Tag Archives: DYK

Did you know

DYK: Legal Research Resources

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New Jersey Legal Research

NJDOT employees conducting research on legal issues related to transportation can access many resources via the New Jersey State Library (NJSL).

NJSL’s Law Library recently published a list of New Jersey Legal Research Resources. The Law Library also maintains links to pages related to the State Legislature, administrative law including a searchable database of the New Jersey Administrative Code, and other topics.

NJSL and the NJDOT Research Library also have access to the Lexis Plus database.  This tool allows you to easily search the statutes or administrative code using citations or keywords.  The database includes annotations, case law materials, additional historic information, and links to additional and related information.

The Law Library recently helped an NJDOT employee access a historical version of the State Highway Access Management Code.

To start your research, please contact the NJDOT research librarian, Eric Schwarz, MLIS, at (609) 963-1898, or email library@dot.nj.gov.

Did You Know? AASHTO Publications Available Electronically

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The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Research Library has approximately 200 publications from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) available electronically in an internal SharePoint drive. These documents are available only to NJDOT employees and will not be found in the New Jersey State Library’s catalog.

These documents include manuals, specifications, and guidance from AASHTO and its industry partners. A current list of publications that can be accessed is here.

Additional documents are available in print and/or electronic formats from the NJDOT Research Library. There is some overlap in the electronic and print documents. For more information on the library’s AASHTO resources, please see Did You Know? AASHTO and TRID Resources – NJDOT Technology Transfer

To request any of these documents, please contact the NJDOT research librarian, Eric Schwarz, MLIS, at (609) 963-1898, or email library@dot.nj.gov. Many of the documents require a special login procedure, which will be explained when the Research Library sends the user a link to the document.

Did You Know? AI in Transportation

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping transportation by improving safety, efficiency, and sustainability across various applications. From real-time traffic monitoring to predictive infrastructure maintenance, AI is becoming a critical tool for advancing transportation systems in New Jersey and nationwide. This article covers the use of AI in transportation research and implementation, with examples from the 2024 NJDOT Research Showcase, New Jersey and other state DOTs.  

AI on Display at the 2024 Research Showcase  

NJDOT held its 2024 Research Showcase on October 23, highlighting innovative transportation research and its implementation throughout New Jersey. During the morning panel discussion, Giri Venkiteela, Innovation Officer in NJDOT’s Bureau of Research, Innovation & Information Transfer, stated that Artificial Intelligence (AI) held significant promise for producing economic and environmental advancements in transportation due to its real-time predictive capabilities and proposed that NJDOT adopt protocols that can adapt to the pace of AI. Similar insights were heard throughout the showcase, where AI emerged as a central theme across numerous presentations and discussions.

AI, encompassing subcategories like Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), allows researchers to analyze and model large data sets in real-time, saving significant labor hours and producing efficient, immediate results. Throughout the showcase, various projects ranging from enhancing pedestrian safety to predicting natural disasters utilized AI-based models.  

Deep Patel received the 2024 Outstanding University Student in Transportation Research. As part of a research team at Rowan University, Patel deployed the AI model, YOLO-v5, to analyze video data from multiple New Jersey intersections, providing information on pedestrian volumes, traffic volumes, and the rate of vehicles running red lights, among other variables. The team then ranked intersection safety using the metrics analyzed by the AI model. 

Slide from Meiyin Liu’s presentation on real-time traffic flow analysis.

Patel’s research exemplifies the growing trend of integrating AI methods into traffic safety analyses, which continued into several presentations given in the afternoon Safety Breakout Sessions. Here, Rutgers professor Meiyin Liu presented her method for estimating real-time traffic flow through a combination of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and deep learning algorithms. A computer-mounted UAS would be used to record video data of a highway, which then gets transmitted to the YOLO-v5 computer vision AI that detects vehicle volume and estimates speed. This data collection method facilitates a real-time traffic flow analysis across a comprehensive geographic coverage that could enhance traffic performance and crash risk prediction. Afterward, Branislav Dimitrijevic, a member of an NJIT research team, showcased an AI-driven project that utilized LiDAR technology and YOLO-v5 computer vision to activate a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) when pedestrians approached crosswalks, enhancing road safety.

