TR NEWS

NUMBER 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004

Transportation Innovations in the Parks 8

3 INTRODUCTION Transportation, National Parks, and Public Lands: Defining the Challenge, Fostering Research and Partnerships Carol A. Zimmerman and Katherine F. Turnbull Transportation, national parks, and public lands are intrinsically linked. A TRB task force is working to encourage collaborative efforts to examine and address transportation needs in national parks and public lands, to preserve the sites and serve visitors.

4 Transportation Technologies Take to the Parks: 22 Context-Sensitive Innovations Improve Aesthetics, Communications, and Safety Gary L. Brown, Monica Gourdine, Bradley J. Roberts, Roger W. Surdahl, and J. Heather Woll The Federal Highway Administration is responsible for engineering safe and environmentally sensitive roadways and bridges in national parks and federal lands. The agency tests and deploys new transportation-related technologies to protect the environment, reduce congestion, improve aesthetics, enhance communications, and bolster safety.

8 Guiding Tourists To and Through the Parks: Study Assesses Traveler Information Needs Matt Burt and Carol A. Zimmerman 30

11 Designing a New Vehicle for National Parks: Low-Floor, Alternative-Fuel Bus in Testing John Sacklin

14 Transportation Partnerships in the Parks: Cooperative Initiatives Serve Visitors, Preserve the Environment Katherine F. Turnbull Recent projects provide models for addressing transportation issues and opportunities in the national parks—including urban parks, monuments, and historic sites. Successful projects have involved partnerships; incremental approaches; local expertise and funding; blends of old and new modes; and documentation of the benefits.

19 Riding with the Jammers Cover: Refurbished red buses take riders from park lodges to a scenic tour of Glacier National Park in 21 Scholars Grow in the National Parks Montana. Special fleet development is among the transportation 22 Making Tracks in Wildlife Refuges innovations now offered on public lands and presented in this issue. Sean Furniss (Photograph courtesy of Jean Tabbert.) TR NEWS

features articles on innovative and timely research POINT OF VIEW and development activities in all modes of trans- 24 portation. Brief news items of interest to the Up Close and Personal: transportation community are also included, The Personal Transportation Alternative in along with profiles of transportation profes- sionals, meeting announcements, summaries of National Parks new publications, and news of Transportation Franz K. Gimmler Research Board activities. Park transportation systems must not degrade the place or the visitor’s experience of the place, this author observes, defining a new paradigm that TR News is produced by the Transportation Research Board calls for a personal transportation system—small, cost- and energy- Publications Office efficient, nonpolluting, and nonintrusive vehicles available within the Javy Awan, Editor and Publications Director park, that employ a variety of ready-to-use technologies. David Altstadt, Assistant Editor Juanita Green, Production Manager Michelle Wandres, Graphic Designer 30 TRB SPECIAL REPORT TR News Editorial Board A Concept for a National Freight Data Program Neil F. Hawks, Chairman Jill Wilson Joseph A. Breen Walter J. Diewald A TRB study committee has outlined a conceptual framework for the Frederick D. Hejl development of a national freight database, a comprehensive source of Timothy Hess timely and reliable data on freight flows. The recommendations cover the Stephan A. Parker organizational and technical steps to implement the program, which would Barbara L. Post assist decision making about freight at all levels of government and in the A. Robert Raab private sector. Transportation Research Board Robert E. Skinner, Jr., Executive Director Suzanne B. Schneider, Associate Executive Director Mark R. Norman, Director, ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Technical Activities Stephen R. Godwin, Director, Studies and Information Services 29 Calendar 38 News Briefs Michael P.LaPlante, Director, Oregon mileage counter, Administration and Finance 34 Research Pays Off Alameda Corridor payoff, Robert J. Reilly, Director, pavement profiler roundup, Cooperative Research Programs Stone Interlayer Neil F. Hawks, Director, Special Programs vessel-bridge crashes, and Pavement System: border backups. TR News (ISSN 0738-6826) is issued bimonthly Extending the Service by the Transportation Research Board, National Life of Low-Volume Roads Research Council, 500 Fifth Street, NW,Washington, 41 TRB Highlights Masood Rasoulian DC 20001. Internet address: www.TRB.org. CRP News, 41 Editorial Correspondence: By mail to the Profiles Publications Office, Transportation Research Board, 36 45 Bookshelf 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001, by Rural transit administrator telephone 202-334-2972, by fax 202-334-3495, or by e-mail [email protected]. Pam Ward and bridge structure expert and professor Andrzej S. Subscriptions: North America: 1 year $55; sin- Nowak. gle issue $9.50. Overseas: 1 year $75; single issue $13.50. Inquiries or communications concerning new subscriptions, subscription problems, or sin- gle-copy sales should be addressed to the Business Office at the address below, or telephone 202- 334-3216, fax 202-334-2519. Periodicals postage COMING NEXT ISSUE paid at Washington, D.C.

Postmaster: Send changes of address to TR News, The September–October 2004 TR News Transportation Research Board, 500 Fifth Street, offers a comprehensive look at the need NW,Washington, DC 20001. for stakeholder involvement in highway Notice: The opinions expressed in articles appearing research: what is being done and what in TR News are those of the authors and do not could be done to involve local and necessarily reflect the views of the Transportation regional transportation agencies in the Research Board. The Transportation Research Board and TR News do not endorse products of manufac- research enterprise to identify, under- turers. Trade and manufacturers’ names appear in an take, test, and implement innovative article only because they are considered essential to transportation technologies. its object. Printed in the United States of America. The Circuit Training and Assistance Program Copyright © 2004 Transportation Research Board. van distributes transportation research and All rights reserved. innovations to local agency practitioners throughout Minnesota. INTRODUCTION TRANSPORTATION, National Parks, & Public Lands

Defining the Challenge, Fostering Research and Partnerships

CAROL A. ZIMMERMAN and KATHERINE F. TURNBULL

ost people may be resigned to congested freeways issues, research, and outreach activities associated with Mand streets during the daily commute,but no one national parks, wildlife refuges, recreation areas, and other wants to experience traffic congestion on visits to public lands.Task force-sponsored sessions at TRB Annual national parks,wildlife refuges,recreation areas,and other Meetings have addressed a range of topics,with paper pre- public lands. This issue of TR News highlights approaches sentations and invited speakers. The number of annual to address transportation problems in these scenic and meeting papers in the subject area has increased, produc- historic protected areas. ing a more robust body of knowledge. The task force is Park roads, railroads, touring coaches, boats, horses, sponsoring its first workshop, on transportation and the and hiking trails have played important roles in the devel- visitor experience, at the 2005 Annual Meeting. opment of national parks and public lands. These means The task force also is developing problem statements and modes continue to serve visitors to and within parks for the National Cooperative Highway Research Pro- and support the visitor experience. Transportation, gram (NCHRP), the Transit Cooperative Research Pro- national parks, and public lands are intrinsically linked. gram, and other research sponsors. NCHRP Synthesis The National Park System includes 388 sites covering 329, Integrating Tourism and Recreational Travel with Trans- more than 84 million acres and receives 300 million visi- portation Planning and Project Development,stemmed from tors annually. The National Wildlife Refuge System a task force-developed topic. The task force is drafting attracts 39 million annual visitors to 570 refuges and wet- problem statements on the influence of changing demo- lands totaling 96 million acres. Even without adding the graphics on park transportation needs, multimodal and statistics for the Bureau of Land Management,the Forest intermodal approaches to park transportation,transpor- Service,and other public lands to these totals,the magni- tation in low-volume parks, and quality of service mea- tude of the transportation challenge is evident. sures for parks and public lands. The federal land management agencies,the U.S. Depart- The task force will continue to encourage collabora- ment of Transportation, state governments, communities, tive efforts—such as those presented in the following TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 foundations, businesses, regional organizations, and other pages—to examine and address transportation needs in groups are exploring and implementing innovative national parks and public lands. approaches to transportation issues in national parks and public lands.The accompanying articles,assembled by TRB’s Zimmerman is Chair, TRB Task Force on Transportation Transportation Needs of National Parks and Public Lands Needs for National Parks and Public Lands, and Vice Task Force,seek to advance discussion of these issues and President, Battelle,Washington, D.C. Turnbull is Chair, TRB the potential solutions. Policy and Organization Group, and Associate Director, The task force provides a forum for transportation Texas Transportation Institute, College Station. 3 4 TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 Lakewood, Colorado. Central Division, Development Engineers, and Woll are Technology Wa Division, Vancouver, Coordinator, Western Deployment Systems Roberts isTechnology W the headquartersoffice, Programs Engineerin Gourdine isTechnology Sterling, Virginia; Eastern Division, T Highway: Brown is of FederalLands Administration’s Office the FederalHighway The authorsare with echnology Coordinator, ROGER W. SURDAHL,ANDJ.HEATHER WOLL GARY L.BROWN,MONICAGOURDINE,BRADLEYJ.ROBERTS, Communications, andSafety Context-Sensitive InnovationsImprove Aesthetics, T T ashington, D.C.; shington; andSurdahl ake totheParks ransportation Technologies F of FederalLands Highway(FLH)andNPS,along with a deploymentandsharingprogram oftheFHWA Office Lands HighwayTechnology ImplementationProgram, mentations are fundedthrough theCoordinated Federal Many ofthenewtechnologydeployments andimple- Goals andResponsibilities shorter waittimesforentry. bypass thegates,sothatvisitorsinturnexperienced pass holdersandauthorizedpersonnelwere ableto orado installeditsvehicleaccesscontrol system,park- 2002. WhenRockyMountainNationalParkinCol- Explorer busesincreased by17percent from 2001to cle emissionsdeclined,andridershipontheIsland (ITS) technologies,overalltraffic congestionandvehi- implemented severalintelligenttransportation system on theirexpertise.” highway plannersandengineers,wecapitalize experts, thestructuralandbridgeengineers, park engineershere, butFHWA hasthegeotech parkway withoutthepartnership withFHWA. Ihave maintain andmanage500miles[805kilometers]of and Virginia. “Itwouldbetoughformyteamto ing attheNPS’BlueRidgeParkwayinNorth Carolina Gentry, division chiefofmaintenanceandengineer- (NPS). Service National Park (FHWA) andtheU.S.Department oftheInterior’s of Transportation’s FederalHighwayAdministration For example,afterAcadiaNationalParkinMaine “The partnership John worksverywell,”observes partnership betweentheU.S.Department portation-related technologiesthrough a successfully deployinginnovative,trans- r om coasttocoast,nationalparksare corridors. Theaesthetics oftheparksare enhanced, gestion, andpollution,byproviding more pleasing itors andparkpersonnelbyreducing crowding, con- advances, innovations,andnew sources offunding. many newtechnologiesbeen available,through national parkssince1926.But neverbefore haveso nologies andproviding tothe engineeringservices tainable waysisacore missionofFLH. r technology toprovide betteraccesstonatural naturalresourcesAmerica’s forthepeople.Deploying safety. Newtechnologieshelpachievethatgoal. aesthetics, enhancescommunications,andbolsters tects theenvironment, reduces congestion,improves goal istoworkinacontext-sensitivemannerthatpro- as wellmaterialtestingandqualityassurance.The struction, andrehabilitation ofroadways andbridges, for planning,design,environment, right-of-way, con- ington, provide transportation engineeringservices and theWestern FLHDivision,inVancouver, Wash- the CentralFLHDivision,inLakewood,Colorado; before implementationbytheFLHdivisions. McLean, Virginia, studiesmanyofthetechnologies the Turner–Fairbank HighwayResearch Centerin Development, andTechnology (RD&T),locatedat other federallands.TheFHWA Office ofResearch, tive roadways andbridgesatnationalparkson sible forengineeringsafeandenvironmentally sensi- other federallandmanagementagencies. esources inthesafestandmostenvironmentally sus- The technologiesandinnovations benefitparkvis- FHWA hasbeenresearching anddevelopingtech- The missionofNPSistopreserve andprotect Sterling, Virginia;The EasternFLHDivision,in Through itsthree FLHDivisions,FHWA isrespon- P H and the quality and durability of roads, bridges, and Park in Washington, Rocky Mountain National Park, OTO :J other infrastructure are improved. The following are Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, Cumberland OHN B highlights of key technologies that the FLH divisions Gap National Historical Park in Kentucky, and Gulf ANDURSKI have deployed or plan to deploy in national parks. Islands National Seashore in Florida and Mississippi. ,G

Acadia National Park deploys a variety of ITS tech- ULF I Electronic Enhancements nologies, including the Island Explorer Operational SLANDS

ITS technologies, common in urban areas, are making Enhancement System, which permits two-way voice N A their way into the national parks. ITS applies com- communications and equips the environmentally TIONAL S puters, electronics, navigational aids, and communi- clean, propane-powered Island Explorer buses with EASHORE cations devices to provide real-time information to automatic vehicle location. motorists and transportation decision makers, to In Glacier National Park, FLH completed an ITS Variable message sign on an decrease congestion and pollution and to increase architecture report on the Going-to-the-Sun Road in access road, Gulf Islands safety. The Office of RD&T is involved in researching, December 2003, and a deployment plan will be in National Seashore, informs motorists about road closures testing, and fine-tuning these technologies. place soon. The plan is expected to focus on ATIS but and other travel information. To manage roadway capacity, advanced traveler also will address ways to mitigate and facilitate the information systems (ATIS) direct travelers to park road’s rehabilitation. The ITS deployment plan for events, less-congested park entrances, and parking Mount Rainier National Park will offer strategies to areas. Other ITS approaches use Global Positioning reduce traffic and parking congestion and to mitigate System (GPS) technology to monitor the locations of the impact of the upcoming construction at the Jack- buses and to predict arrival times at bus stops, keeping son Visitor Center in Paradise. visitors informed. To reduce vehicle congestion at the Beaver Mead- FLH has deployed ITS technologies at several ows Entrance Station in Rocky Mountain National parks, including Acadia National Park, Glacier Park, a fourth entrance lane was added for frequent National Park in Montana, Mount Rainier National users such as rangers, vendors, maintenance workers, P H OTO :R OGER S URDAHL ,FHWA- CFLHD TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004

Vehicle Access Control System (foreground) reduced congestion at entrance station to Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. 5 T Mountains NationalPark, installation inGreat Smoky undergoes testingafter New variablemessagesign ennessee.

6 TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004

HWA-EFLHD ,F C :F P ORRADO RANK OTO H methods canbe incorporated.” loading andsupport grass growth sothatthebest system are beingevaluatedtoaccommodate vehicular tic blocksystem,andaPVC[polyvinyl chloride]pipe FLH Division.“Acellularconfinement system,aplas- Lineman, Technical EngineerattheEastern Services did notallowforadequategrass growth,” saysLaurin but thesurface area andheatretention characteristics were notdesirableforeitheraestheticsorsafety. did notwanttopavetheseareas, andgravelpull-offs enforcement andemergency use.Thepark,however, tified theneedforpull-offs alongtheroad forlaw maintaining grassgrowth. AnFLHsafetystudyiden- tion oftemporaryparkingareas orpull-offs while nessee andNorth Carolina toallowforsoilstabiliza- Smoky MountainsNationalParkinTen-in theGreat Green ParkingAlternativesisatechnologydeployed Grassy Pull-Offs national parks. to thepublicincreases, more ITSwillbedeployedin As thecostsoftechnologydecline,andvalue r along roadways, andInternetwebsitesthatprovide highway advisoryradioviashort-distance transmitters itoring stations,road weatherinformationsystems, accommodate additionalvehicles. motorists onthemainlandthatparkcannot fic managementduringspecialeventsbyalerting Seashore, portable variablemessagesignsassistintraf- ity messagestodrivers.AtGulfIslandsNational override AMandFMradiosignalstobroadcast prior- ator tocommunicatewithmotorists;theoperatorcan put upvariablemessagesignstoallowthetunneloper- buses. CumberlandGapNationalHistoricalParkhas control systemforauthorizedvehiclesandshuttle cated accesslanewithafast-passelectronic access- speeds upaccesstothepark. inates theneedforaparkrangertocollectfeesand by loopdetectors,transponders,orcard readers, elim- the CentralFLHDivision.Theentrancegate,activated coordinator andaformertransportation plannerat Sigel, quality tration duetowaittimes,”saysRenee improved theinitialvisitorexperiencewithlessfrus- enhanced airqualitywithfeweridlingvehicles,and has reduced congestionattheentrancestation, gate. FLH installedavehicleaccesssystematthelane’s emergency equipmentdrivers,andParkPassholders; eal-time informationtomotoristsandparkpersonnel. “In thepast,FLHtriedcellularconcrete pavers, Other ITStechnologiesinuseincludetraffic mon- Bryce CanyonNationalParkhasinstalledadedi- “Taking theseusersoutofthenormaltouristqueue Park inCalifornia. Park andPreserve inAlaska,andYosemite National National Park,GlacierDenali Dakota, ZionNationalParkinUtah,RockyMountain South planned intheWind CaveNationalParkin developing acustomizedversion.Deploymentis years, FLHinpartnership withtheOffice ofRD&Tis the projected constructioncosts. compare theusercostsofroad closure optionswith ing schedules.QuickZonealsocancomputeand ated costswithdifferent typesofconstructionorphas- economic impacts. maximum queuelengths,coststomotorists,andother and times—generatefigures forexpectedtraffic delays, anticipated traffic volume,andtheconstructiondates location oftheworkzones,detourroutes, the total constructioncosts.Theinputdata—suchasthe work zonesandallowsamore completeassessmentof neers indecisionmaking. by FLHplanners,designers,andconstructionengi- ware developedbytheOffice ofRD&Tanddeployed more are unseen.AnexampleisQuickZone,asoft- For everytechnologythatparkvisitorscansee,many Customizing Software from signstoroad curvature toslideareas.” fingertips avisualofeverysquare inchoftheparkway, r agers willhavedataontheconditions andfeatures ofthe maintain ourroad structure,” saysGentry. “We asman- ate queriestogatherdataonspecific areas ofinterest. lected from anyofthe254nationalparksandgener- NPS officials canviewtheroad inventorydatacol- processed datawithsynchronized digitalvideoimages. cameras tocollectimagesofthepavement. panoramic viewoftheroadway, anddownward-facing surfaces, front-mounted digitalcamerasforproviding a movement fordeterminingtheroll andpitchofroadway ness Indexdata,anintegratedgyroscope totrackvehicle ment roughness sensorstocollectInternationalRough- employs GPS,laserstodetectpavementrutting,pave- is usingastate-of-theart road analysisprogram that features suchasculverts, signs,andguardrails. RIPnow estimating thecorrective costsforthemaintenanceof of identifyingroad conditionsontheNPSnetworkand RoadInventoryProgram (RIP)hasalonghistory FLH’s Scoping theRoads oad. There are 500milesofparkway, andI’llhaveatmy Although severalstateshaveusedQuickZonefor The software cancompare thedelaysandassoci- The software estimatestravelerdelaycausedby The software “isagreat newtechnology forusto Another RIPsoftware packagecandisplay TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 7

