NJ Transportation Research Ideas Search Ideas

Demand for rapid construction procedures has resulted in the development of concrete mixtures with faster strength gains so that roads and bridges can be opened up quickly. This move has, however, resulted in the formation more drying and plastic shrinkage micro-cracks in concrete bridge decks and pavements. These micro-cracks are fast paths for the ingress of water and aggressive chemicals that can cause corrosion of... more »

New Jersey Department of Transportation Bureau of Research recently carried out a limited study on the Elimination of Weight Restriction on Amtrak, NJ Transit and Conrail Lines. This report FHWA-NJ-2012-003 looked at the impact of increasing the weight of freight rail car on various passenger lines in New Jersey. Most of the railway bridges in New Jersey were built prior to World War II and are not designed for this... more »

Agencies across the country are using technology and new mobility options to expand their focus from being a provider of fixed route public transit to being the manager of public and private mobility options. This customer-focused approach seeks to capitalize on new technologies and mobility options to improve the efficiency of fixed route services, enhance the transit customer’s experience and in some case deliver service... more »

Current industry standard for design and fabrication of small format trusses (less than 8 feet across any flat dimension) typically consists of individual members which are separately cut and then welded or bolted into a truss structure. This type of structure, while popular in the industry for use as sign support structures, tolling gantries, and rail signal / catenary support structures, is also costly to produce and... more »

There has been recent discussion of using light colors for surface courses in order to mitigate heat islands by reflecting away light instead of absorbing it. However, I have been hearing many people counter with the problem, in northern latitudes, of lighter pavement icing faster in winter because the darker pavements ability to absorb light allows it to remain warmer than the air in temperatures close to freezing.... more »

When I was traveling last year, I saw something new that I did not even see here in The US bright lighted curb around the roundabouts. It looked so beautiful especially at night time making circulation even easier.

http://brit-lite.com/shop/500mm-long-led-kerb-stone/

https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/led-light-curbs.html

Realizing the full potential of bridge asset management requires a cradle-to-grave “biography” of each bridge asset, which fully documents its design, construction, and operations, inclusive of inspection, maintenance, preservation, and repair activities. To be truly useful, the data repository that would house this information needs to be comprehensive in nature, facilitate seamless (if not automated) data entry, and... more »

Green streets use green infrastructure practices within the public right-of-way to manage stormwater while preserving the primary function of a street as a conduit for vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders. In a densely populated state like New Jersey, the management of stormwater runoff is an important consideration for developed areas as impervious surfaces like roofs, roads and parking lots prevent... more »

The dense population of the northeastern United States makes the Northeast Corridor the most heavily traveled portion of the American passenger rail system. Nearly two-thirds of rail passengers in the United States live in New York City, also home to the nation's busiest passenger rail station, Penn Station. High speed trains can compete with airliners, New Jersey State also has a unique location in the Northeast on... more »

The recent development in shared mobility and mobile computing may have potential to improve the paratransit service in NJ. An in-depth study of existing mobility needs and current supply of such services will help reveal the potential for such applications to be applied to improve paratransit. Specific applications may be tested to demonstrate the effectiveness of such.

test

In the past, before any regulatory requirements were in place relative to the management of abandoned underground storage tanks, the department typically left these tanks in the ground unless they interfered with construction. Typically, these tanks are brought to NJDOT's attention by utility contractors accessing the ROW, however, from time to time the location of such tanks are identified after they have impacted a... more »

Did you ever drive onto an on-ramp and go around the bend only to see that the highway is actually a linear parking lot? Didn't you wish that you had a heads-up with that information so you could have not taken the ramp and maybe had a meal or made a pit stop while planning an alternate route (or time) for the trip? DOT can place a traffic camera showing live traffic on the highway (attach it to the bridge) and... more »

Can 3D printing have enough quality control to make safe, fatigue-resistant Overhead and Cantilever signs?

Normal sound barriers have been known to cause a reverberation that will cause sound to build prior to moving past the wall. Even though the barrier does diminish the sound from one side of the barrier to the other, because of the reverberation building, some studies have hinted that the sound is actually louder than prior to the installation. The most efficient mufflers and silencers utilize hydrodynamics to diminish... more »