http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/news/news.asp A listing of the FHWA Office of Operations current news items. http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/decision_support/2011/index.htm The national results for the 2011 Work Zone Mobility and Safety Self Assessment (WZSA) are now available. The national average score was 10.3 (out of 15), which is an increase over the 2010 average of 10.0. The WZSA is a tool to help States evaluate their work zone practices, and to help FHWA assess work zone practices nationally. The report shares practices occurring around the country for each of the questions. Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EDT https://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/webconference/web_conf_learner_reg.aspx?webconfid=24226 This webinar will highlight the important uses of the regional ITS architecture in planning for operations. The webinar will offer participants a preview of the upcoming U.S. Department of Transportation document, Applying a Regional ITS Architecture to Support Planning for Operations: A Primer, and two expert practitioners will share what they have learned from using the regional ITS architecture in planning. Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/tolling_pricing/webinars/index.htm The webinar agenda includes a brief introduction by Allen Greenberg of FHWA; a presentation by Dr. Don Shoup from UCLA on the broader subject of parking pricing to include parking cash-out, neighborhood parking management, and the theory of pricing curbspace to insure some availability; a presentation by Jay Primus about SF Park; and then presentations from two other cities talking about what has been done in the area of parking pricing (to include successes, lessons learned, challenges and how they were overcome). Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/nat_freight_stats/docs/11factsfigures/index.htm The Federal Highway Administration's Office of Freight Management of Operations (HOFM) has released Freight Facts and Figures 2011. Among other topics, this publication reviews the volume and value of freight flows in the United States to assist decision makers, planners, and the public in recognizing the relationship between freight transportation and the economy. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/operations/11064/index.cfm The Federal Highway Administration, in support of the Traffic Analysis and Simulation Pooled Fund Study, initiated this study to identify and address consistency in the selection and use of traffic analysis tools. This report offers recommendations on the management, planning, and conduct of traffic analysis that will promote greater traffic analysis tool consistency over the typical project development life cycle. It is directed toward professionals operating in State departments of transportation and other agencies responsible for transportation project development and delivery. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/publications/fhwahop12005/index.htm Work zone road user costs (WZ RUC) provide the economic basis for quantifying adverse work zone impacts which can then be used for effective decision-making to improve work zone mobility and safety. This report provides practitioners with information on WZ RUC components, concepts, and their applications in selecting the preferred Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) alternatives, project delivery/contracting strategies, and benefit-cost analysis. Step by step instructions are provided for key computations. Three "real-world" case studies from the Highways for LIFE program are presented to demonstrate the applications of WZ RUCs. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop11034/index.htm This document was developed to provide guidance to state and local transportation personnel on how to overcome barriers and challenges to implementation of localized congestion relief projects. It presents and describes examples of institutional, design, funding and safety challenges that agencies face when trying to develop unique solutions to localized congestion problems. (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-11-034) Thu, 1 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/final_rule/presentations.htm This webinar covered how work zone process reviews are used to help agencies assess their work zone policies and procedures and how they are working in practice. FHWA and State DOT representatives from Colorado, Iowa, and Louisiana shared how they worked together to conduct a review, what worked well and what did not, actions taken as a result of the review, and lessons learned that other States can apply to their process reviews. A recording of the webinar, transcript, and the presentations are now available. Thu, 1 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/tolling_pricing/webinars/index.htm Hear from the cities that are part of the USDOT Congestion Reduction Demonstration and Urban Partnership Programs as they discuss their congestion pricing projects, successes, and lessons learned. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadwaysafetyawards/ Two work zone programs were awarded National Roadway Safety awards during an award ceremony in Washington, DC on November 15. The National Roadway Safety Awards are a joint effort between FHWA and the Roadway Safety Foundation (RSF) to recognize innovative, efficient roadway safety projects and programs that eliminate or sharply reduce highway deaths across the country. The Utah Department of Transportation received an award for its Evaluation of Moveable Barriers in Construction Work Zones. The New Jersey Local Technical Assistance Program received an honorable mention for its Work Zone Safety Education Program. Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/whatsnew/ Want to stay current on new articles, periodicals, or publications added to the Federal Highway Administration's Research and Technology Web site? Subscribe to their RSS feed to be alerted about the latest news. Go to the What's New webpage and select "Subscribe to RSS Feed for Research through browser". Please select the link below to go to the FHWA's Research and Technology What's New webpage. Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop11032/index.htm The Regional Concept for Transportation Operations: A Practitioner's Guide is a collection of the observed successes and lessons learned from four metropolitan regions as they developed Regional Concepts for Transportation Operations (RCTOs), a management tool used by planners and operations practitioners to define a strategic direction for implementing effective regional transportation management and operations in a collaborative manner. This document provides information on how to develop and implement an RCTO effectively and efficiently by highlighting practices that have been used successfully to overcome challenges by the four implementing regions that forged ahead into this new territory. This guide offers lessons from these pioneering sites that can help other implementing regions to select the methods that are most effective in improving regional transportation system performance. Tue, 8 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/fpd/talking_freight/index.htm Measuring Freight Performance Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/perf_measurement/ucr/reports/fy2011_q4.htm The July-September 2011 Urban Congestion Report (UCR) is now available. Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/perf_measurement/ucr/reports/fy2011_q3.htm The April-June 2011 Urban Congestion Report (UCR) is now available. Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/tolling_pricing/resources/report/rptcongress/eldp2011.htm Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/regulationpolicy/fedreg/index.htm ACTION: Notice; Request for applications. This notice invites existing and potential multistate organizations, coalitions, or other arrangements or entities engaged in corridor transportation activities and research to apply for participation in the Multistate Corridor Operations and Management (MCOM) Program authorized by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Research program. The purpose of the MCOM program is to promote regional cooperation, planning, and shared project implementation for research programs and projects to improve multimodal transportation system management and operations. Formal applications must be submitted no later than December 20, 2011 to be assured consideration. Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/publications/fhwahop11033/index.htm FHWA developed this primer to assist agencies in establishing and monitoring a useful set of work zone safety and mobility performance measures. Such measures help to quantify how work zones impact travelers, residents, businesses, and workers, and help agencies improve their understanding of how their decisions during planning, design, and construction affect work zone safety and mobility. The primer describes possible measures, outlines the methods and technologies that are available to gather data to monitor the measures, and procedures for calculating measures from different types of traffic monitoring data. The primer also discusses the use of measures across multiple projects to assess an agency's overall efforts and outcomes against its policies and goals. (Publication Number: FHWA-HOP-11-033) Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop11025/bwt_techbrf.htm This report documents Phase I findings of a research initiative to develop an automated process for collecting border wait times that will be facilitated by the use of existing or emerging technology. It is sponsored by the bi-national, multi-agency Border Wait Time Working Group (BWT-WG) comprised of representatives from US and Canadian Transportation and Customs agencies and supported by stakeholders that operate at or near the border. Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://www.aashtosomguidance.org/ The Proposed AASHTO Systems Operations & Management (SO&M) Guidance has been finalized and is available on the web. The Guidance Web site is designed to help transportation agency managers involved with ITS and SO&M at both the state and regional level. It offers custom-tailored guidance on improving agency capabilities in SO&M based on agency self-evaluation. Six key areas of process and institutional arrangements provide the areas of focus. The detailed customized evaluation and related guidance can be used to prepare a formal action plan for improvement, among other possibilities. Users can register with the site and save their work. Managers of systems operations related activities such as traffic engineering, maintenance, and public safety would benefit as well. A "one minute evaluation" version is also available on the site that provides a first cut approach. The Guidance was based on research prepared for the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) 2 and National Cooperative Highway Research Programs (NCHRPs) and has been tested in a number of states and regions. Tue, 4 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pressroom/fhwa1151.htm FHWA's Office of Freight Management and Operation with American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), released an updated Freight Performance Measure Report on congestion monitoring at freight-significant highway locations (aka the Freight Bottleneck Report). The data show congestion increased at 61 percent of the 100 identified freight significant locations from 2009 to 2010. FHWA has now expanded to 250 locations. Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT