Construction & Design

This course reviews the basic regulations and engineering guidelines for the installation of pavement markings and properly establishing and posting regulatory, warning, and guide signs.

Do you need to know when, where, and how to place things such as speed bumps or signage to slow down traffic on your local roadways? Traffic calming uses physical design and other measures to improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.

This workshop is designed to assist local governments with an understanding of the basic minimum requirements for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act to ensure our roadways’ pedestrian network is accessible to all pedestrians.

This course, similar to our Work Zone Safety Awareness Program, is specifically being offered to New Jersey municipal and county public works and utilities participants who require an overview of working safely in the roadway.

This course is for municipal or county employees and those that work with them who are involved in the planning, inspecting and placing of asphalt pavements. The course will provide the information needed to properly plan and monitor a hot mix asphalt paving project.

The course will go through the entire section including clear zone, warranting obstructions, guide rail height, clearance from traveled way, rubrail, reduced post spacing at obstructions, guide rail at structures, end treatments, roadside recovery area, grading treatment, and many other topics.

This course covers the examination of drainage problems, properties and effects of soil and subsurface water, and how to maintain, inspect, and install culverts among many other drainage issues.

A grant from the NSF helped launch Atlantic Cape Community College’s new associate’s degree program in applied science with a concentration on small commercial drone field technicians.

The February 2018 issue of CE magazine featured THMPER—a portable, rapid testing device for bridge load-bearing capacity. THMPER is a breakthrough because it does this critical task faster, cheaper, and with less traffic disruption than other current methods.

David Orr from the Cornell University Local Roads Program is working on a tool to help towns with low-volume rural/local roads plan and build them in keeping with the traffic loads they carry.

Modern asphalt pavement performance testing has evolved quickly. The physical testing procedures are relatively simple, but analyzing the collected data is complex and intensive. If you’re an asphalt technician or engineer, that’s where RAAT-Pack has your back.

New research from Rutgers CAIT is examining the consistency and relationship of three Pavement Condition Indexes. Analyzing them can result in more durable and sustainable airfield pavement in the long-term, and has the potential to help find improvements to the current practices in airfield-pavement management systems.

ASCE Central Jersey honors members dedicated to the advancement of engineering every year at its annual awards ceremony. This year, they selected CAIT-affiliated researcher Dr. Husam Najm for the Educator of the Year Award due to his dedication in helping educate the next generation of civil engineers at Rutgers.

The Coastal Universities Coalition is a consortium of the nation’s leading academic institutions convened to develop science-based solutions to the most pressing issues facing populated coastal regions. This month, a CAIT researcher was invited by the organization to speak on infrastructure resilience.

A recent paper from Rutgers CAIT validated the Paratransit Skills Assessment and found it can predict an individual's ability to use paratransit services with greater than 96% accuracy.

This year, a Rutgers and CAIT-affiliated faculty member took home the 2019 NJDOT Research Implementation Award for his innovative work on the development of a new protocol for accepting new coating systems.

Traffic load and vehicle weight are two important variables in doing proper pavement design. A new study analyzed traffic clusters in New Jersey to characterize the data into mechanistic-empirical pavement design. This will help the state better understand its roads and build better designs in the future.

The Region 2 UTC consortium is focusing on developing practical tools and methods to improve infrastructure health, durability, and resilience. Partners are: Atlantic Cape Community College, Columbia, Cornell, NJIT, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, Princeton, Rowan, SUNY–Farmingdale, and University at Buffalo.

News from the USDOT Region 2 University Transportation Center led by Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation. Includes stories on recent events, research, and faculty accomplishments and activities.

News from the USDOT Region 2 University Transportation Center led by Rutgers CAIT.

News from the USDOT Region 2 University Transportation Center led by Rutgers CAIT.

News from the USDOT Region 2 University Transportation Center led by Rutgers CAIT.

News from the USDOT Region 2 University Transportation Center led by Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation. Includes stories on recent events, research, and faculty accomplishments and activities.

