and TNC use, and those who combine these 1.20 modes report the lowest car ownership. 1.00 In the Shared Mobility Survey, frequent 0.80 TNC and transit users reported an aver- 0.60 age of fewer than one household vehicle, 0.40 compared with an average of 1.2 cars 0.20 across all respondents (Figure 8, at right). 0.00 For frequent solo drivers, the household e d All Bus ain ain vehicle figure, 1.6, is nearly double that of Tr TNCs frien e alon frequent TNC users. Bus +TNCain + TNCain + TNC Bus + Tr Driv Carsharing Bikesharing Tr The lowest car ownership levels were Drive w/ e alone + TNCs Bus + Tr found among respondents who frequently Driv combine two or more nonpersonal auto modes, particularly among frequent users of buses with TNCs and buses and trains FIGURE 8 Average household vehicles, by frequently used mode (weekly or greater). (Source: Shared Mobility Survey.) with TNCs. On decisions related to purchasing a car, between 5% and 21% of Four-Agen- cy Survey respondents reported a net reduction in vehicle ownership attributable to TNCs—the combination of postponed of shared mobility—and on vehicle miles of major urban areas, remain an important purchase, deciding not to purchase, traveled (VMT). Since only existing shared area for future research. and selling a car without replacement. mobility or transit users were contacted for This outweighed the few people in each the surveys, the data cannot be interpret- REFERENCE region who acquired a car to become a ed to draw conclusions about impacts and 1. Mandle, P., and S. Box. ACRP Synthesis Report 84: Transportation Network Companies—Chal- TNC driver. usage changes among the general popu- lenges and Opportunities for Airport Operators. TNC’s broader impacts were beyond lation outside these groups, nor can VMT Transportation Research Board, 2017, pp. the scope of this study. Not addressed impacts be estimated from the aggregated 29–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.17226/24996. were TNCs’ net impact on vehicle owner- trip data. ship—for example, among people who are Outcomes of TNC use among the not transit riders or do not use other forms broader traveling public, especially outside

38 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 Training Program for Transportation Research Managers

Photo: GPA Photo Archives, Flickr

egan Swanson, technical would end the classes with pages of notes CYNTHIA J. SMITH, research coordinator at the and ideas from the course content as well INES AVILES-SPADONI, Illinois Department of Trans- as from my fellow students.” AND DAVID M. JARED portation (DOT) Bureau Transportation research management of Research, monitors and is a niche area, so the AOTC training pro- Smith is State Research Engineer, Mreviews a bundle of research projects each gram was geared toward research manag- day—whether recently awarded, ongoing, ers at state DOTs, university transportation Mississippi DOT, Jackson; Aviles- or nearing completion. She tracks projects centers (UTCs), federal agencies, consult- Spadoni is Research Program for deliverables, technical review, imple- ing firms, and industry members and was Coordinator, University of Florida mentable outcomes, and trainings; works structured to ensure that the curriculum Transportation Institute and with principal investigators and others; includes vital information for the successful and always looks for ways to improve operation of a research program. Courses Southeastern Transportation processes. are taught by instructors who have many Research, Innovation, Development, Swanson, who has managed research years of transportation research manage- and Education Center, Gainesville; and projects for more than 5 years, recent- ment experience. Jared previously was Research Section ly completed all the courses in the TRB training program “Ahead of the Curve: Evolution of AOTC Chief, Georgia DOT, Atlanta, and now is Mastering the Management of Transpor- Ahead of the Curve was born out of the Senior Program Officer, Transportation tation Research,” or AOTC. The training need to develop training for state DOT, Research Board, Washington, D.C. program, which is nearing the end of its university, and other research manag- pilot phase, is designed to enhance the ers in the transportation industry. In 2011, raising the profile and stature of Above: The Ahead of the Curve training knowledge, skills, and abilities of transpor- program was geared toward the niche area tation research managers. transportation research became a major of transportation research management, “My experience with AOTC was theme at meetings of the TRB Technical helping state DOTs, university transportation Activities Council and of the TRB standing centers (UTCs), federal agencies, and more wonderful,” Swanson affirms. “I learned to accomplish research management goals. something new in each class session, and I committees on Conduct of Research and

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 39 year, a working group was formed, com- was the first of three NCHRP projects using prised of individuals from a cross-section volunteer technical experts to oversee of employers, including academic and the work of contractor teams to build the research institutions, public agencies, and entire curriculum. the private sector. The working group In 2016, NCHRP Project 20-105(A) collaborated with TRB staff to provide provided pilot offerings of the core courses direction and advice for AOTC. It defined and development of elective course ma- the following objectives: terials. To support the implementation of • Raise the stature of transportation 20-105(A) products, a TRB joint subcom- research and innovation managers; mittee was formed in 2017 under the umbrella of the Transportation Education • Ensure high-quality transportation and Training, Conduct of Research, and research programs and projects that Technology Transfer standing committees. contribute to transportation goals; NCHRP Project 20-105(B) provided final • Better communicate the value of developmental efforts for coursework, research to those outside of the pilot testing, and instructor manuals and research community; materials. Jason Bittner, Applied Research Associates, led the effort to develop and • Provide research managers with a sense pilot test the courses. of belonging to a profession and a Photo: Risdon Photography “We’ve tried to extract the best from sense of pride in serving society; and Mark Norman, then the Technical Activities research managers in programs at all Division Director, was instrumental in • Offer credit to research managers maturity levels and in varying sizes and developing the idea for transportation toward professional licenses, research manager training. staffing levels,” Bittner comments. “We certifications, or both. think the program is a great opportunity The AASHTO Standing Committee on to share and expand knowledge, ensure Technology Transfer. It also was a focus of Research—which since has been renamed quality, and raise the stature of transporta- the summer meeting of TRB state repre- R&I—provided funding through the tion research managers in their agencies.” sentatives and the American Association of National Cooperative Highway Research Throughout the course of its concep- State Highway and Transportation Officials Program (NCHRP). NCHRP Project 20-105, tion and development, AOTC has been (AASHTO) Research Advisory Committee “Development of Course Outlines for the championed and enhanced by many (RAC), which supports the AASHTO Spe- Ahead of the Curve Training Program,” people experienced in the management cial Committee on Research and Innova- tion (R&I) as it promotes quality research and application to improve state transportation operations. It quickly became clear to Mark Norman, who then was TRB’s Technical Activities Division Director, that a more formal training of transportation research managers was necessary. He approached Skip Paul, who at the time was Director of the Louisiana Transportation Research Center and RAC chair, for his thoughts. “I immediately jumped at this opportunity, since RAC was gaining new members at the rate of 7 to 13 a year,” Paul recalls. “Many of these new research managers had no research background; the AOTC program would provide tremendous benefit in bringing these new members quickly up to speed.” Discussions among TRB staff and volunteers eventually led to an educational Skip Paul (center) participates in the 2013 Standing Committee on Research meeting in Washington, training program in 2012. The following D.C., at which an NCHRP project to develop the AOTC curriculum was funded.

40 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 of transportation research. Along with Paul, Norman, and Bittner, these include Barbara Harder; Cynthia Jones and Victoria Beale, Ohio DOT; and James Bryant, TRB. Katie Turnbull, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, worked with Bittner to develop the curriculum, with later assistance from her colleague Johanna Zmud. Benefits of AOTC Among the benefits to agencies, universities, and individuals offered by the AOTC program is a sense of belonging to the profession of transportation research management, by standardizing the practice. For university researchers, earning a certificate from AOTC would provide recognition of knowledge of the niche area of transportation research; additionally, AOTC provides an excellent networking Photo: Tom Driggers, Flickr opportunity. The AOTC curriculum is useful for UTCs to coordinate research programs on topics The courses present information like people and goods movement. that elevates the quality of transportation research programs, thus raising the and promote good practices and stan- • Helping staff to raise profile of the stature of transportation research and dards,” Bui noted. research program, both nationally and innovation. For example, how can a The training program can assist in at the state level; and transportation agency ensure that a new on-boarding new research project man- manager—perhaps one who has never • Providing tools to display the value agers who are making the transition managed transportation research—has all of research to upper management, from technical and engineering work to the necessary tools to be successful in their champions, and elected officials. research or, in some cases, integrating and new role? AOTC can help onboard new handling both responsibilities; explaining Transportation research managers from research program and project managers the entities involved in national research, the academic sector, specifically those more quickly. New and seasoned research such as FHWA, AASHTO, and TRB; and working at University Transportation Cen- managers can enhance their knowledge, working with technical subject-matter ters (UTCs) and transportation research skills, and abilities by learning important experts to move from a research idea to a institutes, also can benefit from AOTC. information about how to make research project. Often considered primary stakeholders relevant, how to run a research program, Other benefits of AOTC include the and providing a good portion of the cost and how to deliver the program and following: share requirement for the UTC program, technology transfer—as well as the nev- academic research managers frequently er-ending task of improving a program via • Knowledge capture and transfer, interface with state DOTs. These pro- evaluation, monitoring, and performance helping to stanch “brain drain” and fessionals may find that the information measurement techniques. institutional bleeding; contained within the curriculum helps Binh Bui, a research implementation • Building a network, forming them learn more about the connections manager at Georgia DOT, recently com- partnerships, and joining a robust between UTCs and state DOTs. Hau Hage- pleted the program along with Swanson. community of practice; dorn, formerly a UTC research manager, One of the things that Bui found very use- • Understanding the entire research is director of the Transportation Research ful about AOTC is that it creates a space program and the agency’s role in it; and Education Center at Portland State that allows for the exchange of good University. She knows first-hand the chal- practices and the standardization of the • For staff in smaller agencies, learning lenges that research managers face when management of transportation research. how to do more with less, for example, learning about the complexities of the job. “AOTC enhanced not only my knowl- leveraging other funding sources, “There is a lot that goes into man- edge, skills, and abilities in managing collaborating with other agencies, and aging research programs efficiently and transportation research programs, but also working with national entities; effectively,” Hagedorn observes. “The established a national platform designed • Tapping into ideas to maximize their AOTC course offers directly applicable for our community of practice to share effectiveness, such as funding sources; training that, for many managers, takes TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 41 Photo: Paul Krueger The AOTC curriculum includes vital information for the successful operation of a research program.

years to learn on the job. It synthesizes “They will utilize the information to deter- face-to-face with peers and discuss their and organizes information that research mine how their program can be improved programs and experiences,” Swanson managers can use and apply directly after and then develop a plan to implement muses. “Since we were together for completing the training.” their new program design.” For example, a the entire day, we had time to dig into Karen Philbrick, executive director of research manager could complete or revise non-course-specific issues during our Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose a state DOT or university research manual, lunches and breaks. It really helped to State University, believes that the AOTC develop or improve a research project track- build and reinforce a feeling of camarade- training program will supply research man- ing system, work on performance metrics, rie among each class group.” agers with the knowledge necessary to run write or update a strategic plan, and initiate AOTC electives will be offered as web- an effective research program. AOTC offers or expand research marketing. based courses to accommodate students verified, creative techniques for research with travel restrictions. management and implementation as How Will the Courses Be well as essential skills for moving research Offered? Completing the AOTC findings into practice, she comments: “Par- Most courses will have two delivery Training Program ticipants learn best practices for research options available—web-based and in per- Students who complete the four core management and implementation and in son—but the creators of the program and courses and at least four elective courses doing so help ensure that UTCs play a ma- the students who took part in the pilot are awarded a certificate of comple- jor role in contributing to a safe, seamless believe the best value lies in the in-person tion. Although the certificate is not the multimodal transportation system.” courses, citing group activities and the equivalent of a professional license or The last course in the list of electives, sharing of best practices. Also valuable is certification, it shows a dedication to Program Design, is a capstone course bring- the opportunity to meet other research transportation research and recognizes the ing together the information presented in managers from state DOTs and from the participant’s hard work. the training series. At the end of the course, academic and private sectors. The first group of AOTC trainees under participants will perform an overall evalua- “One benefit of the in-person courses the pilot program graduated in July 28, tion on their program design, Bittner notes: was that they provided a time to meet 2019, in a ceremony at the AASHTO-RAC

