AASHTO RAC Region 4 Monthly Teleconference
March 19, 2015
Participants:
Present
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Name
Carolyn Morehouse
Jean Nehme
Anne Ellis
Coco Briseno – Vice Chair
Pete Zaniewski
Joe Horton
Aziz Khan
Amanullah Mommandi
Wayne Kawahara
Ned Parrish
Sue Sillick
Mostafa Jamshidi
Ken Chambers - Secretary
Scott McClure
Robert McCoy
Ron Horner
Ron Curb
Gary Hook
Michael Bufalino
Dave Huft
Dana Glover
Sonya Badgley
Cameron Kergaye - Chair
David Stevens
Leni Oman
Rhonda Brooks
Tim McDowell
Organization
Alaska DOT
Arizona DOT
Arizona DOT
California DOT
California DOT
California DOT
Colorado DOT
Colorado DOT
Hawaii DOT
Idaho TD
Montana DOT
Nebraska DOR
Nevada DOT
New Mexico DOT
New Mexico DOT
North Dakota DOT
Oklahoma DOT
Oklahoma DOT
Oregon DOT
South Dakota DOT
Texas DOT
Texas DOT
Utah DOT
Utah DOT
Washington DOT
Washington DOT
Wyoming DOT
Yes
Agenda Items
Welcome
Cameron reminded us the minutes from the February 19, 201 RAC teleconference were reviewed
and posted on the AASHTO SCOR/RAC web page . This month the reviewers of the draft
minutes will be Ned Parrish and Sonya Badgley.
High Value Research Voting
Cameron reminded us that submissions are due at the end of the month. Each Region selects
their top four (4), preferably each from a different state. States may not vote for their own
projects, and states look to region Chairs for a voting process. Expecting more than a few,
Cameron is proposing a two-step process. Each of the Sweet Sixteen will have an opportunity
for poster presentation at TRB in January, and there will be two additional identified for a total
of six from each region.
FHWA’s Recent Top Three Initiative
David Huft asked about how other states were interpreting and responding to the question from
their Division Offices. It was noted that several states had received extremely short notice from
their Divisions. Some responses included:
 Tim McDowell: I-80 connectivity for freight.
 Ned Parrish: contacted today.
 Dave Huft: National research framework, automated vehicles, possibly performance
measurement or the effects of administrative changes.
 David Stevens: met, talked about strategic plans and initiatives.
 Ken Chambers: big variations internally interpreting the question.
 Rhonda Brooks: Asset management, practical design, new technology utilization.
Ned Parrish asked if Cameron could ask RAC leadership about this initiative.
TRB Take-aways:
Several were shared that were provided by Leni, mostly dealing with knowledge management.
About a dozen were shared that Utah anticipated action/implementation on within the year. The
new NCHRP Management Guide to Intellectual Property for State Departments of
Transportation was distributed recently and a recommendation was made to share this
information with state general councils.
Peer Exchange on Quality of Research Products
Dave Huft: wants to do a peer exchange that focuses on the quality of research products. The
quality of these products seems to be declining when it should continuously increase. This
results in more time being spent reviewing and re-doing deliverables, and affects quality for
DOT customers and the program’s credibility. Dave would like to consider this topic from the
DOT perspective as well as the other side: the universities and consultants’ perspectives. If you
are interested in this peer exchange contact Dave; he needs to conduct this peer exchange this
spring or summer.
RAC Officer’s Meeting Highlights – Ken Chambers
 An Executive Order on flood plains was issued that may affect planning, environment,
design, bridges, maintenance, and various groups. AASHTO is preparing a response to help
FHWA craft their Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
 A first report on the design of ET+ guardrail end treatments was released by an FHWA and
AASHTO joint task force. AASHTO is also working with TRB on a policy study to examine
guard rail end treatments.
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The new AASHTO strategic plan was approved by the Board of Directors last fall.
Committees are now being given direction on the process that will be used to implement the
new plan and AASHTO committees will be asked to review their current plans.
MDSS, the Maintenance Decision Support System to support winter maintenance activities is
being used by several states. A private firm is patenting some of the aspects of the system
and several states have indicated their intention to challenge the patents.
The SHRP 2 Implementation Task Force met recently to review additional funding requests.
About $5 million was returned from TRB for additional implementation; there is still a $1
million contingency.
Mark Norman was named TRB’s Director of Program Development and Strategic Initiatives.
Fred Hejl, James Bryant, and Michael DeCarmine will be working with the TRB state reps as
Mark transitions to his new position.
SCOR is meeting March 30-31 to select FY2016 NCHRP projects.