Poster by Indira Prasad from the 2024 NJDOT Research Showcase.

Multiple posters featured at the Research Showcase contained elements of AI, including a poster titled “Integrating AI to Mitigate Climate Change in Transportation Infrastructure” made by Indira Prasad and “Artificial Intelligence Aided Railroad-Grade Crossing Vehicular Stop on Track Detection and Case Studies” highlighted by researchers at Rutgers’ CAIT. 

AI’s critical role in the maintenance and preservation of infrastructure was also evident in the afternoon’s Sustainability Breakout Sessions. Indira Prasad, a Stevens Institute of Technology graduate student, conducted a review of future innovations in sustainable and resilient infrastructure. Prasad explained how AI’s pattern recognition capabilities could be used to analyze large data pools and help forecast natural disasters, enabling a rapid response to augment existing infrastructure. Surya Teja Swarna, a Rowan University postdoctoral researcher, demonstrated an innovative approach where state DOTs could use mobile phones mounted on vehicles to record roadway surface deformations, which then would be analyzed in real-time by an AI computer vision software, drastically reducing the time and costs required for road condition assessments.

Deployment of AI in Programs and Project Implementation  

In addition to research from academic institutions, State DOTs and various other state, local and public transportation organizations have started to deploy AI-based methods and tools on various programs and projects. 

Peter Jin, a Rutgers professor, received the 2024 NJDOT Research Implementation Award for his role in the New Brunswick Innovation Hub Smart Mobility Testing Ground (Data City SMTG).  The project, created in partnership with NJDOT, the City of New Brunswick, and Middlesex County, functioned as a living laboratory for transportation data collection, containing Self-Driving Grade LiDAR sensors and computing devices across a 2.4-mile multi-modal corridor. Private and public sectors can use the data to enhance their advanced driving systems, automated vehicle models, and other AI-based projects. 

Additionally, NJDOT has established a program integrating unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into its transportation operations. UASs provide high-quality survey and data mapping information, which, when paired with AI-based technologies, can be analyzed in real time to document roadway characteristics or conduct damage assessments for natural disasters. Meiyin Liu’s real-time traffic flow assessment research is one example of how UAS can be paired with AI. 

The methods used by CAIT to detect and analyze railroad-grade crossings. Courtesy of CAIT.

The use of AI for railroad-grade crossing detection has been demonstrated on several projects in recent years.  NJ TRANSIT, the statewide transit agency, recently received a $1.6 million grant from USDOT to implement a railroad-grade crossing detection system. The system, developed in partnership with CAIT researchers, will be deployed at 50 grade crossings and aboard five light rail vehicles throughout the state. The railroad-grade crossing detection system features multiple cameras on grade crossings and light rail vehicles to record data for an AI computer vision model that monitors and analyzes grade crossing behavior such as near-miss incidents.

For a project recently completed with the Federal Railroad Administration, CAIT researchers examined “stopped-on-track” incidents, which are a leading cause of grade-crossing accidents. During the poster session at the 2024 NJDOT Research Showcase, CAIT’s researchers highlighted a detection system for identifying stopped-on-track incidents and case study examples of how the critical locations can be addressed through design or other interventions. They found that targeted intervention using the AI detection system could reduce stopped-on-track incidents by up to 86 percent.

Visual example of how LiDAR senses the surrounding environment.

Other State DOTs have also started to implement AI-based programs. The Georgia Department of Transportation, in partnership with Georgia Tech, completed a survey of 22,000 road signs around potentially dangerous road curves using AI and vehicle-mounted mobile phone cameras to improve safety at road curves. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) assessed pavement conditions using LiDAR and AI. TxDOT’s project shares similarities with the research presented by Surya Teja Swarna, but it utilized LiDAR instead of a mobile phone camera.  

In 2022, the Nevada Department of Transportation partnered with the Nevada Highway Patrol, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, and a private technology company to launch an AI-based platform that facilitated the reporting of real-time crash locations. A study on this project found that the AI platform uncovered 20 percent more crashes than previously reported and reduced emergency response time by nine to ten minutes on average while eliminating the need to dial for help.

