Category Archives: News

The New Jersey Transportation Infrastructure Bank Prioritizes Repair of Aging Infrastructure and Pedestrian Safety

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The New Jersey Transportation Infrastructure Bank (NJTIB), designed to help the state fix its aging infrastructure, improve pedestrian safety, and advance the movement of passengers and goods, is now open for business and accepting applications.

The NJTIB is a joint program between the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank. Its mission is to reduce the cost of financing engineering, design, and construction of critical local transportation projects by providing and administering extremely low interest rate loans. The NJTIB expects to fund its first loan by the end of 2018. In April, the New Jersey legislature approved $22 million in funds for the NJTIB to use in 2019.

NJTIB Executive Director David Zimmer compared the new resource to the New Jersey Water Bank (NJWB), which it closely resembles and which he also directs. Established in 1987, the NJWB has distributed more than $7.2 billion in loans. New Jersey municipalities and counties familiar with the NJWB should find the online application process for the new NJTIB familiar since it is modeled on the one used by the NJWB. Early engagement by the NJTIB to inform local agencies about this new resource has reached about three-quarters of the state’s municipalities and counties and continues through a collaboration with the NJDOT Commissioner’s office.

The NJTIB is a much needed resource for financing New Jersey transportation projects. New Jersey’s transportation infrastructure is among the most heavily utilized in the nation, reflecting the state’s high population density. The ASCE’s New Jersey Section 2016 Infrastructure Report cited NJDOT data identifying roughly 42 percent of state roads and 9 percent of state bridges as structurally deficient. Overall, New Jersey received a D+ grade, indicating significant deterioration of a large portion of its infrastructure.

Zimmer noted that New Jersey municipalities and counties found it challenging to prioritize transportation after the economic recession, and lacked resources to support investment necessary to maintain transportation infrastructure at desirable levels. The NJTIB is “one piece of a bigger puzzle that the state has put together to address its transportation needs,” stated Zimmer.

Currently New Jersey utilizes its Transportation Trust Fund, funded by sales of vehicle fuels and lubricants as well as some toll road revenue, to finance construction of bridges, roads, and transit. The establishment of the new NJTIB provides eligible local government units an additional major financing resource. A borrower must be a municipality, county, a municipal/county or regional transportation authority, or any other political subdivision of the state authorized to construct, operate, and maintain public highways or transportation projects, or a consortium of such entities.

Eligibility

For projects to be eligible for NJTIB financing, they must meet the definition of a transportation project. Eligible improvements include public highways, bridges, approach roadways and other land-side improvements, ramps and grade crossings, signal systems, roadbeds, transit lanes or rights of way, and pedestrian walkways and bridges connecting to passenger stations and servicing facilities. Projects and programs designed to increase the movement of passengers and goods, and that may provide a safety and/or infrastructure preservation benefit with a goal of improving quality of life, can also be funded through the NJTIB. Among such projects are highway operational improvements, bottleneck improvements, missing links, major widening, intelligent transportation systems, and travel demand management.

Projects must also be placed on the Transportation Infrastructure Project Priority List (TIPPL) by the NJDOT Office of Local Aid and Economic Development on or before May 15 of each year. This list must be approved for inclusion in the annual appropriations act by the New Jersey Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and Assembly Budget Committee. Only projects that are on the FY2019 TIPPL are eligible for 2019 NJTIB financing, though the list may be amended based on grant applicants and applicant withdrawals. At the present time, the FY2019 TIPPL lists 130 projects at a total cost of $267.5 million.

Prioritization

The NJDOT Office of Local Aid and Economic Development will also administer the Transportation Infrastructure Bank Priority System (TIBPS) and rank proposed projects for funding. The TIBPS currently assigns highest priority to projects that address structurally deficient bridges as identified by NJDOT Bridge Management System. Projects to improve pedestrian safety rank next. Lower ranked projects may also be approved based on availability of funds, compliance of program requirements and deadlines, and application submittal. The TIBPS will be published for the ensuing fiscal year on or before January 15.