PHOTO:JAMES AMENTA,FHWA-EFLHD PHOTO:DARCEL COLLINS,FHWA-EFLHD The InSAR ground movement technology also has movement technology The InSAR ground orkers place high-performance concrete on a new on concrete place high-performance orkers esearched high-performance concrete (HPC) before concrete high-performance esearched W bridge in a national park. Strength and Durability Strength quality the Innovative technologies that improve benefit to another and durability of construction are of RD&T parks, visitors, and taxpayers. The Office r FLH adopted it for bridges in national parks. The con- and for higher strength mix meets requirements crete lower permeability. assisted in observations of slope stability. Other appli- assisted in observations of slope stability. mon- cations include corridor planning and long-term and itoring of highways, railways, dams, groundwater and oil extraction, pipelines, urban development, mine facilities. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors, attached to Synthetic aperture and historic data sets, FLH applied Using current movement ground InSAR can be used to interpret either a satellite or an airplane, capture radar images of radar either a satellite or an airplane, capture the earth’s The surface. allows the SAR interferometry taken comparison of two images of the same location so that analysts can determine weeks or months apart, of the earth’sprofiles surface. InSAR at Badlands National Park in Dakota, South landslide movement complicates road- frequent where way maintenance. InSAR expanded the extent of the and helped in identifying the size of observation areas and in assessing the rel- the landslides near access roads The technology pin- ative stability of alternative routes. of movement that traditional geotechnical pointed areas identified monitoring instruments had not previously in the vicinity of park improvements. and that were and location of observa- and can confirm the nature InSAR readings tions. Interagency observers can review conveniently in conjunction with land deformation does not replace maps via the Internet. The software surveys or geotechnical studies but adds ground-based value to conventional site investigations. Profiles by Radar by Profiles (InSAR) radar synthetic aperture Interferometric movement at centimeter- ground monitors vertical InSAR detects, maps, and measures level accuracy. or ground-based movement without survey targets instruments. Automated Road Analyzer vehicle is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that enables FHWA staff to Automated Road with state-of-the-art is equipped technology vehicle Analyzer that enables FHWA the National Park System. within network data on the roadway collect pavement 8 TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 destinations with traditionaltraveler infor- extensive amountofinformation ontourism system isatypicalinthatitintegrates an DOT. The operatedby Virginia 511 Virginia, f Island Explorer busservice. gies have enhancedtheoperationsoffree strate- (NPS).The the NationalParkService ofTransportationDepartment (DOT) and systemsby theU.S.ligent transportation theresultpartly ofarecent fieldtestofintel- between traveler information andtourismis Thecoordination ily findtheirway around. systems are orientedtohelpingvisitorseas- Thetraveler information nated by thepark. tourism communities. sentatives ofthetraveler information and well withrepre- asinterviews satisfaction,as of available dataonsystemuseandcustomer Thestudyinvolved ananalysis ley inVirginia. andtheI-81Corridor–Shenandoah Val- City; SaltLake Missouri; Branson, coast ofMaine; f impacts oftraveler information systemsin these questions. tion (FHWA) attemptstoanswer someof soredAdministra- byHighway theFederal A recent studyspon- How willthey useit? want toreceive it?Whendothey wantit? W or theI-81Corridor–Shenandoah Valley is AcadiaNationalParkonthe our locations: The regional traveler information system tourismisintenseanddomi- Acadia, In The crosscutting studyexaminedthe and tourists want? How dotheyand touristswant? hat information doparkvisitors Parkway inTennessee haveusedHPC.Manystate Parkway inWashington, D.C.,andtheFoothills mately reduces costs. r beams, HPCimproves safety, increases life, theservice bridge components,suchasdecksandprestressed and enhancestrength anddurability. Onvarious tional concrete, butincludesadmixtures toengineer educes future maintenanceandreplacement, andulti- Guiding Tourists To andThrough theParks Bridges ontheGeorge Washington Memorial HPC usesmanyofthesamematerialsasconven- Study Assesses Traveler InformationNeeds ATBR N AO .ZIMMERMAN MATT BURTA. AND CAROL support theoverallsupport visitorinformation strate- suggest thattraveler information systemscan profile onthesystem. sotheparkhadalow doah NationalPark, dination between 511VirginiaandShenan- Until recently,however,there waslittlecoor- mation suchastrafficandroad conditions. tourism services for services tourism Virginia’sI-81 Corridor. and travel conditions, traffic information, 511 Virginia provides withreal-time callers The Acadia andShenandoah experiences The r andreductionslong-term service inmaintenanceand and withnoconcrete overlay. HPCalsooffers gainsin trimmed significantlywiththesmallernumberofbeams for aspecialconcrete overlay. Constructiontimemaybe span lengthandbeamspacing,eliminatetheneed example, toreduce thenumberofbeams,increase the accepted practice. havemadeconstructionwithHPC DOTs already eplacement. HPC allowsthedesignergreater flexibility—for tively thevisitorandtraveler support infor- traveler information systemsmay noteffec- experience shows thateven tourist-oriented improvements. tial oftraveler information systems. m site studiesindicatethatseveral challenges quality oftheirtravel experience. on theirtravel decisionmakingand onthe r andmany tourists high amongtouristusers, Satisfactionlevels are generally is valuable. stakeholders agreed thattraveler information nearly allofthetourism Ininterviews, ties. national parksandtheirgateway communi- gies andthetrafficmanagementstrategiesof accessing theinformation. turned offmore easily by any hasslein motivated tousetraveler information willbe andtouristswhoare less tourists isdifficult, Attractingtheattentionof information. frequent localtravelers toobtaintraveler motivated thandaily commuters andother haps resigned totrafficcongestion—are less andper- in an area time, for ashort mode, that tourists—whoare inarelaxed vacation Many stakeholders speculate other tourists. f information systemsandisaspecialchallenge a or systems serving nationalparkvisitorsand or systemsserving eport thattravelereport information hasanimpact wareness isaproblem for most traveler ust beovercome torealize thefullpoten- ◆ ◆ Nevertheless,the Acadia andShenandoah Nevertheless,the iie oriain despite Limited coordination, Low awareness anduse. The ShenandoahValley Lack of TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 9 The crosscutting study’s final report, study’s The crosscutting or National Parks and Public Lands Task Force. and Public Lands or National Parks Task Burt is Principal Research Scientist and Zimmer- Vice President,man is Battelle,Washington, D.C. Needs Transportation chairs TRB’s Zimmerman f of problem definition and project design. and project definition of problem Battelle, by prepared com- is scheduled for pletion in August 2004 and will be available the U.S.through Electronic Document DOT Library, www.its.dot.gov/itsweb/welcome. htm. the study, informationabout more For Manager James Pol, Task contact FHWA telephone 202-366-4374, e-mail james.pol @fhwa.dot.gov. Although foamed asphalt is not a new technique, Although foamed asphalt esulting in a high-strength stabilized base. esulting in a high-strength and mixed with pulverized in situ materials in the with pulverized in and mixed The reworked reclaimer. mixing drum of a road graded, and compacted, material is then relaid, r advances in equipment have introduced improve- have introduced advances in equipment in the design of the expansion ments in metering and cost savings, provides The technology chamber. and is performance, does not sacrifice pavement with less hauling of materials, environment-friendly, or example, may tourism stakeholders F not are perspectives These differing maintain that information showing full parking showing maintain that information will deter potential lots and jammed streets busi- from tourists away tourists or will route traffic.nesses that depend on drive-by Trans- portation agencies, hand, on the other aim for not are and usually system efficiency and safety or to the eco- routing to microscale sensitive of an area. objectives nomic development be impediments but must show-stopping and addressed.acknowledged Whenever clashed,the have perspectives primary cause and partici-has been a lack of coordination the earliest stages all partiespation by from The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute operates the control room of 511 Virginia. of 511 room the control Institute operates Virginia Transportation Tech The Differing agendas and sensitivities. agendas Differing Inspired partly by the vision of 511 as a partly the vision of 511 as by Inspired attention to greater NPS also is paying Cold water is introduced into a stream of hot into a stream Cold water is introduced ◆ echnologies such as HPC can reduce the long-term HPC can reduce echnologies such as egional,tourism promotion and local comprehensive source of nationwide trav- source comprehensive eler information, information traveler many including multimodal system operators are example,and other information—for about national parks and other tourist attractions. At the same time,national focusing are parks vis- their own on managing visitation through strategies,asitor information as through well information with other traveler coordination systems. by influenced parks influence and are how communities.gateway Finally, tourism stake- on outdoor recreation focusing holders are and scenic and historical resources, and are of the parks’ trans- aware becoming more portation-related challenges. mation objectives of nearby national parks; of nearby mation objectives moreover, not be taking the parks may information traveler advantage of available systems. between coordination Increased system operators, information traveler national parks, state, and the extensive r its expertisecommunity—with and infra- dis- and information marketing for structure semination—is one of the most promising use of trav- the visibility and to increase ways systems.eler information Coordination among these parties is increasing. asphalt, causing the asphalt to foam and expand. The asphalt, causing the asphalt is immediately injected expanded, foamed asphalt costs of construction and maintenance, but other tech- costs of construction and Foamed costs immediately. nologies can reduce or reclaims for example, reuses asphalt stabilized base, as old asphalt, base materi- pavement materials such als, and subgrade soil. Recycling Materials Recycling T National park personnel,the transportation information agency operators of traveler systems, and local tourism stakeholders that traveler some common interests have systems can advance.information However, sensitivities, differing have also these groups conflict- as differing—sometimes as well ing—objectives. 10 TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004

hrceitc fZo–t CarmelTunnel. characteristics of Zion–Mt. Investigator usesatitlehammertosurvey seismic Reflection Tomography™ toassessthetechnicalandeconomicfeasibility ofenlargingthetunnel. FHWA staffuseTrue Insidethetunnel, Utah. ZionNationalPark, CarmelTunnel, Entrance totheZion–Mt.

CFLHD ,FHWA- H :K P ARAMY HAMIS OTO H is notlarge enough toaccommodatetwo-way, over- long Zion–Mt.CarmelTunnel inZionNationalPark Constructed inthe1920s,1-mile- (1.6kilometer-) Seismic Signals struction are alsoimportant.” about theprocess andrequirements duringcon- adequate oversightbypersonnelknowledgeable says. “Developingagoodspecificationandhaving compatible withthefoamedasphaltprocess,” he conducting athorough fieldinvestigationbeforehand. a successfulproject withfoamedasphaltstabilizationis FLH Division,notesthatoneofthekeysforcompleting Mountain NationalPark. process inColoradoNationalMonumentandRocky has usedfoamedasphalt,andplansare toapplythe Recreation Area inNewJerseyandPennsylvaniaalso atively modestcost.TheDelaware Water GapNational pavement materialswere reclaimed andreused atarel- in aremote locationwithoutlocalmaterialsources; the than 2inches(5centimeters)wide.Themonumentis stabilized baseforpavementwiththermalcracksmore National MonumentinArizonachoseafoamedasphalt visitors andwildlife. quicker constructiontime,andlessimpactonpark “It isimportant thattheexistingmaterialsare Michael Voth, pavementengineerattheCentral W

ith atightproject budget,CanyondeChelly

CFLHD ,FHWA- H :K P ARAMY HAMIS OTO H TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 11 The bus can be with modified (left) rubber tracks snow. to drive over Partners,funding sources,and major sup- price of the vehicle The estimated purchase www.heartinternational.com/ Laboratory Environmental www.inel.gov/ ebsites ansit Administration;theU.S. Department ehicle consultants ASG Renaissance of or passengers. will of the vehicle Production The author is Chief of Planning,Yellowstone National Park. design of towing systems that can hitch to a design of towing wheel- or ski-based trailer carrying equipment or cargo,or seating to a trailer with additional f begin later this year. pliers of components in this National Park Service INEEL; include project the Federal Tr of Energy; General Motors Corporation; v Dearborn, Michigan; fuel advisers alternative Mountain,Inc.,ofRuby City;vehicle Salt Lake engineering firm Heart International of Grand Blanc,Michigan;Champion Bus Com- City,Michigan;and of Imlay pany Omni Track of LaGrande, Oregon. to $180,000, $110,000 ranges from depending on the amenities and on specification of a track winter operations. system for W Heart International Idaho National Engineering and The yellow bus (above) will provide transportation will provide bus (above) The yellow this winter. National Park Yellowstone in JOHN SACKLIN The demonstration vehicle was well The demonstration vehicle The national park bus can incorporate sev- The national park bus project, During the first phase of the vehicle in arrived The first demonstration vehicle 2003,In late November the vehicle, modi- uch lower cost as a subset of this market cost uch lower ellowstone and Grand Teton in August 2003. and Grand Teton ellowstone ellowstone from January through March 2004. March January through from ellowstone et in the United States. indi- analysis Market estyling of the transition from the cab to the estyling of the transition from estyling of the front end to replicate the orig- end to replicate estyling of the front eceived in several locations around the coun- locations around in several eceived ear-wheel drive and a gross weight of 19,500 of weight and a gross drive ear-wheel ormance and in adjusting the design. r try. the truck- Suggestions included reducing end, look of the front like which also would riders, visibility for the forward improve and the passenger amenities.improving The part- a list of possible revi- developed ners have sions, areas: five divided into the minor r accurately;theinal historic design more major r back of vehicle; interior issues; the design of the vehicle; amenities for additional and the k cates that a low-emission,fuel-efficient vehicle in municipal a range of applications will have transportation.Thetransit and private-sector at a can be developed national park vehicle m bus. than as a park-specific chassis.eral different The initial vehicle, with r pounds, uses a General Motors C4500/5500 chassis. include gasoline, Fuel options diesel or biodiesel, propane, natural gas. or compressed completion in scheduled for December 2004, an partners developed the program ADA-com- pliant, prototype. low-floor The prototype to support tourism in the includes features national parks—such as an enhanced audio system, top, a roll-back 25- video camera with zoom and image stabilization,power a flat- monitor,andscreen a player. DVD Y That fall, national additional the bus toured the country, parks and other locations around park staff,parkgathering comments from part- ners, and the public. snow, driving over fied with rubber tracks for facility in was tested at the track manufacturer’s Oregon. within The bus operated successfully Y the tour and the subsequent from Information per- the vehicle’s testing will assist in refining f . Low-Floor,Alternative-Fuel Bus in Testing Low-Floor,Alternative-Fuel in Bus Designing a New Vehicle for National Parks National for Vehicle a New Designing

ellowstone National Park in Wyoming, National ellowstone Montana, with the working and Idaho is

The vehicle meets the design and amenity The vehicle The genesis for the national park vehicle The genesis for train chassis and power vehicle’s The new

ellowstone and Grand Teton national parks and Grand Teton ellowstone ear-round use;ear-round one model can operate on equirements of national parks and will offer of national parks and will equirements

The entry in the low-floor, ramp bus yellow new extends to accommodate passengers in wheelchairs. Y r pri- to the park visitors a desirable alternative vate automobile. is designed for The vehicle y tracks, in in use coaches already the snow like Y Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEEL) of the U.S. Department of Energy, industry with the automotive and and mid- a new to develop other private companies parks.The use in national size bus for is vehicle a low-floor, to 32-passenger bus that runs 16- and complies with the fuels on alternative Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). On a bus,thelow-floor is close to the passenger area entry;ground,so for not required that steps are an entry to accommo- ramp can be extended date passengers in wheelchairs. can be traced to the historic yellow and red can be traced to the historic yellow in the White Motor Company buses built by and Glacier national Yellowstone 1930s for parks, respectively. With their classic, roll-back roofs,thecanvas attracted park vis- buses have decades.itors for fleet is now A refurbished operating in Glacier National Park. the medium-duty, match those designed for bus mar- community–transit–shuttle–school 12 TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 od lce ainlPr,Montana. Glacier NationalPark, Road, undergo repair andmaintenance atGoing-to-the-Sun originally constructedinthe1920s, walls, Stone masonry tural heritage. improve cul- safetybutalsoare part ofthepark’s the early1920s,stonemasonrywallsnotonly 127 retaining wallsandguard walls.Constructedin Sun Roadissupported andprotected byaseriesof spectacularGoing-to-the- Glacier NationalPark’s Historic Walls fication ofthetomographyresults. known ground support problems andvoids,forveri- logic structure. area Thesurvey includedzoneswith voids, fracture zones,orsignificantchangesinthegeo- zones withintherock massthatmaycorrespond to source andreceiver locations,identifyingreflector technology analyzestheseismicsignalsfrom several prietary seismicreflection–holography technique.The geotechnical engineerattheCentralFLHDivision. and theproposed parallelfacility,” notesKhamisHaramy, assessing ground conditionsaround theexistingtunnel feasibility oftheseoptionsdependsinlarge part on ing aparalleltunnel. r sized vehicletraffic. NPSandFLHare evaluating emedies suchasenlarging thetunnelorconstruct- Aging hascreated anurgent needtoensure the FLH conductedtheassessmentbyapplyingapro- “Accurate appraisalofthetechnicalandeconomic traveling publicandparkpersonnel.” vide asafeandenjoyableenvironment forthe age thisculturalheritagewhilealsostrivingtopro- that [theprogram] hashelpedthemproactively man- neer atWestern FLHDivision.“Theparkstaff feels National Park,”saysAlanKilian,geotechnicalengi- planning andprogramming. strategies, andgeneratereports andsummariesfor determine least-costmaintenanceandrehabilitation improve conditions,estimatethecostofalternatives, tively, topredict deterioration,identifyactionsto age andrepair theagingwallsystemsmore effec- support theprogram. ity andextentofdeterioration,definescoststo tracks theinspectionrecords, characterizesthesever- walls eachyear. Anelectronic managementdatabase r gram includesanongoingconditionassessmentthat approach tomanagingthehistoricwalls,pro- to developawallmanagementprogram. Asystematic failures. ration couldleadtomajorandpossiblycatastrophic integrity ofthewalls,however. Continueddeterio- equires adetailedinspectionofone-third ofthe “Response hasbeenverypositivefrom Glacier The program hasenabledparkpersonneltoman- In response, theparkpartnered withFLHin1999 TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 13 The national park system is decentralized, and FLH makes technological innovations in the The technology has worked so well that the park The technology has worked so well that the echnologies like these are implemented only after implemented only echnologies like these are elated problem and requesting the assistance of and requesting elated problem esearch, development, and testing. The process may process development, and testing. The esearch, each park has unique needs. FLH takes a context- to implementing solutions but sensitive approach and general themes problems, also identifies trends, that may apply to many parks. available to the to transportation related many areas national parks and other federal entities. An array of specialists—known as “champions” under FLH’s with the parks to solve technology program—works enhance amenities, and implement the problems, evident in the are technologies. The successful results variety of technologies deployed and the benefits gained—especially by visitors, who enjoy a safer and pleasant stay in the national parks. more Big Picture Overview Overview Big Picture T r a transportation- confronting with park officials start r and FLH. Or FLH itself may identify a problem develop a solution. Time domain reflectometry system in Denali National Park, Alaska, about information improved provides conditions. winter road plans to expand the number of weather data col- plans to expand the number of weather weather lection sites and to connect the east side groups station to the radio system. Other scientific TDR considering how to use the established are moni- radio systems in these parks for air quality to mit- toring, animal tracking, and vehicle tracking igate congestion. to improve safety, especially for the crew that plows especially for the crew safety, to improve USGS in the spring. Previously, and opens the road safety had guessed about snow conditions in making at Logan Now the TDR weather station forecasts. several times a day Pass sends data to headquarters radio system. a low-frequency through pping into Sensors The time domain reflectometry (TDR) system The time domain reflectometry hardwired sensors are The TDR and temperature for long-term responsible In the past, Denali staff have enhanced decision making about The results communica- “The technology has strengthened In Glacier National Park, the U.S. Geological Sur- According to Kilian, integrating the program into the program to Kilian, integrating According The primary access road at Denali National Park and at Denali National Park The primary access road damage during the spring severe undergoes Preserve could open safely to the road when thaws. Predicting The chal- vehicles is difficult. tourist buses and other of a communi- implementation lenge has prompted information cations system for transmitting road sites in the park. remote from the mois- that measure places sensors in the roadway not mea- content of the soil. The TDR sensors do ture is frozen. but can indicate if the soil temperature sure placed sensors also have been temperature Ground and connected into the communications network. radio transmis- low-frequency to a solar-powered, for analysis data which uploads real-time sion array, by the park’s personnel NPS and trails staff. roads on road a full day to collect information had required can compile the data within conditions, but now staff minutes. with road ecological monitoring had managed the office, the headquarters winter condition data from the TDR Now, the only physically accessible area. data from radio system and satellite sensors transmit being are the park, and sites several sites throughout added to extend the network’s capabilities. to buses, concession- when to open the park road and maintenance vehicles without damaging aires, Denali roads The technology helps the the roadway. plowing schedules develop efficient and trails staff for the park opening dates. TDR infor- and to prepare for mation also aids in setting weight restrictions vehicles during the spring park and concessionaire damage that can take as much as 70 preventing thaw, of the season to heal or repair. percent giving them tions among the various user groups, accurate and timely information to help man- more drill coordi- Beck, says Robert age park resources,” FLH Division. “This supports nator at the Western not only the general park traveler but also the scien- tific community working in the park.” for avalanche predictions vey (USGS) is responsible Ta the park’s has gone smoothly. efforts planning project $8,000 Costs have been minor—approximately every other year. 14 TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 a project panel. standing committeesand as wellonseveral Public LandsTask Force, National Parksand T Group, sheservesonthe Policy andOrganization Council andChairofthe T member oftheTRB College Station.A T T Director, Texas The authorisAssociate KATHERINE F. TURNBULL PreserveCooperative InitiativesServeVisitors, theEnvironment in theParks T ransportation Needsfor ransportation Institute, echnical Activities exas A&MSystem, ransportation Partnerships E vistas, however, detractfrom theparkexperience. lots, exhaustfumes,andvehiclesblockingscenic visits. Congestedroadways, overcrowded parking portation alwayshasbeenanintegralpart ofpark automobiles, toferries,hikingandbiking,trans- 02 ridership doubledfrom 140,931 to281,142. 2002, From 1999to period ofintenseridershipgrowth. duringa Island Explorer busesmaintainqualityservice andautomatedpassenger counting—helped location, automaticvehicle Global Positioning System (GPS), system(ITS)technologies—including transportation Acadia NationalPark’s implementation of intelligent groups. Working together, theseorganizations are communities, foundations,businesses,andother transportation agencies,stategovernments,local coordinated efforts offederallandmanagementand alternatives. Theseimprovements represent the information abouttransportation conditionsand onshuttlebussystemsandreadyexpanded service summer haveencountered newtraveloptions,with V isitors tomanyofthemore popularparksthis