News from the USDOT Region 2 University Transportation Center led by Rutgers CAIT.

News from the USDOT Region 2 University Transportation Center led by Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation. Includes stories on recent conferences, research, and faculty accomplishments and activities.

News from the USDOT Region 2 University Transportation Center led by Rutgers CAIT.

News from the USDOT Region 2 University Transportation Center led by Rutgers CAIT.

News from the USDOT Region 2 University Transportation Center led by Rutgers CAIT

The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) is accepting applications for projects relating to surface transportation. TAP provides federal funds for community-based “non-traditional” projects designed to strengthen the cultural, aesthetic, and environmental aspects of the nation’s intermodal system.

FHWA acting administrator Brandye Hendrickson has announced the fifth round of the agency’s Every Day Counts (EDC) program, 10 selected proven, yet underutilized innovations to enhance safety, reduce congestion, shorten project timelines, and improve sustainability.

FHWA and the National Association of County Engineers helped 25 counties in California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Ohio, and Wisconsin develop Local Road Safety Plans. LSRPs provide a framework for local agencies to identify specific conditions that contribute to severe crashes.

Thomas D. Everett was honored for his service and received the prestigious Rutgers Engineering Society Distinguished Engineer Award earlier this month at The 2019 Medal of Excellence Awards Dinner. He stopped by CAIT for a tour of The BEAST and other facilities too.

FHWA announced that it is withdrawing its interim approval of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons. The concerns that led to this decision are not related to the functionality or safety of the device, but with the proprietary nature of hardware. Photo: ©Ryan Gillespie/Orlando Sentinel.

The December 31, 2018, sunset date for “new permanent installations and full replacements of cable barriers, cable barrier terminals and crash cushions” now only pertains to crash cushions. See important clarification on MASH Implementation site. Photo: WSDOT.

Primarily focused on the performance of structures under fire, Dr. Negar Elhami Khorasani is currently researching damage to concrete railway-tunnel lining during fire events, which can have millions of dollars of impact, through a UTC Fire in Tunnel Collaborative Project at CAIT.

A CAIT researcher has developed permeable concrete designs that are highly effective in handling heat. This pavement contains large connected pores, allowing water to drain and reducing pavement temperature. In some crowded cities, average air temperatures reach 1.8 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit higher than in more rural areas.

FHWA has developed a comprehensive set of programs, strategies, and tools for managing safer, smarter, more efficient temporary traffic control. How can you start using them?

Dr. Cecilia Feeley will be using a safe, virtual environment to study how people with autism react to different types of pedestrian infrastructure. She is recruiting participants for the study now.

At 62 years and counting, the region’s longest-running asphalt pavement conference was attended by nearly 320 pros from research, transportation agencies, and private industry.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority are advancing more than $1.1 billion in construction contracts for 2019.

At the 99th Annual Transportation Research Board Meeting, a student from UTC partner school NJIT was recognized by CUTC as a Student of the Year. The award highlights outstanding UTC students and their accomplishments in the field of transportation.

The Murphy administration announced that the New Jersey Transportation Infrastructure Bank is now offering low-interest loans to municipalities and counties to help them reduce the overall cost of local transportation projects.

CAIT researchers at the Rutgers Asphalt and Pavement Laboratory created this new free technology and are now licensing it to professionals in the field. The software can easily provide analysis for various asphalt-performance testing specifications while alleviating errors and decreasing testing time.

Under-designing roads can mean more expensive repairs for local towns and counties in the long run. Cornell’s Dr. David Orr, PE, developed an innovative tool to help bring the proper pavement designs to local agencies. The product launched this winter following testing by local agencies and stakeholders in New York State.

NJ STIC held its annual spring meeting on April 4, 2018. Presentations included updates on status of STIC projects, overviews of select projects and outreach efforts, and a roundtable discussion. Presentations are posted on the NJDOT tech transfer website.

The short-term goal of this research is to develop a guideline that agencies can implement into their own decision-making processes when evaluating rapid-repair materials. Down the road, researchers hope to develop new methods of testing rapid-repair materials and freeze-thaw cycles so that it becomes standardized.