The NJTIB and NJDOT have prepared a guidance document, New Jersey Transportation Infrastructure Financing Program: Project Prioritization System, Project Priority List, and Financial Plan, which includes the initial 2019 TIPPL, the methodology of the TIBPS, instructions on how to secure financing through the NJTIB, and loan terms and conditions. The document can be viewed here.

 

Photo credit: FEMA/Liz Roll. Bridge to Avalon and Stone Harbor after Hurricane Sandy, February 04, 2013.

 

Road Diets Are Making Roads Safer in New Jersey

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Across the country and in some New Jersey municipalities (at least 50 in the last six years), road diets have been implemented as a low-cost safety countermeasure for motorists and non-motorists alike by reducing travel lanes, vehicle speeds and freeing up space for bicycles and pedestrians. Road diets are recognized by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as one of twenty “Proven Safety Countermeasures” to reduce serious injuries and fatalities on American highways and roads.

According to the FHWA, a road diet most commonly involves converting an existing four-lane undivided roadway to a three-lane roadway consisting of two through lanes and a center two-way left-turn lane.

Digitally-enhanced photo shows potential changes for Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick. From Costs and Benefits of a Road Diet Conversion, 2015.

Implemented across the US for at least two decades, road diets have become standard practice and increasingly widespread as their benefits, including economic development, have become popularized. Studies indicate a 19-47% reduction in overall crashes when a road diet is installed on a four-lane undivided facility. For some roadways, these improvements have reduced crashes by up to 70% (See Reston, Virginia case study).

In New Brunswick, a partial road diet has been installed on Livingston Avenue, prompted by concerns expressed by many residents in 2014 when three children in a crosswalk were struck by a vehicle. There are plans for a complete road diet in the future. According to the Middlesex County Engineer’s Office, the project is currently obtaining federal aid and state approval to begin work. This road diet was supported by a cost-benefit evaluation that found the benefits of safety improvements would overwhelmingly exceed the costs over a 20 year period.

In Burlington City, NJDOT implemented a road diet on Route 130 to create a buffer for vehicles and pedestrians after many years of work with local officials. For six consecutive years, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign named Route 130 as the state’s most dangerous road for walking with 11 pedestrians killed by vehicles between 2012 and 2014. These hazardous conditions particularly affected students, who had to cross the divided highway to get to Burlington High School. The death of 17-year old Antwan Timbers, a sophomore at the school, inspired classmates to fight for safer streets around their school and state with the “25 Saves Lives” campaign, which advocated for legislation to reduce speed limits to 25mph near school zones along Route 130. The road diet reduced the roadway from six lanes to four lanes. Large “School Speed Limit 25mph” signs and “No Turn On Red” signs were also installed at busy intersections. Additional improvements are planned for the spring of 2018.

Passaic County’s road diet in Wayne has resulted in reduced dangerous crashes.

In Woodbury, NJDOT converted Route 45, a multi-lane roadway into a road with one travel lane in each direction, a left turn lane and bicycle lanes. According to the FHWA, the roadway was plagued with excessive speeding, improper lane changes, parking difficulties, and safety concerns. The road diet succeeded in reducing crashes and vehicle speeds while helping pedestrians feel safer. The improvements had no negative effect on emergency vehicle response times, which had been an initial concern of the Woodbury Police.

Passaic County has been active in installing road diets on several of their oversized suburban throughways. In 2016, case study research examined more closely the approaches that the County had taken and explored the lessons that they learned and some outcomes of implementing successful road diet projects. For 2018, the County is working with the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority to bring road diets to three additional corridors – including narrowing a roundabout.

In Ewing, NJDOT and Mercer County and other local partners are conducting a study to identify and recommend improvements to make Parkway Avenue, near NJDOT headquarters, a safer corridor. Parkway Avenue was one of two corridors (out of 99 potential locations) identified as a feasible, suitable and beneficial location to implement a road diet in NJDOT’s 2015 Road Diet Pilot Program. The public may keep up to date and share input on the Parkway Avenue Safety website.