Recent National Research  

Responses from state DOT officials demonstrate the varied applications of ML solutions. Courtesy of NCHRP.

The National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) published a 2024 research report,  Implementing and Leveraging Machine Learning at State Departments of Transportation, that identifies trends in AI transportation research and implementation with a specific focus on machine learning and creates a roadmap for future implementation. The researchers surveyed State DOTs on plans regarding AI, reported case studies of ML implementation by State DOTs, and listed strategies to help DOTs facilitate further inclusion of AI solutions.

The survey of the state DOT officials covered various topics, including the transportation agency’s familiarity with AI methods and tools, types of methods and applications utilized, and challenges in implementation. Among the challenges to implementation, DOT officials noted a lack of public trust, insufficient data collection and storage infrastructure, and, most commonly, scarce labor with knowledge of AI. Most computer and data scientists choose to work in the private sector, and it can be difficult to recruit them to a transportation agency.

The NCHRP report also included multiple case studies from state DOTs such as Nebraska, California, and Iowa, documenting the experiences of these agencies in developing and implementing ML programs.

  • Nebraska DOT (NDOT) used a computer vision Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) algorithm to detect and analyze guardrail quality. NDOT recorded 1.5 million images of guardrail data and used AI to save time and money compared to the manual detection alternative. Among the challenges, NDOT observed that their agency did not have the necessary infrastructure to process large volumes of data and lacked in-house ML expertise. The agency solved the former issue by using a private vendor to process the data and the latter by collaborating with consultants from the University of Nebraska. The algorithm achieved accuracies of 97 percent for guardrail detection and 85 percent for their classification into three types. 
  • The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has leveraged AI/ML applications across various projects and partnered with numerous tech companies, including Google. One area of emphasis for Caltrans has been workforce capacity development. While most staff do not have experience with AI-based data analytics, they do have experience with GIS. Caltrans has worked with GIS tool developers to incorporate ML functionalities into the basic user interface of GIS programs, making it more intuitive for their workforce. 
  • Iowa State University, funded by the Iowa Department of Transportation, developed a real-time ML tool to monitor highway performance, enabling a rapid response to traffic congestion. The researchers identified the need for high-performance computing as a significant challenge preventing large-scale implementation. Mass deployment of the tools used in the research study would require a considerable expense, partially due to the stipulation that the code be at least 99 percent reliable. 

For more information on the application and implementation of AI by transportation agencies, the National Academies of Sciences, in collaboration with the NCHRP, published two additional reports in 2024. One, Artificial Intelligence Opportunities for State and Local DOTs: A Research Roadmap, utilizes machine learning methods to analyze research trends in AI and how State DOTs can implement the research. The other, Implementing Machine Learning at State Departments of Transportation: A Guide, serves as a complementary document to the NCHRP report on implementing and leveraging machine learning. 

On a national level, USDOT published its Advancing Governance, Innovation, and Risk Management for Agency Use of Artificial Intelligence compliance plan in September 2024. USDOT has taken several measures to advance the implementation of AI, including forming an AI Governance Board chaired by the Deputy Secretary and vice-chaired by a new Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO), creating an AI Accelerator Roadmap, and providing funds for AI research and implementation.

Lastly, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) hosted a knowledge session examining the role of AI in transportation in April 2024. Practitioners on the panel highlighted the potential of AI in eliminating the dangerous aspects of data collection and allowing for proactive solutions rather than reactively responding to crashes or injuries.  The panelist discussion touched upon the importance of building trust in a period of rapid AI development, noting the critical role that academic researchers can play as partners with state DOTs to advance and develop the AI technology in ways beneficial for traffic safety and workforce safety, among other topics.

TRID Database 

Artificial Intelligence-based research can be found via TRB’s TRID database. The following are some relevant articles published on recent New Jersey transportation research in AI.