42 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Swan- son and Bui joined two other colleagues— Susan Sillick, research program manager The AOTC Curriculum at Montana DOT, and Tyson Rupnow, associate director of the Louisiana Trans- portation Research Center. The curriculum is comprised of four required core courses and 12 Rupnow plans to encourage others electives. Below is a list of the required core courses and descriptions: from his unit to enroll in the training 1. Making Research Relevant. This overview course provides a program: “Completing the program felt basic understanding of the importance and value of research, types of good. I would recommend AOTC to other research, the research life cycle, and stakeholders that typically are DOT personnel who are interested in in- involved in transportation research, for example, state DOTs and creasing their knowledge on the research universities. process. The classes actually serve as a sort 2. Running a Research Program. This course presents students of a mini–peer exchange in which one can with the nuts and bolts of running a transportation research program. learn from other research programs.” Participants will learn about establishing and facilitating oversight com- As for Swanson, she is on a never- mittees, soliciting research ideas, managing deliverables, tracking and ending quest to improve her research monitoring the program, working with principal investigators, reviewing program at Illinois DOT. By using the proposals, contracting, research results, and dissemination. information learned in the Performance 3. Delivering the Program. This course will provide a basic under- Measurement elective course, she already standing of technology transfer and methods of delivery, ways to assess is identifying new performance measures the return on investment and performance measurement for research to better assess the effectiveness of her projects and programs, and ways to communicate the benefits of re- program. “I am always looking for ways search projects and programs to different stakeholders effectively. to hone my skills and make our program 4. Quality Improvement. Students will learn about quality assurance, more effective,” she said. “To me, prob- quality control fundamentals, strategic planning to determine what they lem-solving means doing the best I can to want to achieve, research program evaluation, project-monitoring prac- get to the root of the problem and identi- tices, and measurement and analysis of stakeholder feedback. fying the current solution, as well as how The electives offered include we can prevent the issue from recurring 1. Continuous Quality Improvement, in the future. What better way to do that than to participate in these classes created 2. Funding, and taught by subject-matter experts?” 3. Knowledge Management, Acknowledgments 4. Writing Effective Research Needs Statements, The authors thank Skip Paul, Mark Nor- 5. Building and Engaging Effective Research Champions, man, Hau Hagedorn, Jason Bittner, and 6. Building Partnerships, Karen Philbrick for their contributions to 7. Strategic Planning for Research, this article. 8. Innovation and Risk Management, 9. Intellectual Property, For more information on Ahead of the 10. Performance Management, Curve: Mastering the Management of 11. Scientific Methods, and Transportation Research, contact Ines Aviles-Spadoni at [email protected] or 12. Program Design for Individual Projects. Skip Paul at [email protected].

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 43 Collaboration Demonstration New Jersey Hosts State Partnership Visit

ach year, representatives from the learned, or specific problems they are cur- STEFANIE POTAPA, Transportation Research Board rently facing. The TRB representatives then AMANDA GENDEK, AND (TRB) visit with state depart- can transmit that information back to TRB GLENN STOTT ments of transportation (DOTs) so that other states, industry members, or to strengthen the partnership educational institutions can benefit from it Potapa is Research Project Ebetween TRB and state DOTs, identify or use it to help solve the identified prob- current issues, collect and generate infor- Manager, Bureau of Research; lem. The TRB visitors also highlight the mation, and disseminate that information Board’s range of services to the DOT and Gendek is Manager, Bureau of throughout the transportation community. help identify potential candidates from Research; and Stott is Unmanned In late February, Christine L. Gerencher New Jersey DOT staff for TRB committees. Aircraft Systems Coordinator, and Andrew C. Lemer of TRB traveled Gerencher is a senior program officer through inclement weather from Washing- Bureau of Aeronautics, at TRB, managing nine committees within ton, D.C., to New Jersey to visit with staff the Aviation group and eight committees New Jersey Department of from various New Jersey DOT units. They within the Environmental and Energy Sec- Transportation, Trenton. were met by hosts Mike Russo, Assistant tion as well as chairing the editorial board DOT Commissioner, and Amanda Gendek, of TR News. Lemer is a senior program offi- Manager, Bureau of Research (BOR), as cer in TRB’s National Cooperative Highway well as more than 40 staff members. Research Program (NCHRP), managing a diverse portfolio of NCHRP-sponsored Knowledge-Sharing research projects with a focus on trans- Opportunity portation asset management, system The annual TRB field visit is an important performance measurement and manage- part of BOR’s program because it provides ment, regional development, and agency a forum for New Jersey DOT staff to share information and knowledge management. Above: A UAS flown during the TRB visit to New Jersey DOT captured an aerial image of such information as research initiatives, Kimbrali Davis and Stefanie Potapa the Wittpenn Bridge. new technologies, best practices, lessons of BOR worked diligently to produce the

44 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 Photo courtesy Stefanie Potapa Photo courtesy Stefanie Potapa When using a UAS for inspection, the The annual TRB state visit allowed New Jersey DOT and TRB staff to share knowledge and resident engineer closely follows protocol to information on initiatives, issues, and research directions. operate the camera controls. two-day event, collaborating with members personnel to remain safely on the ground Thanks to a large flat-screen television of the following New Jersey DOT units and rather than being suspended high over a behind the rear seats of the New Jersey subject areas: Environmental Resources, busy waterway. The drone also can move DOT Bureau of Aeronautics drone SUV, Capital Investment and Development, quickly from one area to another, allowing visitors and staff were able to observe ev- Aeronautics, the Unmanned Aircraft System each inspector to view more structure in erything on the control screens of the UAS (UAS) Program, Local Aid and Economic less time. operators and inspectors during the flight, Development, and Asset Management. The in real time. This arrangement minimizes first day of the field visit allowed Gerencher Flight Demonstration crew distractions and maximizes the level and Lemer to hear presentations from each The flight began with Davis and Dusenbury of detail available for resident engineers invited New Jersey DOT unit, followed by conducting a full systems check followed and other observers to evaluate. The large a roundtable discussion. These discussions by a detailed briefing of the mission. In screen also displays flight telemetry, such covered challenges, accomplishments, his briefing, Dusenbury—a new Federal as battery levels, altitude, speed, and cam- research needs, and New Jersey DOT par- Aviation Administration–certified UAS pilot era settings. The inspection camera’s optical ticipation in various TRB committees and in the Bureau of Aeronautics—included cur- zoom is capable of 30x magnification, so subcommittees. rent weather conditions, potential hazards, the drone can safely fly 20 feet away from obstructions such as overhead wires, the a bridge and can still zoom in to magnify Field Observations flight profile, and actions to be taken in the critical areas needing closer inspection. The next day, Shukri Abuhuzeima, Exec- event of an emergency. Gerencher commented that the format utive Regional Manager, Capital Program The visual observer is the crew’s safety of the visit could be used as a model for Management, presented an overview of person, who keeps a close eye on poten- other states on how to prepare for annual the Route 7 Wittpenn Bridge construction tial hazards to the mission. The resident TRB state partnership visits. project, complete with project-related engineer is tasked with ensuring the statistics and background. Glenn Stott, UAS quality of work; traditionally, this person Coordinator, then spoke about the agency’s uses tools such as a bucket truck to inspect UAS program and briefed the participants the bridge. When using a UAS, however, on what to expect when they would arrive the resident engineer operates the camera at the construction site later that morning. controls and can pan, tilt, zoom, and take The group then traveled to the con- photos. The strict and professional com- struction site, where all individuals were munication phrases and safety procedures briefed on safety. Stott, UAS pilot Koree among the remote pilot, visual observer, Dusenbury, and visual observer Ashley and resident engineer during the flight Davis began a UAS flight demonstration to demonstrated impressive coordination and highlight the capabilities of these vehi- commitment to safety. The remote pilot cles in construction project management first communicated each movement of the Photo courtesy Stefanie Potapa and bridge inspection applications. For drone—which then was acknowledged by TRB senior program officer Christine Gerencher (left) and New Jersey DOT UAS example, using a drone to inspect projects the crew—before making an input into the pilot Koree Dusenbury (right) prepare for the like the Wittpenn Bridge allows inspection UAS controller. flight demonstration.

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 45 Deborah Flint Greater Toronto Airports Authority PROFILES

As Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) CEO, She also ensured a focus on repre- Deborah Flint led a high-profile modern- sentation and diversity in LAMP, other ization and general operation of one of the major projects, and in general opera- busiest and most well-known airports in the tions by creating a Business, Jobs, and world. Earlier this year, the Canadian-born Social Responsibility Division at LAWA, Flint joined the Greater Toronto Airports developing the HireLAX apprenticeship Authority as President and CEO, overseeing readiness-training program, and lead- the Toronto Pearson International Airport— ing a 30% local-hire requirement for all including the safety, security, and experi- construction projects. Inclusion was a ence of its passengers and airport workers major focus when contracts for the rental as well as its airline partners. car facility and automated people mover “The digital experience of the future were being procured, Flint commented has already arrived,” Flint observed in a to WAC: “We asked industry to bring 2019 speech to the Washington Aero Club the best private sector construction (WAC). “Real-time, precise information approaches and reliability to the train, is expected on maps during construc- [to] think outside the box to future-proof tion, whether en route or in terminal, to the ConRAC, and [to] create careers and show what has changed from minutes, change lives. The private sector made hours, days, or weeks ago. Wait times for “We need to push for commitments of 30% local hire—not just everything are expected—both real-time during construction but for the 30- and and predictive. Personalized shopping and our airports to be more 28-year lives of the contracts.” preordering, plus food delivery, are the Flint also leads operations at Van Nuys expectation. . . . This is just a part of reality innovative, sustainable, Airport, a general-aviation airport in the today.” to be stewards for local City of Los Angeles and part of LAWA. An In 1992, Flint began her career at the emphasis on environmental sustainability Port of Oakland in California. In 2010, communities, to bring led to innovations such as installing solar she became aviation director, primarily panels that will power the equivalent of responsible for management, business the joy and certainty 4,000 homes and offering sustainable development, and operation of Oakland alternative jet fuels—the first general avia- International Airport. She oversaw the back to air travel, and tion airport to do so. successful delivery of the $480 million Flint has been a Transportation Bay Area Rapid Transit Airport Rail project; together get the funding Research Board volunteer since 2006, addressed passenger decline, helping to when she joined the Airport Cooperative stabilize and reverse the trend; redesigned to invest and let our Research Program (ACRP) Project Panel Oakland’s customer experience; and in- industry shine.” on Exercising Command-Level Decision vested in terminal renovation and hangar Making for Critical Incidents at Airports. In development. 2014, she became a member of the ACRP As LAWA CEO, Flint managed a mul- traffic and congested curbsides via road- Oversight Committee and, in 2018, its tibillion-dollar modernization program way improvements, parking structures, an chair. As chair, she identifies the high- of Los Angeles International Airport that automated people mover, and a consoli- est-priority projects for each funding year, improved airport access; updated and dated car rental center. defines project funding levels, and articu- renovated all terminals; enhanced air- “We need to push for our airports to lates anticipated research products. port security; and established innovative be more innovative, sustainable, to be In a 2019 profile in the magazine retail, food, and beverage operations. stewards for local communities, to bring Global Traveler, Flint shared this advice for This involved managing the largest public the joy and certainty back to air travel, aviation professionals: “Be flexible. [You] works agreements in Los Angeles history: and together get the funding to invest and are likely already flexible individuals, or the $5.5 billion Landside Access Modern- let our industry shine,” Flint observed in [you] wouldn’t have chosen this field. Be a ization Program, or LAMP, which alleviated her remarks to WAC. sponge, open to everything.”

