Research

The primary goal of this proposal is to develop a well-defined methodology to estimate the remaining strength of a suspension bridge cable that has been exposed to fire. The methodology will rely on a general purpose Finite Element code (ABAQUS) that is commercially available and widely used in the profession.

The…

The fundamental problem with the amounts of data collected by railroads is that they have generally lacked tools and the capability to analyze these data to develop predictive models to improve decisions regarding maintenance, operations and capital investments that improve safety, service and, ultimately, overall profit…

The primary goal of this proposal is to develop cost-effective standard open rib SOBD demonstrating similar performance as CRD.

The new design specifications for open rib SOBD to be developed in this study are expected to be incorporated into the AASHTO Bridge Design Specifications. Additional companion design gui…

The updated information about the location and type of landing sites is an essential asset for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT). However, the acquisition, verification, and regular updating of information about landing sites is not an easy or straightforward task, and t…

The primary goal of this proposal is to evaluate the compatibility of different plastics within asphalt and evaluate the resultant asphalt binder and mixture performance of the plastic-modified material.

The intended outcome of the project is to develop a new material that would provide both a structural material …

The primary goal of this study is to help transportation stakeholders achieve better understanding of the usefulness of augmented reality (AR) technologies and encourage wider acceptance of AR in life-cycle management of transportation infrastructure systems through literature synthesis, technology evaluation,…

The intended activities of the project are to:

• Conduct comprehensive review of the existing ITS system architecture and implementation in New Jersey
• Document the best practices in ITS system architecture practices in the country, which support transition to connected and electric vehicles

The primary goal of this proposal is to develop a simple to use tool that would allow local agencies to develop a mechanistic-empirical design for lower volume (<1,000 vpd) highways. The primary focus would be on pavement overlays and rehabilitation. The current tools available use older empirical-only meth…

The overall goal of this study is to determine the most optimal time to apply pavement preservation treatments. Researchers will conduct full-scale accelerated pavement testing and performance evaluation. They also will examine different pavement alternatives, conducting comprehensive performance evaluations i…

Existing infrastructure in the U.S. is deteriorating; the symptoms of overdue maintenance and under investment are ever-present in our society. To ensure the safety of existing infrastructure, on-site life-time inspections and monitoring are required. While these methods yield a great deal of raw and analyzed data, curre…

Performance- or risk-based earthquake engineering has gained widespread acceptance as a path to achieve user-specified performance targets, which include characterizations of casualties, repair cost, and business interruption, for intensity, scenario- and time-based assessments. There are tools whose roots are in U.S. nu…

This project aims to develop a 2-D hydrodynamic model to assess the extent/severity of flooding from extreme weather events (such as Hurricane Sandy) and to evaluate the efficiency of existing transportation infrastructure.

The model will incorporate a representation of the transportation system network, flood eve…

Major tunnel fires can lead to catastrophic events potentially resulting in the loss of lives, property damage, long service disruptions, and major socioeconomic impacts. A number of previous historical events confirm that tunnel fires may not necessarily cause collapse, but significant damage to the tunnel lining and lo…

The primary goal of this project is to analyze the failure of different types of transportation signage during Hurricane Maria. The specific objectives are:

• determine the causes of signage failure
• suggest improvements to the design and construction to avoid or reduce…
  

The primary goal of this proposal is to analyze pedestrian bridges that were damaged or collapsed during Hurricane Maria. The specific objectives of the project are:

• Develop an inventory of pedestrian bridges that were damaged or collapsed due to the hurricane and document the type of failures exp…
  

The primary goal of this project is to analyze motor vehicle bridges that were damaged or collapsed during Hurricane Maria. The specific objectives of the project are:

• develop an inventory of bridges that experienced damages or collapsed
• determine the causes of failu…
  

The risks associated with infrastructure are clearly identified but training to minimize the impact of these challenges is sparsely available or lacking in related content. This project will design and establish academic credentials as well as non-credit short courses that will prepare participants to assess, mitigate …

The purpose of this project is to explore and document both positive impacts autonomous vehicle (AV) transportation, aka a self-driving car, could have on persons with a broad array of disabilities and other transportation issues, as well as challenges that may hinder their successful usage of this revolutionary technolo…

The primary goal of this proposal is to establish the pilot Smart Intersection Mobility (SIMO) testbed in downtown New Brunswick. The testbed will be equipped with AV-grade LiDAR and computer vision sensors to collect real-time vehicle, pedestrian, and infrastructure change data. Data sharing and testing platforms will b…

Current asphalt design procedures are solely based on volumetric principles and lack a valid methodology to ensure performance of the asphalt mixture considered during design. This research focuses on a state of the art practice called Balanced Mixture Design (BMD), where the gradation and optimum asphalt content are n…