r and foreign visitors.From horsestorail- lands isamajorpastimeforAmericans xploring nationalparksandotherfederal

oads, toopen-toppedtouringcoaches,

A C :T P SSOCIATES RIKELAIR OM OTO H peak summerseason. Explorer isfree andoptional,operating duringthe AcadiaNational Park.TheIsland system inMaine’s has becomeanintegralpart ofthetransportation Introduced in1999,theIslandExplorer shuttlebus Exploring theMaineCoast Colonial NationalHistoricPark. Fort ClatsopNationalParkinOregon, andVirginia’s BryceCanyonNationalPark, in Colorado,Utah’s been introduced atRockyMountainNationalPark operation. Inaddition,newshuttlebussystemshave at thethree otherparksandare inasixthyearof Acadia andZionadvancedmore quicklythanthose Different strategieswere service considered foreach. ifornia, GrandCanyoninArizona,andZionUtah. Acadia inMaine,GoldenGateandYosemite inCal- Five parkshostedtransitdemonstrationprojects: alternative transportation needsinnationalparks. tury (TEA-21)requested acomprehensive studyof in afewotherparkstoaddress traffic congestion. was introduced inGrandCanyonNationalParkand Park Foundation(NPF).Inthe1970s,busservice sion operatorGlacierPark,Inc.,andtheNational combined efforts ofFord MotorCompany, conces- “jammer” busesstilltransport visitors,thankstothe GlacierNationalPark,red 1940s. InMontana’s ing visitorstomanywesternparksinthe1930sand Red andyellowtouringcoachesgainedfameserv- Shuttles intheParks features oftheparks. riences, whilepreserving andprotecting thenatural options fortravelers,andenhancingvisitors’expe- addressing criticaltransportation needs,providing Implementation oftheshuttlebussystemsat The Transportation EquityActforthe21stCen- TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 15 atsop, Oregon, to The Explorer buses The Explorer shuttle passengers from Fort Cl lodging, mass transit, and parking. PHOTO:FRANK CORRADO,FHWA-EFLHD The park entrance fee increased in 2004, with in 2004, The park entrance fee increased in Planning for the shuttle bus system started ll as website postings. ll as website Island Explorer ITS at Island Explorer a Acadia National Park applied and departure arrival real-time to provide GPS relay at bus stops, displays times to visitors via electronic as we $10 from every weekly and annual pass allocated to every weekly and $10 from the Island Explorer. a special account to support leg- by federal Acadia is one of the parks approved fee for the support islation to collect a transportation of public transit services. Pioneering with Lewis and Clark the Pacific The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached by birch-bark Ocean in November 1805. Traveling encamp- canoes, the expedition established a winter the summer, This ment south of the Columbia River. vis- shuttle bus system began transporting Explorer Clatsop National Memorial at the itors to the Fort encampment site. 2001 with concerns that visitors would overwhelm the site’s to 2006 limited parking during the 2003 As part of a federal Intelligent Transportation of a federal As part in 142,000 from ridership grew Island Explorer of is a cooperative effort The Island Explorer In the first year, eight propane-fueled buses oper- eight propane-fueled year, In the first ransportation, the Mount Desert Island towns, Island the Mount Desert ransportation, ystems (ITS) Field Operational Test, Island Explorer Island Test, ystems (ITS) Field Operational S automatic vehicle location equipped with buses are information on real-time systems, which provide check on the can the location of the buses. Visitors and buses on the Internet status of Island Explorer every at major stops, and the information is updated 3 minutes. repre- 1999 to 340,336 in 2003. Ridership in 2003 totals, pri- over 2002 increase sents a 21 percent marily attributable to the extension of service into serves visitors and res- The Island Explorer October. 4,145 pas- idents, with an average daily ridership of Annual sengers during the peak summer months. support. passenger surveys continue to show strong the National Park Service High- (NPS), the Federal the Federal Transit way Administration (FHWA), of the Maine Department Administration (FTA), T organizations, Friends of Acadia, L.L. Bean, regional Inc., and local businesses, Downeast Transportation, corporate L.L. Bean was the sole other groups. in 2003 and was underwriter for the Island Explorer instrumental in extending the service. ated on six routes, linking hotels and businesses linking ated on six routes, to the In response with major park destinations. route a seventh Explorer, popularity of the Island added in 2000. were buses and nine more Service Labor Day to mid-October in was extended from for the was introduced route 2003, and an eighth 2004 summer season. 16 TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 n okon Virginia. and Yorktown, Historic Triangle ShuttleconnectsColonialWilliamsburgtoJamestown Y r from theColonialWilliamsburg Visitor Center;one Shuttle provides alongColonialParkway service peak summermonths,theHistoricTriangle field—and atColonialWilliamsburg. Duringthe Y Settlement, sites—Historic Jamestowne,Jamestown in Virginia attheColonialNationalHistoricPark The HistoricTriangleShuttle debutedthissummer Shuttling totheColonies the shuttle. asathree-daya time-ticket,whichserves passon to theExplorer shuttlebuses.Visitors canpurchase of theFort Clatsopvisitorcenterisaccessibleonly ride lots,localhotels,campgrounds, andotherstops. SETD andPacificTransit routes, Amtrak,park-and- Explorer shuttlebusroutes linkFort Clatsopwith Initiated duringthe2004summerseason,four ciation, localbusinesses,andotherorganizations. in Oregon, theLewisandClarkBicentennialAsso- W trict (SETD),FHWA FederalLandsHighway Sunset Empire Transitnated efforts ofNPS,the Dis- ning process. cies, organizations, andgroups highlightedtheplan- workshops, charettes, andmeetingswithlocalagen- Lewis andClarkBicentennialcelebration.Public the fourhistoricsites. areShuttle service free forticket-holders toanyof with theYorktown Trolley. RidesontheTriangle Shuttle, alsonewly introduced, and Jamestown Area oute serves Jamestownandasecondrouteoute serves serves orktown. orktown Victory Center, andYorktown Battle- estern Division,theLewisandClarkBicentennial V From June14through LaborDay, theparkinglot The Explorer shuttlebusrepresents thecoordi- The new seasonal services, initiatedasademon- The newseasonal services, isitors ridingtheshuttlecanconnect withthe visitors withaccess toparkdestinations. gestion onparkroadways andprovide residents and Theshuttlebuswillrelievebus services. traffic con- r park destinations,aswellwith LosAngelesMet- boards, andhikinggear. will beequippedtocarrymountainbikes,surf- lic meetings,andfocusgroups. through anextensivevisitorssurvey, follow-uppub- stration project isaresponse toneedsidentified Recreation Area starting inNovember. Thedemon- Santa MonicaMountainsNational California’s A weekendHeart-of-the-Park shuttlebuswilltravel ofthePark Heart during thepeakdays. 30,000ofthe35,000visitors worked well,serving first daysofthecelebration,shuttlebussystem the relocation ofonepark-and-ridelotduringthe manage traffic atthememorial.Althoughrainforced individuals withspecialneeds. smaller buses,includinglift-equippedvehiclesfor ment contractedfortheuseof140coachesand30 lots, lodgings,anddesignatedstops.Thedepart- and emergency response. medicalservices management, traffic control, parkingfordignitaries, Celebration transportation planaddressed traffic advance. Inadditiontoshuttlebuses,theCentennial transportation elementsofthecelebration2yearsin the celebration,December12through 17,2003. public parkingwasprovided atthememorialduring Brothers NationalMemorialinKillDevilHills.No First FlightCentennialCelebrationattheWright (DOT) sponsored free duringthe6-day busservice The North Carolina Department ofTransportation T Other Projects ing ofJamestown. tions for2007,the400thanniversaryoffound- T are providing additionalassistance.TheHistoric Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation,andYork County for W ment stration project, are part ofacooperativeagree- opolitan Transportation Agency routes andother aking Off riangle Shuttle represents afirst stepinprepara-riangle illiamsburg Area Transport. TheAssociation The routes connectpark-and-ride lotswithmajor willbehourlyonfourroutes.Service Thebuses Bus-only lanesandothertraffic measures helped Five shuttleroutes specialpark-and-ride served A multiagencycommitteestarted planningthe the Preservation ofVirginia Antiquities,the between NPS,ColonialWilliamsburg, and TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 17 The urban location, bisected by busy six- to The urban location, bisected by busy of of the mall and the construction The remaking nership with these area organizations, urban parks are organizations, these area nership with in unique and innovative ways. dealing with the issues Ringing the Bell of the nation, Indepen- the birthplace Considered in Park occupies 45 acres dence National Historic about 20 city blocks. The downtown Philadelphia, Independence Bell Center, park includes the Liberty the Inde- Center, Hall, the National Constitution historic build- and other Center, pendence Visitors sites, such as the Betsy Ross ings. Additional historic the park. districts around located in House, are related unique challenges creates eight-lane streets, congestion, and building traffic security, to safety, of the 40 percent maintenance. Approximately coach or annual 2.9 million visitors arrive by motor con- traffic school bus, but the buses contribute to the visitor experience. gestion and detract from was in When the park general management plan adjacent of the development in the 1990s, residents voiced concerns about the buses. neighborhoods Independence Visitors Bell Center, the new Liberty and the National Constitution Center pro- Center, some of these con- to address vided the opportunity signs, and cerns. The new buildings, wayfinding enhance other enhancements unify the setting and the visitor experience. The institutional arrangements also are compli- The institutional arrangements also are Several park websites are displaying improved are Several park websites ashington, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, New York, ashington, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, New oads in some areas and added special screening and added special oads in some areas The new transportation center in Philadelphia provides bus parking to relieve traffic congestion at the city’s traffic congestion bus parking to relieve transportationThe new center in Philadelphia provides historic sites. Urban Park Innovations Urban Park sites in National parks, monuments, and historic raise special transportation areas major metropolitan down- in busy concerns. Many of these parks are a year to Adding 2 to 4 million visitors town areas. systems in congested transportation the already W and unique challenges. San Francisco presents closed Heightened safety and security concerns have r facilities in others. and local cated, with a multitude of state, regional, roadways, for the agencies and authorities responsible and parking systems. In part- public transportation, Service Enhancements Seasonal shuttle services operate in the parks at Mountain, and Cape Bryce, Rocky Zion, Yosemite, shuttle bus system serves Cod, and a year-round ser- shuttles have received Grand Canyon. These ridership continues to grow. vice enhancements, and for NPS by the Volpe transit maps. Developed Cam- Systems Center, National Transportation the maps satisfy federal bridge, Massachusetts, information to individuals guidelines for providing for specifications with special needs and meet FTA transit websites. The Independence Transportation Center PresidiGo addresses traffic congestion and motor coach parking. Transportation is a key component of the 1994 Gen- Opened in the summer of 2003, the center includes eral Management Plan Amendment and the 2002 11 spaces for motor coaches to drop off and pick up Presidio Trust management plan. The Presidio Trust passengers. The center’s lot, three spaces on an adja- is developing a transportation system to improve cent street, and five others throughout the historic mobility within the park, to increase the use of pub- district are the only authorized places for motor coach lic transit and of pedestrian and bicycle options, to loading and unloading in the historic district. The improve connections with regional transit, and to Philadelphia Parking Authority enforces the motor make travel easier without relying on automobiles. coach restrictions, with violators facing $250 fines. Started in 2001, the PresidiGo Shuttle bus is an inte- A motor coach parking facility also opened in gral part of the strategy. 2003 on a parcel of land acquired during the con- A free shuttle system operated by the Trust, Pre- struction of Interstate 95. The lot includes 40 park- sidiGo serves two routes 7 days a week. The system ing spaces and a drivers’ lounge. Motor coach carries 5,000 to 7,500 riders per month and provides operators can use the facility for $20 a day or $30 easy access to locations in the Presidio for visitors, with overnight parking. Motor coaches can come employees, and residents. PresidiGo connects with and go throughout the day. services provided by San Francisco Municipal Trans- The Independence Transportation Center and portation Agency (MUNI); Golden Gate Bridge, the motor coach parking facility represent the coor- Highway, and Transportation District; and other dinated efforts of NPS, the city of Philadelphia, the local systems. Philadelphia Parking Authority, the Independence A special lunchtime shuttle operates on Tues- Visitors Center, the National Constitution Center, days, providing employees with service to restau- and other groups. rants and stores along Lombard and Chestnut streets. Many stores and restaurants offer a discount Viewing the Golden Gate to shuttle riders. The 1,491-acre Presidio military facility in San Fran- cisco was transferred to NPS in 1994. The Presidio Transit Facility is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, A transit center is in development. The facility will the largest urban national park in the world. replace a nonhistoric structure adjacent to the post Converting a site with some 800 buildings, a office–bank and the Presidio Fire Department. research facility, a golf course, a national cemetery, Designed to complement the historic setting, the and a variety of recreational and community ser- facility will include bus bays, passenger waiting vices in a dense urban environment into a national areas, public restrooms, restaurant space, and a con- park is not easy. Congress established the Presidio ference room. The center will serve as a focal point Trust to lease and manage the site to help meet the for PresidiGo service. MUNI and other transit requirement for a financially self-sufficient park by providers may serve the center in the future. 2013. In 1998, the Trust assumed management of The Presidio Trust also operates other services to the noncoastal areas of the Presidio. encourage transit use, carpooling, bicycling, and

P walking. In addition to the Tuesday lunchtime shut- H OTO

:B tle, the Trust provides park employers and employ- RENDA ees with a guaranteed ride home program, carpool T HARP and vanpool matching services, a bicycle-rack program, transit pass sales, and other commuter choice incentives; the Trust also participates in a car- sharing program. Presidio tenants must meet certain transportation demand management requirements.

Replacing a Link Another transportation issue in the Presidio is the replacement of Doyle Drive, a 1.5-mile road linking

TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 A free shuttle service has operated in the Presidio, a section of the Golden the San Francisco Peninsula with the Golden Gate 18 Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco, since 2001. Bridge and Marin County. Constructed in 1936, TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 19 wo proto- .T (left) and a wheelchair-compliant, —Katherine Turnbull (center) . (right) The historic vehicles, the dramatic scenery, Going- of the an open view back for top rolls The canvas The scenic beauty of Glacier, of course, is the main The 50-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road is one of the The 50-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road is Finally, to the a valuable ingredient the jammers add The scenic,interpretive operated by bus tours are red buses, on the red a trip do not take if you Even ws, the ride unforgettable. and waterfalls make eopened when the sun comes back out. ed bus experience. Jammer Joe, driver, is a this author’s to-the-Sun Road,and the drivers—or “jammers,” as they to-the-Sun Road,and“jammers,” the drivers—or buses a a ride on the red locally—make known are unique experience. has maintained the The renovation of the buses,historic features which seat 17 passen- and one next to the driver.Individual per row gers—four seats. of easy access to each row doors allow Blankets off the cold. as in the past to ward provided are mountains. in rain and top can be closed quickly The r attraction. The mountains, lakes, forests, mead- alpine o engineering feat, in the world—an alpine roads great as a National honored Historic Landmark. Opened in 1932, the continental divide and links crosses the road sides of the park. the east and west r Illinois; farmer from semiretired he spends his summers in Glacier. his passengers with a mix of his- He provides tory, geology, jokes, and tips on things to see. Glacier Park, Inc. $25 to $65, range from Adult fares depending on the length and location of the tours. visitor to the overall seeing them in the park adds experience.Like boat tours and Going-to- lake the park’s the-Sun Road, the legacy of buses continue the red unique transportation system. Glacier’s National Park Service and Federal Highway investigating Highway Service are Administration and Federal National Park potential vehicles shuttle service for National Park, in Glacier as a complement buses red tours the refurbished to the interpretative given by types include a hybrid electric vehicle propane-fueled bus propane-fueled Riding with the Jammers Riding lthough the drivers no longer jam the gears going no longer lthough the drivers the steep terrain,up and down and although the Introduced in 1936 and 1937,Introduced buses quickly the red the col- buses required of the red The restoration A traffic is heavier, buses red visitors riding the renovated same expe- the Glacier National Park share in Montana’s the 1930s and 1940s.rience as visitors in the Through efforts Service, of the National Park coordinated the (NPF),National Park Foundation Motor Company, Ford Glacier Park,concessionaire Inc., and other groups, the buses continue red Company 33 historic White Motor to serve park visitors today. Road and to see Going-to-the-Sun became a popular way in the park.The lodges and other destinations to reach red service from of safety in 1999 because removed buses were structural soundness and metal fatigue. concerns over groups, effort of several laborative Ford funding from Partners program,and the NPF Proud through the appli- technologies.Thecation of innovative buses received red chassis,new fuel systems, propane–gasoline bodies, new interiors,new paint. red friendly and environmentally to Glacier in 2002. returned buses red The renovated Historic White Motor Company red bus along Going-to-the-Sun Road. red White Motor Company Historic Doyle Drive is the major north-south approach of The participating parks and the types of projects US-101 to the Golden Gate Bridge, carrying that scholars work on are diverse. The parks and the 144,000 weekday travelers, including 17,000 via scholars alike benefit from the program—the parks transit. receive the expertise of the scholars, and projects The San Francisco County Transportation advance at a faster rate; the scholars gain valuable Authority is the lead agency in the Doyle Drive experience, as well as the satisfaction of addressing project, in cooperation with California DOT and critical needs of the park (see sidebar, page 21). FHWA. Other local and regional agencies and orga- The National Parks Transportation Interpreters nizations, including the Presidio Trust, are involved is the other National Parks Proud Partners program in the interagency working group. and is sponsored by NPF, NPS, the Student Con- An active public and community involvement servation Association (SCA), and Ford. Started in process includes a Doyle Drive subcommittee, com- 2000, the program assigns young adults, recruited munity workshops, open houses, a website, project through SCA, to the national parks to provide infor- information materials, public hearings, and other mation on travel options. The program has grown outreach efforts. A recommended alternative is each year, both in the number of interpreters and in expected to be available for public review and com- the number of parks; 40 interpreters are working in ment in early 2005. 23 parks this summer.