46 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 K. Larry Head University of Arizona PROFILES

K. Larry Head first became acquainted had helped bring RHODES into the field. prototype V2I applications using this new with transportation as a career in a small In 1996, Head joined Gardner Transpor- wireless communication technology: traffic gas station garage. He gained a lifelong tation Systems as senior vice president of signal priority for emergency vehicles, interest in auto repair from the garage research and development. ramp meter priority for emergency vehi- owner, a master mechanic who had worked In 2003, Head returned to the Uni- cles, emergency vehicle roadside alerts, on his own P-51 Mustang fighter jet as a versity of Arizona as a research professor, and integration of roadside alerts into young pilot in World War II. Head enjoyed inspired by the challenges of research the AZ511 traveler information system. the challenge of diagnosing a problem and and mindful of how traffic controllers and Two years later, all four applications were fixing it. When Head attended the Univer- traffic management systems really worked. successfully demonstrated in the Maricopa sity of Arizona and met his future doctoral County DOT parking lot. advisor Donald G. Schultz, he became fasci- “The key drivers to the success of the nated with the potential of engineering. project were the National Transportation Head went on to earn bachelor’s, Communications for Intelligent Transpor- master’s, and Ph.D. degrees in systems en- tation Systems Protocol standards, which gineering from the University of Arizona, allowed us to communicate with signal con- focusing on control theory, communica- trollers and ramp meters, and the SAE J2735 tions, optimization, probability and statis- message set with dedicated short-range tics, and modeling and simulation. In his communications (DSRC) wireless devices, graduate work, Head worked to develop which allowed us to send messages from a “smart alarm” monitor that could alert the emergency vehicles to the infrastructure anesthesiologists to potential life-threaten- and other equipped vehicles,” Head notes. ing conditions in surgical patients. Head returned to his automotive roots in Head returned to a transportation 2007 when he joined the Defense Advanced focus in 1990. While serving as an adjunct Research Projects Agency’s Grand Challenge assistant professor, he joined a team of team to develop a self-driving vehicle that faculty that had received funding to devel- could operate in an urban environment. As op a new real-time, traffic-adaptive signal the project’s traffic expert, Head guided the control system. “It seemed like a relatively “The future of our development of the robot’s map, mission, straightforward problem that we could and driving direction components. probably solve over the summer,” Head profession is dependent Later, Head worked on the first live recalls. “It has become a career.” on the diversity of our traffic signal control experiment with DSRC In 1992, Head presented his first paper and a prototype signal control application at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) knowledge, experiences, at an intersection in Maricopa County. He Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. also has been part of the Connected Vehicle Inspired by the support from an audience and creativity.” Pooled Fund Multimodal Intelligent Traffic of more than 350, Head realized that there Signal System research project since 2012. was tremendous interest in the devel- At TRB, Head is a member of the opment of adaptive traffic signal control He had worked on a Transit Cooperative Traffic Signal Systems Committee, which at the Federal Highway Administration Research Program project that found that he served as chair from 2006 to 2012, (FHWA) and in the research community. traditional approaches to transit signal pri- and the Intelligent Transportation Systems RHODES (Real-time, Hierarchical, ority might not yield expected or desired Committee. He is a past member of the Distributed, Effective System) from the benefits and on a National Cooperative Freeway Operations Committee. University of Arizona was based on the Highway Research Program project on “The transportation field is undergo- application of modern operations research traffic signal state transition logic. ing a significant transformation with the methods to take advantage of the natural In 2004, Head became involved with emergence of advanced wireless communi- stochastic process of traffic flow. RHODES the emerging vehicle-to-vehicle and cations, new sensor systems, and cloud and was then selected as one of several pro- vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) wireless edge computing that will propel the field of totypes to be field-tested by FHWA. Head communications technology. In 2007, traffic control and transportation manage- worked closely with startup traffic signal Head worked with the Maricopa County ment into a new professional domain,” company Gardner Transportation Sys- Department of Transportation (DOT), Head muses. “The future of our profession tems, which had developed software for Arizona DOT, Arizona State University, is dependent on the diversity of our knowl- the new ATC 2070 signal controller that and the University of Arizona to build four edge, experiences, and creativity.”