 

See more information on how road diets work, the benefits they provide, and New Jersey case studies:

Identifying High Risk Bridges in New Jersey

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A team of researchers from New Jersey Institute of Technology have improved upon methods to identify high risk bridges in New Jersey to facilitate prioritization for repair or replacement. They have accomplished this through validating and advancing a new multi-dimensional model to analyze bridge scour and make appropriate recommendations. Bridge scour is the gradual removal of sediment around bridge abutments or piers caused by water movement, which can affect the long-term integrity of a bridge structure. By collaborating with three New Jersey consulting firms, the researchers hope to transfer their findings for statewide application.

Read a short technical brief summarizing the project background and findings (November 2017)

The researchers developed a “Scour Evaluation Model” or SEM that reflects New Jersey’s unique geological and hydrologic/hydraulic conditions while taking a more comprehensive approach than previous practices. NJDOT joins a number of other state DOTs that use a modified method for scour evaluation, as standard methods have often yielded conservative values for scour depth, or yielded disparities between predicted and observed scour.

SEM uses seven parameters to evaluate scour risk. One key parameter is the use of envelope curves, which “correlates the upper range of expected scour depth with a measurable hydraulic variable such as embankment length or pier width.” It was originally developed by USGS and original curves were based on bridge studies in 14 states. Many of the bridges were located in South Carolina’s Coastal Plain, which has a similar geology to New Jersey.

Another key parameter is determining whether a bridge has experienced a 100 year storm, and if so, how it performed. The other five include erosion resistance of streambed, bridge age, field scour observations, channel stability, and HEC-1800 scour calculations.

In their report, the team summarized the impacts of their SEM application. The bridges were rated by priority levels (1-4) based on the analysis. First, 17 bridges were evaluated using an abbreviated SEM procedure to prescreen high risk bridges. These 17 bridges were determined to be Priority 1 (high risk) or Priority 2 (medium-high risk) and in need of repair or replacement.

Secondly, the project evaluated 12 bridges fully using SEM with the participation of three consulting firms. Two of the bridges in the study were found to be Priority 1 (high risk), one bridge was found to be Priority 3 (medium to low risk) and nine bridges were found to be Priority 4 (low risk). The low risk bridges were then recommended for removal from the scour critical list.

Third, the research study was able to validate the use of “envelope curves” to evaluate scour at 15 bridges across 9 New Jersey counties with a range of characteristics and flooding histories.

The team’s goal was to accelerate the transfer of the model into statewide practice, so that it can be fully applied to New Jersey’s inventory of scour critical bridges. This was accomplished through meetings, conference calls and field visits with participating consultants.

The team’s full research and implementation process can be read in the following report:
SCOUR Evaluation Model Implementation Phase

View the team’s presentation slides from the 19th Annual NJDOT Research Showcase

Drone Program Takes Off in Bureau of Aeronautics

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The Drone program within the Division of Multimodal’s Bureau of Aeronautics has begun to take shape as staff, funding, and a multitude of innovative ideas have come together. So what does it take to start a new and innovative NJDOT Drone program when it has never been done before? First, it starts with knowledgeable staff. A UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) Coordinator position was created within the Bureau of Aeronautics to lead NJDOT’s UAS initiatives. The UAS Coordinator’s role is to:

  • Provide leadership, guidance, and coordination for flight operations to Divisions
  • Ensure compliance with State and Federal Aviation Regulations
  • Ensure flight operations are based on the most current best practices
  • Coordinate FAA Airspace Waivers and ATC Authorizations
  • Develop Implementation and Staff Training Plans
  • Assist with the drafting of RFP’s for consultants
  • Keep NJDOT informed of public perception and liability

Captain Glenn Stott is the current UAS Coordinator for the NJDOT. He is a retired Canadian Air Force jet instructor, Test Pilot, and Flight Commander. Glenn is an FAA designated examiner and authorized to grant the highest level of pilot license. In addition to his aviation experience, Glenn’s understanding of emerging technologies earned him part-time positions as an Adjunct Technology Professor for both Kean and Seton Hall Universities. Glenn’s UAS background started over 20 years ago with remote control helicopters. Currently, he serves on the NASAO (National Association of State Aviation Officials) UAS Committee and is a frequent speaker regarding drone technology in the transportation industry.