Other Urban Activities Reauthorization Activities are also under way at other urban parks, The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency historic sights, and monuments: Act, TEA-21, presidential directives, and interagency agreements established programs and directions for ◆ Weekend ferry service from Manhattan to transportation within national parks and public Jacob Riis Park on the Rockaway Peninsula in lands during the 1990s. The projects highlighted in Queens, New York, started this summer. Developed, this article—the shuttle bus systems, demonstration funded, and operated though the coordinated projects, alternative-fueled vehicles, ITS field oper- efforts of NPS, NPF, Ford, N.Y. Waterway, and local ations tests, and other initiatives—are the result of agencies, the ferry links with a free shuttle bus serv- these federal programs and agreements. ing sites in the Gateway National Recreation Area Future funding for transportation programs in on the peninsula. the parks, as well as for new initiatives, is part of the ◆ A study is examining transportation services TEA-21 reauthorization process. The Administra- for the National Mall, memorials, and surrounding tion’s Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient parks in Washington, D.C. The contract with Tour- Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA) of 2003; the mobile, which has been serving visitors to the Mall House of Representatives bill, the Transportation since 1969, expires in 2007, and the study is explor- Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (TEA-LU); and the ing alternatives. Senate bill, SAFETEA of 2004, contain different funding levels for current programs. Park Scholars All versions of the reauthorization legislation, Two unique programs are providing additional however, would continue the transportation part- resources to address transportation issues in nership concept. The Administration’s recommen- national parks. Both efforts are part of NPF’s Proud dation includes the National Parks Legacy Grant Partners of America’s National Parks program. Ford program. The House bill includes a Transit in the Motor Company, one of the Proud Partners, is fund- Parks (TRIP) pilot program, and the Senate bill con- ing both programs. tains a roughly comparable provision addressing The National Park Transportation Scholars Pro- alternative transportation in parks and public lands. gram represents the coordinated efforts of Ford, NPF, NPS, and the Eno Transportation Foundation. The Pointers for Success program places graduate students and transporta- The shuttle bus systems, ITS projects, and other tion professionals with parks that need the expertise. innovative transportation approaches are provid- In its fourth year, the program has supported 28 ing benefits to park visitors, the environment, and

TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 scholars, who receive a stipend and housing and to gateway communities and adjacent neighbor- 20 spend 3 months to 1 year working in a park. hoods. Shuttle bus riders report positive experi- TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 21 Susan Law Virginia Smith Lucas Cruse Jonathan Upchurch —Katherine Turnbull Scholars Grow in the National Parks in the Grow Scholars ding experience,” Law reports. Law ding experience,” a provides “The scholars program he National Park Transportation Scholars come from diverse backgrounds and backgrounds diverse Scholars come from he National Park Transportation disciplines. transportation. park in helping improve a common interest share All onathan Upchurch is the newest scholar, is the newest onathan Upchurch Mesa Verde starting at Colorado’s Law’s most recent project is the shared red bike program for employees at employees for program bike red shared is the project most recent Law’s transportation at Glacier has been a challeng- “Planning alternative solutions the planning from in urban and regional degree a master’s Lucas Cruse received a transportation the battlefield,which plan for Cruse is developing is divided by on the Glorieta Battlefield transportation an study has been in Pecos “Working Rut- planning from in city and regional degree a master’s Virginia Smith received and is vehicles environment-friendly Smith also is exploring the use of more see Smith says.“I at “It is an amazing opportunity and work Postpile,” to live Devils J observes. Upchurch of transportation is facing a number issues,” “Mesa Verde Susan Law received a joint master’s degree in civil engineering and city planning in civil engineering degree a joint master’s received Susan Law ransportation and Infrastructure. in TRB committees, Active he serves as chair of T from California Polytechnic State University in 2002.She State University Polytechnic California from as has spent almost 2 years Glacier National Park.Law examin- a scholar in Montana’s projects has assisted with fuels,intelligenting alternative transportation systems,internal routes,and circulating shuttle services Road. of the Going-to-the-Sun rehabilitation during the of 20 bicy- Glacier. funded the purchase the Glacier Foundation grant from A $9,000 cles,one industrial tricycle,and the necessary helmets,locks,racks,and horns.Stored at strategic locations in the park, to the automo- an alternative the bicycles provide shortbile for park staff. trips by ing and rewar skills in transportation and planning professional unique opportunity to combine my contribu- a positive in sustainability to make personal interest engineering with my tion to the park.” spring of 2003 and started of Illinois–Champaign in the as a scholar at New University National Park that Pecos Historic August.TheMexico’s the site of the park includes Battle of Glorieta Pass. Civil War been a highway. the transportation issues in the battlefield have Efforts to address some 30 years. for under way meetings among the agencies and Cruse is arranging involved,groups agencies, the for agreement drafting a cooperative and preparing a scope of services the larger study, for plans and pub- which includes alternative lic involvement. Cruse.“Helping reports advance the con- experience,” and challenging interesting transportation has to the long-standing issues in the area siderations of alternatives also been rewarding.” in spring 2004 and started as a scholar in California’s Jersey in New gers University National Monument.She Postpile Devils the manda- is examining funding options for 26 years. tory visitors for shuttle bus system that has served day efforts. coordination assisting with regional will join a transportation She consulting firm when she completes her term as a park scholar. basis.the benefits and the issues associated with the shuttle buses on a daily I could a better experience right out of graduate school.” for asked not have National Park this August. of experience as an engineer, brings 32 years Upchurch college professor, the U.S. for and staffer Committee on House of Representatives T Activities Council. of the Technical the Operations and Maintenance Group transportation plan,which on the comprehensive includes examining alter- “Working transportation native systems, is a challenge.” Making Tracks in Wildlife Refuges

SEAN FURNISS xtending across the international date line ferry in Virginia’s Presquile National Wildlife Efrom Guam to the Caribbean, across the Refuge, however, has been closed to address equator from the Arctic Circle to the South safety and financial concerns. Pacific, and across the continent from the In 1998, the Transportation Equity Act for north coast of Alaska to the Florida Keys, the the 21st Century established the first federal National Wildlife Refuge System includes more program to maintain and improve public use than 570 refuges and wetland management dis- roads in the 101-year-old National Wildlife tricts.This diverse collection of approximately Refuge System. Approximately $17 million 96 million acres of lands and waters is dedi- were made available each year from 1999 to cated to the conservation and management of 2003 to fund the Refuge Roads Program. the fish,wildlife,and plants of the United States. In that time, FWS and FHWA undertook Bike riders take advantage of trails at Refuges provide habitat—food, water, more than 650 improvement projects,worth Chincoteague in Virginia. shelter,and space—for more than 200 endan- $79 million, to improve public roads and gered species and for hundreds of other parking areas on FWS lands. Projects have species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphib- varied in scope and size, with FHWA man- ians, fish, and plants. Refuges allow the obser- aging most of the larger projects. Projects vation of wildlife in natural settings and offer have included rebuilding entrance roads and a variety of recreational activities that vary by tour routes, rehabilitating and improving location and season—such as hiking, auto- parking facilities, replacing bridges, installing mobile tours, bicycling, photography, wildlife safety signage, and conducting training ses- observation, hunting, and fishing. sions on the maintenance of gravel roads. In 2003, the Refuge System received more FWS roads and bridges pose many chal- than 39 million visitors, and by 2009, more lenges: severe seasonal road conditions, than 50 million are expected annually.Visitation Tarpon Bay Tram provides guided tours of J.N. prolonged submersion of roads,remoteness, “Ding” Darling in Florida. generates more than $809 million per year to limited work periods,wildlife concentrations, local and regional economies and supports and inadequate road maintenance equip- more than 19,000 jobs nationwide. By 2009, ment. Another challenge is integrating trans- visitation is expected to generate more than portation planning with the efforts of $1 billion per year for local and regional econo- communities and states, most of which are mies and to create additional employment. familiar with FWS in its role of reviewing The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) con- permits during project development but not tracted with the Federal Lands Highway (FLH) in its role as a transportation agency. program to conduct an inventory and condition FWS is working with FLH, America’s assessment of the public use road system in Byways Resource Center, and the American refuges and hatcheries. The assessment found Recreation Coalition to develop virtual tour that more than 37 percent of FWS roads were Russian River Ferry explores Kenai in Alaska. routes of six national- and state-designated in poor to failed condition.In some cases,facil- scenic byways. The public will be able to view ity managers had to close roads because proj- The recent alternative transportation highlights of the byways and associated refuges ect engineers declared the bridges unsafe. needs study by the Federal Highway on the Internet.The beta phase of the project The FWS transportation network includes Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit is scheduled for September. more than 4,800 miles of roads, 5,000 parking Administration, in cooperation with the The continued improvement of the FWS lots,300 bridges,2,550 miles of land and water federal land agencies, identified transit transportation network will facilitate public trails, 65 trail bridges, 6 transit systems, and 2 needs at 13 of the 23 refuges examined. access and make driving conditions safer. ferry routes. These facilities are on more than Among the transit services in operation FWS will conduct customer satisfaction sur- 600 units of the National Wildlife Refuge Sys- are the trams and horse-drawn sleds at veys this fall to assess how well the improve- tem and National Fish Hatchery System. five national wildlife refuges: Florida’s J.N. ments are meeting the needs of visitors. More than 100 refuges, wetland manage- “Ding” Darling, Patuxent Research Refuge Website ment districts, and hatcheries are associated in Maryland, Chincoteague in Virginia, Fish and Wildlife Service: Public Use with 58 designated scenic byways in 28 states. Wyoming’s Elk Refuge, Santa Ana in Texas, Roads, http://refuges.fws.gov/roads/ In addition, 4 National Scenic Trails,6 National and Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Historic Trails, and 12 National Recreational An independent concessionaire operates The author is National Coordinator, Refuge

TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 Trails are associated with more than 70 refuges, the Russian River Ferry in Alaska’s Kenai Roads Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 22 wetland management districts, and hatcheries. National Wildlife Refuge. A cable-operated Arlington,Virginia. TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 23 The ons, and other enhancements. Park roads and bridges, touring coaches, and bridges, Park roads Introducing new shuttle systems and other new Introducing Blending new services technologies with and document the benefits. Successful projects ebsites www.exploreacadia.com www.nationalparks.org www.nps.gov www.presidio.gov www.theSCA.org www.ridethebus.org The annual surveys of Island Explorer riders, for The annual surveys of Island Explorer ◆ ◆ ◆ innovative approaches will play increasingly impor- increasingly will play approaches innovative projects. transportation in funding park tant roles W Acadia National Park Island Explorer, The National Park Foundation National Park Service of Presidio San Francisco (PresidiGo) Student Conservation Association District Transportation Sunset Empire Acknowledgments for this information Several colleagues provided Gov- Strategic Consulting, Jackie Lowey, article: Har- ernment Relations, and Public Policy; Kathryn Foundation; rington-Hughes, Eno Transportation and Phil Sheridan, Geyer, Jim Evans, Dorothy National Park Car- Service; Jerry Jennings, North Trust. Presidio Hembrecht, and Mark olina DOT; systems build on early successes. Adding routes, systems build on early expanding service extending operating sea- hours, easier are improvements sons, and making other system. with a successful core for the system and support show strong The results in securing funding. have been important transportation improvements in incremental steps in incremental transportation improvements many successful projects. is also a hallmark of elements is an impor- historic park transportation tant goal. com- important are and lodges built by the railroads parks. ponents of the visitor experience in many Suc- systems balance new transportation cessful projects with historical and cultural components. have Although some of these successful projects evalua- not conducted extensive monitoring and documented the benefits most have tion programs, services new transit and other trans- derived from projects. portation for service improve- example, have identified areas extensi ments, route The Funding is always an issue, espe- The 6-mile, dead-end roadway in Zion The 6-mile, dead-end roadway Successful projects have involved multiple Successful projects Successful projects build on the unique ele- build on the unique Successful projects Partnerships are integral to the success Partnerships are institutional arrangements can be difficult raditional federal, state, and local programs will raditional federal, state, and local programs investment pays off. investment pays off. These recent projects provide models for provide projects These recent T No single agency or group has the resources or the has the resources No single agency or group ◆ ◆ ◆ elationships with other agencies and organiza- oadways. Parks typically do not have staff experi- oadways. Parks typically do not have staff continue to supply a significant portion of project continue to supply a significant portion funds. Corporate and foundation sponsorship, dedi- and other cated park transit fees, new federal programs, ences and support for the services. Improved air for the services. Improved support ences and of noise, and the reappearance reduced quality, in parks with shut- wildlife have been documented of the neighborhoods tle bus systems. Residents National Park have ben- Independence surrounding Gateway bus traffic. in tour a reduction efited from benefits from economic communities have realized the new transit services. and opportunities issues transportation addressing is no one best approach There in the national parks. needs in national transportation for addressing projects parks, but successful park transportation have built incremen- have included partnerships; of each park and on tally on the unique strengths and funding; have blended old and local expertise new modes; and have documented the benefits. cially for the operation of shuttle bus systems and other transit alternatives. sources of funding. sources Canyon, for example, works well for the mandatory would not be summer shuttle, but the same approach logical in a park with multiple access points and r enced in developing and operating transit services available from but can take advantage of expertise coordi- local transit systems, which also can ensure transit service. nation of park transit with regional tions. ments associated with each park and on working r of transportation projects in national parks. of transportation projects issues fac- all the transportation to address expertise will continue to be ing national parks. Partnerships trans- critical in developing and operating successful systems in the parks. portation projects highlighted in this article all involve highlighted in this article projects and local some combination of federal, state, agencies, foundations, businesses, neighborhood groups, through Working and other organizations. the that and time consuming, but experience indicates the 24 TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 opinions presented. editor ontheissuesand comment inalettertothe Readers are encouragedto N Annual Meeting. presented atthe2004TRB adapted from apaper Force. Thisarticlewas Parks andPublicLandsTask portation NeedsforNational member oftheTRBTrans- W T Policy Outreach, Rails-to- The authorisDirector of VIEW POINT OF R are notnecessarilythoseof issues. Theviewsexpressed authors ontransportation opinions ofcontributing rails Conservancy(RTC), TC, TRB,or OTE ashington, D.C.,anda corrugated tunnels. b can Massachusetts, Bike ridersinCape Cod, ypass cartrafficthrough : PointofView presents TR News . U rational. Transportation withintheparkshouldmaxi- experienceiseducationalandinspi- The parkvisitor’s Visitor’s Needs cial valuestobeprotected. not atrip.Theparkitselfisuniqueplace,withspe- natural orculturalplace.Parktravelisanexperience, The parktravelerisintentonexperiencingaspecial Visitors andManagers GIMMLER FRANZ K. Up CloseandPersonal and thejostleofcrowds. r automobile bodiesandwindshields,delaysonthe special momentsinthepark.Thingsgetway— closely, personally. senses—undistracted, undiluted,uninterrupted— the saltyseawater. Experiencethemomentwithall oad, thesoundsofengines,search forparking, Most parkvisitorslookforbuttoooftenmissthese birds singing.Touch thewarmrock. Taste the coolsprayofwaterfall. Hearthe Smell theflowers.Feel experience apark? p closeandpersonal—isn’t thatthewayto ings isimportant tothequalityofexperience. motion vehicleinformationcanaddtotheexperience. communicated onlocationorinavisitorcenter. In- modes shouldallowbothflexibilityandcontrol. tors favorspontaneousexploration.Transportation not bedisturbedordistractedbylogistics.Manyvisi- transparently, seamlessly, andeffortlessly andshould other downtime. should beminimized,aswaits,delays,and intrusion ofextraneoussights,sounds,andsmells one ormore stationarylocationsorinmotion.The unique, exploratory, andspontaneouspersonalneeds. be allowedtodesigntheparkexperiencemeet own pace,sequence,andduration.Thevisitorshould offer andthebestwaystoexperiencethosefeatures. be informedaboutthefeatures thattheparkhasto andinterpretation.mize observation Thevisitorshould When andhowvisitorsshare thoughtsandfeel- Instruction, information,andinterpretation maybe The visitorshouldmovethrough theexperience The visitormaybestexperienceaparkfeature from The visitorshouldexperiencetheparkathisorher TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 25 Preventing air and Preventing Batteries and fuel cells are Not only can smaller gaso- ith lower speeds and smaller W Lower design speed reduces the Lower design speed reduces Less intrusive. Smaller power units. sources. Alternative energy storage. Clean energy Light weight. Electric power may be the most desirable form of ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ educed. in Smaller systems would be less intrusive energy for park transportation. for park transportation. energy Stationary generating air quality plants for electric power have preferable wind, the the from Renewable electric energy profiles. is desirable. Nonetheless, sun, or geothermal sources nonmotorized mobility as many see human-powered, the ideal. and footprint can be size, the vehicle bulk, profile, r sought out by visitors. the pristine park areas line or diesel engines be used in lighter park vehicles, line or diesel engines be used in lighter park and hybrid like fuel cells but alternative power sources may be limited by size and capacity systems that are attractive. feasible. Nonmotorized systems also can be and the source noise pollution is critical. The energy of a critical to the acceptability engine or motor are system. Because low speed, small park transportation requirements, the energy size, and light weight reduce alternative units using innovative, small propulsion can function in the park environment. sources energy natural gas, are Alternative fuels, such as compressed clean park transportation. a practical first step toward clean technologies that may be used in various hybrid for small vehicles that have con- systems, particularly applica- cycles of use. Park transportation trollable of early well suited for the introduction tions are electric or hybrid power systems. model, light-duty, power requirements, as well as acceleration and brak- as well as acceleration power requirements, weight of the bulk and ing rates, which in turn reduce lateral and braking components. propulsion Similarly, which can lowered, acceleration rates are and vertical sys- lighten and simplify the steering and suspension tems. The size and weights of park transportation can be reduced. vehicles and components therefore small groups of couples and families. A transporta- small groups where these small groups tion system that takes and in the sequence desired they want to go, when, has the potential to attract and serve the majority of park visitors. Park transportation systems may Park transportation Americans visit parks singly or in Small size. Low speed. The system should have low capital and operating Many visitors travel through parks at speeds above Many visitors travel through ◆ ◆ Determining Characteristics systems must not degrade the Park transportation place or the visitor’s These two experience of the place. critical in determining park transpor- conditions are tation alternatives and should guide every design con- sideration. These two conditions constitute a new planners and point to paradigm for transportation park vehicles with the following characteristics: costs and be easy for park personnel to manage. The costs and be easy for park personnel to manage. the vehicular sys- needed to support infrastructure facili- tem, such as maintenance, storage, and fueling must ties, must meet the same conditions. The system good traveler information and interpretation provide to enhance the visitor experience. Park Manager’s Needs Park Manager’s a park manager’sFrom perspective, a park transpor- for tation system should keep the park “unimpaired the statute generations,” to quote a phrase from future establishing the National Park Service. trans- The park park topography system must not rearrange portation with ani- plant life, or interfere remove and hydrology, must not mal habitats and movements. The system and it should not be pollute the air or the groundwater, physically or visually intrusive. The transportation system should be quiet. Some may prefer to be alone, others with a loved to Some may prefer The park transpor- family. one, and yet others with allow visitors to interact with tation system should their companions. The Personal Transportation Alternative Alternative Transportation The Personal Parks in National 20 mph, impatient to “get there,” not realizing that not realizing 20 mph, impatient to “get there,” The park visitor should be able to move there. they are while looking, listening, slowly and stop occasionally, and experiencing. establish low maximum design speeds. A park trav- eler’s per hour speed does not need to exceed 20 miles under (mph), although higher speeds may be required or in select locations. circumstances rare ways can be narrower, with thinner concrete and asphalt paving, including permeable crushed-stone surfaces and other nonpavement alternatives. Light bridging components can suspend a pathway where ground cover conditions are fragile. Bridges can be designed for lower loading. Tunnels with smaller cross sections can employ standard culverts and other multiuse components to reduce costs. Composite materials can replace conventional structural steel and concrete, to add maintainability and design flexibility and to decrease cost with off-site industrial fabrication. Because the designs can have tighter radii of curvature, whether horizontal or verti- cal, the park systems can fit comfortably into the topo- graphic and other constraints of parks. The park service and other public land manage- ment agencies traditionally have budgeted for roads but not for building or operating alternative transpor- Trail bridges designed for ◆ Design flexibility. Lower speed and weight tation systems. To promote early deployment, park lower loading can be constructed with cost- reduce the stresses on the vehicle, so that new non- transportation alternatives should have low initial cap- saving materials. metallic materials may be used in park vehicles and ital and operating costs. structures. Lighter materials for the vehicle frame and substructure lead to savings not only in weight Changing the Approach but in cost. Plastics and composite materials increase The park transportation paradigm embraces tech- the design flexibility, and noncorrosive materials nologies that are personal, that serve individuals, cou- improve maintainability. ples, and family groups. The technologies should be light and small and therefore less costly and intrusive. Realizing Savings The vehicles should allow for flexible routing Systems with smaller, slower, and lighter vehicles and scheduling. They should be energy-efficient can achieve savings in civil structures such as and nonpolluting and may include nonmotorized bridges, tunnels, and roadways or guideways. Road- modes. For cost control and user-friendliness, the