  • Bagheri, M., B. Bartin, and K. Ozbay. (2023). Implementing Artificial Neural Network-Based Gap Acceptance Models in the Simulation Model of a Traffic Circle in SUMO. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, Vol. 2677. https://trid.trb.org/View/2166547 
  • Hasan, A.S., M. Jalayer, S. Das and M. Bin Kabir. (2024). Application of machine learning models and SHAP to examine crashes involving young drivers in New Jersey. International Journal of Transportation Science and Technology, Vol. 14. https://trid.trb.org/View/2162338
  • Hasan, A.S., M. Jalayer, S. Das and M. Bin Kabir. (2023). Severity model of work zone crashes in New Jersey using machine learning models. Journal of Transportation Safety & Security, Vol. 15. https://trid.trb.org/View/2190127
  • Najafi, A., Z. Amir, B. Salman, P. Sanaei, E. Lojano-Quispe, A. Maher, and R. Schaefer. (2024). A Digital Twin Framework for Bridges. ASCE International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering 2023, American Society of Civil Engineers, pp 433-441. https://trid.trb.org/view/2329319  
  • Nayeem, M., A. Hasan, M. Jalayer. (2023). Investigation of Young Pedestrian Crashes in School Districts of New Jersey Using Machine Learning Models. International Conference on Transportation and Development 2023, American Society of Civil Engineers. https://trid.trb.org/View/2196775  
  • Patel, D., P. Hosseini, and M. Jalayer. (2024). A framework for proactive safety evaluation of intersection using surrogate safety measures and non-compliance behavior. Accident Analysis & Prevention, Vol. 192. https://trid.trb.org/View/2242428
  • Zaman, A., Z. Huang, W. Li, H. Qin, D. Kang, and X. Liu. (2023). Artificial Intelligence-Aided Grade Crossing Safety Violation Detection Methodology and a Case Study in New Jersey. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, Vol. 2677. https://trid.trb.org/VCiew/2169797  
  • Zaman, A., Z. Huang, W. Li, H. Qin, D. Kang, and X. Liu. (2024). Development of Railroad Trespassing Database Using Artificial Intelligence. Rutgers University, New Brunswick, Federal Railroad Administration, 80p. https://trid.trb.org/view/2341095 

Additional Resources

DYK: Inter-Library Loans

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Did you know...

As state employees, NJDOT users are eligible to register for a library card (borrower card) from the New Jersey State Library (NJSL). The card will allow the user to borrow material from the NJDOT Research Library or NJSL.

NJDOT users may request materials from the New Jersey State Library (NJSL) in several ways:

NJSL materials may be picked up at the NJSL in Trenton or at the NJDOT Library in the Main Office Building in Ewing. Materials may also be sent directly to the user’s office upon request.

A library card is also needed to request “interlibrary loan” work-related books and articles from U.S. libraries other than NJDOT or NJSL.

For instructions on requesting interlibrary loan materials online, see the NJSL website. New or technical materials, textbooks, and examination/test books may not be available via interlibrary loan.

The NJDOT Librarian can help users determine if the material will likely be available via interlibrary loan and can help request the item for the user. NJSL staff will keep the user updated on the status of the request, or the user can check the ILLiad portal.

People searching for information online. AASHTO and TRID logos.

Did You Know? AASHTO and TRID Resources

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The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Research Library offers valuable assistance in supporting various research tasks and for accessing resources. This article highlights recent publications from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), as well as publications indexed in the TRID database. For a background on AASHTO standards and the TRID database, please see our earlier “Did You Know?” article.

AASHTO Publications

Two recent AASHTO publications of note are a print version of the 11th edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) and the 2024 edition of AASHTO’s “Materials Standards” (published electronically).

The 11th edition of the MUTCD was published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in December 2023 and is available as a free PDF download. It supersedes the previous 10th edition, published in 2009.

The new edition is also available in print format from the NJDOT Library, indexed and printed by AASHTO, in association with the American Traffic Safety Services Association and the Institute of Transportation Engineers. Users must register for a New Jersey State Library card in order to borrow any materials.

