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Innovation of the Month:
Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian
 Many communities and States are
already benefiting from the proven countermeasures in the safe transportation for every
pedestrian (STEP) program the Federal Highway Administration is
promoting in Every Day Counts round four (EDC-4).
Safety studies conducted in Tucson,
AZ, where more than 100 pedestrian hybrid beacons
(PHBs) are in use, show that the technique reduced crashes by as much as 70
percent at some locations. In Austin, TX, where about 39 PHBs are in operation,
residents can request installation at additional sites.
Using road diets to enhance safety
is now a standard practice in 21 States and Washington, DC. The Iowa Department
of Transportation screened the statewide road network for potential road diet
sites and issued a report that identifies more
than 200 four-lane segments that could benefit from reconfiguration to three
lanes. The report serves as a reference to help agency staff consider
reconfiguration as an alternative when planning projects on the identified
routes.
View an EDC-4 Innovation Spotlight video (add link) on the
five STEP countermeasures: road diets, PHBs, pedestrian refuge islands, raised
crosswalks, and crosswalk visibility enhancements.
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Florida Opens Nation’s Largest
Diverging Diamond Interchange
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) opened the nation’s
largest diverging diamond
interchange (DDI) to drivers
over the weekend at I-75 and University Parkway in Sarasota. Benefits of
the DDI project, which is finishing ahead of schedule, include improved traffic
operations and safety for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. The project
also added new bridges, auxiliary lanes, noise barrier walls, lighting, traffic
signals, sidewalks, bike lanes, and pedestrian walkways. An FDOT video provides an overview of the new DDI.
Accelerated Bridge Construction
Project Underway in Ohio
Work is progressing on an accelerated bridge construction
project in Muskingum County, OH, to replace a structure with a fabricated steel
bridge system. Muskingum County installed modular superstructure steel tub
girders and steel sandwich plate decking on deep foundation abutments. On May
16, crews used a crane to lift and set two 12-by-54-foot modular segments in
less than half an hour. Additional work includes bolting the modular sections,
placing approach slabs, and applying a wearing surface to the deck. The project
received Accelerated Innovation Deployment Demonstration
funds.
Rain
Tests Innovative Bridge Technology in West Virginia
A
Summers County, WV, bridge built with geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS) abutments was put to the
test recently when rain caused Bluestone Lake to rise 42 feet above the normal
level. As a result, the deck of the Bull Falls Bridge was submerged in 8 to 10
feet of water for nearly a week. Afterward, West Virginia Department of
Highways inspectors found that the GRS abutments and approaches remained sound.
The agency used GRS technology to accelerate construction when it built the
bridge in 2013.
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