Personal Transportation Systems for the Parks

Following are vehicles and systems that are road use on unpaved paths and trails and high-tech bicycles. Users arrange by tele- available, attractive, and adaptable for use in on so-called single track, the mountain phone for pick-up or return of the bicycle a park personal transportation system. bike is relatively low to the ground, com- at any major intersection. pact, and maneuverable. Bicycles ◆ Electric bicycle. The electric bicycle Other Cycles ◆ Comfort bicycle. Designed for the enhances all the benefits of nonmotorized ◆ Tricycle. Tricycles are stable at all nonathletic rider, the comfort bicycle is cycles, increasing the distance and speed speeds and suitable for start-and-stop most likely to find use in park systems. of travel. applications and for older persons or The large wheels ride smoothly over ◆ Call-a-Bike. The German National persons with disabilities. These features rough surfaces. Railroad operates three Call-a-Bike ser- make tricycles suitable for all park visitors. ◆ Mountain bicycle. Designed for off- vices with a fleet of more than 3,500 ◆ Four-wheeled cycle. Four-wheeled TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 26 Mountain bike Electric bike Double-recumbent tricycle Neighborhood vehicles system should integrate intelligent transportation can provide a quiet and system (ITS) components. environment-friendly The park transportation paradigm implies a new alternative to traveling by approach for the parks—the personal transportation car through national parks. system (PTS). The PTS consists of small personal vehicles freely available within the park for operation by visitors. Individually, or in small family groups, park visitors can take independent and private self-guided journeys through the park. A PTS would use existing roads or new trails with special surfaces and inexpensive bridge and tunnel structures. Advances in electric propulsion systems and intelligent fleet management technologies make the PTS feasible and attractive to the parks and to the PTS can be integrated into a multimodal network to park visitor. serve visitor and park needs. The PTS system should work well alone or linked with mass transit. Mass transit technologies are Alternatives at Hand based on a need for quick, comfortable travel The search for technologies that are responsive to the between trip ends in dense urban areas. Travelers park transportation paradigm need not start from and managers require a combination of safe, low- scratch. Transportation visionaries have sought feasi- cost technologies and operating strategies. Those ble alternatives to the private automobile. Their search needs often are fulfilled by larger capacity, higher has focused on systems that, like the automobile, serve speed, heavier, and costlier driver-operated vehicles small parties traveling to and from many scattered and guideways that have environmental conse- origins and destinations, on independent and flexi- quences less suitable for parks than cities. The short ble schedules. trip durations often result from a short-distance Perhaps some of the most important developments straight line route. Such trip demands, however, are have occurred in the search for a better bicycle. In the frequently limited in parks and even rarer in refuges, past two decades, the mountain bike, the comfort bike, preserves, forests, wilderness areas, and other non- the recumbent bike, and a variety of manual, power- park public lands. In more heavily visited public assist, and powered bicycles, tricycles, and scooters lands that justify a mass transportation system, a have debuted (see sidebar, below).

cycles could be an important component use, and when equipped with wide tires side-by-side wheels controlled by a in any mixed fleet serving a variety of visi- can navigate most roads and paths. complex set of gyroscopes and electric tors. The cycles are suited for family ◆ Personal electric vehicle (PEV). The motors. Operation is intuitive and safe. tours and provide much of the same ser- PEV is a practical near-term option for Speeds range up to 12 mph. The Segway vice as an automobile, but at substantially personal transportation systems within is in demonstration in several environ- less cost to the visitor, the park, and the parks. Derived from the golf cart, the PEV ments, including parks. environment. is a new class of vehicles for use on low- ◆ Canoe or kayak. Many wilderness areas speed private and public roads. The PEV include marine, riverine, and estuarine Other Vehicles performs much like the golf cart but with environments. New, safe, and inexpensive ◆ Electric scooter. Scooters have a small greater safety and comfort. water craft can allow park visitors to profile and footprint, are not difficult to ◆ Segway. The Segway consists of two explore these environments more closely. TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 Infrastructure One of the primary advantages of the personal transportation system is its adaptability to nonintrusive, low-cost trails and paths. The systems are compatible, for example, with prefabricated modular bridge structures and tunnels with small Four-rider quadricycle Four-wheeled, pedal-powered cycle cross sections. 27 28

TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 employees. Segway for possibleuseby demonstrations ofthe Parks have run park features together. f A four-wheeled cycleallows amilies orfriendstoexperience tant totheoperationofaparkPTS. manual, free are orfee-basedsharingservices impor- Such automatedor bility ofpersonaltransportation. States demonstratesthetechnicalandfinancialfeasi- instant rental technologiesinEurope andtheUnited ment, tracking,andbilling.Growing experiencewith These systemscanhandlevehiclereservation, assign- ment forvehiclesharing,bothcarsandbicycles. didates forparktransportation systems. diagnostics, andfleetmanagementsystemsare allcan- strated. Vehicle location,travelerinformation,vehicle and transitsystemshavebeendevelopeddemon- of industry, many advancedtechnologiesforhighway bridge andtunnelstructures. for smaller, lighter, cheaper, andmore maintainable movement hasspawnedoradoptednewtechnologies the classiccanoe,kayaks,andpaddleboats.Thetrail water-based experiencesintheparks;vesselsinclude has stimulatedagrowing varietyofboatssuitablefor many ofthecriteriaforparkvehicles. four-wheeled golfcarts withelectricmotorsmeet times called“neighborhood vehicles,”thethree- and introducing smaller,Some- lessintrusivevehicletypes. tems to serve thenational parksandpubliclands. tems toserve ment inthesearch for alternative transportation sys- demonstration program should be asignificantele- successful PTSimplementation. Aresearch and distances, technologies,andpricing thatwouldleadto Research isneededonthe topography, demographics, r however, isanothermatter. Organizing theproposals intoadesignforparkPTS, in thePTSmodeldonotchallengestateofart. stood. Thetechnologiesdescribedhere andassumed complexities anduncertainties thatneedtobeunder- A PTScannotbepurchased off theshelfbutinvolves Research toCome esponse toPTSvehiclesmust bedocumented. Of particular interest are technologiesindevelop- Through theefforts ofthefederalITSprogram and An upsurge inthepopularityofwaterrecreation The automobileindustryandentrepreneurs are In particular, visitorpreferences andvisitor tion modesintheparks. ate thepaceofexpansionforpersonaltransporta- new fundingprograms inCongress couldacceler- known red forvisitors.Theproposed busservices well- for staff travel,complementingthepark’s In GlacierNationalPark,“red bikes”are available National CapitalParksCentralinWashington, D.C. device—at GrandCanyonNationalParkandat the battery-powered personaltransportation Segway— are involvedindemonstrationsofthe two technologiesinthree parks.Parkemployees transportation devices. more canbedonewithbicyclesandotherpersonal uing investmentinnonmotorizedinfrastructure, bicycle, pedestrian,andtrailfacilities.With contin- alternative transportation systems—are funding $6 million—or11percent ofcapitalinvestmentsin Already parktransportation ischanging.More than Picking UpthePace parking lots. they be encumbered byautomobiles,andtheparkthat own scheduleanditinerary. Visitors wouldnot with theirlovedones,atleisure, andontheir close topopularparkfeatures. transportation nodesleadtoundesirablecrowding congestion inhotspotswhere parkingandother own. Atthesametime,linkswoulddecrease tors thefreedom toreach outintotheparkontheir with waysidestops.Thevehicleswouldallowvisi- along nonintrusiveandpedestrian-friendlypaths family andfriends,thesevehicleswouldoperate available forvisitoruse. vehicles, bothmotorizedandnonmotorized,canbe portals thatleadintodiversedestinations,small features, pedestrianfacilitieswouldbesufficient. At other portals. including lodgings,visitorcenters,trailheads,and vehicle betweenmajordestinationsinthepark, move quietlyandquicklyonsometypeofgroup or bymasstransportation, visitorswouldbeableto available toparkvisitors.Arrivingatabycar balance ofgroup andpersonaltravelmodesmade The visionpresented here involvesadelicate Retracing the Vision tect theparkfor future generations. would enjoyknowingthatthey are helpingto pro- things theyhavecometoenjoy. Inaddition, they to share withnoisyvehiclesandlarge crowds the NPS isinitiatingvehicledemonstrationswith W V solitarytravelers,couples,andgroupsServing of At portals thatprovide accesstocompactpark isitors wouldexperiencetheparkprivately, ith aPTSintheparks,visitors would nothave see wouldnotbedominated byroads and C ALENDAR

TRB Meetings 2004

September 24–27 16th National Rural Public and May 12–15 North American Conference on Intercity Bus Transportation: 1–4 10th International American Elderly Mobility: Best Practices Celebrating the Silver— Society of Civil Engineers from Around the World* Going for the Gold Conference on Automated People Detroit, Michigan Roanoke, Virginia Movers: Moving to Mainstream* Richard Pain Peter Shaw Orlando, Florida

14–17 Structural Materials Technology: November 11–13 Census Data for Transportation Nondestructive Evaluation– 1–2 National Household Travel Survey Planning: Preparing for the Future Nondestructive Test for Highways Conference: Understanding Our Irvine, California and Bridges* Nation’s Travel Buffalo, New York Washington, D.C. 22–25 National Roundabout Conference Stephen Maher Vail, Colorado 16–17 7th Marine Transportation Richard Pain 22–24 9th National Conference on System Research and Technology Transportation Planning for Small Coordination Conference June and Medium-Sized Communities: Washington, D.C. 20–24 7th International Symposium on Tools of the Trade Joedy Cambridge Utilization of High-Strength, Colorado Springs, Colorado High-Performance Concrete* Kimberly Fisher 18–20 Conference for Research on Washington, D.C. Women’s Transportation Issues Frederick Hejl 26–29 2nd International Conference on Chicago, Illinois Accelerated Pavement Testing* Elaine King, Kimberly Fisher 27–30 3rd International Driving Minneapolis, Minnesota Symposium on Human Factors Stephen Maher December in Driver Assessment, Training, 1–3 Conference on Managing Travel and Vehicle Design* October for Planned Special Events* Rockport, Maine 19–22 2nd International Conference on New Orleans, Louisiana Richard Pain Bridge Maintenance, Safety, and Management* 29– 3rd International Symposium on Kyoto, Japan 2005 July 1 Highway Geometric Design Chicago, Illinois 19–24 6th International Conference on January Managing Pavements* 9–13 TRB 84th Annual Meeting July Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Washington, D.C. 17–20 6th International Bridge Stephen Maher Mark Norman, Linda Karson Engineering Conference Boston, Massachusetts 24–27 14th Equipment Management April Workshop 24–28 2005 Transportation Planning August Minneapolis, Minnesota Applications Conference 13–18 8th International Conference on Frank N. Lisle Portland, Oregon Concrete Pavements* Colorado Springs, Colorado TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004

Additional information on TRB conferences and workshops, including calls for abstracts, registration and hotel information, lists of cosponsors, and links to conference websites, is available online (www.TRB.org/calendar). Registration and hotel information usually are available 2 to 3 months in advance. For information, contact the individual listed at 202-334-2934, fax 202-334-2003, or e-mail [email protected]. Meetings listed without a TRB staff contact have direct links from the TRB calendar web page to additional information.