On July 31, AASHTO released the Standard Specifications for Transportation Materials and Methods of Sampling and Testing, and AASHTO Provisional Standards, 44th Edition—2024, commonly referred to as the AASHTO “Materials Standards.” These standards contain specifications, recommended practices, and test methods commonly used in the construction of highway facilities. Provisional standards are also published to allow practitioners to use them early in the research or development phase. In addition to revisions to harmonize industry standards, update technology, and generally improve the standards, the 44th edition includes 15 conversions to dual units and more updates to temperature-measuring devices.

The Materials Standards are available in three files on the Research Library’s SharePoint site. In addition to those standards, the following AASHTO reports and standards, published in 2024, are available to NJDOT employees upon request:

  • 2022 AASHTO Salary Survey (Excel and PDF files).
  • 2022 Annual AASHTO State DOT HR Metrics Report.
  • 2024 Interim Revisions – Manual for Bridge Element Inspection 2nd Edition 2019.
  • 2024 Interim Revisions to the LRFD Steel Bridge Fabrication Specifications 1st Edition February 2023.
  • AASHTO 2024 Interim Revisions to the AASHTO/AWS D1.5M/D1.5: 2020 Bridge Welding Code, 8th Edition.
  • AASHTO LRFD Bridge Construction Specifications – 4th Edition – 2024 Interim Revisions.
  • Commuting in America The National Report on Commuting Patterns and Trends—Brief 24.5. Machine Learning Approaches for Populations’ Hard-to-Capture Commuting Behavior.
  • Commuting in America The National Report on Commuting Patterns and Trends—Brief 24.6. Change and Variation in Mode Choice.
  • Guide for Accommodating Utilities within Highways and Freeways – 1st Edition – 2024.
  • Guide Specifications for Structural Design with Ultra-High Performance Concrete – 1st Edition.
  • Guidelines for Field Repairs and Retrofits of Steel Bridges, 1st Edition, G14.2-2023.
  • Movable Bridge Inspection Evaluation and Maintenance Manual – 2nd Edition – 2024 Interim Revisions.
  • Resources for Concrete Bridge Design and Construction – 1st Edition.
  • Survey of State Funding for Public Transportation – Final Report 2024 Based on FY2022 Data.
  • Uniform Audit and Accounting Guide for Audits of Architectural and Engineering (AE) Consulting Firms, 2024 Edition

TRID Database Search

The Research Library has compiled a brief scan of the TRID database search on the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases and carbon. There is an extraordinary growth in projects underway and recently completed research in transportation, covering a range of policy, planning, environment, materials, construction, multi-modal operations, and vehicle equipment, fuels and technology areas. Selected results from the past 6-12 months, focusing on surface transportation in the United States, are listed here:

Select Projects Underway

Effect of Carbon-Negative Carbon Black on Concrete Properties
https://trid.trb.org/View/2389221

Evaluating Carbon Reduction in Project Selection and Planning
https://trid.trb.org/View/2329694

Shaping Automated Vehicle Behaviors in Mixed Autonomy Traffic to Benefit All Road Users and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
https://trid.trb.org/View/2350815

Advancing Methods to Evaluate Greenhouse Gas Emissions During Transportation Decision Making and Performance Management
https://trid.trb.org/View/2381725

Shifting Gears to Sustainability: A Deep-Dive into Solar-Powered Bike Pathways
https://trid.trb.org/View/2373992

Advancing Active Transportation Project Evaluation
https://trid.trb.org/View/2313957

Impacts of Remote/Hybrid Work and Remote Services on Activity and Transportation Patterns
https://trid.trb.org

Select Recently Published

Policy

U.S. Department of Transportation. DOT Report to Congress: Decarbonizing U.S. Transportation. July 2024. https://trid.trb.org/View/2404234

Planning

Mullin, Megan; Feiock, Richard C; Niemeier, Deb. Climate Planning and Implementation in Metropolitan Transportation Governance. Journal of Planning Education and Research, Volume 44, Issue 1, 2024, pp 28-38. https://trid.trb.org/view/1936743

Environment

Jeong, Minseop, Jeehwan Bae, and Gayoung Yoo. “Urban roadside greenery as a carbon sink: Systematic assessment considering understory shrubs and soil respiration.” Science of the Total Environment 927 (2024). https://trid.trb.org/View/2377597

