|
Innovation of the
Month:
e-Construction
The Every Day Counts
innovation of the month for March is e-Construction, the collection, review, approval and
distribution of highway construction contract documents in a paperless
environment.
The e-Construction
process includes several strategies:
- Electronic submission of construction
documentation
- Electronic document routing and approvals
through e-signatures
- Digital document management in a secure environment
that allows document distribution to project stakeholders through mobile
devices
Using a paperless approach to project document management is generating interest across the country. Six states have made e-Construction a mainstream practice. An additional 19 states are using e-Construction tools.
Maryland Paving
Conference Features Every Day Counts
FHWA staff made
presentations on Every Day Counts activities in Maryland, the Fixing
America’s Surface Transportation Act
and accelerated deployment of pavement technologies at the Hot-Mix Asphalt
Paving Conference on March 3 in Baltimore. About 340 people from state and
local agencies, industry and academia turned out for the event sponsored by the
Maryland Asphalt Association and Maryland State Highway Administration. Other conference
presentations highlighted asset management, performance measurement and
pavement design.
View Minnesota Video on Mini-Roundabouts
The Minnesota
Department of Transportation and city of St. James will use an Accelerated
Innovation Deployment Demonstration
program award to build two mini-roundabouts, the first on the state’s highway
system. The mini-roundabouts are part of the Highway 4 reconstruction project and will replace signalized
intersections at 1st Avenue South with Armstrong Boulevard and 1st
Avenue South with 7th Street South. An educational video explains how to drive on the mini-roundabouts, which offer
the safety benefits of regular roundabouts in a smaller footprint.
|
Warm-Mix
Asphalt Use Grows in New Hampshire
Warm-mix asphalt accounted for 396,000 of
the 900,000 tons of asphalt pavement the New Hampshire Department of
Transportation placed during the 2015 construction season, an 8 percent
increase over warm-mix asphalt use in the 2014 season. Reclaimed asphalt
pavement use was 183,678 tons. The agency considers the figures a positive sign
that innovative pavement technologies piloted in recent years are becoming
mainstream in its pavement management program. See the New Hampshire DOT Pavement
Workgroup’s proposed
paving program and paving strategy to manage roadway networks using cost-effective
methods and treatments.
Pueblo of
Acoma Plans Construction Manager/General Contractor Project
The Pueblo of Acoma
is using the construction manager/general contractor method through an AID Demonstration program award to deliver a suite of
nine transportation improvement projects in the Acoma, New Mexico, area. The primary
goal of the program is to provide opportunities for local workforce
participation, so the project is being divided into small construction packages
to encourage local trades to take part in the work. The project team hosted a
job fair on March 9 for laborers, flaggers, operators, water truck drivers and
carpenters.
New York Metropolitan
Transportation Council Reviews Growth Strategies
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council
discussed the future of transportation in the region at its annual meeting on
March 4. The council, an example of regional models of cooperation, provides a planning forum to address
transportation-related issues and develop regional plans for New York City,
Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley. Members reviewed strategies for
leveraging transportation investments to support the region’s growth and adopted
the Unified Planning Work Program for fiscal year 2016-2017. U.S.
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx delivered keynote remarks at the meeting.
Read
Pennsylvania Report on Innovation Accomplishments
Accomplishments
2015: Innovation Through Collaboration details the progress
Pennsylvania’s State Transportation Innovation Council made
last year. According to the report, the STIC approved eight new initiatives,
trained more than 1,000 transportation professionals and partnered with five
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation districts to host Innovation Day
workshops. The STIC also promoted innovations through hands-on demonstrations
and presentations at industry conferences and events.
|
Utah Conference
Highlights e-Construction and 3D Modeling
The Utah e-Construction
and 3D Engineered Models Conference enabled representatives of state
transportation departments and industry to share their experiences with e-Construction and 3D modeling technologies. The conference featured
a tour of intersections and interchanges built with innovative geometric designs, including continuous-flow and through-turn
intersections and a diverging diamond interchange. The Utah Department of
Transportation and FHWA hosted the March 1 and 2 event.
Louisiana
Shares Innovation Demonstration Program Experience
The 2016 Louisiana Transportation Conference brought together more than 1,600 participants for the
February 28 through March 2 event in Baton Rouge. Among the sessions was a
discussion on FHWA’s demonstration incentive grants, including the legacy Highways for LIFE initiative and the current AID Demonstration
program. Presentations included the experiences of Louisiana Department of
Transportation and Development staff with innovations through three Highways
for LIFE projects. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx delivered remarks
at the conference.
Federal Lands Highway
Awards Design-Build Contract
Federal Lands Highway
awarded its second design-build contract for a project to design
and reconstruct Goose Lake Road in Adams County, Idaho. Part of the Federal
Lands Access Program, the project will reconstruct a route connecting State Highway 55
with recreational areas in the Payette National Forest. The project will widen
the shoulders and make other safety improvements on the mountainous two-lane road,
which has the highest crash rate in the Payette National Forest.
|