*TRB is cosponsor of the meeting. 29 30 TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 JILL WILSON Freight Data Program A Conceptfor aNational REPORT SPECIAL TRB carrying passengersandfortrucksfreight. John F. KennedyAirport makesaccessdifficult forcars ple—for example,road congestionaround NewYork’s infrastructure affect themovementofgoodsandpeo- portation facilities.Limitationsofthetransportation freight mustcompetewithpassengertraffic fortrans- the originsanddestinationsformostshipments, freight nodes—ports, airports, andrailheads—andare r ness forU.S.products andtosustain andservices goods movementtoensure internationalcompetitive- the necessarylevelsofefficiency andreliability in portation systemtodayfaceschallengesinproviding movement andpassengertravel.Asaresult, thetrans- was builttoaccommodatedifferent patternsofgoods awareness oftheneedforeffective security. the globaltransportation logisticsnetworkhasraised States via potential forterrorist attacksontheUnited bution, andfreight managementrequirements. The freight logistics—alsohavealtered production, distri- economy, theeffects ofderegulation, andtheadventof notably theshiftfrom amanufacturingtoservice the North AmericanFree Trade Agreement partners. increased withthePacificRimnationsandamong terns ofgoodsmovementhavechangedastradehas transportation include in theprivatesector. Policy issuesaffecting freight a rangeofdecisionsatalllevels ofgovernmentand portation systemdepend onreliable datatoinform The effectiveness andefficiency ofthefreight trans- Data for DecisionMaking W egional andlocaleconomiesqualityoflife. Because citiesare thelocationsformostmajor Much of the nation’s transportation infrastructure Much ofthenation’s Other changesinthebusinessenvironment— did 20yearsago.Inaddition,pat- travel longerdistancesthanthey and internationaltrade,goods ith thegrowth ofglobalmarkets TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 31 ,is ght Data Program to www.TRB.org/ orm in this issue; to vailable from TRB vailable from a (see Publications Order F the book online,view go publications/sr/sr276.pdf). TRB Special Report 276, a National A Concept for Frei Data requirements for the various users of for the various users Data requirements The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of of Transportation The Bureau N Difficulties in combining data from diverse data from in combining Difficulties ork. Conference participants called for the devel- participants ork. Conference Guiding Data Collection Guiding Data transportation freight reliable need for The pressing of the changing U.S. econ- data within the context was the subject of a omy and business environment Data Needs in the November 2001 conference, Transpor- of Logistics and Freight Changing World Department State the New York by tation, organized (DOT) and the Transportation of Transportation (TRB) in Board Saratoga Research New Springs, Y opment of a strategic freight data business plan to data business opment of a strategic freight guide data collection. the U.S. DOT asked TRB to conduct a study to rec- the U.S. DOT asked TRB to conduct a study of ommend a framework for the development to identify data. The framework was national freight freight data in the public and private sectors; and data in the public and private sectors; freight sources limit the usefulness of the data sets for freight limit the usefulness of sources disjointed patchwork analyses. The transportation is costly to generate not only sources data of freight adequate infor- not provide and maintain but does mation for decision makers. Enhancing security without impeding the Enhancing security Alleviating congestion in suburban and inner- congestion in suburban Alleviating cost- and more for safer regulations Developing Federal agencies and other public- and private- Federal agencies and other public- and The private sector uses freight transportation data transportation freight The private sector uses N N N eliability and provide an incomplete picture of the an incomplete picture eliability and provide educing shipping costs. Because much of the nation’seducing shipping costs. FIGURE 1 Proposed framework of a national freight data program. freight of a national framework FIGURE 1 Proposed (O-D = origin–destination; DHS = Department of Homeland Security; planning organization; MPO = metropolitan = department of DOT transportation. Source: Rick Donnelly, PBConsult, Inc., Albuquerque,Mexico.) New sector entities that monitor or analyze transportation or state, national, and trade activities on a regional, international level collect data on goods movements. not coordinated, are These data collections, however, sets vary in quality and data so that the resulting r movements. universe of freight to identify underserved and emerging markets, as well to identify underserved and emerging Data that help in efficiency. as potential improvements for example, can allow capacity, match loads to empty rates, use at low marginal capacity shippers to increase r is privately infrastructure transportation freight the freight, owned, and private firms carry almost all of influ- private-sector investments have an important system as a whole. ence on the transportation timeliness of goods movements. city areas; of hazardous to the shipment approaches effective materials; and 32 TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 C. Robert TardifRobert oetE Martínez E. Robert ahrn .LawsonCatherine T. SusieLahsene J. Ganovski David L. Costello Robert K P Meyburg Arnim H. A Framework for Development Committee onFreight Transportation Data: u .Bingham aul H. nehD Boyer enneth D. Michael Walton eateto ii niern,University ofTexasAustin at ofCivilEngineering, Department onve,Canada Downsview, ofl otenCroain ofl,Virginia Norfolk, Norfolk SouthernCorporation, eatet StateUniversity ofNew YorkAlbany at Department, eto rnprain Baltimore ment ofTransportation, Virginia Alexandria, Associations, EastLansing University, niern,CrelUiest,Ihc,New York, Ithaca, CornellUniversity, Engineering, , Senior Planner, Ontario Ministry ofTransportation, OntarioMinistry Senior Planner, ,T , , asotto lnigMngr oto otad Oregon Port ofPortland, PlanningManager, ransportation he cnms n iePeiet AmericanTrucking Chief EconomistandVicePresident, ,P rnia,Goa nih,Ic,Wsigo,D.C. Washington, Inc., GlobalInsight, Principal, , , ,P Director of Rail Freight Services, Maryland Depart- Maryland Director ofRailFreight Services, , retH Cockrell CentennialChair inEngineering, H. Ernest ro iePeiet Marketing andInternational, Services Vice President, , ro f sitn rfso,GeographyAssistant Professor, andPlanning so,Dprmn fEoois MichiganState ofEconomics, Department essor, f so,SchoolofCivilandEnvironmental essor, collection (seebox,above). methodologyanddata and modeling,survey policy andinfrastructure, freight transportation data transportation planningandlogistics,transportation a 10-memberstudycommitteeofexperts infreight Council oftheNationalAcademies,TRBconvened users, aswelltheroles ofthedataproviders. would articulate thetypesoffreight dataneededby detailed planfordatacollection.Theframework disseminating freight data. ments andfortheprivatesectorindeveloping in This conceptualframework,illustratedschematically the related datacollectionandsynthesisactivities. the developmentofanationalfreight databaseand Freight DataProgram Special Report 276, TRB Conceptual Framework database would comefrom anintegratedprogram of program. Thedatatopopulate anationalfreight and implementationofamultifaceted datacollection on freight flows. a comprehensive source oftimelyandreliable data different datasources andonfillinggapstodevelop Figure 1 N Under theauspicesofNationalResearch The frameworkwastobeconceptual,nota An advisorycommitteewould oversee thedesign Appropriate roles forfederalandstategovern- , focusesonincreasing thelinksbetween , presents aframeworktoguide Chair A ConceptforaNational freight transportation problems. The dataalsomayenableresearch aimedatsolving and inprioritizingpolicyinvestment decisions. data maybeusefulinpinpointing underlyingcauses tation are wellknown,comprehensive high-quality portation needsandopportunities. informed decisionsthataccountforfreight trans- economies andstimulatedevelopmentthrough help sustainthestrengths ofregional andlocal transportation system.Inaddition,thedatacould indicating more effective waystousethenation’s competitiveness ofU.S.products by andservices work approach alsocouldincrease theinternational possible terrorist activity. as abaselineforidentifyinganomaliesthatindicate understanding ofnormalfreight flowswouldserve rity measures. Inthelongerterm,animproved high-risk scenariosandtoinitiateappropriate secu- of hazardous materialscouldbeusedtoidentify data onrouting andtimeofdayforbulkshipments ment byidentifyingvulnerabilities.Forexample, opportunities toenhancethesecurityofgoodsmove- freight, anationalfreight dataframeworkcanpresent In assemblingacomprehensive picture oftheflow Generating Benefits the securityofshipments. gies, forevaluatingsystemcapacity, andforensuring important forassessingcongestionmitigationstrate- also sparselycoverrouting andtimeofday, whichare not yetbeencovered wellindatacollection.Datasets age isinmotorcarrierflows—agrowth area thathas synthesis. Themostsignificantgapinmodalcover- challenge. from different sources, butcombiningthedataisa configuration. Manyoftheseare already available and timeofday;vehicleorvesseltype istics, weight,andvalue;modesofshipment;routing ment originanddestination;commoditycharacter- important characteristicsoffreight movements:ship- major needsofavarietyusersbycapturingthe the framework. comments andfeedbacktoinformdevelopmentof able to mentary. Theresulting databaseswouldbeavail- synthesizeddatawouldbesupple- surveys—and (ITS) andelectronic datainterchange. for example,from intelligenttransportation systems tive thatgathersdatafrom electronic datastreams— freight andfrom surveys afreight informaticsinitia- Although manyoftheissuesin freight transpor- The improvements tofreight datafrom theframe- Some gapsare difficult tofillexceptthrough data The nationalfreight databaseaimstofulfillthe Data from othersources—such asurbantruck the usercommunity, whichwouldprovide TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 33 A program office also would facilitate continuous office A program activities is likely to shift The focus of program equire a sustained effort and funding over many and funding a sustained effort equire elated research investigations, and ensuring the sus- elated research The author, Senior Program Officer in TRB’s Division in TRB’s Officer Senior Program The author, of Studies and Information Services, served as Study for this project. Director also should include an expert in defense logistics, include an expert also should as those of defense activities—such because national the U.S. Army’s and Distribution Deployment Surface freight improved benefit from Command—could flow data. Low-Cost Data and some of the required, are amounts of data Large makers need has not been information that decision United in the collected before States. Because the high, implementation of relatively costs of surveys are take advantage of nonsurveythe framework must passive data collection Low-cost, data streams. sur- example, ITS roadway For appears promising. in detail veillance data, generated continuously and be used to strategies, also could control for real-time facilities. monitor congestion and to plan intermodal Confidentiality must be The confidentiality of individual firms to avoid a potentially fatal flaw in the protected, in will not participate framework. Data providers of com- any risk framework activities if they perceive confidential petitors gaining access to commercially partici- information. In encouraging private-sector recognize pation, U.S. DOT and BTS will need to data collected for legit- that much of the proprietary cannot be imate business planning and investment to public-use data. readily converted Continuity will data program national freight The proposed r organiza- years and will involve many technical and of institu- some form tional challenges. Therefore, will be office, such as a program tional structure, the freight activities, support needed to coordinate a focal point data advisory committee, and provide for the framework initiative. of the framework, identify- feedback and refinement encouraging ing data collection opportunities, r tainability of data collection to expand and update database. the national freight feasibility studies and concept devel- over time from opment to the updating and maintenance that ensure struc- The institutional program long-term viability. will need to be flexible to accommodate this ture evolution. The private-sector group should include consult- The private-sector group Strong leadership will be needed to coordinate Strong ederal Leadership Advisory Committee data advisory committee of stakeholders A freight program in guiding would play a key role and experts development and implementation. The advisory data the spectrum of freight committee should reflect and should include representa- users and providers tives of federal, state, and local jurisdictions, as well as a range of private-sector stakeholders. modes of of different ing companies, representatives and marine, pipelines, railroads, (air, transportation logistics third-party trucking), shippers and receivers, The committee companies, and academic researchers. Program Implementation Program specific guid- The report’s offer recommendations ance to the U.S. DOT and BTS on the initial organi- zational and technical steps to implement a national data program. freight F and exper- has the resources No single organization data freight tise to develop and implement a national of a range and cooperation framework. The interest will be of public- and private-sector organizations initiative. essential to the success of the framework the con- the data collection by diverse entities within The federal government is text of an overall strategy. lead- this proactive uniquely positioned to provide have a framework will ership, because the proposed the public nationwide application; because some of and because a systemwide diffuse; benefits are involving all levels of govern- is necessary, approach ment and the private sector. 34 TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 Pavement Research Facility, Port Allen. Port Pavement Research Facility, Accelerated loadingfacilitydevice atLouisianaTransportation Research Center’s Center, BatonRouge. T Engineer, Louisiana Pavement Research The authorisSenior ransportation Research RESEARCH L layer pavements. Louisiana DOTDhasexperimentedwithstoneinter- cement basesandthehighcostofimported stone, ment life.Becauseofthecrackingproblem withsoil- accelerates pavementdeteriorationanddecreases pave- cracking intheasphalt.Thereflection crackinginturn soil-cement layer, however, isamajorcauseofreflection Shrinkage inthe structed withsoil-cementbasecourses. r stone aggregate forbasecourses.Low-volumeroads ment (DOTD)typicallyuses10to12inchesofcrushed Louisiana Department ofTransportation andDevelop- transportation costs.Forhigh-volumeroads, the lems on low-volume roads. Shrinkage crackingusually lems onlow-volumeroads. high-volume roads andhascausedperformance prob- Cracking haslimitedtheuseofsoil-cementmixtures on Problem MASOOD RASOULIAN Extending theServiceLifeofLow-Volume Roads P S interlayer designreduces reflection crackinginflexiblepavements onlow-volume roads. Accelerated pavement testingattheLouisianaTransportation Research Centerhasconfirmedthatastone eceive in-place,cement-stabilizedsoilbasecourses. PAYS OFF PAYS Louisiana hasthousandsofmilesroads con- A TONE VEMENT courses haveincreased withthesteadyrisein on imported material.Thecostsofstonebase high-quality stoneaggregates andmustrely ouisiana doesnothaveanaturalsource of I NTERLAYER S YSTEM pavements. was neededtominimizereflection crackinginasphaltic ages andasthetraffic loadingsaccumulate.Amethod lifeacceleratesasthepavement impact ontheservice ment performance adverselyatfirst,butthenegative block cracks.Thesecracksdonotseemtoaffect pave- extends tothepavementsurface intheformofreflection ulates theweight andmovementoftraffic in onedirec- ments (seephotograph). 55-ton machinethatsimulatestruck loadingonpave- stone interlayerpavements.The ALF isa100-footlong, L Using anacceleratedloadingfacility(ALF)device, Accelerated Testing the soil-cement,control section. total of388feet,compared with764feetofcrackingin the cracksinstoneinterlayersectionmeasured a interlayer sectionorthecontrol section.After10years, years. After4years,nocrackswere visibleinthestone ness, cracking,anddeformationwere monitored for10 layer consistedof3.5inchesasphalt. asthecontrolbase courseserved section.Thesurface over a6-inchsoil-cementbase.An8.5-inch cultural haulvehicles.A4-inchlayerofstonewasplaced way withlow-volumetraffic thatincludesheavyagri- Jennings, Louisiana,onLA-97—aruralcollectorhigh- The firstfieldexperimentwasconductedin1991near Field Experience by thestoneparticles, minimizingreflection cracking. tensile stresses developedwithinthebaseare absorbed crushed stoneontopofacement-stabilizedbase.The interlayer pavementsystemconsistsofalayer method tominimizereflection cracking.Thestone Center (LTRC) determinedaneffective andfeasible ment testing,theLouisianaTransportation Research Through long-termfieldresearch andacceleratedpave- Solution TRC further evaluatedtheload-carryingcapacity ofthe A computer-controlled loadtrolley repetitively sim- Performance parameterssuchaspavementrough- TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 35 : Appreciation is expressed to G. P. is expressed : Appreciation OTE N S ’ For a high-volume road, a 9-inch-thick AC pave- a 9-inch-thick AC For a high-volume road, the field The accelerated pavement testing confirms DITOR Suggestions for “Research Pays Off” topics are Pays Off” Suggestions for “Research Transporta- Jayaprakash, welcome. Contact G. P. Wash- 500 Fifth Board, NW, Street, tion Research ington, DC 20001 (telephone 202-334-2952, e-mail [email protected]). educe the annual cost per lane-mile by 28 percent. Jayaprakash and Amir Hanna, Transportation Research Jayaprakash and Amir Hanna, Transportation in developing this article. for their efforts Board, FIGURE 1 Performance of stone interlayer compared of stone interlayer FIGURE 1 Performance with soil-cement and crushed rock. base course. The stone interlayer construction would base course. The stone interlayer construction r ment over a 12-inch stone base course is expected to be ment over a 12-inch stone base course is expected to a pavement of the same comparable in performance of 4 inches AC thickness over an interlayer base course A 30-year of limestone over 8.5 inches of soil-cement. structures life-cycle cost analysis of the two pavement 40 indicates an annual cost savings of approximately design. per lane-mile with the stone interlayer percent of the stone evaluation of the superior performance of con- interlayer design. Although the initial cost is structing the low-volume pavement structure the life-cycle cost is lower because the design higher, with con- lasts longer than pavements constructed mainte- ventional methods. The initial and annual built nance costs of high-volume asphalt pavements to expected with a stone interlayer base course also are be lower than those of pavements built with conven- tional base courses. information contact Masood Rasoulian, Senior For more Louisiana Transportation Engineer, Pavement Research Baton Rouge, LA Avenue, 4101 Gourrier Center, Research 70808 (telephone 225-767-9112, fax 225-767-9108, email [email protected]). E An 8.5-inch-thick, in-place stabilized soil-cement An 8.5-inch-thick, in-place with 4 inches of limestone A stone interlayer base A base course of 8.5 inches of limestone; A base course of 8.5 inches A 30-year life-cycle cost analysis was performed The results of ALF loadings on three pavement sec- on three of ALF loadings The results The results, shown in Figure 1, indicate that at the 1, indicate that shown in Figure The results, ◆ ◆ ◆ esults verified the superior performance of the stone esults verified the superior performance using data from the ALF testing. The soil-cement sec- using data from 10 at the end of Years reconstruction tion would require and 20, while the stone interlayer section would require 15. At a 4 percent a one-time milling and overlay in Year inflation rate and no salvage value—that is, value after the useful service for the life—the annual life-cycle cost stone interlayer would be $11,000 per lane-mile, com- with $15,000 per lane-mile for the soil-cement pared For low-volume roads, the initial cost of the stone inter- For low-volume roads, than that of an in-place soil- layer pavement is more cement base course. A flexible pavement with 3.5 inches (AC) and a stone interlayer base of asphalt concrete course of 4 inches of limestone over 8.5 inches of soil- cement costs $118,000 per lane-mile. A lane-mile of the same pavement with 8.5 inches of stabilized soil- cement costs $86,000. Benefits Application stone inter- In 1999, Louisiana DOTD employed the flexible- a 3.6-mile layer concept on a second project, In road. of a low-volume pavement reconstruction adopted the stone interlayer base 2004, the department in option for pavements course design as a standard under construction, are major projects Louisiana. Two scheduled 5 to 10 miles long, projects, more with three of these sections The performance for letting this year. the with data collected through will be monitored department’s pavement management procedures. tions were compared: compared: tions were tion, applying the loads in 10-second cycles. The loads the loads in 10-second tion, applying pounds. Increas- 10,000 to 21,000 from adjustable are 24 hours a day can and running the device ing the loads equivalent of a pave- a few months the within produce years. ment loading of many All lanes were paved with 3.5 inches of asphalt in two paved with All lanes were layers. had sus- the stone interlayer pavement time of failure, loads of tained nearly 4 times the equivalent single-axle than the the soil-cement section and 2.5 times more rut was defined as an average stone section. Failure test depth of 0.75 inches. The accelerated pavement r interlayer design. base course; and soil-cement. placed over 6 inches of PROFILES ......

Pam Ward Ottumwa Transit Authority

ith a population of 25,000, Ottumwa is the tices, coming trends, and challenges on the horizon, I discov- largest town within a 75-mile radius in south- ered, through TRB, a forum for meeting researchers and learn- east Iowa. Pam Ward went to high school and ing first-hand about their work.” community college in these rural surround- Ward graduated from Indian Hills Community College in 1971, ingsW before carving out a 30-year career in public transportation, completing course work in data processing and in business and mostly as Transit Administrator for the Ottumwa Transit Author- administrative secretarial skills. In 1975 she became the transpor- ity. Under her supervision, the transit authority operates daily tation coordinator for the community college, which provided fixed-route bus service and complementary paratransit service in transit primarily to elderly residents. 10 rural counties. A year later, the Southern Iowa Economic Development Asso- Coordination efforts have been a major part of Ward’s career. ciation in Ottumwa hired Ward as its transportation coordinator, “In a rural area, it’s all about forming partnerships to identify putting her in charge of the daily operations of a 40-vehicle fleet the customers’ needs that must be met,” she notes. “The value and a staff of 50. She projected capital needs and operating funds of rural public transportation cannot be underestimated.” and prepared grant applications to state and federal funding The Ottumwa Transit Authority offers a vital service to the frail sources. Ward also negotiated contracts for services with various elderly, for whom a trip to the doctor’s office may be anywhere from agencies, dispatched demand-response services in a 10-county area, and participated in long-range transit planning. In 1980, Ward joined the staff of the Ottumwa Transit Author- “Research helps us identify ity, where she has remained as Transit Administrator for 24 years. For much of that time, she has supervised the fixed-route bus ser- the challenges our bus vice for Ottumwa. More recently she planned and implemented a operators face, including complementary paratransit service in accordance with the Amer- icans with Disabilities Act. the safety of passengers, She also has assumed responsibilities for a rural bus system under contract to the 10-county Board of Supervisors. To meet driver fatigue, and dealing these requirements, Ward tripled her staff of bus drivers to 45. She with difficult situations.” is responsible for capital acquisition, marketing, planning, budget development and monitoring, and statistical reporting to local, state, and federal funding sources. 20 to 200 miles, depending on medical needs. The transit author- “The Board of Transit Trustees challenges the staff to reach ity also recently extended its hours of service to start at 4 a.m. and beyond our current service levels to meet the customers’ needs, all run until midnight Monday through Friday to accommodate res- the while keeping a focus on efficiency and on our limited finan- idents with nontraditional work hours, such as migrant workers. cial resources,” she reports. “As a staff, we continue to try to find Ward’s influence, however, extends beyond the plains of Iowa. better ways of meeting those needs using technologies, additional Her expertise in rural transit has informed the work of Transpor- partners, and resources not previously tapped.” tation Research Board standing committees and Transit Coopera- The Ottumwa Transit Authority received the Federal Transit tive Research Program panels. As a member and past chair of the Administration (FTA) Public Service Award in 2002 and the FTA Rural Public and Intercity Bus Committee, Ward has helped plan Region 7 Special Achievement Award in 2004. In addition, under and conduct several national conferences that examined the Ward’s guidance, the transit authority has been recognized three demand for, and supply of, passenger transportation in rural areas times by the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) as Transit and intercity bus service. System of the Year for service improvements. In many rural states, transit managers do not have a ready out- Ward has been a member of the Iowa Public Transit Association let to discuss issues and resolve problems. From the early days of since 1975 and has served as association president and as vice her career, Ward found that a wealth of information was available president of both the rural and the urban divisions. She was through affiliation with TRB. Under her guidance, Ottumwa Tran- appointed a charter member of the national review board for the sit Authority has applied research published by TRB to improve Rural Technical Assistance Program (RTAP), a national organiza- practices, from cleaning programs to maintenance work. tion that identifies and disseminates information and training to “Research helps us identify the challenges our bus operators rural transit operators and provides technical assistance services face, including the safety of passengers, driver fatigue, and deal- and materials to state programs. She chaired the board for four

TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 ing with difficult situations,” Ward observes. “Besides being years before leaving to serve on an advisory group to Iowa DOT as 36 able to access the written research and learn about best prac- the Iowa RTAP program was being implemented. PROFILES ......