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. “Considering Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change in Environmental Reviews: Conduct of Research Report.” (2024). https://trid.trb.org/View/2404015

Kelly, Jarod C., Taemin Kim, Christopher P. Kolodziej, Rakesh K. Iyer, Shashwat Tripathi, Amgad Elgowainy, and Michael Wang. Comprehensive Cradle to Grave Life Cycle Analysis of On-Road Vehicles in the United States Based on GREET. No. 2024-01-2830. SAE Technical Paper, 2024. https://trid.trb.org/View/2367212

Ashtiani, Milad Zokaei, Monica Huang, Meghan C. Lewis, Jordan Palmeri, and Kathrina Simonen. “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory from Roadway Construction: Case Study for the Washington State Department of Transportation.” Transportation Research Record (2024). https://trid.trb.org/View/2352361

Zuzhao Ye, Nanpeng Yu, Ran Wei. Joint planning of charging stations and power systems for heavy-duty drayage trucks, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Volume 134, 104320 (2024). https://trid.trb.org/View/2408518

Materials and Construction

Lopez, Sarah, Lawrence Sutter, R. Douglas Hooton, Thomas Van Dam, Allison Innis, and Kevin Senn. “Breaking Barriers to Low Carbon Concrete Pavements.” Transportation Research Record (2024). https://trid.trb.org/View/2387006

Equipment, Fuels and Technology

Dugoua, Eugenie; Dumas, Marion. Coordination dynamics between fuel cell and battery technologies in the transition to clean cars. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 121, Issue 27, 2024, e2318605121. https://trid.trb.org/view/2399820

Jung, Philipp Emanuel; Guenthner, Michael; Walter, Nicolas. Guided Port Injection of Hydrogen as an Approach for Reducing Cylinder-to-Cylinder Deviations in Spark-Ignited H2 Engines – A Numerical Investigation. SAE Technical Paper, 2024. https://trid.trb.org/view/2397724

Wallace, Julian; Mitchell, Robert; Rao, Sandesh; Jones, Kevin; Kramer, Dustin; Wang, Yanyu; Chambon, Paul; Sjovall, Scott; Williams, D. Development of a Hybrid-Electric Medium-HD Demonstrator Vehicle with a Pent-Roof SI Natural Gas Engine. SAE Technical Paper, 2024. https://trid.trb.org/view/2397750

Wine, Jonathan; Ahmad, Zar Nigar; McCarthy, Jr., James; Prikhodko, Vitaly; Pihl, Josh; Tate, Ivan; Bradley, Ryan; Howell, Thomas. On Road vs. Off Road Low Load Cycle Comparison. SAE Technical Paper, 2024. https://trid.trb.org/view/2367799

Please contact the NJDOT research librarian, Eric Schwarz, MLIS, at (609) 963-1898, or email library@dot.nj.gov for assistance in your transportation research, or to customize your searches in TRID and other databases.

NJDOT Lunch and Learn: An Inside Look at the Research Library and its Digitization Project

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In the 1940s, the State Highway Department (predecessor to the New Jersey Department of Transportation) created its first departmental library for transportation information. For the past 80 years, this depository of relevant transportation articles and materials has grown. Today NJDOT’s research library is a part of the Bureau of Research, Innovation & Information Transfer. The library offers employees several research and career development resources and holds a collection of documents of notable histories of transportation in New Jersey.

As a part of the NJDOT’s Lunch and Learn series, on February 22, 2024, Eric Schwarz, NJDOT’s research librarian, gave NJDOT employees an overview of the resources available through the NJDOT Research Library and directed a portion of his talk to “Discoveries in the First Year of the NJDOT’s Digitization Project.” The digitization project is an effort to make past documents, films, and other materials from the NJDOT archive, accessible online. Eric has been instrumental to the digitization project, leveraging resources of the multi-state Transportation Research and Connectivity Pooled Fund Study Digitization Project [TPF-5(442)].

The Lunch and Learn presentation gave NJDOT employees an overview of the NJDOT Research Library and highlighted several digitally archived historical materials and “lessons learned” during the first year of NJDOT’s digitization project.