Funding was the next big issue in setting up a new program of this caliber. NJDOT applied for three FHWA grants and was fortunate enough to be awarded all three. These three separate grants are: FHWA Tech Transfer Deployment Funds for a UAS Peer Exchange on Best Practices, FHWA State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) Incentive program for equipment & training, and FHWA State Planning & Research Program for Best Practices, Policies and Procedures.

Runway 32 Taxiway construction at Eagles Nest Airport, West Creek, NJ. Photographed by Glenn Stott via drone

Runway 32 Taxiway construction at Eagles Nest Airport, West Creek, NJ. Photographed by Glenn Stott via drone

There are numerous potential areas for public use in transportation where UAS technology makes sense that many New Jerseyans may not be aware of. Some of the initiatives being explored are:

  • Traffic Incident Management
  • Structural Inspections
  • Traffic Congestion Assessment
  • Aerial 3D Corridor Mapping
  • 3D Reality Modeling from Photogrammetry
  • Emergency Response Assessment
  • Real-time Construction Project Management
  • Landfill volume calculations
  • Inspections of confined or hazardous spaces

Professional UAS operations possess many advantages over traditional methods for daily operations. Some of these advantages include a relatively low cost compared to the manpower, time and equipment traditionally used, rapid deployment, a very low carbon footprint, and the ability to operate in areas that are risky or dangerous to humans. For example, NJDOT owns and operates 250 High Mast Light Poles (HMLP) near NJ roadways. HMLPs are approximately 100-feet high, and are traditionally inspected with either binoculars or bucket trucks. While there is an inherent safety risk in performing inspections so high up near a busy roadway, UAS can alleviate this risk by providing upclose inspection of HMLPs. In addition to the safety advantage, UAS provide a higher quality inspection with closer views, higher definition photos, and with less disruption to traffic as the need for a lane closure is eliminated. To date, 241 out of 250 NJDOT HMLP inspections have been successfully completed with UAS, and photo logs have been created to identify and track problem areas. UAS structural inspection does not replace the human inspector, it is simply a tool used by the inspection team to identify potential problem areas that require closer examination.

Dredging project in Brigantine, Atlantic County. Photographed by Glenn Stott via drone

Beach Replenishment in Manasquan, NJ. Photographed by Glenn Stott via drone

NJDOT UAS projects are selected and pursued based on the opportunity to increase safety, increase efficiency, save money, and save time. Projects at this time range from collecting aerial photos over marshlands that cannot be traversed on foot, to aerial photos and videos of dredging projects at all stages in order to view the direction of the tide as well as the shoals and shallows. Drones are also being used to create 3D models that offer representation of a site and surface elevation. For example, a drone has been used to map a section of Route 26 to evaluate the potential of creating 3D maps for surface surveys. Areas are still being surveyed by hand in order to evaluate the accuracy of the drone survey elevations and calibrate the systems. 3D “Reality Modeling” with Photogrammetry provides real-world models for conceptual design, construction, and operational decisions, using simple photography rather than expensive LIDAR. 3D models created using drone Photogrammetry can be assessed and shared in CAD or GIS. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) released their 2017 Economic Impact Report that estimates in the first 3 years of integration more than 70,000 jobs and 13.6$ billion economic growth for the United States. By 2025 they estimate 100,000 jobs created and an economic impact of $82 billion. As you can see, the possibilities for the use of UAS are numerous and innovative. The Bureau of Aeronautics looks forward to pursuing projects that enhance safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness for NJDOT in a variety of areas.

Contributed by Glenn Stott & Kinan Tadmori
Feature image (above) is a High Mast Light Pole on Route 1, Mercer County. Photographed by Glenn Stott
This article first appeared in the December 2017 CIPGA Scoop, the employee newsletter of the [NJDOT] Capital Investment, Planning and Grant Administration.