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Beyond Traffic 2045
o Another round of public webinars/virtual seminars, March 17 – 30 (all times EDT):
 March 17th from 1:00-2:00 PM- Beyond Traffic: How We Move
 March 17th from 3:00-4:00 PM- Beyond Traffic: How We Move Things
 March 25th from 1:00-2:00 PM- Beyond Traffic: How We Move Better
 March 25th from 3:00-4:00 PM- Beyond Traffic: How We Adapt
 March 30th from 1:00-2:00 PM- Beyond Traffic: Dollars And Decisions
o Sign up at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BeyondTrafficShareYourIdeas
o A special National Town Hall for Young Professionals in Transportation
 Thursday, March 26, 2015 at 7:00 PM (EDT)
 In person at USDOT and via Live Webcast
 RSVP: www.surveymonkey.com/s/BeyondTrafficYPT
o Secretary’s rollout, video, draft framework and “Share Your Ideas” link at:
http://www.dot.gov//beyondtraffic
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Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has released the State Transportation by the
Numbers Profiles 2014 – two-page collections of transportation information for each of the
50 states and the District of Columbia Printable handouts:
http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/state_transportation_statist
ics_85/index.html
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Accessible Transportation Technologies Research Initiative (ATTRI) Webinars
o USDOT’s ATTRI conducts research to improve the mobility of travelers with disabilities
through the use of intelligent transportation system (ITS) and other technologies.
o Co-led by FHWA and FTA, with support from the ITS JPO, and other federal agencies
o Understanding the Travel Needs of Older Adults
 March 24, 2015; 1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.
 Target audience is older adults, caregivers, advocates, transportation system
managers, state, local and federal government officials, academia, and any other
individuals involved with technology and mobility needs for older adults.
 To register: https://tti.adobeconnect.com/attri-oap/event/registration.html
o Understanding the Travel Needs of Veterans/Wounded Warriors
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April 14, 2015; 1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.
Target audience is disabled veterans and wounded warriors, caregivers, advocates,
transportation system managers, state, local and federal government officials,
academia, and any other individuals involved with technology and mobility needs for
disabled veterans and wounded warriors.
To register: https://tti.adobeconnect.com/attri-vet/event/registration.html.
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Melding Multimodal Planning and Urban Economic Development
o Prepared by Volpe for FHWA Environment and Planning.
o White paper provides a review of research and current best practices of integrating
economic development goals in metropolitan area transportation planning. The
information presented is intended to serve as a technical resource for transportation
planners, clarifying essential economic development concepts and how peer practitioners
can address these concepts in the metropolitan area transportation planning process.
o http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/52000/52600/52663/EconDevelopmentFinal_8-11-14.pdf
o http://www.volpe.dot.gov/news/melding-multimodal-planning-and-urban-economicdevelopment
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Tuition Eligibility under SPR: FHWA is working on a final review of direction to the states
on the issue of tuition reimbursement. The direction will take the format of answers to
“frequently asked questions”. This is in the final step of internal review and answers will be
provided soon.
Task Force Updates:
o Administration: responses were reviewed from the winter meeting survey: increase
interactivity and energy. The website subcommittee is still very active.
o Coordination and Collaboration: RPPM user’s guide is under review; the task force is
reaching out to committees to identify research needs.
o Program Management and Quality: Pat Casey’s report on implementation of NCHRP
research has been posted on the NCHRP website. A PM&Q Subgroup is looking at
setting goals for successful implementation. A website development sub-group is
discussing the Pooled Fund website. Tommy Nantung has coordinated with FHWA on
improvements to the site. NCHRP Problem Statement SP-05 will be discussed in two
weeks. If selected, funds will be made available to support various RAC activities.
o Transportation Knowledge Network: A survey was recently distributed on data
management practices. Guidance is coming soon on the research report documentation
page study by the Library Connectivity Pooled Fund
o Chris Hedges noted that he has been requested to meet next week with GAO to discuss
current trends and research on bicycle and pedestrian safety.
o Chris Jenks asked the officers to comment on the idea of electronic proposals for NCHRP
research. An internal task force at TRB concluded a couple of years ago that volunteers
still preferred hard copies. Advantages and disadvantages of both approaches were
discussed. RAC members are welcome to provide additional comments and feedback to
Chris Jenks.
o Washington DOT has taken the lead in a Pooled Fund project that is reviewing existing
research project management databases. Leni Oman would welcome feedback from
RAC members on whether any additional research would be helpful.
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2015 RAC/TRB Rep. Summer Meeting Update – Ken Chambers and Michael Bufalino
 Theme: Creating Dynamic Research Programs Through Collaboration [Thank you,
David Stevens!]
 We are going to adopt Pete Zaniewski’s suggestion to start with a “why we are at the
summer meeting” objective, then solicit feedback after the meeting to see how successful
we were. Also, we will capture bullet points from each session and compile a “final
report” that can be shared with the membership.
 Ken spoke with the task force chairs; Admin. will be coordinating the “Your Role in
RAC” session.
 There is strong support for Cameron’s idea for a session to present peer exchange results.
 Michael reported that June Houseman will be on-site April 1 and on-line registration will
be available about mid-April.
 The Ahead of the Curve training will take place on Sunday before the meeting; TRB will
reimburse some participants for an extra day. About five participants will be selected
from each region.
Topics for next month?
 High Value of Research submittal review.
 Pat Casey - review NCHRP Evaluating Implementation if available.
Roundtable – Open Q&A
 Ned reported that the WASHTO 2015 meeting will be in Idaho in July. Could posters for
the High Value Research projects be shared? Maybe room for 10 or 12; likely
unmanned, but available for oohs and ahhs.
If anyone has suggestions for topics for next month, please send those to Cameron at
ckergaye@utah.gov
Our next conference call is scheduled for Thursday, April 16th (10:00 Hawaii Time, 11:00
Alaska Time, 12:00 Pacific Time, 1:00 Mountain Time, and 2:00 Central Time)
Please e-mail potential agenda items to Cameron at ckergaye@utah.gov .