Materials range from historic newspaper articles of The Highway to documentary clips of past infrastructure projects and initiatives. Materials have been selected, catalogued, indexed, processed, and preserved by Eric. The digitized materials are now accessible on the Internet Archive’s page for the NJDOT Research Library and contribute to the overall story of transportation in New Jersey.

Notably, the digitization efforts led to uncovering the names of several NJDOT employees who died while working for the department and its predecessor agencies. Five of these individuals were recognized at the Annual Remembrance Ceremony held in September 2023 with name plaques added to a Memorial Wall maintained by NJDOT at Headquarters. As noted during the Lunch and Learn presentation, additional documentary evidence has been found of persons who lost their lives while on duty as the digitization project has proceeded in recent months.

Eric’s presentation conveyed how the digitization project contains a well-spring of information that may prove of interest to historians and other researchers. Digitized materials like old photographs, maps and videos show the makeup of the highway commission in 1922, the number of miles in the State Highway System in 1925, and the number of women who have served as transportation commissioner. The digitized materials reveal several ways that NJDOT has contributed to safety innovations in transportation, including the implementation of cloverleafs, breakaway signs, center barriers, and the piloting and expansion of Emergency/Safety Service Patrol operations. This and other information about the state’s transportation history was made engaging and interactive through mini-pop quizzes.

Eric displayed the research poster about the Digitization Project presented at the Transportation Research Board Annual Conference held in Washington DC in January of 2024 at the Lunch and Learn event.

In addition to describing the digitization process and lessons learned participating in the pooled funded study, Eric gave an overview of the NJDOT Research Library, including its various services and available resources.

Eric noted reference and research services that can be accessed through the NJDOT Research Library. Employees, as well as other transportation professionals, may access various online resources and databases through the research library. Online databases and other sources include:

  • TRID (Transportation Research Board) — A collection of worldwide transportation research
  • Bureau of Transportation Statistics — Statistical information useful to transportation professionals
  • ROSA-P — the National Transportation Library’s Repository and Open Science Access Portal
  • ASTM Compass — Specialty documents from ASTM, AASHTO, American Welding Society
  • AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) — Standards and Publications

The research library also provides professional development tools like exam preparation books that can be lent out for several weeks. These books will help professionals prepare for a range of Civil Service and Professional Exams.

As state employees, NJDOT employees can apply for a State Library card, which must be renewed every two years. This card allows individuals to borrow print materials from the NJDOT research library, as well as the New Jersey State Library

Eric noted that links to several online resources and other information about the NJDOT Research Library can be found on the NJDOT Research Library page including links to the NJ State Library which contains additional transportation-related resources.

In addition to the recording, the Lunch and Learn presentation slides can be found here.

Resources

Notable Digitized Materials

Did You Know? Research on ALICE and Mobility of Low-Income Households

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At the 2023 NJDOT Research Showcase, New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti “appealed to attendees to advance community-centered transportation and to commit to considering the needs of ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) persons when devising research questions and in carrying out their day-to-day activities with the goal of planning, building and maintaining a more safe, equitable and sustainable transportation system.” Gutierrez-Scaccetti has repeatedly said that she “drives with ALICE” in mind, but that ALICE would rather drive by herself. On Jan. 30, 2023, Gutierrez-Scaccetti spoke at the National ALICE Summit on Navigating the ALICE Highway: A Multistate Transportation System by 2030.

In recognition of the Commissioner’s emphasis on getting to better know who ALICE is, the NJDOT Research Library has done a quick research of resources related to the mobility of low-income households and the ALICE project at The United Way. These are included below:

United Way of Northern New Jersey operates the website United for ALICE, which maintains research pages for “partner states” (28 states, including New Jersey, plus the District of Columbia). United Way of Northern New Jersey (then known as United Way of Morris County) released its first ALICE report in 2009.

United Way prepares state fact sheets that compare the ALICE Essentials Index (AEI) to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over time.