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 47 TRANSPORTATION

INFLUENCERS How has TRB informed your career so far? I fell into transportation domain by chance, pursuing my interests in software and data. And although I kept working in these fields, Nikola Ivanov TRB taught me about transportation and how my software and Ivanov, 36, is Director of data expertise could help solve transportation problems. Through Operations at the University of TRB, I’ve met hundreds of brilliant experts, all of whom help me Maryland’s Center for Advanced make a difference in people’s everyday lives. This network of Transportation Technology experts, colleagues, and friends has been critical in my life. (CATT) Laboratory. What are your thoughts on the value of research in the transportation field? TRB lets you both learn about current research and determine future efforts. There are so many opportunities for the world to learn about the latest transportation work—TRB publications, research papers, specialty conferences, webinars, Annual Meeting How did you first become involved in TRB? sessions and workshops, and more. These opportunities bring In 2003, I was a computer engineering student at the University people together to help save lives, improve quality of life, and of Maryland. The CATT Lab had just been established, and I was protect the environment. a part-time software developer there. The directors of the lab sent From inside TRB, standing committees, subcommittees, me off to my first TRB Annual Meeting. Because my background councils, task forces, and National Cooperative Highway Research was in computers, they wanted to introduce me to the world of Program panels offered me the chance to help identify and de- transportation. I’ve attended every Annual Meeting since 2003. fine new problems. It’s extremely exciting to be involved in that In 2007, I met my first TRB mentor, Bob Winick, a seasoned process and help make progress toward a better world. TRB veteran. He introduced me to many people and showed me all the ways I could get involved. And then I volunteered for everything. I became a member of a standing committee, chair of “Transportation Influencers” is a new section a subcommittee, chair of the Operations and Preservation Group in TR News, highlighting the journey of young Young Members Council (YMC), then chair of YMC. professionals active in TRB. Have someone to TRB veterans have gone out of their way to help me and oth- nominate? Send an e-mail to [email protected]. er young professionals figure out and then jump on TRB’s many opportunities.

MEMBERS ON THE MOVE

Carmen Monroy retired from the Florida the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transpor- program officer, Srinivasan will oversee the Department of Transportation (DOT), tation Authority as General Manager in development of NHTSA’s critical behavior- where she was a planning director, and January 2020. Before that, she was Penn- al safety programs. is now with Stantec. Monroy serves on a sylvania’s Secretary of Transportation. In May 2019, Don Streeter retired from National Cooperative Highway Research In January 2020, Nanda Srinivasan was New York State DOT after many years of Program (NCHRP) project panel on appointed Associate Administrator for Re- service. He is highly active in TRB, as past attracting, retaining, and developing the search and Program Development at the chair of several concrete materials commit- transportation planning workforce. National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis- tees and as current chair of the Concrete Ken Polcak retired from Maryland State tration (NHTSA). A former NCHRP senior Materials Section. Highway Administration in November 2019. As senior transportation engineer for In Memoriam Geographic Information Resource Conservation and acoustics, Polcak served on many NCHRP Science and Applications. Recovery, member of the project panels and was a longtime mem- Joseph A. Burns, U.S. Environment and Energy ber of the Standing Committee on Trans- Forest Service, died in Cyrus F. Parker, North Section Executive Board, portation-Related Noise and Vibration. November 2019. He was a member of the standing Carolina DOT, died in Jan- and member of the Stand- Leslie Richards, TRB Executive Commit- committees on Ecology uary 2020. He was chair of ing Committee on Geoenvi- tee member and past Vice Chair, joined and Transportation and on the Standing Committee on ronmental Processes.

48 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 › TRB HIGHLIGHTS The technologies examined include the Hendrickson Honored COOPERATIVE RESEARCH following: with Lifetime PROGRAMS NEWS 1. Visualization and modeling, Achievement Award Emerging Technologies 2. Interconnected technologies, 3. Safety technologies, Chris Hendrickson, for Construction Delivery member of the TRB 4. Instrumentation and sensors, and Executive Commit- NCHRP SYNTHESIS 534 5. Unmanned aircraft systems. tee and chair of the Information was gathered through a TRB Division Com- ew technologies are beginning to literature review, a survey of state DOTs, mittee, received the change the way state departments of N and follow-up interviews with selected Council of Univer- transportation (DOTs) deliver highway agencies for case examples. sity Transportation construction projects. Relatively new Of the 41 state DOTs surveyed, 26 Centers–HNTB innovations such as 3-D and 4-D mod- (63%) have implemented visualization and Lifetime Achievement Award for Trans- eling, 3-D printing, virtual design and modeling technologies, 18 (44%) have im- portation Education and Research. The construction, and real-time kinematic GPS plemented interconnected technologies, 27 award recognizes individuals with many can improve project performance cost, (66%) have implemented safety technolo- significant and outstanding contributions schedule, and quality. gies, 31 (76%) have implemented instru- to university transportation education and The objective of the recently released mentation and sensors technologies, and 24 research, resulting in a lasting contribu- National Cooperative Highway Research (59%) have implemented unmanned aircraft tion to transportation, and was presented Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 534: Emerg- systems for highway construction delivery. to Hendrickson on January 11, 2020, in ing Technologies Christofer Harper, Colorado State Washington, D.C. for Construction University; Daniel Tran, University of Hendrickson is Hamerschlag Universi- Delivery was to Kansas; and Ed Jaselskis, North Carolina ty Professor Emeritus and Director of the document the State University, collected and synthe- Traffic 21 Institute at Carnegie Mellon use of selected sized the information and wrote the University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He advanced tech- report. To download NCHRP Synthesis also is a member of the National Academy nologies used for 534, go to www.trb.org/Publications/ of Engineering and editor-in-chief of the highway con- Blurbs/179455.aspx. ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering. struction projects —Jo Allen Gause For more information, see www.trb.org/ by state DOTs. Transportation Research Board Main/Blurbs/180136.aspx.

