Risk & Resilience

Last month we spoke to CAIT-affiliated researcher Dr. James Hughes to discuss COVID-19 and its potential impacts on the economy and regional transportation. Now we check back with him again for new insights as the situation progresses.

The three-day event featured panelists from NASA, FAA, universities, industry, and more including associate director of Rutgers CAIT Dr. Pat Szary who presented on the safety and security roles that AI might play in the future of air mobility. A major theme of the event was addressing next steps in further implementing UAS.

CAIT director Dr. Ali Maher and civil engineering professor Dr. Franklin Moon offered their thoughts on New Jersey infrastructure and encouraged lawmakers to view researchers in higher education as a resource and partner for finding solutions to the state’s pressing issues.

ARA was selected as a contractor to provide program support and engineering services to the FHWA’s Office of Bridges and Structures and National Geotechnical Team. CAIT has teamed up with them as a subcontractor to provide research support and expertise.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Self-driving shuttles are one part of NJ Transit’s future plans for filling in the gap on first and last-mile transit options. The agency hopes to test this technology as part of an innovative pilot program that Rutgers CAIT has partnered with them on.

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.

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.

The project is related to a recent presentation at the 2019 Graduate Seminar Series hosted by Rutgers Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, where Mr. Joseph Englot, National Director of Infrastructure Security at HNTB, discussed alternative fuel vehicles, fire events, and more.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The USDOT Region 2 UTC Consortium spreads knowledge through published works, conference presentations, and other opportunities. Here are some examples of the recent activities and accomplishments of our researchers.

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.

Survey respondents from 21 states evaluated and commented on proposed plow paths, techniques, and equipment for clearing snow from 10 road layouts.

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.

CAIT has been busy in recent months with projects ranging from building virtual reality modules for workforce training to using drones in innovative ways for highway interchange asset inspection. Check out the latest edition of Transportation Today, our print newsletter, for these stories and much more.

Dr. Xiang Liu is driving rail research and academics at RU. He is PI on several FRA research contracts. One on PTC—a hot topic after recent derailments—and another developing advanced risk analysis. Liu says RU can provide cutting-edge tech solutions and well-“trained” talent that railroads need.

Systemic application of proven safety countermeasures on rural roads helps keep vehicles in their travel lanes and reduce the incidence and severity of roadway departure crashes.

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.

Hurricanes or other extreme events can cause pipeline leaks, joint-weakening, or even ruptures. Dr. Jie Gong developed a mapping, monitoring, and risk-evaluation system combining lidar, infrared imagery analysis, and GIS-based assessment tools to identify vulnerable pipelines after a disaster.

Dr. Xiang Liu was picked as one of Progressive Railroading magazine’s elite group of rising stars under 40 years old. Liu is the founder and director of the rail program at Rutgers School of Engineering, one of the few such programs in the country.

A study on managing risk associated with broken rails by Dr. Xiang Liu was chosen for a special issue of Transportation Research Record that collects papers from 2016–2017 that were most frequently cited and mentioned in journal articles, federal reports, and policy publications.

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.

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.

PHMSA invited Rutgers grad student Milad Salemi to present his research at a workshop to encourage high school students to pursue STEM fields and to expose them to transportation careers. The event was part of the USDOT 50th Anniversary celebration.

Beyond Traffic 2045 presents USDOT’s is the most comprehensive report in decades to outline current and anticipated U.S. transportation needs. With its record for unique products and solutions, CAIT nabbed a slot as one of only 18 Beyond Traffic Innovation Centers.

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.

CAIT-affiliated researchers were featured in a recently-released issue of TR News for their work deploying artificial intelligence to help detect and analyze railroad trespassing events, utilizing an innovative solution to address one of the biggest challenges faced by the industry today.

Atlantic Cape Community College (ACCC) is helping its students enter the multi-billion-dollar drone industry in two ways: with micro-credentials offered through a new degree program, and by establishing the college’s drone-pilot certification program as the industry standard.