The October 2023 NCHRP Research Results Digest, Collective and Individual Actions to Envision and Realize the Next Era of America’s Transportation Infrastructure: Phase 1, includes this background on ALICE households: “Economic growth and prosperity have not been spread evenly across the United States. About 13 percent of households earn incomes below the poverty line and an additional 29 percent are considered to be asset-limited, income-constrained, and employed (ALICE)…. The average household spends 16 percent of total expenditures on transportation—the second biggest cost after housing…. Significant numbers of Americans have limited access to health care, education, fresh food, or high-speed Internet.”

In 2018, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy cited “more than one million [ALICE] families” in New Jersey as the impetus to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour. In 2024, New Jersey’s minimum wage will surpass $15 for the first time.

A November 2023 article from the journal Social Science & Medicine laments the fact that public health studies have not used ALICE data.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy takes an opposite tack in its criticism. It issued a 2021 report, An Assessment of ALICE: A Misleading Measure of Poverty. “Unfortunately, United Way’s research on this issue is methodologically flawed, misleading and does not help inform the public or policymakers about how to help these households,” the authors write. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy describes itself as “a nonprofit research and educational institute that advances the principles of free markets and limited government.”

United for ALICE states that it provides “unbiased data that is replicable, easily updated on a regular basis, and sensitive to local context,” and that its published measures provide a better picture of “the number of households that are struggling in each county in a state,” compared with the Federal Poverty Level. United for ALICE’s most recent research methodology report was published in April 2023.

Transportation research on low-income individuals can be found via the TRID and ROSA-P databases.

The following are some relevant articles on the topic, curated by the NJDOT Research Library:

Current research projects into the topic of serving low-income populations include these:

Please contact the NJDOT research librarian, Eric Schwarz, MSLIS, at (609) 963-1898, or email at library@dot.nj.gov for assistance on how to expand your search to projects, or retrieve these or other publications.

Did You Know? Using Research Tools

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The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is committed to equity in transportation at all stages of transportation decisionmaking.

Did you know that the NJDOT Research Library can help practitioners identify sources that will help them meet this goal?

Some recent relevant research on this topic includes:

This is just a small sampling of research on this topic in 2022 and 2023. Check out these search results discoverable through TRID (including current research projects) and Google Scholar. As shown here, links to recent searches can be saved to collaborate and share with colleagues. The links display the scale and breadth of materials that can be easily discovered.

Check out the TRB Library Snap Search (research guide) tool on social equity and underserved populations to learn more about research projects recently completed, ongoing and upcoming and links to other reports and relevant research panels overseeing research.

NJDOT’s Research Library web page includes a “hot topic” link to the “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI) topic that can be accessed here: TRID Searches – NJDOT Technology Transfer. Close inspection of the saved TRID search will reveal that a large set of “index terms” (18 items) were used to perform this wide-ranging search; researchers, of course, can narrow their search quickly to a subset of items (e.g., environmental justice, barrier free design, civil rights, etc.)

State of New Jersey employees also have access to research tools, including specialized databases from ProQuest and EBSCO, through the New Jersey State Library. Your State Library card is the key to accessing these resources. Just complete this form to register for a State Library card.

And … did you know that many AASHTO reports and technical manuals are available electronically to NJDOT employees? These reports are available through the NJDOT Research Bureau’s SharePoint site. The State Library’s research guide also lists the availability of print and CD-ROM versions of AASHTO’s “featured/essential” publications.

Please contact the NJDOT research librarian, Eric Schwarz, MLIS, at (609) 963-1898, or email library@dot.nj.gov, for assistance in your transportation research.

NJDOT Research Library TRID Database

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Did you know…

The TRID Database is an integrated resource that combines the records from TRB’s Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS) Database and the OECD’s Joint Transport Research Centre’s International Transport Research Documentation (ITRD) Database. TRID provides access to more than 1.4 million records of transportation research worldwide.

The NJDOT Research Library’s TRID Searches page provides a quick-access tool to research in the TRID Database on select topics and subjects. The “Hot Topics” searches list projects and publications issued over the last five years on several critical topics in transportation. The “TRID Database of Recent Publications” provides a list of recently issued publications by major Subject Area categories.