Andrzej S. Nowak University of Michigan

ransportation engineers regularly encounter bridges different structural types and materials.” that are structurally inadequate for carrying traffic A native of Poland, Nowak attended the Warsaw University of but require considerable funds to fix. Controlling Technology, receiving a master’s degree in structural engineering costs when repairing, rehabilitating, or replacing in 1970 and a doctorate in technical sciences in 1975. He worked Tbridges demand the optimal use of materials, energy, and labor. as a teaching assistant while pursuing his doctoral studies; after- The consumption of those resources can be minimized through wards he spent two years as a research associate in the depart- rational design criteria, efficient evaluation of structures, and ment of civil engineering at the University of Waterloo in effective repair and rehabilitation procedures. Ontario, Canada. These are the problems and solutions that have been at the Nowak moved to the United States in 1978 to join the civil engi- heart of Andrzej S. Nowak’s research career over the last three neering faculty at the State University of New York at Buffalo as an decades. In 25 years as a professor of civil engineering at the Uni- assistant professor. The following year, he accepted an appointment versity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Nowak has worked to develop at the University of Michigan, where he has ascended the ranks design codes that improve structural reliability of bridges cost- within the department of civil and environmental engineering, to effectively. The field testing procedures have provided an efficient become a full professor in 1990. Nowak has completed partial-year way to verify the analytical models. appointments as a visiting professor at universities in Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Japan. Nowak teaches courses on the modern approach to “With the new generation of bridge analysis, design, and evaluation and on reliability- based methods of structural analysis. His graduate and design codes, bridges can be undergraduate students are often involved in research proj- designed to perform with ects, which Nowak considers a vital complement to their formal education. predefined reliability, consistent “Research projects provide an excellent opportunity for students not only to develop new theoretical approaches for different structural types and models, but also to apply the knowledge in the field and materials.” and verify if the theory works in practice,” he observes. Since 2001, Nowak has served as director of the Center of Excellence in Bridges and Structures at the University of Nowak is developing a calibration procedure for the new gen- Michigan. The center conducts research projects on the devel- eration of load and resistance factor design (LRFD) codes. His opment of bridge load and resistance models and on the evalua- procedure has been applied in the American Association of State tion of structures by analysis and field testing. The projects are Highway and Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO) LRFD Code sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the National for Highway Bridges, the American Concrete Institute’s Code for Cooperative Highway Research Program, Michigan Department Concrete Buildings (ACI-318), the Ontario Highway Bridge of Transportation (DOT), and other state DOTs. Design Code, and the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code. The author and coauthor of more than 300 publications, An important focus of Nowak’s activities is the evaluation of Nowak received the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Mois- structures. He has performed diagnostic and field-testing proce- seiff Award for his paper on the calibration of LRFD bridge code. dures on bridges, including the measurement of truck loads, He is an active member of several professional organizations in dynamic loads, girder distribution factors, and proof load tests the field of structural engineering, and for the Transportation with military tanks. He has carried out reliability-based procedures Research Board he has served as chair of the Structures Section for the evaluation of bridges, has developed damage accumulation and of the Dynamics and Field Testing of Bridges Committee. models for steel and prestressed concrete girder bridges, and has Nowak is also a member of the General Structures Committee TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 conducted evaluations of potential seismic risk for buildings. and of the Committee for the Sixth International Bridge Engi- Nowak also is developing probabilistic models for bridge neering Conference. analysis, load models for highway bridges, whole-life reliability “TRB engages not only academics but also consultants and profiles for steel girder bridges, and models for human errors in representatives of the government,” Nowak comments. “TRB design and construction. provides a diversified forum for the presentation of research “The new generation of design codes offers a major improve- results, discussion, and critical comments by peers and others. ment over the traditional approach,” Nowak notes. “Bridges can This ensures a more objective evaluation and verification of be designed to perform with predefined reliability, consistent for new ideas.” 37 NEWS BRIEFS

Mileage Counter Could “According to the research Oregon State University Replace Oregon Gas Tax has performed, it appears that a VMT fee is a very Researchers at Oregon State University have success- workable solution,” said James Whitty, Manager of fully tested a system that charges drivers a fee based on the Oregon DOT Office of Innovative Partnerships the number of miles they travel within the state. The and Alternative Funding. “Oregon would be the system could one day replace Oregon’s gasoline tax, national leader if the Oregon Legislature makes the which has yielded less revenue for the highway trust decision to implement the fee system.” fund since more fuel-efficient cars and trucks have hit During the May test, researchers drove five vehicles the road. through several zones set up within the city of Cor- In 2001, Oregon lawmakers requested the state vallis to demonstrate how miles are counted electron- department of transportation (DOT) to develop alter- ically using a Global Positioning System (GPS) or an native funding sources for taxing highway use. Oregon odometer system and how the user fee is then incor- DOT awarded a grant to Oregon State University Engi- porated into fuel purchases at the gas station pumps. neering Professors David Kim and David Porter, to In response to privacy concerns, Kim stressed that develop two vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) systems. the systems do not allow storage or retrieval of vehicle The VMT systems employ wireless technology to location, personal information, or the time and date calculate how many miles a vehicle travels between that mileage was logged. “The only information cap- refueling; the systems automatically read the data, tured is the total number of miles driven since the last compute a total fee, and add the fee to the cost of fuel refueling,” he said. while the vehicle is at the fuel pump. After a real-time Kim noted that VMT systems with GPS as part of demonstration in May, the researchers declared the the on-vehicle device, however, could allow conges- system a viable option to the gas tax. tion pricing, so that different per-mile rates could Oregon DOT has instructed the researchers to apply to different geographic locations or times of day. ensure that the proposed VMT fee would be fair, For more information on the projects of the Oregon affordable to implement, and not infringe on personal DOT Road User Fee Task Force, go to www.odot. privacy. state.or.us/ruftf/.

Alameda Corridor Fast-Tracks Repayment In May the Alameda Corridor Transporta- branch railroads into one high-speed rail more than 200 railroad crossings where tion Authority (ACTA) paid off the balance line, the Alameda Corridor has eliminated cars and trucks previously had to wait for of a loan that the U.S. Department of Trans- long freight trains. portation (DOT) had provided to build the ACTA repaid the federal loan with pro- multimodal facility in southern California. ceeds from the sale of $1.16 billion of sub- ACTA repaid nearly $573 million to retire ordinate lien taxable and tax-exempt the $400-million loan plus accrued inter- revenue bonds, allowing it to reduce the est—28 years ahead of the scheduled 6.79-percent interest rate of the federal maturity in 2032. loan. ACTA could sell the bonds for two Approved by Congress as part of the primary reasons: (a) two years of opera- 1997 appropriations for U.S. DOT, the tional performance had confirmed traffic loan was instrumental to the construction and revenue forecasts, and (b) a recent of the $2.4-billion Alameda Corridor. A Internal Revenue Service ruling confirmed grant from the FHWA federal-aid pro- the tax-exempt eligibility of a portion of gram contributed another $347 million the project bonds. ACTA collects fees on to the project. each shipping container that moves Opened on time and within budget in between the ports and the rail yards, and April 2002, the corridor has improved has pledged this revenue as the principal freight traffic access to the Ports of Los source of repayment for the project bonds Angeles and Long Beach, California. The and the federal loan. largest component of the corridor is a Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Summarized from the Spring 2004 issue 20-mile grade-separated rail expressway Mineta visits the Henry Ford Bridge on the of Innovative Finance Quarterly, published Alameda Corridor in April to mark the that connects on-dock terminals to key by the Federal Highway Administration. For repayment of a $573-million U.S. DOT loan transcontinental rail yards near downtown for the construction of the $2.4 billion further information on the Alameda Corridor,

TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 Los Angeles. By combining 90 miles of corridor. go to www.acta.org. 38 TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 39 NEWS BRIEFS The GSI profiler uses sonic The GSI profiler technology to measure pavement. , pub- Focus On new projects, Maryland’sOn new projects, contractors are One of the slow-speed devices tested during the study was per- the profiler by FHWA, Sponsored the June 2004 issue of Summarized from oundup was a profiler that uses sonic technology to oundup was a profiler esults will be issued later this year. equired to report on the road’s to report pavement smoothness. equired r sample quality assurance testing to MSHA performs check the accuracy of the contractor’s Contract data. for meeting smoothness targets. awarded incentives are r The device can strad- measurements. real-time provide con- either wet or cured dle a pavement slab to profile in the slab and asphalt slabs. Any irregularities crete through recorded identified, and their locations are are Contractors the use of a distance tracking encoder. while it is still in surface the concrete can then repair a plastic state. formed by the University of Michigan Transportation on the study Institute. An overall report Research r the read To of Infrastructure. Office lished by the FHWA go study, roundup article on the pavement profiler entire to www.tfhrc.gov/focus/june04/02.htm. quality assurance on new projects and for some net- and for quality assurance on new projects the Inter- workwide assessments. Maryland combines from national Roughness Index data collected cracking networkwide assessments with rutting and The index a Pavement Condition Index. data to create work on. to projects helps the state decide which road ment Profilers Tested at Spring Roundup at Tested ment Profilers ve The roundup study evaluated 68 road profilers— study evaluated 68 road The roundup to evaluate the pave- About 48 states use profilers The Maryland State Highway Administration including high-speed, lightweight, low-speed, walk- devices—that use lasers and ing-speed, and reference pavement smoothness. other technology to measure will taken by the various profilers The measurements of the test roads, profiles with reference be compared and with the results accuracy, to check profiler obtained by the other devices. Additional goals of the study include establishing criteria for selecting profiler verification sites; studying the interaction of profiler setting per- and texture; types with pavement surface profilers. for reference formance requirements 10 networks; approximately ment quality of their road on for construction quality control states use profiles picture a clearer provide Profilers individual projects. than older devices, such as the of the shape of roads California profilograph. used for (MSHA) tested its two high-speed profilers, Pa comparison and verification profiler road The largest DOT’s study to date was held in April at Virginia Smart and at Pennsylvania Road Facility in Blacksburg DOT’s testing facility in Newville. The profiler road to test the will be used data collected at the roundup American Association of State Highway and Trans- adopted in standards, provisional Officials’ portation 2002 and published the following year. 40 TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 dian–U.S. border in2001.Traffic tryingto lion personalvehiclescrossed the Cana- economies couldsuffer. der remains uncongested,orboth countries’ ments toworktogetherensure that thebor- OCC isurging theU.S.andCanadiangovern- security measures willcontinuetotighten,the is expectedtoincrease exponentiallyandthat with predictions thatcommercial trucktraffic Chamber ofCommerce (OCC)inJune.Faced according toastudyreleased bytheOntario that trucksandcarssitidlyatborder crossings, more thanhalfamillion dollarsforeveryhour $5.25 billionannuallyinlostrevenue—or States costtheCanadianprovince United T Economies U.S. Border Delays Costly toCanada, INTERNATIONAL NEWS r nears impactwithapierof Barge travels at3.5knotsasit BRIEFS NEWS ecently demolishedbridge. raffic delays at Ontario’s borders withthe raffic delaysatOntario’s More than13milliontrucksand68.3 mil- Island CausewayBridgenearTallahassee, Florida, SR 300–SaintGeorgeMarch tolateApril2004.The Groups conductedabout14testcollisionsfrom late Structures andGeotechnical members from theTRB Coastal EngineeringattheUniversityofFloridaand month-long testwillbeavailablebyfall2004. tion andimprove bridgesafety. Conclusionsofthe that couldhelpreduce thecostofbridgeconstruc- obtain reliable andaccurate barge impact-loaddata Florida DOTsponsored the$1-millionstudyto to testthe ished bridge, 150-foot barge intochannelpiersfrom ademol- In spring2004,researchers inFloridacrasheda Yields Bargeload ofData V essel–Bridge Collision Researchers intheDepartment ofCiviland actual impactofvessel–bridgecollisions. taking advantageofarare opportunity dor alonewillcost CanadaandtheUnited then, delaysintheDetroit–Windsor corri- border isexpectedtogrow by118percent. By over thenext30yearsastruck traffic atthe sumer prices.Thecostsare likely toincrease the studysuggestscanaffect jobsandcon- maintain ahigherlevelofinventory, which gasoline andlabor, andmanufacturers must logistics andtruckingcompaniesmore in r annually inproductivity andcross and U.S.economieshavelost$13.6billion study. Duetothesedelays,boththeCanadian minutes upto4hours,according tothe gestion, withwaittimesrangingfrom 10 States facedheaviercon- enter theUnited ecreational trips. The uncertainty ofborder delayscosts -border Research Record and HenryT. Bollman,willappearin sica L.Hendrix,MichaelC.McVay, MarkE.Williams, Finite ElementAnalysis,”byGaryR.Consolazio,Jes- to Barge ImpactswithDesign-OrientedDynamic sor GaryConsolazio,whoheadedtheresearch effort. bridges,” saidUniversityofFloridaAssistantProfes- strength standards forpierssupporting future Construction Company, LLC. the barge, whichwasrented from BohBrothers of thecollisions,a325-tonpayloadwasaddedto barge slammedintooneofthepiers.Foraportion to usetwoofitschannelpiersforthestudy. was recently demolished,enablingtheresearch team The barge crashstudy, “Prediction ofPierResponse “This testwillhelpdeterminethenecessary The teammeasured theimpactasa275-ton Canada, thestudynotes. r States more than$17.8billionayearandwill r companies. and educationofdriverstransportation investments ininfrastructure, technology, medium-, andlong-termplansthatinclude and withtheprivatesector, tocreate short-, work togetherwiththeirU.S.counterparts with theCanadianfederalgovernment,to calls ontheprovincial government,along Delays.doc. borders/related_documents/CostofBorder www.occ.on.ca/members/2committees/ eport, esult inmore than70,000jobslostin To For more information,read theentire OCC , No.1868, counteract thesetrends, theOCC Cost ofBorder DelaystoOntario pp. 177-189. T ransportation , at TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 41 (tele- ) Tom Connor, ) Tom ). Near right ) Wesley Harris,) Wesley Massachusetts AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifica- Standing ( OL IN DESIGN— In July, was expanded to include consideration of project the . These guidelines will provide highway agencies with the infor- . These guidelines will provide llow-on workshop,llow-on August 24–26. ( valuating a new Federal Federal tool for valuating a new Aviation Administration (FAA) AA, workshop. listens to comments during the March Construction Technology Laboratories, Inc. of Skokie, Illinois, Construction Technology For further information contact Amir N. Hanna, TRB nttt fTcnlg,is chair of a TRB committee that is Institute of Technology, e assessing the noise, energy, and emissions impacts associated development. infrastructure with aviation The Committee for (AEDT) an Environmental Design Tool Developing Aviation user, the aviation input from operations,gathered manufacturing, during its first workshop, communities and research 31– March Center. April 2 at the National Academies’ Keck an integrated economic assessment of the for tools analytic operations.noise and emissions impacts of aviation Three joined the committee and will participate in the economists have fo TO F phone 202-334-1892, e-mail [email protected] Research is needed to address these issues and to develop guidelines is needed to address Research bridges. girder for the design and construction of decked concrete a $500,000, 36-month contract (National Coop- has been awarded 12-69, FY 2004) to Project Program erative Highway Research develop design and construction guidelines for long-span decked bridges. The guidelines will be girder concrete prestressed precast, in a format suitable for consideration and adoption by the prepared Officials American Association of Transportation State Highway and of the (AASHTO) as part tions mation necessary for considering a bridge construction method that public the total construction time, improve is expected to reduce accident risk, and yield economic and environ- acceptance, reduce mental benefits. HIGHLIGHTS

Sections that are not too long or too heavy for transportation by not too long or too heavy for transportation Sections that are gird- concrete prestressed Despite theses benefits, decked precast, Although the TPB staff found the review useful and constructive, the found the review Although the TPB staff titled “Determi- study, the follow-up requested U.S. DOT therefore In May 2002, the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Capital Region Transportation In May 2002, the National Council, TRB assem- the National Research Under the auspices of consid- The first carefully The committee issued two letter reports.