CENTENNIAL QUOTES

For more than 25 years, I have made treasured and lasting friend- ships with those I have met through TRB activities. Over the years, as a member of various committees, I have worked closely with industry leaders and have had the fulfilling opportunity to give back to my profession. As a committee chair, I lead an international group of experts that continues to give back to our industry, mentors young professionals, and helps put the “R” in TRB by identifying and developing research problem statements to improve and innovate our transportation system. And it has been a lot of fun too! I attended my first TRB annual meeting as a wide-eyed student in 1993, and I hope to be actively involved in TRB for many more years to come. —BILL EISELE Texas A&M Transportation Institute

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 49 › CALENDAR March 22–25 Bridge Engineering Institute International Symposium 8–20 Geosynthetics 2020: Case and on Ultrahigh-Performance CONSENSUS Studies* Concrete and Emerging ADVISORY STUDIES Charleston, South Carolina Concrete* April Singapore April 2–3 Commodity Flow Workshop 28– 6th International Symposium on 21 Subcommittee on Washington, D.C. July 1 Highway Geometric Design* Planning and Policy Amsterdam, the Netherlands Review Spring Meeting 20–22 Joint Rail Conference* Washington, D.C. St. Louis, Missouri 28– 10th International Conference July 2 on Bridge Maintenance, Safety, 28–29 U.S. Coast Guard 27–30 Transport Research Arena 2020* and Management* Maritime Domain Helsinki, Finland Sapporo, Japan Awareness Study Committee Meeting May Washington, D.C. 18–20 6th International Conference on May Roundabouts RECENT AND Monterey, California 19-20 U.S. Coast Guard UPCOMING Maritime Domain 19–21 2nd International Conference WEBINARS Awareness Study on Nanotechnology of Cement Committee Meeting and Concrete March Irvine, California For more information on these events, 5 Quantifying the Performance e-mail Michael Covington, TRB, at 27–29 International Conference of Your Pavement on Advances in Materials Preservation [email protected]. and Pavement Performance 9 A Conversation on Speed Prediction* Management San Antonio, Texas 11 Right-Sizing Transportation June Investments Additional information on TRB 3–6 International Symposium on 16 Making Your Budget Work: meetings, including calls for Pavement, Roadway, and Bridge Stormwater Management abstracts, meeting registration, Life Cycle Assessment 2020* Projects at Airports Sacramento, California and hotel reservations, is available 17 How Rough Is Your Pavement? at www.TRB.org/calendar, or by 14–17 8th International Conference on e-mail at [email protected]. Innovations in Travel Modeling 19 Exploring Equity Implications Seattle, Washington of Emerging Transportation Technologies 16–18 Advancing the Marine Transportation System 26 How to Guide Alternative To subscribe to the TRB Through Automation and Contracting Projects E-Newsletter and keep up to Autonomous Technologies: Trends, Applications and 30 Guide for Transportation date on upcoming activities, go Performance Management Challenges—6th Biennial to www.trb.org/Publications/ and Data Marine Transportation System PubsTRBENewsletter.aspx and Innovative Science and 31 Designing Solid-State click on “Subscribe.” Technology Conference Roadway Lighting Washington, D.C. For more information, contact Elaine Ferrell, TRB, at 202-334-2399 or [email protected]. *TRB is cosponsor of the meeting.

50 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 › NATIONAL ACADEMIES COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS EVENTS

Problem statements are being accepted for the FY2021 Behavioral Traffic Safety March Cooperative Research Program and may 16–17 Workshop on Opportunities be submitted by email to btscrp@nas. for Accelerating Scientific edu. It is preferred that the problem Discovery: Realizing the statement be sent as an attachment to Potential of Advanced and the e-mail message in Microsoft Word Automated Workflows format. The deadline for submissions is National Academy of Sciences Friday, February 21. Building, 2101 Constitution Ave For more information, e-mail Bill Rogers at NW, Washington, D.C. [email protected]. For more information, contact Tom Arrison, [email protected].

17 Building Adaptable and Airport Cooperative Research Program Resilient Supply Chains after Synthesis topic ideas are due Sunday, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, March 1. and Maria MIT Center for Transportation To submit a topic idea, visit IdeaHub at and Logistics, Cambridge, https://ideahub.trb.org. Massachusetts For more information, contact Steven Stichter, sstichter@nas. NCHRP Innovations Deserving Explor- 18 Webinar: Creating Supportive atory Analysis (IDEA) Program proposals Institutions and Providing are due Sunday, March 1. Effective Mentorship in Science, For more information, visit www.trb.org/ Technology, Engineering, Math, IDEAProgram/IDEAHighway.aspx. and Medicine (STEMM) Online For more information, contact Megan Nicholson, [email protected]. Transit Cooperative Research Program Synthesis topics are due Wednesday, March 18. For more information, visit www.trb.org/ SynthesisPrograms/Suggest.aspx.

