Vermont Transportation Research Collaborative 2015 VTrans Strategic Plan – Goal #1 - Surfacing Research Questions Goal 1: Provide a safe and resilient transportation system that supports the Vermont economy. o Reduce the number of major crashes o No unplanned road closures or restrictions due to conditions within VTrans’ control o Increase the resilience of the transportation network to floods and other extreme weather and events. Comments and Ideas generated June 11th: (The following notes were taken to capture the brainstorming session of the specific goal. These are meant to inform ongoing conversation and problem statement development among researchers and staff) Understand economic impacts/benefits of our transportation investments and how we can measure that in a manageable way Behavioral aspects of reducing major crashes – how to initiate/ what behavioral change would reduce traffic fatalities Vehicle to vehicle and infrastructure to vehicle communications Bicycle Safety – typical crash analyses are insufficient due to low numbers, there are economic impacts – tourism – behavior, need research for safety, methods, pressure relates to VTrans Analyses of crash causes – behavioral, road conditions? Pinpoint vulnerability areas, overlay that for economic growth - prioritize campaigns based on that data Variable message signs – DMV enforcement issue – use of WIM to identify tractortrailers out of compliance (over-weight/over-speed) for real-time variable messaging targeted at freight-drivers for crash reduction Use of changeable message signs and collection of speed data is taking place, but speed data is not used to guide enforcement, use of speed data could directly influence safety Tractor-trailer crashes during summer months, where, changes over time, seasonality, are they occurring at points which are critical Best use of variable message boards, are they being over-used, are they being ignored, should they use them less? Opportunities to measure the effectiveness of VT vehicle inspection safety system, is VT current fleet safe, can this process be improved, overlap with public health – broadening the definition of ‘safety’ with focus on environmental wellbeing How does VTrans ascertain how will it is doing in providing for the safe and efficient movement of goods, aka freight, within and through its borders?Iowa DOT is beginning some fascinating work on this front. Driver behavior – understanding the impact of different driver behavior campaigns, a better understanding of the distracted drivers and what resources that are most effective could be used to better the campaigns – distracted driving Feasibility of more intelligent street lights for the collection of various data – including track traffic using Bluetooth, communicating that real time Need for more of accommodation for the use of photo-turnouts for tourism and to reduce congestion Wildlife Network-compatible infrastructure to reduce collisions Enclosure of the built environment for safety – crash reduction, review of tree cover data Use of speed data real time as it relates to Snow and Ice control Crashes and their relation to frozen bridges, technology options to reduce ice on bridges Specific behavior data for VT – comparing our state in terms of speed levels on state highways to other states in the region, also assessment of investment in enforcement in comparison to other states, our outcomes vs. other states, how does this relate to the operation of our system, what investments do change behavior, to get the outcomes we are looking for What impact will possible legalization of marijuana have on crashes, will VT be ready in regards to enforcement – looking into the safety of drug driving and the gaping holes in enforcement (their ability to arrest and make an impact on the community) Tractor-trailers and interstate crossovers, there is a lack of super-elevation in design which has gaps Capacity needed to maintain resilience – review and identification of the resources need to maintain said resilience – equipment, time, certain level of structure being possible, need resources (and to know how much is needed) to maintain goals and level Bridge resiliency to extreme weather - Hydraulics at bridges and its ability to withstand varying flood stages, how making one bridge resilient affects others downstream, need to assess corridor resiliency of bridges and invest in the right amount of bridges in order to increase the resiliency of the network rather than individual bridges Data gaps in regard to resiliency, what data do we have that we aren’t reviewing to asses where we do have issues – bridges/highways, zero in on specific information for bridges and highways Use of Ground-based LiDAR system for assessing infrastructure conditions Resiliency at a network level – looking at what happens up and down stream of bridges and how it affects the resiliency of bridges, ANR datasets are available but not in use Flood risk for the network – move to economic impacts of flood damage on the network, what happens with capacity loss, and quantifying the economic impact o Reinvestment in accessibility and flood risk, trying to identify magnitude of potential damage, where it would occur, never moved to economic impact (capacity loss on individual roadways) Manage variable demands of staffing dependent on weather events Can the transportation system act as flood management augmentation system – could roadway design serve double purpose as flood management infrastructure – to minimize damage in compact downtowns and other potential impacts, infrastructure support risk management Resilience during catastrophic events – to much focus on flood resiliency, ice-storms, solar-storms can cause communications loss, other disasters can happen at much faster rates there is no back up to our current network Establish command center for communications, general power outages, how it impacts our ability to respond Coordinate work at Flood Hazard Mitigation priorities, connect with VT DEMHS, identify vulnerabilities in road network which have impacts on other aspects of VT infrastructure and find out what else is being lost User studies – surveys or targeted feedback – how to properly sample the public whether it be project / objective specific in an area where the agency has to respond to, or public respond to (e.g., construction sites, round-abouts, scenic attractions) Transportation investments a the community level – whether they can leverage economic development – what investments have the greatest opportunity for other agency / private sector investment Investment in infrastructure driving economic growth – identification of communities in need of economic growth where the infrastructure could be targeted to leverage from multiple agencies an investment in the economic growth of said communities to maximize ROI o Regional discussion for resiliency, northeast region, economic development, how investment can lead to economic growth, helping identify communities of economic growth (Springfield), where they have a possibility of a different future with opportunities, leverage the different agencies Identification of vulnerabilities to target investment and identify opportunities Right-tree, right-place infrastructure investment for flood control o Benefit of shade trees, proper green infrastructure in coordination with transportation infrastructure –healthy trees and conditions for growth in concert with infrastructure/road network o Value of green stormwater infrastructure – permeable pavements, etc. newest methods – review for broad based implementation Use of the Naturalistic Driving Study – find a complement with bike/ped data that we have for VT Cost of road closures to the Vermont economy– goal is no unplanned road closures, but we may plan some in the future, what would the cost be of said road closures, is there a way to assess planned road closures to identify possible economic benefits All-hazards approach to resiliency planning Leverage of LiDAR data to assess which trees might be susceptible to damage during extreme weather events, what’s the trade-off with environmental benefits between less salt/fewer trees- ice occurs in shaded areas, therefore present a hazard? Use of SHRP2 data or collection of VT specific data Accelerated bridge construction – issues which need to be addressed are numerous Fusible links – to preserving the structure and allow for low cost repairs to infrastructure Measuring economic benefits of transportation improvements, Congestion pricing, freight, trip purpose, infrastructure closures or lack of maintenance, accessibility and time all contribute to possible costing of road closures Integrate transportation and economic development planning – is there a way to include dry roads policy in the multistate region, changing the perception of ‘back-woods’ loss of cell phone coverage, icy roads, etc… Mass-transit possibilities for Chittenden County and reduction of congestion and contribution to economic development Pluses/minuses of permeable pavement Infrastructure protection planning – VT pilot of food systems and how they affected by road network vulnerability Study of ALL VT funding opportunities for cross-agency use for seamless funding of projects with cross-agency interest Risk Assessment – use of heavy engine oil in asphalt, what’s the impact on the environment and public health, what are the cost effects of its use, measurement of the adhesion/cohesion, its effect on pavement performance