truck can be used to construct long-span girder bridges. This type truck can be used to construct long-span girder the benefits of rapid construction, of bridge construction provides safety for construction personnel and the public, and improved and durability. structural performance improved ers have found only limited use because of design and construction issues that may involve the structural integrity of the bridge system. Concrete Girder Bridges Girder Concrete I-beam, concrete prestressed is a precast, girder A decked concrete with an integral deck cast and pre- bulb-tee, or multistemmed girder in precast manufactured are These girders with the girder. stressed conditions, and monitored plants under closely controlled concrete so that the erected are to the construction site, and transported are flanges of adjacent units abut. Load transfer between adjacent units specially designed connections. through is provided Guidelines for Decked COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS NEWS PROGRAMS RESEARCH COOPERATIVE eports/mwcogsept03.pdf). The second letter report reviewed the reviewed The second letter report eports/mwcogsept03.pdf). TPB staff and the TRB committee pointed out that MPOs do not have TPB staff the state of practice or a clearinghouse of information to consult about solutions to common problems. Fore- nation of the Travel Area State of the Practice in Metropolitan to select and oversee a casting.” TRB is assembling a committee MPO travel on current contractor to gather and synthesize information on make recommendations modeling practice. The committee also will practice. the next steps in developing guidance for modeling TPB’s proposed work program for model improvements (http://trb.org/ TPB’s for model improvements work program proposed publications/reports/mwcogapril04.pdf). Board (TPB), the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for Wash- planning organization (TPB), the metropolitan Board area. travel modeling in the D.C. to review ington, D.C., asked TRB be eli- to plans and programs transportation MPOs must adopt formal mod- analyzed using computer These often are gible for federal funding. impacts of travel and air quality. and future els that estimate the current of of the University by David Forkenbrock bled a committee chaired detailed presentations Iowa. The committee met several times, heard of and stakeholders, and engaged in an intensive review TPB staff from TPB’s models. the TPB’sered travel and vehicle emissions and models for forecasting (http://gulliver.trb.org/publications/ made suggestions for improvements r Study to Survey Travel Modeling Practice Travel Survey Study to (DOT), TRB of Transportation of the U.S. Department At the request the state of later this year to determine a national study will undertake study was pro- The forecasting. travel area in metropolitan the practice posed after TRB’s of travel modeling in metropol- review independent or which noted the lack of accepted guidelines D.C., itan Washington, travel modeling. of practice for standards TRB 42 TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 TRB HIGHLIGHTS treatment. about thecurrent statusofballastwater responds toaquestion America, ping of Affairs attheChamberofShip- Maritime future event. the competition, develop environment oftheGreat Lakes r and transportation, trade, economy, committee The study. options thatwarrant further design promote globalcommerce. eliciting arangeofoptionsthatalsowould planfor committee willdevelop adetailed Lawrence Seaway. The transiting theSt. the Great Lakes by oceangoing vessels nonindigenous speciesandpathogensinto eliminate theintroduction ofadditional study willidentify W meetingJune 22–23in held itsfirst on Committee — SHIPPING NEWS sigo,D.C. ashington, Agency forthe22ndCentury. Preparing Today’s Construction Transportation Security Issues;and Superhighway; Homeland tion tives; HowtoAvoid BeingRoadkill ontheInforma- Streamlining Environmental Legislation andInitia- on Transactional EthicsforLawyersandEngineers; Savannah, Georgia, includedsessions July 18–21in AnnualWorkshop onTransportationThe 43rd Law, T Breland Gowan,CaliforniaDepartment of Legal Resources: Programs andProjects Groups. Following are highlightsoftheactivitiestwo notes Technical ActivitiesDirector MarkNorman. and cross-cutting transportation research issues, standing committeestoaddress avarietyofspecific creates asynergy amongtheGroups, allowingTRB systems. transportation, rail,marine,aviation,andfreight Groups concentratesonaspecificmode—public major focusonhighways.Eachoftheremaining 5 functional componentsoftransportation, witha ing ofsome150committeesaddress various Six oftheGroups consist- mittees into11Groups. r TechnicalIn January2004,TRB’s ActivitiesDivision T ( The centerpieceoftheproject isa eorganized itsapproximately 200standingcom- ransportation, Chair ht,right Photo, cnclAtvte pae:LglRsucs SystemUsers LegalResources, echnical ActivitiesUpdates: The combinedfunctionalandmodalstructure competition thatwillidentifypromising baseline will assemblestatisticsonthe ah ecl,Director of ) Kathy Metcalf, h t Lawrence Seaway the St. assumptions which willbeheldata and explore optionsto h w-hs,27-month The two-phase, The TRB (continued) and criteriafor egion to Arising outofHighwayProjects; andTransit Coop- way Research Program Project 20-6,LegalProblems ative research projects: National CooperativeHigh- members are workingcloselywith thelegalcooper- approved forcontinuinglegaleducationcredits. attend theacclaimedsummerworkshop,whichis lems. Eachyear, approximately 150to200people and todiscussapproaches tocommonlegalprob- (FHWA), andtheFederalTransit Administration, other states,theFederalHighwayAdministration country toshare informationwithcolleaguesfrom opportunity fortransportation lawyersacross the T the cerns?” Thelecture willappearinthe2004seriesof Design: Will theVision Overcome Liability Con- engineering, andplanning—“Context-Sensitive Executive Board, Joneschoseatopicintegratinglaw, the AnnualMeeting.With guidancefrom theGroup deliver theThomasB.DeenDistinguishedLecture at r portation infrastructure. TheGroup alsoselected megaprojects, budgetcuts,andfalseclaimsontrans- topics ontransportation security, theimpactsof sions atthe2004TRBAnnualMeeting,including etired FHWA RegionalCounselRichard Jonesto ransportation Research Board The LegalResources Group ExecutiveBoard The LegalResources Group sponsored 11ses- For 43years,theworkshophasprovided an T ransportation Research Record: Journalofthe . TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 43 ) Committee member ) Committee members listen to ) discusses candidate problems ) discusses candidate problems meeting during the January 2005 Photo, right center Photo, left ganizing and Operator ehicle User Characteristics erformance edestrians ransportation Management Safety Enforcement raffic Law ruck and Bus Safety V Systems User Information of Vehicle and Measurement Simulation P Visibility P Bicycle Transportation and Mopeds Motorcycles T Data,Safety Analysis,Evaluation and Operator Education and Regulation T Occupant Protection Alcohol, Other Drugs,Transportation and Mobility of Older Persons Safe T The also established a new System Users Group edestrians and Cycles Section or cooperative research during a July 1 workshop, a July during research or cooperative f the input for provided at which stakeholders program. prospective is needed. ( during the first meeting in late a presentation April at Center.the Keck ( Ron Brinson ( P Users Performance Section Users Performance Safety Section Safety TRB Annual Meeting. the in memory of Patricia Waller, TRB paper award scientist and administrator. distinguished research ioral measures to increase restraint use, such as restraint to increase ioral measures and education. The committee will con- enforcement vene an or The TRB Committee for a The TRB Committee for Selected Studies in Transportation Selected Studies in Transportation is published in hard copy and CD-ROM. is published in hard olumes on environmental law, highway torts, and torts, highway law, olumes on environmental , scheduled for completion by the end of 2005. , scheduled for completion by the end of 2005. V In June 2004, the estab- System Users Groups viewing the current funding of hazardous materials funding of hazardous the current viewing ransit and Intermodal Transportation Law. These Law. ransit and Intermodal Transportation ransportation Cooperative Research Program is Program Research ransportation Cooperative evised edition of Law lished the Occupant Protection Committee under lished the Occupant Protection the of Safety by Elaine Weinstein Section. Chaired the com- Safety Board, the National Transportation agenda that addresses mittee will develop a research including restraint priorities for occupant protection, and biomechanical efficiency, system performance, issues; the economic impact to society; and behav- erative Research Program Project J-5, Legal Aspects of J-5, Legal Project Program erative Research T jointly publishing an eight-volume are projects r have been published. transit labor decisions already entered The volumes on contracts and transit law have eminent and the volumes on the publication process, bus service and domain, transit charter decisions, to be com- topics have yet law-related transportation pleted and reviewed. Law System Users: Starting Up Safety and Policy Analysis Sweedler, Barry International, Chair The established in January 2004, System Users Group, consists of the in the Sections and Committees listed accompanying box. FIRST MEETINGS— Study of the Feasibility of a Materials Study of the Feasibility Hazardous T re of U.S. in programs transportation research DOT, agencies,other government industry, and to program research determine whether a cooperative 44 TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 TRB the workshop. initiatives during of research give anoverview panelists DHS–TSA tation agencies;anduniversities. produced byTRB;federal,state, andinternationaltranspor- maries withhyperlinkstotranspor launch inJune2002.The cation thathasgeneratedinterest andreadership sinceits tries, markingamilestoneforthefree research newspubli- in mid-Julytoits14,000subscribersmore than78coun- weeklye-newsletterwase-mailed The 100thissueofTRB’s TRB E-Newsletter Passes Milestone100 Since itsinception,thee-newsletter hasattracted10,000 HIGHLIGHTS improve cooperationinsecurityresearch: W June 14–15intheNationalAcademies’KeckCenter Opportunities forCollabor-ation andCoordination, Security Research Workshop:tation Expanding other interested partners participated intheTranspor- Security Administration(DHS–TSA),and portation Security–Trans-the U.S.Department ofHomeland the U.S.Department ofTransportation (U.S.DOT), conducted byTRBinJune. projects were identifiedduringatwo-dayworkshop collaboration amongtransportation securityresearch Five keyinitiativesforincreasing thecoordination and Security Research Improving Cooperationin carrying outatransportation securityresearch agenda, ashington, D.C. ◆ ◆ The followingapproaches were advancedto Representatives from 25TRBstandingcommittees, Developing andmaintainingacommunications T aking asystemsapproach todevelopingand e-newsletter assemblessum- tation research studies (continued) serv willbesentwithin5business days. Confirmation ofsubscriptionto the “transresearchenews” list- [email protected] with“TRBE-Newsletter” inthesubjectfield. r academia, and8percent from thenonprofit sector. The cent from federalandstateagencies,15percent from r new subscribers—includingmore than2,000in2004.Cur- ently, 35percent ofreaders are from theprivatesector, 25per- emainder areStates. predominantly from outside theUnited To subscribe tothee-newsletter, sendane-mailtorhous- discussions willbepostedontheTRBwebsite. tee. Amore complete summaryoftheworkshop Jersey, andpastChairoftheTRBExecutiveCommit- ment atthePort AuthorityofNewYork andNew former AssistantExecutiveDirector forPort Develop- Borrone, ChairoftheEnoTransportation Foundation, asmoderatorfortheprogramServing wasLillian risk mitigation;andcommunicationsfunding. and technologytransfer;vulnerabilityassessment breakout discussiongroups ontraining,education, tion securityresearch. in transportation securityresearch, and among U.S.DOT, DHS–TSA,TRB,andotherpartners tions, the developersofsolutionsandusersthosesolu- portfolio ontransportation securityresearch, ◆ ◆ ◆ The workshopincludedplenarysessions,with Strengthening internationallinksintransporta- Facilitating coordination andcollaboration Improving understandingamongthosewhoare TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 45 BOOK SHELF The books described above are not TRB The books described above are . tation policy and includes a summary paper tation policy and includes a summary The report presents the committee’s presents The report findings and publications. To order, contact the publisher listed. publications. order, To ecommendations pertaining to cost and scheduling ecommendations pertaining of the TRB Committee for the International Committee for the of the TRB Sympo- Pricing. sium on Road of Transport Fifty Years Policy: Success, Failures and New Challenges for Economic Organisation Co-operation and Development. United Kingdom: Bedfordshire, 92-821- 2003; 116 pp.; $29; 0313-7 no growth traffic Projected with traditional methods that longer can be managed capacity. infrastructure concentrate on increasing to New incentives, new pricing, and new instruments required.manage investment and demand are This for trans- publication outlines strategic directions por of Minis- Conference at the 87th European presented ters of Transport. Final Completing the “Big Dig”: Managing the Central Artery/Tunnel Project Stages of Boston’s 60 pp.; $23 paper- Council. 2003; National Research back; 0-309-08887-9. the Authority (MTA), The Massachusetts Turnpike of Boston’spublic steward Central Artery–Tunnel Council that the National Research requested Project, project’scarry out an independent assessment of the practices, management and contract administration that should be focus on measures with a particular to a successful conclusion. taken to bring the project and under- The “Big Dig,” a 7.8-mile system of bridges expensive highways and ramps, is the most ground in the United ever undertaken public works projects already States. The original cost estimate of $2.6 billion will has been exceeded by $12 billion, and the project not be completed until 2005, 7 years late. r opera- and examines how to transition the current by consul- which is dominated tions organization, MTA of full-time tants, into one composed largely establish an that MTA recommends The report staff. to address program external, independent, peer-review technical and management issues until the transition to operations and maintenance is complete; begin a media campaign to teach drivers how to use the new system safely; and develop, immediately implement, security program. and maintain a comprehensive . . presents guidelines to help ports guidelines presents security strategies and for identifying risks. The security strategies and ill Toor and Spenser W. and Spenser ill Toor ashington, D.C.: 2004; ransportation and educe the risk of security threats. The code of practice threats. educe the risk of security Handbook of Transport and the Environment Edited by David Hensher and Kenneth Button. Else- vier Science Ltd. Amster- dam, Netherlands: 2003; 650 pp.; $160 hardcover; 00-804-4103-3. This handbook assesses im- the environmental pacts of transportation, covering all aspects of the subject, including physical and economic environ- noise, mental concepts; global warming, air quality, and new technol- of fuel sources and safety; the role sector to ogy; the contributions of each transportation and consumption and emissions; institutional energy of legislation; political settings and policies; the role and special topics, such as tourism, public attitudes, This volume was coedited by David and gender. Demand member of TRB’s Passenger Travel Hensher, Committee, and Kenneth Button, member Forecasting 293 pp.; $60 hardback, 1- 293 pp.; $60 hardback, 55963-922-9; $30 paper- back, 1-55963-656-4 The authors examine tech- niques for managing trans- in college campus communities, including portation book pre- alternatives to single-occupancy vehicles. The the United seven universities in sents case studies from success of States and one in Canada to illustrate the in a vari- demand management programs transportation to large small towns ety of campus communities, from parking, for reducing offered options are cities. Viable problems. pollution, land use, and traffic T Sustainable Campus Communities: Issues, Examples, Solutions W Havlick. Island Press. W Security in Ports:Security in ILO Code of Practice An pp.; $14.95 2004; 50 Labor Organization. International 92-211-5286-3 paperback; Ports Security in r for developing and implement- a framework offers ing tasks, and mea- security roles, publication outlines to unlawful detect, and respond to deter, sures and that serve traffic international acts at ports maritime operations. 46 TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 SHELF BOOK TRB PUBLICATIONS Subscriber category: planningand administration(IA). tiple-route are feederbusservice discussed aswell. a discrete–continuous transportation systemandamul- tainty are examinedinthevolume.Efforts tooptimize build-operate-transfer schemeunderdemanduncer- ing theoverlappingproblem inroute choice,andforthe Models forintegratedlane-changingbehavior, forsolv- T T traffic control (IVA). Subscriber category: highwayoperations,capacity, and mance monitoring. practice inhigh-occupancyvehiclesystemperfor- trol. Alsoincludedare findingsonthestateof sive urbancontrol strategyforcoordinating signalcon- extensions andnewapplicationsofthetraffic-respon- for ahigh-occupancyvehiclelaneinCalifornia,and strategies, effects ofchangingoccupancyrequirements Presented are aseriesofnewlocalrampmetering T and Traffic SignalSystems2003 Freeways, High-OccupancyVehicle Systems, Subscriber category: planningandadministration(IA). weigh-in-motion systemsalsoare included. neural networktechniqueappliedtomultiple-sensor, for highwayagenciesandanevaluationofartificial vehicles. Anassessmentofdata-collectiontechniques for collectingloop-detectoreventdataindividual model fordynamictravel-timeprediction, andasystem modity flowdatabasefrom Transearch data,ahybrid This volumehighlightsthedevelopmentofacom- T T Subscriber category: planningandadministration(IA). enhanced householdtravelsurvey. mates is impact ofunderreporting mileageandtraveltimeesti- household vehicletypedecisions.Inaddition,the eling toafter-school activities,elderlymobility, and activities, independentmobilityamongteenagerstrav- Research analyzestripandstopdurationforshopping T Tr ransportation DataResearch ransportation ransportation NetworkModeling 2003 ransportation ransportation Research Record1857 ransportation Research Record1856 ransportation Research Record1855 ransportation Research Record1854 aveler BehaviorandValues 2003 2003; 127pp.;TRBaffiliates, $34.50; nonaffiliates, $46. 2003; 247pp.;TRBaffiliates, $42;nonaffiliates, $56. 2003; 199pp.;TRBaffiliates, $39;nonaffiliates, $52. 2003; 198pp.;TRBaffiliates, $39;nonaffiliates, $52. discussed in a Global Positioning System– discussed inaGlobalPositioning facility design(IIA). nonaffiliates, $21.Subscribercategory: highway and operating speed. ing therelationships betweenroadway factorsand The dataincludedonCD-ROMare usefulinexplor- the ManualonUniformTraffic Control Devices. Streets and on GeometricDesignofHighwaysand Policy changes inspeeddefinitionsAASHTO’s conditions. Alsopresented isthebasisforrecent tice andananalysisofgeometric,traffic, andspeed ing speedisexaminedthrough oftheprac- asurvey The relationship betweendesignspeedandoperat- NCHRP Report504 Speed Practices Design Speed,OperatingandPosted and hydraulicshydrology (IIC). $20. Subscribercategory: bridges,otherstructures, tions forbridgesandotherhighwayapplications. a road mapforthedevelopmentofFRPspecifica- papers, whichare includedas appendices,provide tion ofFRPmaterials.Thestrategicplanandwhite leading toastrategicplanforguidingtheapplica- infrastructure. Thisreport documentstheresearch als showgreat potentialforuseinthehighway Fiber-reinforced polymer(FRP)compositemateri- NCHRP Report503 Composites totheHighwayInfrastructure Application forFiber-Reinforced Polymer Subscriber category: highwayandfacilitydesign(IIA). Streets. ways and publication, APolicyonGeometricDesignofHigh- way andTransportation Officials’ (AASHTO) State High- tency fortheAmericanAssociationof highways andrecommends textondesignconsis- whether theserulescouldbeappliedtomultilane sistency andsafety. Thereport alsoconsiders ducting reviews ofroadways toimprove designcon- be usedinevaluatingroadway designsorincon- Safety DesignModel.Therulescan active Highway able foruseinanexpert systemsuchastheInter- particularly forruralroads, andexaminesrulessuit- This report considersgeometricdesignconsistency, NCHRP Report502 Rural Two-Lane Roadways Geometric DesignConsistencyonHigh-Speed 2003; 93pp.plusCD-ROM;TRB affiliates, $15.75; 2003; 78pp.;TRBaffiliates, $15;nonaffiliates, 2003; 83pp.;TRBaffiliates, $15;nonaffiliates, $20. TR NEWS 233 JULY–AUGUST 2004 47 BOOK SHELF order the TRB To titles described in Bookshelf, visit the online TRB Bookstore, www.TRB.org/ or contact bookstore/, the Business Office at 202-334-3213. oping 2003; 168 pp.; TRB affiliates, $15; nonaffiliates, 2003; 168 pp.; TRB affiliates, 2003; 572 pp. and CD-ROM; TRB affiliates, $33.75; TRB affiliates, 2003; 572 pp. and CD-ROM; and community transportation Balancing freight $15. $11.25; nonaffiliates, 2003; 58 pp.; TRB affiliates, a summary of safety tools for This synthesis provides ransit Capacity and Quality of Serviceransit Capacity Manual, elatively easy to apply. Emphasis is given to devel elatively easy to apply. esidents. The increasing amount of freight traffic, how- traffic, amount of freight esidents. The increasing $20. Subscriber categories: highway operations, capac- safety and human perfor- (IVA); control and traffic ity, mance (IVB). a local safety and improvement program tailored to fit tailored program a local safety and improvement agency needs and available resources. nonaffiliates, $45. Subscriber categories: planning and $45. Subscriber nonaffiliates, transit (VIA); rail (VII); marine administration (IA); public transportation (IX). Facilities and Operations with Integrating Freight Community Goals NCHRP Synthesis 320 system is the national link to transportation The freight At the same time the system plays the global economy. and in the economic well-being of businesses a vital role r has raised several community issues, including ever, flow and congestion, safety and concerns about traffic noise and air quality and the environment, security, vibrations, and land use and value. sector, by the private cooperative efforts requires interests and communities. This synthesis iden- the public sector, operation of in the location and tifies successful efforts information on facilities. It presents transportation freight and oper- facilities a range of practices that enable freight ations to be good neighbors within their communities. (VIII). transportation freight Subscriber category: for Local Agencies Roadway Safety Tools NCHRP Synthesis 321 and safety Local governments implementing road face significant challenges. Local roadway improvements a few city blocks to thousands networks can vary from respon- Agencies or gravel roads. of miles of paved, dirt, often have limited resources, sible for these roadways and knowledge of the variety of tools available to staffs, networks. the safety of their roadway improve practical and that are local agencies with procedures r 2nd Edition TCRP Report 100 for practitioners assem- manual This comprehensive of techniques for evaluating the bles a consistent set quality of service of transit services, and capacity facili- manual is the primary source ties, and systems. The findings on transit research document incorporating service.capacity and quality of T . 2004; 27 pp.; TRB affiliates, $12.75; nonaffiliates, $17. $12.75; nonaffiliates, 2004; 27 pp.; TRB affiliates, 2003; 42 pp. and CD-ROM; TRB affiliates, $21; non- 2003; 42 pp. and CD-ROM; TRB affiliates, 2003; 104 pp.; TRB affiliates, $16.50; nonaffiliates, 2003; 104 pp.; TRB affiliates, 2003; 183 pp. and diskette; TRB affiliates, $22.50; non- TRB affiliates, 2003; 183 pp. and diskette; ransportation Services ransportation Organizations esponsive transportation at different levels of at different esponsive transportation Subscriber categories: planning and administration (IA); public transit (VIA). Embracing Change in a Changing World: Case Embracing Change in a Changing World: Studies Applying New Paradigms for Rural and Service DeliverySmall Urban Transit TCRP Report 99 providers Case studies show how some transportation and challenges of a the opportunities addressing are rapidly changing rural environment. TCRP Report 98 is a methodology for Documented in this report for demand- required determining the resources r levels of service in a given demand and different tool and An accompanying software service area. user manual on CD-ROM can assist in developing estimates. $28. Subscriber categories: public transit (VIA). affiliates, Resource Requirements for Demand-Responsive Requirements Resource T TCRP Report 97 orga- examines how public transportation This report change an era of fundamental nizations have entered and to new expectations responding and how they are of a new the emergence imperatives that have triggered and industry worldwide. business paradigm throughout focuses on six dimensions of change: mis- The report collaboration, sion shift, obsession for the customer, organizational and integration, information technology, change. structure $22. Subscriber categories: planning and administration (IA); public transit (VIA). Emerging New Paradigms: A Guide to Fundamental Change in Local Public T affiliates, $30. Subscriber category: planning and admin- category: $30. Subscriber affiliates, and facility design (IIA); highway istration (IA); highway (IVA) control and traffic operations, capacity, Review of Truck Characteristics as Factors in Characteristics Review of Truck Roadway Design NCHRP Report 505 geometric designers for roadway Guidance is presented trucks on the U.S. large on how best to accommodate includes recommendations highway system. The report the AASHTO Policy on Geomet- for several changes to and ric Design of Highways Streets. Publications Order Form

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