TR NEWS January–February 2020 › 51 › BOOKSHELF

TRB PUBLICATIONS

Transportation Methods provided in this report for and unmanned aircraft systems in trans- Research Record complying with total maximum daily load portation highway construction projects 2673 (TMDL) requirements provide an approach are documented in this synthesis report. Issue 2 for determining pollutants of concern and 2019; 103 pp.; TRB affiliates, $54; Papers in this how to assess the contribution of the road- nonaffiliates, $72. Subscriber categories: issue address topics way while understanding other factors, highways, maintenance and preservation, including adoption of including adjacent land use and watershed pavements. autonomous vehicles conditions. for commute trips, 2019; 144 pp.; TRB affiliates, $60; Bridge Demolition Practices classification of air route intersections in the nonaffiliates, $80. Subscriber category: NCHRP Synthesis 536 airspace of China, and the impact of traffic environment. Examined in this synthesis are practices volume on pavement macrotexture and used by bridge owners to manage and ad- skid resistance long-term performance. Field Verification of Proposed minister bridge demolition in construction 2019; 822 pp. For more information, visit Changes to the AASHTO R 30 projects with the intention of reducing http://journals.sagepub.com/home/trr. Procedures for Laboratory risks associated. Conditioning of Asphalt Mixtures 2019; 92 pp.; TRB affiliates, $54; nonaf- Transportation Research Record 2673 NCHRP Research Report 919 filiates, $72. Subscriber categories: bridges Issue 3 This report offers research on how the and other structures, construction. An analysis of success plans and perfor- decades-old American Association of State mance measures for rural transit systems in Highway and Transportation Officials Revolving Funds North Carolina, a safety evaluation of freight (AASHTO) R 30 recommended long-term for Sustainability intermodal connectors in Tennessee, and oven aging procedures are no longer real- Projects at Airports performance evaluation of an innovative istic and provides consideration for a new ACRP Research high-friction surface treatment are among procedure for testing asphalt mixtures. Report 205 the papers presented in this volume. 2019; 46 pp.; TRB affiliates, $42.75; non- This report provides 2019; 742 pp. For more information, visit affiliates, $57. Subscriber category: materials. guidance on the inno- http://journals.sagepub.com/home/trr. vative green revolving Management and Use of Data funds (GRF) approach, Transportation Research Record 2673 for Transportation Performance offers help for air- Issue 4 Management: Guide for Practitioners ports to determine if this is suitable, and Authors present research on such topics NCHRP Research Report 920 includes instructions on how to deploy a as cyclist safety in London, the use of Practical guidance is presented in this GRF approach. aerial lidar in measuring streetscape and report to help transportation agencies 2019; 134 pp. Subscriber categories: street trees, the influence of environmental improve their use of data for performance aviation, environment, finance. beliefs and safety concerns in gender and management. Six life-cycle stages are ex- rail transit use, and the implementation amined. Included are checklists to identify Guidebook on Effective Land Use of AASHTOWare Pavement-ME design opportunities for improvement. Compatibility Planning Strategies software for asphalt pavements in Kansas. 2019; 148 pp.; TRB affiliates, $63.75; for General Aviation Airports 2019; 1034 pp. For more information, visit nonaffiliates, $85. Subscriber categories: ACRP Research Report 206 http://journals.sagepub.com/home/trr. highways, data and information technology. This report helps airport operators identify various tools for ensuring compatible Approaches for Emerging land use and how to best communicate Determining and Technologies for land use compatibility needs to govern- Complying with Construction ment decision makers and stakeholders. TMDL Delivery Included are checklists and an accompany- Requirements NCHRP Synthesis 534 ing planning brochure. Related to The uses of visual- 2019; 152 pp.; TRB affiliates, $63.75; Roadway ization and model- nonaffiliates, $85. Subscriber categories: Stormwater Runoff ing, interconnected aviation, planning and forecasting. NCHRP Research technologies, safety Report 918 technologies, instrumentation and sensors,

52 ‹ TR NEWS January–February 2020 INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS TO TR NEWS

TR News welcomes the submission of articles for possible publication in the categories listed below. All articles submitted are subject to review by the Editorial Board and other reviewers to determine suitability for TR News; authors will be advised of acceptance of articles with or without revision. All articles accepted for publication are subject to editing for conciseness and appropriate language and style. Authors review and approve the edited version of the article before publication.

ARTICLES

FEATURES are timely articles of interest to transportation RESEARCH PAYS OFF highlights research projects, studies, professionals, including administrators, planners, researchers, demonstrations, and improved methods or processes that and practitioners in government, academia, and industry. provide innovative, cost-effective solutions to important Articles are encouraged on innovations and state-of-the-art transportation-related problems in all modes. Research Pays practices pertaining to transportation research and devel- Off articles should describe cases in which the application opment in all modes (highways and bridges, public transit, of project findings has resulted in benefits to transportation aviation, rail, marine, and others, such as pipelines, bicycles, agencies or to the public, or in which substantial benefits pedestrians, etc.) and in all subject areas (planning and are expected. Articles (approximately 750 to 1,000 words) administration, design, materials and construction, facility should delineate the problem, research, and benefits, and be maintenance, traffic control, safety, security, logistics, geolo- accompanied by the logo of the agency or organization sub- gy, law, environmental concerns, energy, technology, etc.). mitting the article, as well a one or two photos or graphics. Manuscripts should be no longer than 3,000 words. Authors Research Pays Off topics must be approved by the RPO Task also should provide tables and graphics with corresponding Force; to submit a topic for consideration, contact Stephen captions (see Submission Requirements). Prospective authors Maher at 202-334-2955 or [email protected]. are encouraged to submit a summary or outline of a proposed article for preliminary review. OTHER CONTENT MINIFEATURES are concise feature articles, typically 1,500 words in length. These can accompany feature articles as a TRB HIGHLIGHTS are short (500- to 750-word) articles about supporting or related topic or can address a standalone topic. TRB-specific news, initiatives, deliverables, or projects. Cooper- SIDEBARS generally are embedded in a feature or minifea- ative Research Programs project announcements and write-ups ture article, going into additional detail on a topic addressed are welcomed, as are news from other divisions of the National in the main article or highlighting important additional Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. information related to that article. Sidebars are usually up to BOOKSHELF announces publications in the transportation 750 words in length. field. Abstracts (100 to 200 words) should include title, POINT OF VIEW is an occasional series of authored opinions author, publisher, address at which publication may be ob- on current transportation issues. Articles (1,000 to 2,000 tained, number of pages, price, Web link, and DOI or ISBN. words) may be submitted with appropriate, high-quality Publishers are invited to submit copies of new publications graphics, and are subject to review and editing. for announcement (see contact information below).

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: › Articles submitted for possible publication in TR News and Note: Authors are responsible for the authenticity of any correspondence on editorial matters should be sent their articles and for obtaining written permissions to the TR News Editor, Transportation Research Board, 500 from publishers or persons who own the copyright to Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001, 202-334-2986, any previously published or copyrighted material used or [email protected]. in the articles as well as any copyrighted images submitted as graphics. › Submit graphic elements—photos, illustrations, tables, and figures—to complement the text. Images must be submitted as TIFF or JPEG files and must be at least 3 in. by 5 in. with a resolution of 300 dpi. Large photos (8 in. by 11 in. at 300 dpi) are welcomed for possible use as magazine cover images. A caption must be supplied for each graphic element. TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD PERIODICAL MAIL 500 Fifth Street, NW U.S. POSTAGE Washington, DC 20001 PAID WASHINGTON, DC PERMIT NO. 244960

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