NJDOT recently received a $16,000 grant through the FHWA's ASAP program. Using the money, they will partner with NJLTAP and other stakeholders to develop a workshop designed to spread and implement proven safety countermeasures, from rumble strips to roundabouts, throughout the state.

As the USDOT Region 2 University Transportation Center, part of CAIT’s mission is to share the innovative tools, technologies, and processes that its researchers develop with the right stakeholders so that they can be implemented and solve the most pressing challenges today’s transportation network and industry faces. 

This October, CAIT has been in the news for various research and projects, has seen faculty members honored for their excellence in education and research, and has hosted a number of classes and site visits.

From analyzing research gaps in applying autonomous and connected vehicles to discussing scenarios for railway tunnel fires, Region 2 UTC partners had an eventful summer. Below are some highlights from our researchers to you, and upcoming events to look out for.

By using Stormwater Green Infrastructure such as rain gardens and more recently porous parking lots, a CAIT-affiliated researcher is leading the way in building and implementing these environmentally-friendly measures to help control flooding events for at-risk neighborhoods.

As the Region 2 UTC lead institution, Rutgers CAIT gathered its consortium partners and high-level industry leaders to discuss the next round of UTC projects, clients’ priorities, and collaboration. Discussions focused on finding real-world implementable solutions for pressing transportation issues in the region.

Robots are emerging in multiple roles for infrastructure construction, condition monitoring, and maintenance. From rigid machines to flexible soft ’bots—whether they fly, climb, crawl, or swim—these tools have rapidly expanding capabilities, applications, and utility in the field.

FHWA has been rolling out pavement technologies for construction and maintenance of roadway surfaces that can potentially save money, increase safety, and improve performance. The agency also is facilitating their use across the country.

Although roundabouts have been in widespread use in other countries for a number of years, it is only during the past few years that their application in the United States has received increased attention by both the public and transportation professionals.

Rutgers CAIT hosted A Training Course on Ground Improvement Methods that outlined best practices for dealing with poor ground conditions at the job site. Professional engineers came to campus for the two-day event to learn about these technologies from guest instructor Jerry A. DiMaggio.

A CAIT researcher has developed two fully-interactive virtual environments that mesh innovative VR technology with the needs of infrastructure managers. Roadside crews can step into both of these bridge and pump-station environments, and step out with the hands-on experience they need to do their jobs.

Elizabethtown Gas brought in a Rutgers Drone team to map a gas pipeline replacement project and capture geolocations of newly installed underground infrastructure. The data collected will help the team develop enhanced As-Built models that are vital for informing infrastructure stakeholders in the area.

As part of a pilot project funded by NJDOT and FHWA, Rutgers and CAIT-affiliated researchers, alongside Montgomery Township, are building a 1,500-square ft. test sidewalk made of porous concrete in Montgomery, NJ to collect performance data.

Hurricane Maria left devastating effects on Puerto Rico when the storm struck in 2017, with NOAA's Office for Coastal Management totaling the damage at $90 billion. Now, research from the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico is examining ways to make pedestrian and traffic infrastructure more resilient in the area.

The BEAST at Rutgers CAIT is more than just an innovative facility that can estimate the lifespan of bridge systems. It also serves as an opportunity for students to receive experiential learning through the number of research projects that piggyback on the ongoing and future accelerated testing efforts within the lab.

The 99th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board will feature transportation professionals from around the world for a week of presentations, posters, meetings, awards, networking, and more. Use this schedule to find out when and where researchers from Rutgers CAIT will be discussing their own work.

New Jersey's conference observing National Work Zone Safety Week celebrated its 20th year in 2019 and drew more than 250 transportation professionals from construction, public works, maintenance operations, engineering, utilities, and public safety.

Transportation professionals from around the world came together last week to share research, discuss the future of the industry, network, and more. Among them, researchers from CAIT shared their own work ranging from autonomous vehicles and accessibility to preventing tunnel fires.